UN envoy to asses Cyprus situation

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has decided to dispatch to Cyprus the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe as leader of an assessment team, to engage in dialogue with all the involved parties, aimed at achieving a breakthrough in the longstanding Cyprus problem.

Speaking to the press following a Security Council informal luncheon meeting in New York Monday, the UN Secretary-General said the Cyprus problem was among the issues discussed.

Asked to indicate what the next step was, regarding Cyprus, the UN Chief said the international community should seize the momentum and window of opportunity, created by the election of Demetris Christofias as the new Cyprus President and his expressed commitment to resolve the political issue.

Ban pointed out that Turkish Cypriot community leader Mehmet Ali Talat had also conveyed, during their meeting in Dakar, Senegal, his willingness to engage in a constructive dialogue.

“In that regard, I have decided to dispatch Under-Secretary-General [for Political Affairs] Lynn Pascoe as leader of an assessment team, to engage in dialogue with all the stakeholders there. We hope that we will be able to see improvements and make some breakthrough in this long pending issue in Europe”, the UN SG added.