UNFICYP mandate renewal talks completed

The UN Security Council completed on Friday its deliberations ahead of the adoption of a resolution for the renewal of the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), that expires December 15th.
The Representatives of Greece and Cyprus maintain objections regarding the adoption of UN Secretary – General’s report on the UN operations in Cyprus and a reference to the examination for further adjustments to UNFICYP’s mandate, force levels in the first quarter of 2007.
Briefing the Security Council, UN Head of Mission in Cyprus Michael Moller stressed that UNFICYP should remain at its current levels, adding that the force has already been reduced sufficiently.
During the briefing, Council members expressed interest in the implementation of the July 8 agreement, reached by Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, on the start of discussion of issues affecting the day-to-day life of the people and concurrently consideration of substantive issues.
Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN Adamantios Vasilakis described Annan’s report as ”wholly inappropriate both in terms and terminology” and made special reference to the inclusion of a reference to the so-called ”isolation” of the Turkish Cypriot community in the Annan report.
”As far as substance in concerned, Turkish Cypriot complaints about their purported ‘isolation’ is a well disguised concerted effort to afford an illegal entity international recognition,” Vasilakis noted.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
President of the Republic Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed on 8 July 2006 to begin a process of bicommunal discussions on issues that affect the day-to-day life of the people and concurrently those that concern substantive issues, both contributing to a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem.
Following the agreement, senior aides of the two leaders in Cyprus, Tasos Tzionis and Rasit Pertev, began meetings in the office of the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus Michael Moller in the UN-controlled buffer zone to work out the modalities for the implementation of the July agreement.