text: Uponinstructions frommyGovernment, Ihavethehonour toenclose herewith thetextofanopinion paperentitled "Turkish Republic ofNorthern Cyprus -the StatusoftheTwoCommunities inCyprus" written byeminent lawProfessor Mr.E.Lauterpacht. CBE,QC,dated10July1990(seeattachment). (Signed) OzerKORAY /... Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld LibraryA/44/968 s/2L463 English Page 3 Attachment TSRKISS REPUBLIC OF NORTIIERN CYPRUS IIIE STATUS OF TIIE TWO COMI\4INITIES I CYPRUS Olrinion of Mr. E. Lauterpacht. CBE. OC 1. Tbis Opiniotr deals trith tt'€ relat€d questions. One is the status of the two communities, Gr€ek anal Turkish, in Cyprus, in reLation to the settlenent of the Clrprus guestion. The other is tbe interpr€tation and significalce of SecurityCouncit resolutions S41 (1993) and SSO (t984), both of which purported to pronounce uDlatrful and invalid the 1983 DecLaratiotr of fndependence of the Turkish Repubticof Northern Cylrrus (,'the IRNC,,) and called upon States lrot to recognize the ?RNC. 2. In sunrnary, the Opiniou rgaches the folLowing conclusions: Part I (paras. 3-32 ) O! the basis of aa eraminatio! of tbe treatles and other lnstrunents,including the Cltrrus Constitution, conclud.ed in 1959 ancl 1960, ard of theresolutiors of tbe Security Council and GeDeral Assenbly, as well as of statemenEsby the Secretary-Genera] of the Unitett Nations, it can properly be saiat that theTurlish Cypriot Cotnmunity possesses the same political slatus as the Greeh Cl?riot Conu,nuniEy, that the two communities participate in the negotiatioDg for thesettlement of the Cl?rus questioa on a! equaL footiag aud that, it follor.s, the Greek Cypriot Cofiurunity shoul.d tot enjoy aay privlleged positlon ln thelegotiations, whether on mattera of substance or of procedure, by reason of thefact that it presents itself as the coverDmeDt of the Republic of Cl?rus. Part II (paras,33-53) (a) Resolutiotrs 541 (1983) anat 550 (1994) of the Security Courcil in so far,in particular, as they purport to treat the 1983 declaratioa by the ?RNC of its
analysis: The text appears to be a legal opinion on the status of the two communities in Cyprus, specifically the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot community. It discusses the implications of Security Council resolutions on the independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the negotiations for a settlement of the Cyprus question. The language used is formal and technical, indicating a focus on legal and diplomatic matters.