CYPRUS: President to hold crucial talks with UN envoy on Sunday

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades will hold key talks with UN envoy Jane Holl Lute on Sunday in efforts to restart a peace process dormant for 17 months.

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The UN has said that the outcome of Lute’s round of contacts on Cyprus will determine the future of the negotiations.

Lute is expected on the island late Friday to hold talks with Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, with a view to reach an agreement on the terms of reference that will pave the way for the resumption of the negotiations for reunification.

Reportedly, Lute will most probably meet Akinci on Monday, she will also hold a meeting with the UNFICYP head of mission Elizabeth Spehar and the UN team that is dealing with the Cyprus problem. 

They will brief the diplomat on developments since her last visit to the island in October, but Lute has been talking to other major players since then.

 

On Thursday in Ankara Lute met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and on December 12 in New York with the Greek Alternate Foreign Minister George Katrougkalos. 

Last week she saw EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini

Anastasiades returns home from the European summit, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

 

The latest round of negotiations in July 2017 collapsed at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana.