Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Cyprus and head of UNFICYP, the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar reiterated on Wednesday that any sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem has to come from both leaders as well as from Cypriots themselves.
“We all know that talks have been in hiatus since the closing of the Conference on Cyprus in July of last year. While the prospects for immediate resumption of talks remain uncertain, I would like to reiterate, as I have on many other occasions, that any sustainable solution has to come from both leaders as well as from Cypriots themselves. The UN will do its part; the Guarantors must also step up to the plate; and the international community more broadly should remain supportive. But we must also hear from the communities themselves” Spehar noted, addressing a Medal Parade in which she awarded medals to UNFICYP peacekeepers, in the name of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
She also said that the peacekeepers’ response to the recommendations made by the recent Strategic Review of the Mission “will see a strengthening of our capacity to liaise and engage with our interlocutors, including local communities, across the buffer zone, and will make the Mission more efficient and effective in fulfilling its mandate”.
