Security Council expresses full support to UN Secretary-General’s efforts over Cyprus

By Apostolis Zoupaniotis

The UN Security Council on Thursday urged the two leaders to use Monday’s meeting in Berlin with the UN secretary-general to renew their political will and commitment to a comprehensive settlement.

Speaking after a UN Security Council briefing in New York on the Secretary-General`s Good Offices report on Cyprus, Jonathan Allen, the UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations said members had expressed their full support for the ongoing efforts of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

He said they welcomed his initiative to convene an informal trilateral meeting with President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on Monday.

“The members of the Security Council encouraged the leaders to build on previous convergences and in a spirit of compromise to use this meeting to renew their political will and commitment to a comprehensive settlement, based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality as set out in relevant Security Council resolutions,” said the UK Deputy Permanent Representative.

He said the Security Council encouraged all parties to make productive use of the coming period.

Asked as a representative of Britain about the expectations from this meeting, Allen said that “the fact that the two leaders will be getting together with the secretary-general in the same room for the first time over two years, is a positive development and I really hope that they can build on that conversation to agree the way forward to resume negotiations and to be able to find ultimately a settlement. That’s our hope.”

On whether the UK wants to remain a guarantor power, the UK senior official said that the UK is a guarantor power under the Treaty of Guarantee and takes a full role as a guarantor power on those elements of the settlement.

“If you are asking about detail questions of what would happen under new arrangements, well I think we’ll let those play around of the negotiating table. And we are very clear about our role and the importance that we attached to that,” he added.

Asked if he expected a resumption of an informal Crans-Montana-type conference soon after the tripartite meeting, Allen said that he was focusing on the first step, which is Monday.

“Let’s see how that goes. Let’s see what the secretary-general concludes from that. He has our full support, as to Jane Holl Lute. She is being working with him and for him on this issue. I would like to hear from them after Monday on what is next.”

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