The situation in Cyprus continued to deteriorate. Turkey and the puppet
Turkish Cypriot leadership consistently violated
resolution 541
and threatened with new faits accomplis.
In view of the grave situation the Government of Cyprus after consultation
with all political parties decided on April 10 to appeal to the Security Council requesting it once again to take
under its responsibility the peace and security of the state of Cyprus.
Denktash responded to the recourse to the Security Council by threatening
to colonize the Greek sector of the city of Famagusta (Varosha), part of
which he proposed to return to the Greek Cypriots earlier on, and by
demanding from the United Nations the signing of separate agreements with
his "state" for the renewal of the UNFICYP mandate.
On May 11, 1984, the Security Council overwhelmingly approved
resolution 550 on Cyprus with 13 votes in favour (the former USSR,
France, China, Great Britain, India, Egypt, Peru, Ukraine, Upper Volta
now Burgino Faso, the Netherlands, Malta, Nicaragua and Zimbabwe) and only
one vote against that of Pakistan. The United States abstained1.
This resolution,
which is one of the strongest secured by Cyprus to date, "condemns all
secessionist actions, including the purported exchange of ambassadors
between Turkey and the pseudo-state, declares them illegal and invalid
and calls for their immediate withdrawal", "reiterates the call upon all
states not to recognise the purported state of the
'Turkish Republic of Cyprus' set up by the secessionist acts and calls
upon them not to facilitate or in any way assist the aforesaid
secessionist entity".
The resolution
also "considers attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other
than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this
area to the administration of
the United Nations".
Moreover, the Security Council requests the Secretary-General to promote the urgent
implementation of Security Council resolution 541/1983 and the present resolution and to
undertake new efforts to attain an overall solution to the Cyprus problem in conformity
with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the provisions of such a
settlement laid down in the United Nations resolutions.