Greek Cypriots would have ‘no problem’ with Holguin

No specific names were mentioned during official discussions regarding the appointment of a new United Nations envoy to Cyprus during this week’s enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, the Cyprus Mail was informed on Thursday.

A source close to the government said that discussions on the matter centred on whether an envoy would be appointed at all, rather than who would be the individual appointed.

On this matter, the source was also keen to dispel reports that the Greek Cypriot side may be less than satisfied with the potential re-appointment of Colombian diplomat Maria Angela Holguin, who served as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ personal envoy to the island last year.

Local media reports had suggested that the Greek Cypriot side’s reaction to the idea of Holguin’s return “was not especially warm”, but the source disagreed, saying, “we would have no problem with Holguin being reappointed”.

Meanwhile, a Turkish Cypriot source who was party to the meeting told the Cyprus Mail that “Tatar was not in favour of any progress on moves aimed at revitalising the process” towards a solution to the Cyprus problem.

The source added that the identity of the envoy is expected to be announced “within a short time”.

The statements come after President Nikos Christodoulides had earlier said Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar initially did not want the appointment of a new envoy”.

The Cyprus News Agency had said on Tuesday it been informed by sources that Tatar had initially refused to acquiesce to the appointment of a new envoy, and that he was only brought round to the idea following consultations with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Relations between Tatar and Holguin had seemed to sour towards the end of her six-month stint as envoy last year, with their final meeting in May last year lasting just 20 minutes.

Tatar later criticised Holguin’s modus operandi while in Cyprus, accusing her of “provoking the opposition and turning me into a target.”

“Her holding of meetings with some opposition groups is outside her job description. This is not a nice thing. She visited Akinci twice. Is this even possible?” he said.

“This sort of thing is not something that can be accepted diplomatically. She is taking steps to provoke the opposition and wear me down. I conveyed my discomfort to the appropriate authorities.”

He added, “She cannot gauge public opinion going from door to door. She has no right. It is not nice of her to go to the most extreme opponents and provoke, challenging the established order of the country,” he said.

“Frankly, I was annoyed by that … It is Holguin’s duty to investigate if there is common ground. It is already clear that there is not.”

Holguin herself had told news website Kibris Postasi she had been “surprised” Tatar had rejected a proposal of a tripartite meeting with herself and Christodoulides.