CYPRUS: Agreement reached on UNFICYP renewal mandate

An agreement in principle was reached between the UN Security Council members on the six-month renewal of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

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The resolution is expected to be adopted January 30. The members of the UNSC continued their consultations on Monday and if there is no objection by Tuesday, the draft resolution will be finalised.

The discussions focused on the proposal the US submitted for an overall evaluation of the peacekeeping force and of Cyprus reunification talks, a proposal that was not supported by the rest of the Council members, said CNA.

Members instead proposed for the content of the next report to be submitted by the Secretary General on his good offices in Cyprus to include, inter alia, how the United Nations activities in Cyprus can be better shaped to promote political progress while maintaining stability.

At the same time, the Secretary-General is requested to submit by 15 April 2019 a report on his good offices and progress towards a consensual starting point for substantive and result-oriented negotiations.

A compromise wording was also found on the issue of the development, with the support of UNFICYP, of mechanisms on both sides to mitigate tensions, be it military, police or political.

The Republic of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.

Decades of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield any results. The last round of negotiations, in July 2017, collapsed at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana.

UNFICYP is the world's oldest UN peacekeping force having been stationed on Cyprus since 1964.