US wants to help renew Cyprus talks, says Burns

The US has expressed its wish to be part of any fresh effort, under UN leadership, to renew the stalled talks on Cyprus with a view to finding a negotiated settlement, US Undersecretary at the State Department Nicholas Burns has said.

In his remarks to participants of the annual meeting of the International Coordinating Committee – Justice for Cyprus, underway here, Burns dismissed any suggestions to bring back a UN-proposed solution plan, which the overwhelming majority of the Greek Cypriots rejected in a referendum in April 2004 and the Turkish Cypriots approved.

The US cannot give up its efforts to find a solution in Cyprus, he said, noting that both the US Secretary of State and himself have raised this issue with the UN Secretary General, whom they urged to appoint an emissary of the UN to Cyprus.

Burns met with delegates of the PSEKA conference at the State Department.

“We want the United States to be part of an effort to renew the talks aiming at the settlement. We probably might have disagreement with some people with the Annan Plan a couple of years ago. We can write a new chapter, we don’t have to go back to something that was tried and fail,” Burns added.

He said the US should be in the center of this effort along with the United Kingdom as the two countries have played a leading role for three decades now and added “I can pledge to you we can make that attempt under the leadership of the United Nation.”

The US official reiterated that Washington does not recognise any other entity or state but the Republic of Cyprus and its government in Nicosia and it stands for the unification of the island.

Burns referred to the assistance Cyprus offered last year to 15.000 Americans evacuees from Lebanon.