CYPRUS: UN Security Council to discuss Varosha behind closed doors

The UN Security Council will on Wednesday hold a closed-door meeting for unofficial consultations on the fenced-off ghost-town of Varosha following a request by Cyprus.

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UN Security Council members are expected to be briefed on the situation and developments in general on the Cyprus problem by a senior representative from the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (1900 GMT).

According to the Security Council Reports website members are likely to "reiterate their support for the previous Council decisions on the status of Varosha and call on both sides to exercise restraint".

It notes that some members might use this opportunity to address other issues such as lack of progress on the political front and continued tensions over hydrocarbon resources off the coast of Cyprus.

By 15 November, the UN Secretary-General is expected to submit to the Council the report on his good offices on Cyprus.

After the meeting concludes the Security Council`s South African President is expected to make a statement on behalf of the members.

In resolution 550 of 11 May 1984, the Council considered inadmissible any efforts to populate Varosha with people other than its inhabitants and called for a transfer of the area to the administration of the UN.

Efforts over the years for the legitimate citizens of Varosha to return to the town have met with the refusal of the Turkish side that fenced off the once thriving resort after the 1974 invasion.

Kudret Ozersay, the Turkish Cypriot “foreign minister” arranged in late August a press visit to the ghost town — the first time it was opened up in 45 years.

He said that he will gradually open the area and Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has also said the same thing.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results.

The last effort in July 2017, at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, collapsed in failure. (source CNA)