The result was that on that very day Mr. Denktash declared a separate "state" which he
named the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" ("T.R.N.C."). While Turkey feigned
surprise at this secessionist move, it promptly recognised the "new state" and pledged to
assist it. The Turkish Cypriot leadership's unlawful action, however, provoked universal
condemnation and the international community unequivocally declared that there was no
question of recognition.
The then President of Cyprus, Mr. Kyprianou said in a statement on 15 November that
"this action not only complicated further the Cyprus problem but made it clear that the
intention of the Turkish side was always to create faits accomplis and to create conditions
for the secession of the occupied area from the Republic of Cyprus".
Moreover, the purported declaration of independence in the occupied part of the island - an
action that would never have been possible if the Turkish troops had not been there - is
incompatible with the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee under which Turkey, together with Britain
and Greece, had undertaken to safeguard the independence of the island.
But this arbitrary step not only violates the sovereignty, independence and territorial
integrity of Cyprus. It is, in addition, in direct contravention of the U.N. Charter, the
Helsinki Final Act and international law and will inevitably lead to even greater instability in
the region.
The U.N. Secretary-General stressed that this move was "contrary to the resolution of the
Security Council on Cyprus and at variance with the high-level agreements of 1977 and
1979". He believed that the unilateral declaration of "independence was bound to affect
adversely the situation in Cyprus" and to complicate his efforts "to promote an agreed, just
and lasting settlement".
The Secretary-General noted that the announcement was made at a time when Mr. Gobbi
arrived in Cyprus to initiate consultations in preparation for the high-level meeting
suggested by Mr. Denktash.
The Governments of Cyprus, Greece and Britain jointly requested an emergency session of
the U.N. Security Council to consider the situation. On 18 November 1983 the Security
Council adopted resolution 541 (1983) proposed by Britain which, inter alia, deplores the
declaration of the purported secession of part of the Republic of Cyprus, considers the
declaration as legally invalid and calls for its withdrawal, calls for the urgent and effective
implementation of its resolutions 365 (1974) and 367 (1975) and calls on all states not to
recognise any Cypriot state other than the Republic of Cyprus1.
The resolution was adopted by 13 votes (including all five Permanent Members) to one
(Pakistan) with one abstention (Jordan).
The Cyprus crisis was also among the concerns of the Commonwealth Summit Conference
in New Delhi. In the Final Communique of the Conference, issued on 29 November,
1983, Commonwealth Heads of State condemned the declaration of a secessionist "state"
and fully endorsed U.N. Security Council resolution 541 of 18 November. They called on
all states "not to facilitate" or in any way assist the act which they regarded as a "challenge
to the international community1"
The Commonwealth leaders, further agreed to establish a special 5-nation action group on
Cyprus at high-level "to assist in securing compliance with Security Council Resolution
541" and to work with the United Nations to try and solve the Cyprus crisis. Apart from
the Secretary-General, the action group comprises Australia, Guyana, India, Nigeria and
Zambia.
Moreover the latest Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October 1989 which
was held in Kuala Lumpur also condemned the unilateral declaration of independence by
the Turkish Cypriots and called on all states not to recognise any Cypriot state other than
the Republic of Cyprus. Furthermore, Heads of Government stressed the importance of
securing compliance with all UN Resolutions on Cyprus2.
The European Community too has taken measures to demonstrate its rejection of the
pseudo-state. The E.E.C. Council of Ministers decided to suspend trade concessions for
Turkish Cypriot goods and ruled that products exported from the island must be
accompanied by a certificate of origin issued by the Government Authorities of Cyprus.
