CYPRUS: UN waiting for Cypriot leaders to show the way

UN envoy Jane Holl Lute told President Nicos Anastasiades that it was up to the Cypriot leaders to agree on the way forward and the terms of reference for the resumption of deadlocked Cyprus talks.

She said the position of the UN Secretary General is that the parties should determine and agree, the soonest possible, the terms of reference for the resumption of negotiations in the near future.

 

Lute had a two-hour meeting with Anastasiades on Wednesday as she sounds out the Cypriot leaders on the next steps to resuming peace talks that collapsed in July 2017.

Government Spokesman, Prodromos Prodromou said afterwards that Anastasiades briefed Lute his positions on the decentralisation of the central state’s powers under a federal solution.

 

He described the meeting as “productive” and welcomed the UNSG’s position that good preparation is needed prior to the resumption of the talks.

 

He said Anastasiades elaborated his position “on how we could achieve a functional solution through the decentralisation of powers, without, however amending the given basis of the pursued settlement.”

 

Anastasiades will brief the National Council about his meeting with Lute.

 

“Lute conveyed the UNSG’s position that in the framework of the preparation for the resumption of the talks, which is our goal, the parties must reach a conclusion on the terms of reference, with a view to begin the negotiations," said Prodromou.

 

He said the terms of reference concern the negotiations, both the process and what will happen at the negotiations.

 

Lute is also meeting Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to gauge the distance between the two sides before departing on Thursday.

 

Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties welcomed Lute`s visit and called "upon the two leaders to take this opportunity to pave the way for the resumption of the negotiation process with the aim of reaching a federal solution."