Cyprus Talks: South Cyprus expects UN move to revive peace talks
The Greek Cypriot government is
waiting for a United Nations move to revive Cyprus
reunification talks in limbo for more than a year, an official said on
Monday.
He made the comment after President Nicos Anastasiades briefed political party leaders on Monday about the last week’s visit of UN envoy Jane Holl Lute.
The position of our own side, regardless of any other discussion…is that, yes, we want, and we expect the UN Secretary General to take the initiative to re-start the negotiation from where they left off, government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou told reporters.
He made the comment after President Nicos Anastasiades briefed political party leaders on Monday about the last week’s visit of UN envoy Jane Holl Lute.
Lute was on Cyprus for consultations with
the Cypriot leaders to see if a door can be opened towards a resumption
of negotiations.
Lute will also hold consultations in Athens, London and Brussels. She’s already had contact with Ankara.
She is expected to compile a report in
September for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who appointed Lute
to see if the sides had narrowed their difference since the failure of a
Swiss summit in July 2017.
Asked about the prospect of there being no
grounds to restart talks, Prodromou said:
The last talks aimed at reunifying the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation collapsed in Switzerland a year ago after the UN chief failed to get the parties to agree on a post-settlement security arrangement for Cyprus.
We will see if there is such a possibility. Right now, the position of our side is absolutely positive, just as the UNSG expects.
The last talks aimed at reunifying the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation collapsed in Switzerland a year ago after the UN chief failed to get the parties to agree on a post-settlement security arrangement for Cyprus.
It was the first time Cyprus talks involved the guarantor powers of Britain, Greece and Turkey.
Under the island’s 1960 treaty of
independence, the three countries secured intervention rights to
safeguard the island’s sovereignty, but the Greek Cypriots want these
scrapped while the Turkish Cypriots are reluctant to do so.
The other stumbling block is that
Anastasiades wants all Turkish troops to leave the island after a
solution is reached while Turkey is opposed to this idea.
SOURCEfinancialmirror
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