UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo’s forthcoming visit to Cyprus is a very important message from the Secretary General that he is very much engaged in the Cyprus issue, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, Colin Stewart said on Thursday after a meeting he had with Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides.
On his part, the Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis said in his statements that President Christodoulides expressed during the meeting readiness for a joint meeting with DiCarlo and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, next week. Moreover, he noted that the President reiterated his will for the immediate resumption of the negotiations and elaborated on his proposal for a more active involvement of the EU, with a view to break the deadlock in the Cyprus problem.
Stewart said in his statements that he had a very good meeting with Christodoulides and that he congratulated him as this was their first formal meeting since Chistodoulides was inaugurated after his election.
Stewart noted that he expressed his condolences over the tragic deaths of the Cypriot youth in the train crash in Greece.
He went on to say that the main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the coming visit of Under-Secretary- General DiCarlo.
Her visit to Cyprus is a very important message from the Secretary General that he is very much engaged in the Cyprus issue, Stewart stressed.
As he said DiCarlo will be meeting with each of the leaders to hear from them how they see the prospects of moving forward.
Stewart underlined that the UN continues to be fully engaged in trying to find a way forward for a settlement in Cyprus.
At the moment we are pleased that there has been a positive tone established between the two leaders and this is something we very much want to build upon, he added.
He also said that he will be meeting with Tatar on Friday also to prepare DiCarlo’s visit.
Asked if there could be any expectations for something new from DiCarlo’s visit for example a new effort, Stewart said that we have things under discussion with the two sides, adding that it is early days as Christodoulides’ has just assumed his duties.
But yes, we see potential maybe not during the visit but certainly in the coming weeks we see a lot of potential for some positive developments, he noted.
Asked if DiCarlo is planning to visit the guarantor powers as well, Stewart said not on this trip.
On his part, the Government Spokesman said that DiCarlo’s visit sends the message that the UN has the resumption of the negotiations and breaking the deadlock high in its priorities.
He went on to say that during the meeting, President Christodoulides reiterated his will for the immediate resumption of the negotiations and elaborated on his proposal for a more active involvement of the EU with a view to break the deadlock.
The spokesman noted that Christodoulides reiterated his proposal for a social meeting, a dinner with Tatar and Stewart once he is back from Brussels and that he also expressed his readiness for a joint meeting with DiCarlo and Tatar next week.
According to Letymbiotis, the President also explained to Stewart his proposal about the EU and talked to him about the discussion he had with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, who responded positively to Christodoulides’ proposal always in the UN framework.
Asked about Stewart’s response to Christodoulides’ proposal, Letymbiotis said that the UN sees it in a positive way and considers the EU as a partner that must be active in the negotiating process.
Moreover, he said that the UN sees positively the positive tone of Christodoulides’ public statements since he assumed his duties, as it creates a positive climate for the resumption of the negotiations.
Replying to another question, the spokesman said that the negotiations will always be taking place under the UN auspices and the EU will have a supportive role.
CNA has learned that DiCarlo will arrive to Cyprus in the evening of March 14. On March 15 in the morning, she will meet with Christodoulides and later with Tatar.
Early in the afternoon she will inaugurate a photo exhibition at the Home of Cooperation in the buffer zone, for the participation of women in the negotiations for the Cyprus problem.
During her stay she will also meet with the members of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) and will visit Famagusta and the buffer zone in Nicosia.
She is expected to depart from Cyprus on March 16.
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