Guterres meets with Unficyp head

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he fully supports the efforts of the Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus Colin Stewart who is expected to brief the UN Security Council this week about the latest Cyprus problem developments.

The UNSG met the special representative on Monday and expressed his full support for his efforts on the island.

The meeting took place ahead of Stewart’s briefing to Security Council members about the situation regarding the Cyprus problem and Unficyp on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, the UNSG had highlighted in his two reports focused on developments in the past six months, that the appointment of a UN envoy to facilitate with the negotiation process would be ‘an important step forward’.

President Nikos Christodoulides has also urged Guterres to appoint such an envoy in a letter addressed to the UNSG in June, in which he also reiterated his commitment to seek a viable solution.

In his reports, the UN secretary general also noted how the leaders of the two sides should promote more contact and cooperation. This should include the opening of more crossing points and the development of joint mechanisms to deal with issues such as fires and earthquakes, to send the message that “this time things will be different”.

He added that cooperation should be inclusive, explaining politicians should effectively engage and involve women, minorities, youth and persons with disabilities in discussions.

As for the bicommunal technical committees, he said they “could do more” and called on the two sides to support them.

The reports also referred to violations of the UN resolutions, such as the developments in the fenced-off area of Varosha and unauthorised construction in the buffer zone.