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Edek calls for removal of UN special representative Colin Stewart

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Colin Stewart

Leader of the Edek party Marinos Sizopoulos on Sunday called on President Nicos Anastasiades to request from the UN that it recall its special representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart.

He said that in the short time he had been on the island, Stewart has directly or indirectly taken actions that upgrade the occupying regime and are in complete contradiction of the UN charter.

“This tactic, which will create serious problems for the Republic of Cyprus, cannot continue,” Sizopoulos said. He said the UN officials’ actions “clearly enshrine a form of upgrading of the occupying regime”.

Sizopoulos was speaking before the start of a meeting of the party’s central committee.

The particular problem is the way the upgrade of the Cetinkaya football pitch in the buffer zone has been handled.

“He did not show the same sensitivity when the occupying troops prevented the Greek Cypriots from working in the buffer zone. The dead zone is not a dead zone nor a neutral one, it is part of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. Sovereignty over this area lies with the Republic of Cyprus, regardless of whether it has granted the UN and Unficyp the possibility of surveillance for obvious reasons.,” Sizopoulos said.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides had a “strong and stern” phone conversation with Stewart on Friday, over the works, which began earlier in the week after an agreement was struck between Unficyp, the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey.

The ministry said in a statement that Kasoulides “expressed his intense uneasiness on our side for the way Mr Stewart and Unficyp handle their mandate in Cyprus, in a way that creates complications and problems mainly to the detriment of our side.”

The minister asked Stewart explain the rationale that led Unficyp to granting a work permit without the consent of the Republic of Cyprus.

The Edek leader also referred to a request from the Turkish Cypriot side for Unficyp to reach an agreement with the breakaway regime to remain active in the north.

He said the UN did not shut down innuendo about the possibility of discussing the signing of a common understanding agreement on Unficyp’s stay in Cyprus with the occupying regime.

“All these are dangerous developments that undermine the Republic of Cyprus and instead offer an indirect upgrade to the occupying regime,” he added.

“Our problem is how the UN representatives behave and instead of promoting the resolutions of the Security Council and the UN Charter, as is their duty, they are actually trying in an indirect way to support Turkish policy at the expense of the Republic of Cyprus,” he said.

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