In renewing the UNFICYP mandate the Security Council called for stalled Cyprus talks to resume as the United States warned that peacekeepers would not remain on the island indefinitely.
The council unanimously adopted a resolution, on Wednesday, that renewed for six months until July 31 the mandate of the peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, known as UNFICYP, one of the UN's longest-running peace operations.
"On principle, perpetual peacekeeping missions are unacceptable," acting US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the council after the vote.
"UNFICYP and the UN's overall presence in Cyprus cannot be a substitute for or be part of a landscape that lacks a path towards a political solution. We look forward to the Secretary-General’s report particularly on this point."
The United States, the largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping, has threatened to shut down long-standing missions, arguing that peacekeepers who stay on for years contribute to creating frozen conflicts.
“The United States has made clear, in reviewing all peacekeeping missions, that we will not support the status quo for missions where political processes are stalled,” said Cohen.
“We are pleased that the new mandate reflects this view and that the Secretary-General will examine how the many UN activities on Cyprus can be best configured in the current environment,” he added.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the northern third of the island in response to a Greek military junta-sponsored coup.
Talks on reunifying Cyprus broke down in July 2017 when Cypriot leaders failed to agree on compromises concerning power-sharing and security arrangements for the island.
Thousands of Turkish troops remain stationed in the north and Nicosia remains the world's last divided capital.
The resolution calls on Cypriot leaders to “actively engage” with Jane Holl Lute, a UN envoy who has been talking to the parties since July last year to try to agree on the basis for re-starting negotiations.
The council tasked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with the drafting of a report by April 15 on progress towards resuming negotiations that could set the stage for changes to the peacekeeping mission.
About 1,000 troops and police are deployed in Cyprus to maintain a ceasefire and monitor a buffer zone.
Russia's UN representative Vassily Nebenzia regretted the US was “making attempts to use the sensitive situation of the island to put forward its own positions on this”.
He added, “This hampers the search for consensus and decreases the effectiveness of the work of the Council.”
British representative Jonathan Allen said: “We continue to be strong supporters of a just and lasting settlement to reunite Cyprus based on the internationally accepted model for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.”
He added: “We endorse the Secretary-General`s view the prospects remain alive for a comprehensive settlement.”
