NICOSIA.- CNA

UN Security Council and the Secretary General are keen to see an envoy appointed and to see some consensus on what the mandate is going to be, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, Colin Stewart has said.

Stewart, who was speaking on Tuesday after a meeting he had with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, also pointed out that it is important to build conditions that might create the space for an eventual settlement of the Cyprus problem.

The video of his statements was published on Twitter by the UN in Cyprus.

“I talked about the resolution of the Security Council, the preoccupations,” he said. The Security Council, the UN SG`s Special Representative said, “is keen to see an envoy appointed and is keen to see some consensus on what the mandate is going to be, as is off course the Secretary General.”

The Security Council, he added, “was very keen to see the authority of the UN in the buffer zone on the island be respected by both sides and is concerned about what impact that might have if violations of the buffer zone continue.”

The Security Council, he noted, “also strongly encouraged measures to build intercommunal contact, to build understanding, to build trade relations, peace education. Things that can help build the conditions for an eventual settlement.”

As we know, Stewart continued, “at the moment there is a very wide distance between the two sides on the question of even having any talks towards a settlement, so it is important that we do everything we can at the same time to build conditions that might create the space for an eventual settlement.”

These, he said, “are the things that I discussed with the Council and the things that the Council very much supported and reflected in their resolution.”

The UN, he explained, “is not proposing particular Confidence Building Measures, but just the basic idea that we should look at measures that can positively impact the life of Cypriots, especially things that have economic impact, things that bring people together and help build understanding.”

“What these exact measures would be off course depends on the sides and we are here to facilitate them,” he added.

“I will continue to engage with each of them and look for opportunities to move forward on any of these ideas that can be helpful to both people and on the question of an envoy of the SG,” he said.

The Security Council is very supportive of Confidence Building Measures, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, told the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, during a meeting at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday morning. Referring to the issue of appointing a UN Secretary General’s envoy, he said, however, that there is no agreement between the sides on the terms of his mandate.

In statements after the meeting, Stewart said he had an excellent meeting with President Anastasiades, with whom he discussed the Security Council briefing, his meeting with the UN Secretary General in New York, the Security Council resolution and his meetings in the US.

Asked whether the President`s proposals on Confidence Building Measures were discussed during the meeting, Stewart replied that the President “mentioned it and remains enthusiastic about it. I told him that the Security Council is very supportive of measures that can bring the two sides together and can increase inter-communal contact,” stressing that the UN is very supportive of any kind of CBMs that can impact people`s lives.

In addition, he said that “I have had the pleasure of working with the representatives of the two leaders and the technical committees, that are actually doing very important and very good work that impacts people`s lives, as we have seen recently on COVID,” adding that “there is a lot that can be done to build conditions conducive to a settlement, even as we at the same time try to find the way for a settlement.”

In response to another question, Stewart said he would not convey a message to Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar during their meeting later today, adding that Tatar was aware of the President`s proposals, and noted that the United Nations welcomes any CBMs that contribute to more bicommunal cooperation.

Asked finally if there is any development on the appointment of an envoy on the Cyprus problem, Stewart replied that there is nothing new as there is no agreement between the parties on the terms of the envoy`s mandate, noting that it is something he will pursue.

MARIOS PEELEKANOS

UN efforts to resume negotiations for a Cyprus settlement and the need to appoint an envoy with a specific mandate were the main points of discussion during Tuesday’s meeting between President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, according to a written statement by Government Spokesman Marios Pelekanos.

In particular, participants at the meeting discussed “the effort made by the United Nations to resume the negotiation process and the need to appoint an envoy with a specific mandate based on the parameters of the United Nations, in order to create the appropriate conditions to fulfil the effort” said Pelekanos.

Furthermore, it is noted that the essential Confidence Building Measures, presented by the President of the Republic on December 31, 2020, were addressed again, explaining that they will bring mutual benefits for both communities and will facilitate efforts to create the necessary conditions for the resumption of the dialogue. Practical issues concerning the fulfilment of the Peacekeeping Force’s mission in Cyprus were also discussed.

According to Pelekanos, the President of the Republic noted his remarks on a recent report by the Secretary General and expressed his satisfaction over the content of a resolution adopted by the Security Council on the extension of the Peacekeeping Force’s mandate in Cyprus.