Category: General

Spain issued a fresh condemnation of Israel on Monday, rejecting the rhetoric used by Israel’s far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem.

In a statement, Madrid called on Israel to ‘scrupulously respect the status quo of holy sites’ and for all parties to ‘do everything possible’ to avoid fresh tensions and preserve stability.

On Sunday, Ben-Gvir forced his way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex. Once inside, he claimed Israel’s ownership of the holy site.

Several countries, including the US, Trkiye, France, Jordan, Qatar, and Egypt, also condemned the provocation and the minister’s inflammatory rhetoric.

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid on Monday also slammed Ben-Gvir’s move, calling him ‘an irresponsible and fanatical man.’

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents Islam’s third-holiest site. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

Under the current arrangements, Jews are allowed to visit the site most days, but only Muslims can pray there.

The three most recent statements issued by Spain’s Foreign Ministry have all focused on condemning Israel, calling on the nation to stop the escalation of violence, and respect international law on two other occasions this month.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A mosque in northwest Germany was vandalized by supporters of the PKK terror organization, authorities reported on Monday.

The assailants wrote various slogans on the walls of the Bad Bentheim mosque, which is run by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) association.

Hakki Gumuskusak, the chairman of the mosque association, has condemned the attack and called on German authorities to take the necessary security measures.

‘We will not allow these perpetrators to undermine peace and security in our town. We hope that this incident will be resolved as soon as possible by the authorities,’ he said.

The local police in Bad Bentheim have appealed for witnesses and requested anyone with information to come forward and assist in an investigation into the incident.

In recent years, numerous mosques have been targeted by the followers of the PKK terror organization. However, only a few incidents have resulted in the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators, ensuring justice is served.

The PKK, classified as an “ethno-nationalist” terrorist organization by the EU’s law enforcement agency Europol, has been banned in Germany since 1993. However, it remains active in the country with nearly 14,500 followers among the Kurdish immigrant population.

Turkey has long urged its NATO ally Germany to take stronger action against the PKK, emphasizing that the terrorist group utilizes the country as a platform for recruitment, propaganda, and fundraising activities.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Trkiye, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A County Donegal man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in the killing of his partner.

Jasmine McMonagle, 28, was found strangled and beaten to death at her home in Killygordon in January 2019.

Richard Burke, 32, also from Killygordon, was convicted of Ms McMonagle’s manslaughter in March earlier this year.

The court heard that his responsibility for the killing was substantially diminished by a mental disorder.

Mr Justice Burns said Burke’s condition was impacted by drug and alcohol use which he “deliberately” partook in while failing to comply with his medication.

Despite his condition, the judge said Burke knew that what he was doing was wrong, understood the nature of what he was doing and he could have stopped himself.

He said that the fact that the killing took place in the victim’s own home while children were present, along with the level of violence used were all aggravating factors in the case.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that gardaí (Irish police) had to force their way into the family home after a stand off with Burke.

The decision to enter the house was taken when a child was seen at the window, RTÉ said.

‘Extremely violent and brutal attack’

The judge also noted the level of violence used against Ms McMonagle, including the use of weapons.

The judge said that Burke “must bear a considerable degree of responsibility” for the crime, stating it was an “extremely violent and brutal attack”.

He imposed a sentence of 15 years with the final year suspended for five years, on the condition that he undergo psychiatric assessment and remain under post-release supervision for those five years.

The judge described Ms McMonagle as a “loving and caring mother” and was highly regarded by her family and friends.

Issuing a statement afterwards, Ms McMonagle’s family said that “nothing will ever bring back our beautiful Jasmine”.

They added that they will do everything to ensure that her memory is kept alive and thanked everyone who has supported them.

Source: BBC

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has vowed to transfer control of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut to the Russian army by 1 June.

Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed to have captured Bakhmut on Saturday, but Kyiv says it still controls parts of the city.

Ukraine says its troops are still advancing on the outskirts of Bakhmut.

But Mr Prigozhin said his troops will start handing over the city to the Russian army on Thursday.

“Wagner will leave Artemovsk from 25 May to 1 June,” Mr Prigozhin said in an audio recording on Telegram.

Bakhmut was previously known as Artemovsk, in honour of a Soviet revolutionary, before Ukraine renamed it.

He said that Wagner had set up “defence lines” on the west of the city ahead of the transfer.

But Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Maliar, reiterated that its forces still have a small foothold inside the city and are advancing on the outskirts, adding that the “intensity” of their movement had reduced.

She later wrote in a post on Telegram that Ukrainian troops still controlled “certain private facilities and the private sector in the ‘Litak’ area” of the city.

Analysts say Bakhmut is of little strategic value to Moscow, but its capture would be a symbolic victory for Russia after the longest battle of the war in Ukraine so far.

Wagner mercenaries have concentrated their efforts on the city for months and their relentless, costly tactic of sending in waves of men seems to have gradually eroded Kyiv’s resistance.

There have been conflicting claims from the two sides over the status of Bakhmut in recent days.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Bakhmut “is not occupied” by Russia, while speaking at the G7 summit in Japan on Sunday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Wagner after it said it had captured the city. Mr Prigozhin – posing with some of his fighters – made the claim in a video posted to social media on Saturday.

The BBC Verify team has been looking at recent videos posted online by both sides from Bakhmut.

Shown on the map are four posted online in the past few days, although we can’t be certain when they were filmed.

In one video posted on Sunday, a Wagner mercenary flag is shown being raised on recently claimed Russian territory to the west of the city. In another, Mr Prigozhin is seen speaking from a location we’ve identified as close to the railway station in the centre of the city.

Two further videos show Ukrainian forces active in the centre and to west of the city, areas that they have been battling to regain.

Mr Prigozhin has staked his reputation, and that of his private army, on seizing the city.

In his latest comments, Mr Prigozhin said: “If the ministry of defence does not have enough personnel, we have thousands of generals.”

He has repeatedly targeted top Russian military officials, criticising them publicly for not supporting his troops. Last month, he even threatened to pull his troops out of the city if they were not provided with much-needed ammunition.

The capture of Bakhmut would bring Russia slightly closer to its goal of controlling the whole of Donetsk region, one of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine annexed by Russia last September following referendums widely condemned outside Russia as a sham.

However, when Russia fought fiercely to claim the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk last summer, Ukraine soon reclaimed swathes of territory elsewhere.

Earlier this month, the US said it believed more than 20,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in the battle for Bakhmut and another 80,000 wounded. The BBC is unable to independently verify the figures.

There were about 70,000 people living in Bakhmut before the invasion, but only a few thousand remain in the devastated city, once best known for its salt and gypsum mines and huge winery.

Source: BBC

A Belarusian opposition activist arrested after his Ryanair flight was forced to land in the capital Minsk has said he has been pardoned.

Roman Protasevich was hauled off his flight and arrested on charges of inciting unrest in May 2021.

Earlier this month, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

He thanked authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko for the pardon, amid questions as to whether he was forced to make pro-regime statements.

In a video released by state news agency Belta, Mr Protasevich said he had just signed “appropriate documents” for his pardon.

“I am incredibly grateful to the country and of course, to the president personally for such a decision,” he said.

“This is, of course, just great news.”

He said he had not yet made any plans but would probably go to “a quiet place in the countryside for a couple of days… in order to take a breather and start to move forward”.

It is not clear how the journalist was treated by the security services but it is believed that after his arrest he was coerced into making confessions and apologetic statements on state TV.

Some opponents of the regime have accused him of collaborating with the authorities.

Mr Protasevich was editor of the Nexta Telegram channel, based in Poland, which published videos and information from the wave of giant street protests against Mr Lukashenko that began in the summer of 2020.

The charges he was sentenced for include: organising mass riots, calling for sanctions against Belarus, creating or leading an extremist group, and conspiring to seize power.

He was hauled from a plane and arrested alongside his then girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega, in May 2021 after their flight from Greece to Lithuania was suddenly diverted to Minsk by Belarusian air traffic control. They claimed there was a bomb threat.

Ms Sapega was sentenced to six years in jail in May 2022 after a Belarus court found her guilty of inciting social enmity and discord. She was refused a pardon by Mr Lukashenko in January but has agreed to be extradited to Russia.

Mr Protasevich married another woman a month before Ms Sapega was sentenced.

The arrests caused an international outcry and led to the EU imposing sanctions against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Western countries accused Belarus of hijacking the Ryanair plane under the pretext of the bomb threat.

Source: BBC

A huge pro-EU rally has taken place in Moldova’s capital Chisinau, organised by the country’s President Maia Sandu.

An estimated 75,000 people turned out to support Moldova’s push to join the European Union.

Her pro-Western government has accused Russia of stoking tensions by supporting Moldova’s pro-Russian opposition Sor party. Moscow denies meddling in the country’s affairs.

Ms Sandu told demonstrators her country no longer wanted to be an outlier.

“We don’t want to be on the outskirts of Europe anymore,” she said, pledging that Moldova would become a European Union member nation by 2030.

Moldova also “does not want to be blackmailed by the Kremlin,” she told the rally, where crowds waved EU flags and chanted pro-European slogans.

In February, Ms Sandu accused Russia of plotting to use foreign “saboteurs” to overthrow her government, saying the plot would involve “protests by the so-called opposition”, aiming to “overthrow the constitutional order”.

Russia’s foreign ministry dismissed the accusations, branding them “completely unfounded and unsubstantiated”.

Moldova, a former Soviet republic which has a population of about 2.6 million, applied last year to join the EU and in June 2022 became a candidate country, alongside Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated both countries’ attempts to join the 27-nation bloc – not least because of the protection it offers against any Russian threat.

Moldova has been badly affected by the war, with Russian missiles reported to have crossed into Moldovan airspace on their way to Ukraine, on multiple occasions.

The country, which sits between Ukraine and Romania, is also dependant on Russian gas – something Moscow exploited last year by cutting its supply to Moldova by half.

This sparked protests over the rising price of gas and electricity, which contributed to the resignation of Moldova’s former prime minister Natalia Gavrilita earlier this year.

At the rally on Sunday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola addressed the crowds, praising them for defying Russian threats to come out in their thousands.

She told the BBC the EU would welcome Moldova “with open arms and open hearts” and that a “Europe with Moldova can be stronger”.

She added that the Moldovan government was “slowly implementing reforms” that the EU wants in place before accession negotiations begin – which include amendments to the justice system and a commitment to “fight corruption at all levels”.

“We’re very impressed, frankly speaking, by the progress so far,” Ms Metsola said.

Analysis by the Pew Research Centre think-tank shows that current EU members were granted candidacy status, on average, 3.5 years after applying.

Ukraine and Moldova’s applications were approved much faster than that, taking less than four months, but it could still take some time for them to get full member status.

Source: BBC

Three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from a Portuguese holiday apartment 16 years ago.

In the intervening years, a huge, costly police operation has taken place across much of Europe.

Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry, say all they have ever wanted is to find their daughter.

Here is the story so far.

On 3 May Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, is on holiday with her family at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

Her parents go for dinner with a group of friends at a restaurant in the complex. Madeleine and her younger brother and sister – twins – stay in the apartment, 100 yards away

The adults had devised a rota system to check on all their children during the evening

When it is the turn of Kate McCann, she discovers her daughter, Madeleine, has gone

Police are called and staff and guests at the complex search for her until daybreak

Border police and airport staff are put on alert and hundreds of volunteers join efforts to find Madeleine in the following days On 12 May, the McCanns say they “cannot describe the anguish and despair” they are feeling.

Portuguese police say they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal.

On 26 May, police issue a description of a man seen on the night of Madeleine’s disappearance, possibly carrying a child.

In June, a Portuguese police chief admits vital forensic clues may have been destroyed as the scene was not protected properly.

In July, British police send sniffer dogs to assist the investigation, and inspections of the McCann’s apartment and rental car are conducted.

By August it is 100 days since Madeleine disappeared. Investigating officers publicly acknowledge she may not be found alive.

On 6 September, Portuguese police interview Kate McCann as a witness. On 7 September, detectives make the couple “arguidos” and days later, the McCanns return to the UK. Prosecutors later say there is no new evidence to justify re-questioning them.

Gerry McCann releases a video in November saying he believes his family was watched by “a predator” in the days before his daughter’s disappearance.

2008

On 20 January the McCanns release sketches of a suspect, based on a description by a British holidaymaker of a “creepy man” seen at the resort.

In April, Portuguese police fly to the UK to sit in on interviews conducted by Leicestershire Police of the McCanns’ friends they had dinner with on the night Madeleine disappeared.

On 3 May, one year since the disappearance, Mrs McCann urges people to “pray like mad” for her little girl.

By July Portuguese police say they have submitted their final report on the case. Weeks later, authorities shelve their investigation and lift the “arguido” status of the McCanns.

2009 and 2010

On 3 November, new images of how Madeleine might now look are released.

In March 2010, the McCanns criticise the release of previously unseen Portuguese police files – detailing possible sightings of Madeleine – to British newspapers.

A month later, in April, Gerry McCann says it is “incredibly frustrating” that police in Portugal and the UK had not been actively looking for his daughter “for a very long time”.

In November, the couple sign a publishing deal to write a book about Madeleine’s disappearance.

2011

The McCanns’ book, Madeleine, is released in May.

Prime Minister David Cameron asks the Metropolitan Police to help investigate. A two-year review follows.

2012

Det Ch Insp Andy Redwood, the detective leading the UK review of Madeleine’s disappearance, tells an April broadcast of the BBC’s Panorama his team is “seeking to bring closure to the case”.

A computer-generated image of what Madeleine might look like aged nine is released, a day before Portuguese authorities say they are not reopening their investigation.

2013

In May, UK detectives reviewing the case say they have identified “a number of persons of interest”.

By July, Scotland Yard announces it has “new evidence and new witnesses” in the case and opens a formal investigation.

By October, Scotland Yard detectives say they have identified 41 potential suspects.

A BBC Crimewatch appeal features e-fit images of a man seen carrying a blond-haired child of three or four in Praia da Luz at about the time Madeleine went missing.

Portuguese police reopen their investigation – to run alongside Scotland Yard’s – citing “new lines of inquiry”.

2014

In January British detectives fly to Portugal amid claims they are planning to make arrests.

In June searches in Praia da Luz are carried out, including an area of scrubland situated south-west of the Ocean Club complex. It yields nothing of interest.

A month later, in July, four suspects are quizzed by police but no new developments emerge.

Source: BBC

With the door left wide open, Borussia Dortmund clinched a vital away win to regain top spot and leave a first Bundesliga title in 11 years within their own hands.

Though their opponents Augsburg are still threatened by relegation, victory was by no means assured with Edin Terzic’s team having failed to win away from home in all competitions since February.

Despite being in scintillating form in the league in 2023, winning 11 of their 15 matches prior to the penultimate matchday, damaging consecutive away draws in the league against VfB Stuttgart and VfL Bochum in April saw them give way to serial champions Bayern Munich.

But, when it mattered most, following the Bavarians’ 3-1 loss on Saturday, The Black and Yellows soaked up the pressure and came away with the possibly the most important three points of their season.

Borussia Dortmund accept Bayern gift

As the only league in Europe’s top-five still to be decided, the drama ratcheted up another level over a chaotic 24 hours in Bavaria.

Since April, Bayern and Dortmund have traded blows with neither side seemingly willing to take charge of the title race.

The champions’ loss against Mainz was followed by Borussia Dortmund sweeping aside Eintracht Frankurt yet just six days later a draw against Bochum allowed Bayern move back into first position after defeating Hertha Berlin.

Questions were raised if Dortmund had the ability to hold their nerve and handle the pressure of chasing a first league title since 2012 under Jürgen Klopp. When the team was once again given a golden chance to leapfrog their title-chasing rivals, could they finally accept the gift?

“Everyone knew that we had a great chance and that we’d wasted a few chances in the past,” Sebastien Haller admitted to DAZN after the match. “So we tried to stick together, to speak a lot between each other, to be sure that we will stick to our principles, to stay positive, to stay patient.”

“Today is the best example that it worked. We have invested a lot in this and now we have a huge chance to achieve something big.”

‘Miracle’ man Sebastien Haller

In Terzic’s mind, he is in no doubt about who has been the biggest and most influential difference to Dortmund’s season.

Haller became the side’s record signing in the summer with the specific job to fill the hole at number 9 and simply to score goals.

After the Ivorian’s testicular cancer diagnosis, there was uncertainty over what might be possible for the 28-year-old on the pitch this season.

“For me it is the biggest miracle that we see this season to have him back,” Borussia Dortmund head coach Terzic told the post-match press conference.

“It was a tough challenge because nobody had any experience with such a story, fighting cancer and then coming back having gone through chemotherapy.”

“We had to speak every day and even just last week we tried to test Seb’s performance and other things inside his body.”

“When he came back we didn’t know how he was going to react from being exhausted after games.”

Haller’s impact on teammates key

Finding a way to manage Haller’s introduction into the team was not the only challenge coaching team faced alongside their striker.

Adapting their new signing’s mindset to work with the changes within his body, with his speed one key difference noticed by player and backroom staff, was key.

Both of Haller’s goals against Augsburg, a strike cannoning in off the post and a tap-in following in a shot from Marco Reus, came from ideal positioning in a key moment from the forward.

And having worked tirelessly in training to adjust Haller “to think quicker in his head” as his legs were no longer as fast, his impact not just in front of goal but on his teammates pleased Terzic the most.

“He’s the player not only showing his importance by being on the scoresheet but he’s making the others shine.”

“If you see the form of Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi, it’s all linked to Seb because he’s the one that gains us seconds.”

“Donny and Karim with their pace they win us meters but he’s the one who gives us seconds and that’s really important for us.”

A fairytale ending within touching distance

“BVB, German champions!” That was the cry from most jubilant Borussia Dortmund fans as they streamed out of the Augsburg Arena.

Still, one supporter took the time to pierce the celebration with a dose of realism, chiming in with: “Wait, next week 0-0, definitely!”

The enormity of the occasion, in Terzic – who once was a part of the Yellow Wall — becoming the first head coach since Klopp to lift the title is not lost. But the head coach is placing his faith in his miracle man.

“Haller’s not done yet,” Terzic said with a smile. “We have 90 minutes to go and hopefully he’s going to be the deserved hero of Borussia Dortmund.”

Source: Deutsche Welle

Never have there been so many female directors in competition: seven of the 21 films were made by women, including newcomers and long-established auteurs. But over the first few days of the 76th film festival on the Cote d’Azur, the focus was on veteran stars such as Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp and Michael Douglas. And fans thronged the red carpet on the first weekend of the festival when Leonardo DiCaprio made his appearance.

Here’s a look at some of the big moments of the festival’s first few days:

DiCaprio was in Cannes for the premiere of his latest film with director Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The western true-crime thriller also stars Robert DeNiro and Lily Gladstone, who also appeared in “Certain Women.” Based on a non-fiction book by US journalist David Grann, Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour epic got a standing ovation and has received high praise from critics.

Osage Nation said to have been consulted

Set in the US state of Oklahoma, the film is about the murders there of members of the indigenous Osage in the early 1920s. The story focuses on the Osage woman Mollie Burkhart, played by Gladstone, and her white husband, played by DiCaprio. The Osage gained unexpected wealth at that time when oil was discovered on the land they had been allowed to settle on, a possible motive for the murders. Director Scorsese has been praised for closely involving the Osage Nation in the production of the film.

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the fifth part of the legendary film series — which launched in 1981 — premiered out of competition at Cannes. The film’s 80-year-old star, Harrison Ford, also received a surprise honorary Palme d’Or award for lifetime achievement. He says this will be his last jaunt as the adventuring archaeologist with a fedora hat and whip. “Is it not evident?,” the actor joked. “I need to sit down and rest a little bit.”

Unearthing Nazi loot

And in the film, Indiana Jones, too, wants to retire, but is determined to unearth a mysterious artifact and fight the Nazis. Ford’s co-stars include Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas and Mads Mikkelsen as the bad guy — and newcomer Ethann Isidore. The 16-year-old has a main role, and he says he got a lot of support from Ford, who advised him to simply forget the camera.

These two actors opened the 76th Film Festival with the French historical drama “Jeanne du Barry,” which takes as its subject the love affair between the titular courtesan and the French king Louis XV. It’s Johnny Depp’s first film release since the media spectacle surrounding his divorce from ex-wife Amber Heard, and the defamation trial that followed Heard’s allegations of domestic violence.

French legends

It’s just not Cannes without Catherine! French acting legend Catherine Deneuve also made an appearance at the festival, giving the official opening speech. She also recited a Ukrainian poem titled “Hope.” Ukraine itself is not represented at Cannes this year. Festival director Thierry Fremaux said that while films are still being produced in the country; none was submitted for consideration this year.

The opening ceremony was moderated by Chiara Mastroianni, daughter of Catherine Deneuve and the late Italian star Marcello Mastroianni.

Another acting legend, Michael Douglas, also received a Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement. While accepting the award, Douglas noted that, at 78, he is two years older than the festival, and called the award “an incredible honor,” saying, “There is only one Cannes.”

The festival directors had proudly announced before the opening that the competition program featured more women directors than ever before. That’s factually correct, with seven of 21 directors being women, but it’s still only one-third of the total this year. The festival is slowly working towards fulfilling a commitment to equal representation. In 2021, only four women directors had films in the competition, and in 2022, there were five.

One of those women directors in this year’s festival is Justine Triet, whose film “Sibyl” ran in the 2019 Cannes competition. This year, she’s at the festival with the well-reviewed “Anatomy of a Fall,” which stars German actress Sandra Hüller, best known for playing the title role in the 2016 international hit film “Toni Erdmann” She also plays the lead in another Cannes competition film, “The Zone of Interest.”

“The Zone of Interest” takes place outside the walls of the Auschwitz extermination camp. Director Jonathan Glazer shot his Holocaust drama on location near the former camp. The film is based on the 2014 novel of the same name by British writer Martin Amis , who died at his home in the US the day of the film’s premiere.

Glazer’s adaptation is heavily favored at this point in the competition to win the main prize. The US entertainment industry magazine “Variety” wrote after the premiere that Glazer had “just delivered the first instant sensation of the 2023 Cannes Film festival.”

Source: Deutsche Welle

The UN is committed to working alongside all Cypriots in order to seek a viable, enduring, and acceptable resolution to the Cyprus issue, the UNSG’s Special Representative in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, said on Monday evening addressing a reception he hosted at Ledra Palace, in Nicosia, on “the Road to Sustainability: Women’s Participation in the Cyprus.”

He added that “progress on this goal will neither be achieved nor sustained without the unwavering perseverance and leadership demonstrated by all, including the women in attendance” of the reception.

The event aimed to acknowledge and celebrate women’s contributions as members of the negotiating team, as political and legal advisors, members of the working groups and technical committees, and as trusted colleagues and partners in the Cyprus settlement negotiations and was organized on the occasion of the closing of a photo exhibition on the contribution of women in Cyprus talks which the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, opened on March 15.

The reception was attended, among others, by the Greek Cypriot negotiator, Menelaos Menelaou, and the Special Representative of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ergun Olgun, foreign Ambassadors to Cyprus, members of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Gender Equality and members of the civil society.

In his remarks, Stewart noted that the important contribution of women to the Cyprus talks in the past has often gone unnoticed. “We tend to emphasize that women’s meaningful participation needs to be improved – and this remains true. But we must also recognize that the number and role of women in past Cyprus talks was nonetheless important, more than in any other UN-facilitated process. And this has set a precedent here in Cyprus which is the basis upon which the leaders have committed to continue to ensure women’s participation through their Action Plan,” he noted.

Furthermore, he said that two decades ago, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1325, recognizing for the first time the integral role of women’s leadership in achieving sustainable peace and security, adding that UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has made the Women, Peace, and Security agenda a “top priority” of the UN system, placing women and girls at the forefront of the peace and security nexus, emphasizing their central role in shaping and advancing peace globally.

“For the United Nations, women’s participation in peacemaking efforts is not merely a matter of inclusion, equality, and fairness; it is also smart peacemaking,” Stewart stressed.

It is therefore important for us, he added, to not only acknowledge these contributions and their potential to bring about real change, but also to highlight them, in Cyprus and beyond, to inspire future generations of women to seek an integral role in shaping their future.

To this end, he recalled, the two leaders reached agreement on an “Action Plan to ensure women’s complete, equal, and meaningful participation in the settlement process – or an eventual settlement process – in Cyprus” and the Security Council welcomed this important step.

According to Stewart, building on the accomplishments of the past, the Action Plan expanded and addressed inclusion more broadly, providing practical recommendations as to how to ensure women’s participation – at the negotiating table, in the working groups and in the technical committees; on how to engage all of civil society and, importantly, on how to ensure that a gender perspective is included in the settlement process/an eventual settlement process.

“The development of this plan was carried out by the members of the Technical Committee on Gender Equality – many of whom are with us tonight – facilitated by the Good Offices Mission and UNFICYP, thereby highlighting the commitment demonstrated by both sides in addressing this matter,” the UN diplomat noted, stressing that “what lies ahead is the crucial task of implementing the plan, a responsibility which falls on us all.

Moreover, he underlined that “the United Nations looks forward to supporting the two sides in this effort. The Technical Committee started last week, bringing together members of civil society to explore women’s participation in peacemaking. The event, ‘A seat at the table: women’s experiences in the Cyprus Talks, was the first of a series of planned conversations with civil society to progressively highlight women’s role in all facets of society – to inform, as much as to inspire and encourage,” he noted.

Speaking on behalf of the Greek Cypriot Co-President of the Technical Committee on Gender Equality, Soula Zavou, the member of the Committee, Soula Hadjikyriakou, said that last week the Technical Committee hosted its first of a series of future conversations with all members of civil society on different dimensions women’s participation in the peace and security nexus.

“Our intent was to hear their views – and – for us to start a two-way dialogue as a basis for a future settlement. This was one of the key recommendations of the Action Plan that this Committee developed, and the two leaders agreed to last year,” she added.

As she noted they have formulated a set of recommendations which aims at ensuring women’s participation – at the negotiating table, in the working groups and in the technical committees; which seeks to engage all of civil society and ensure that a gender perspective is included in the settlement process/an eventual settlement process.

“Moving forward, we will work closely with the two leaders to ensure that any future negotiation process, as they have agreed, has women and men working together – at the table in shaping a joint future, while at the same time holding their ear to the streets; the Tavernas and the Meyhanes, on both sides of the island,” Hadjikyriakou said.

She went on to say that the way forward can only be on the basis of bringing people with us and that this is what the leaders committed to.

“As a Committee, we are therefore planning a series of meetings with all of civil society, women and youth organizations to hear their views, to learn of their concerns and priorities,” Hadjikyriakou noted, adding that “women’s participation and broader inclusion in the Cyprus Talks have a way to go, yet, what has been accomplished is without a doubt unique in the global context and something that needs to be acknowledged and built upon.”

Speaking on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot side, Sulen Karabacak, referred to her own participation for many years now in the negotiations on the Cyprus problem. She noted, among others, that during the negotiating process in Crans Montana she was one of the three women in the main negotiating team, stressing that “in addition to our educational backgrounds and expertise on subject matters that were under discussion we have contributed with the skills that we have acquired stemming from the social roles and responsibilities that we have as women.”

She also expressed the belief that active and meaningful participation and leadership of women in delegations can only have positive contributions towards the efforts to find a mutually agreed and sustainable comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, and welcomed the Action Plan developed by the Technical Committee on Gender Equality, that was endorsed by the two leaders last year, with a view to ensuring women’s participation in the negotiations.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

Source: Cyprus News Agency