Eide briefs UN Secretary General after his meetings in Athens and Ankara
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The UN Secretary General`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide has briefed comprehensively the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres after his meetings in Athens and Ankara on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Eide continues to consult with the UN leadership on the next steps of the international organisation, UN spokesperson in Cyprus Aleem Siddique has told CNA.
He also noted that Eide had a very constructive and comprehensive meeting with Cavusoglu on Tuesday and that “there is concern about the current situation” and “nobody wants to see the talks fail”.
Eide said in a post on his twitter account that he had a comprehensive meeting with Cavusoglu “at a critical moment in Cyprus talks and prospects for reconvening the Conference on Cyprus.”
Siddique told CNA today that the Special Adviser “was encouraged by the support that Turkey continues to offer to the process and the role of the Special Adviser in facilitating the talks.”
He noted that “Eide has briefed the Secretary General and is continuing to consult with the UN leadership on the next steps” of the international organization.
Responding to a question, Siddique said that the leaders will decide about the next steps in terms of the talks, noting that this remains a leader-led process.
In statements earlier to CNA, Siddique said that Eide has no plans for the time being to return to Cyprus, unless he is needed to do so or the leaders request him to do, something they haven`t done so far.
In a written statement on Friday, the UN diplomat said that despite serious efforts to overcome their differences regarding the modalities for meeting in Geneva, the leaders in Cyprus were unable to find common ground, adding that “without a prospect for common ground”, there was no basis for continuing his shuttle diplomacy.
The Conference on Cyprus which convened for the first time at the political level in January this year, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General and with the participation of the leaders of Cyprus` two communities, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom as guarantor powers and in the presence of the European Union as an observer/interested party, aims to address the issue of security and guarantees.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led talks since May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.
CNA – Maria Koniotou – CYPRUS/Nicosia
CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY