Nicosia fears UN has no Cyprus strategy

Nicosia is disappointed that the United Nations has no clear exit strategy to pull Cyprus out of deadlocked reunification talks after five years of limbo.

Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Andreas Hadjichrysanthou, has concerns over reports of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) and the Secretary-General’s Good Offices Mission as there is no mention of a Cyprus settlement.

He told the Cyprus News Agency there are three key points the UN reports fail to emphasise.

“First, there is no explicit, clear mention based on a solution.

“Secondly, the gravity of the situation in Varosha, with the ongoing violations by the Turkish side.

“The third point we are not happy the report contains no reference to future prospects, as the political process is concerned because there is no political process.”

He said Turkey refuses to negotiate unless its preconditions to recognise the sovereign equality and equal international status for the breakaway north are met.

“It comprises a clear violation of Security Council resolutions. We cannot accept such a thing.”

The diplomat argued that the Cyprus issue was not created by the lack of trust between the two sides but rather a problem caused by a foreign invasion and occupation.

“These (UN) reports are more problematic than the previous ones because they suggest that the only thing we can do now, instead of sitting at the negotiating table and trying to solve the Cyprus problem, is for the two sides to cooperate.”

Hadjichrysanthou hopes that the reports to be voted on July 28 will contain a strong verbal condemnation of the ongoing violations in Varosha and encourage the Secretary-General to continue with efforts to resume negotiations.

The UN has yet to appoint a new envoy for the Cyprus problem.