Cyprus Talks: UNSG urges leaders of both communities to consider the future of Cyprus

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders to think ahead and hard about the next steps to resolve the Cyprus problem.

“Given the disappointing outcome of the Conference, I invite the parties and in particular the leaders to reflect deeply upon the results and the possible road ahead,” Guterres said in his report to the UN Security Council on the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), his first official statement since ending the Conference on Cyprus in Crans-Montana on July 7.

Reunification talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides in Crans-Montana, Switerland which was attended by the guarantor powers (Turkey, Greece and the UK), and the EU as an observer, broke down after nearly two weeks of talks focusing mainly on security and guarantees.

Since then, both sides have entered into the blame game since, eroding any hopes that the there will ever be a settlement.

Guterres assured both communities of the readiness of the UN to support the talks in anyway, saying;

As to the United Nations, as facilitator of the process, its role in the framework of the negotiations remains at the disposal of the parties.

He also  commended both leaders for their efforts in the negotiations so far.

I commend Mr. Anastasiades and Mr. Akıncı for their commitment throughout the more than two years of leader-led negotiations and acknowledge the efforts of the guarantor Powers to work with the sides to find a mutually acceptable solution. The fate of the process is in their hands.

Cyprus Weekly