The UN Response to the Turkish Cypriot Declaration of Independence and its Impact on the Cyprus Problem

This paper examines what role the UN played in the ethnic conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots after the Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983. The UN has been actively involved with ethnic conflict in the past 50 years and will continue to do so into the future. Examining the UN's policy towards the Turkish Cypriot secession will contribute to the understanding of the role the UN will play in future ethnic conflicts. How did the UN respond to the Turkish Cypriot Declaration of Independence and what impact did that response have on negotiations involving Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots and the UN in the future? I examined UN documents and the writings of the Turkish Cypriot leader during this time, Rauf Denktash, to answer this question. The UN's immediate response was a series of resolutions that condemned the declaration and denied recognition to the newly declared state. This response was effective in mitigating the impact of the Turkish Cypriot declaration on future negotiations and the status quo.B.A. (Bachelor of Arts