UN envoy to visit amid fading hopes

According to a diplomatic source, UN special envoy Jane Holl Lute will visit Cyprus on June 21 to hold contacts with the two Cypriot leaders to gauge whether a new summit to resume talks will succeed.

Diplomats said the UN is “not very optimistic” of the possibility of convening a new informal 5 + 1 Cyprus meeting before September.

Despite the pessimism, the meetings are considered useful given UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ good offices report, which should be submitted to the Security Council before July 10.

On that date, the report on the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) should be submitted to the UNSC for the renewal of its mandate, which expires on July 31.

It will be the last renewal under the current UN head of mission in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar, whose term also ends.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said Guterres and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the Cyprus issue on the sidelines of the G7 meeting.

On April 27-29, a summit at Geneva failed to find common ground to allow for the resumption of stalled UN-sponsored Cyprus talks to resume.

Guarantor powers Greece, Turkey, and the UK participated along with the Cypriot leaders.

Guterres said he would convene another meeting of the 5+1 to move toward reaching common ground to allow for formal negotiations to restart. (source CNA)