President Nikos Christodoulides told Assistant UNSG Miroslav Jenca that the appointment of a UN envoy for the Cyprus issue will have a high added value to the efforts to kickstart the peace talks, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.
The President received on Monday morning the UN official who arrived on the island yesterday for talks with the leaders of the two communities and their representatives as well as UNFICYP.
Letymbotis told the press after the meeting that the President and Jenca discussed the prospects for the resumption of the talks as well as the recent incident in Pyla.
Jenca, the Spokesperson said, conveyed on behalf of the Secretary General his adherence to the efforts to resume the dialogue and the commitment of the UN to the agreed framework and the Security Council resolutions.
He said that the meeting "was constructive" and that President Christodoulides "reiterated once again our readiness to resume negotiations within the agreed framework, from where they left off in Crans Montana."
Letymbiotis said that Jenca welcomed the responsible attitude that the President of the Republic demonstrated and continues to demonstrate from the day he assumed his duties and the initiatives taken.
Replying to a question when to expect the appointment of a UN envoy, the Spokesperson said that we must wait to see how Jenca's meetings in Cyprus will progress, noting also that the President is due to travel to NYC for the UN General Assembly.
Invited to say if a tripartite meeting will take place in NYC and if Jenca has conveyed an invitation, Letymbiotis said that the UN official commented on the responsible and constructive stance displayed by the President.
Asked about the UN stance as regards the recent incidents in Pyla, the Spokesperson said that the position of both the Secretary General and the Security Council is outlined in their press statement. He said that this position clarifies once again the status of the buffer zone and the terms of UNFICYP's mandate as well as its adherence to the agreed framework, for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality.
In another question if the Assistant UNSG made any proposal in relation to the construction of the road in the buffer zone in Pyla, Letymbiotis just commented that Jenca's visit to Cyprus is important, and it follows the one by UN Deputy Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo.
He added that this visit was scheduled after the telephone conversation between the President of the Republic and the UN Secretary-General and after a meeting the Cyprus Minister of Foreign Affairs had with Antonio Guterres. He said that today's meeting took place "in an attempt to explore the prospect for the resumption of the peace talks."
He also noted that the international community has reacted to the incident in Pyla and referred once again to the statement by the UNSC.
Letymbiotis also said that the President briefed the UN official on his proposal for a more active role on behalf of the EU and how useful it would be to appoint a UN envoy for the Cyprus issue.
Asked if any names were discussed the Spokesperson said that some members of the UNSC are already discussing some names. He also said that so far there is nothing planned as to a second meeting between Jenca and the President, right after the UN official will meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.
Jenca, according to the Spokesperson, informed our side that he may hold some other meetings in the next period possibly with Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Members of the Security Council condemned on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, the incidents in the buffer zone, in the village of Pyla, in Larnaca district, with assaults against UN peacekeepers, reiterating their full support for UNFICYP
They also condemned the attacks on UN peacekeepers and the damage to UN vehicles by Turkish Cypriot personnel and wished a speedy and full recovery to the peacekeepers who were injured. They emphasized that "attacks against peacekeepers may constitute crimes under international law and reaffirmed their full commitment to the safety of all UN personnel."
On Friday August 18, 2023 Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers who obstructed crews illegally working on a road that would encroach on a UN controlled buffer zone.
The attack happened as peacekeepers stood in the way of work crews building a road to connect the Turkish occupied village of Arsos with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla, inside the buffer zone.
Source: Cyprus News Agency