From: clarinews@clarinet.com (UPI)
Newsgroups: clari.news.gov.international,clari.news.canada,clari.news.europe
Subject: Canadian peacekeepers to leave Cyprus
Keywords: international, non-usa government, government, united nations
Date: 11 Dec 92 23:29 GMT
Location: canada, turkey
ACategory: international
Slugword: canada-cyprus
Priority: regular
Format: regular
ANPA: Wc: 592; Id: z5763; Sel: cnigf; Adate: 12-11-625pes
Codes: &igfrcn., &igurxx., &igfrtu., tncn....

        OTTAWA (UPI) - The Canadian government Friday announced that Canada
will end its longtime participation in the United Nations peacekeeping
operations in Cyprus next year.
        Mary Collins, Canada's associate defense minister, told the House of
Commons that Canadian troops will start leaving Cyprus in June, 1993,
and the withdrawal will be finished by September.
        There are 575 Canadian troops in Cyprus, about one-quarter of the UN
force there.
        ``After 28 years of service in Cyprus, after 28 years of watching
both sides in the dispute either being unable or unwilling to negotiate
a political solution, after 28 years of significant expenditures to
maintain troops and equipment in that region without any measurable
progress it was time to face facts and come to certain conclusions,''
Collins said.
        The pullout was criticized by opposition parties.
        ``All we are doing is saying, particularly to the Turkish side, just
wait long enough and arms will again be able to impose a solution in
Cyprus,'' said John Brewin, the New Democratic Party's defence critic.
        The UN peacekeeping operations were established to keep the peace
between the island's Greek and Turkish communities. However, the
situation escalated in 1974, when Turkey invaded Cyprus, and a buffer
zone was created between the two sides.
        Brewin criticized the government for deciding to withdraw ``with no
replacements indicated''.
        ``It has done so with no resolution of the dispute that took Canada
and the United Nations into Cyprus and it has done so with no assurance
that this withdrawal will not make the situation worse,'' Brewin said.
        Collins, in her statement, said successful UN peacekeeping may, in
practice, be part of the problem.
        ``It appears that, instead of taking advantage of the peace and order
which the UN mission has afforded, some political leaders have used the
presence of UN forces to avoid making difficult choices, to avoid making
the compromises required to ensure peaceful co-existence,'' Collins
said.
        Brewin responded that Collins statement is ``simply wrong and that
there is no evidence'' for it. ``In fact, UN peacekeeping is what is
maintaining peace and security for the people in Cyprus,'' Brewin said.
        ``As long as we are providing a useful service we should stay in
Cyprus,'' Brewin said.
        Liberal Party defense critic Jesse Flis said Canada's withdrawal
would mean escalating tension and possibly war.
        ``I am quite sure that some of the 35,000 Turkish troops will start
occupying the buffer zone,'' Flis said. ``Is the Greek Cypriot side
going to stand for this? No!''
        ``It won't be a full-fledged war from day one,'' Flis said. ``It's
little incidents that happen between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish
Cypriots or between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish army which fester
like a wound and can then blow-up into a full-fledged war.''
        According to the government, Canada's commitment in Cyprus has cost
Canada approximately $14 million each year. However, both the Liberals
and New Democrats said that cost should not be a factor.
        ``That's modest compared to the cost that may occur as a result of
this decision,'' Brewin said. ``It's modest (compared) to the billions
of dollars that this government wastes in the Department of National
Defence.''
        Flis said ``the Greek Cypriot side is spending $1 million-a-day in
purchasing military equipment.'' He also said that ``on the northern
side, Turkey has 35,000 troops, in addition to the Turkish Cypriot army.
''
Xref: sparky soc.culture.turkish:13059 talk.politics.mideast:23396 soc.culture.greek:11472 soc.culture.europe:10418 soc.history:10133 soc.rights.human:4499