UN Special Representative Elizabeth Spehar discussed with the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus how to proceed in the future regarding the stalled Cyprus peace talks.
Speaking after a meeting Wednesday afternoon with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, she said it was a “very good meeting” and reminded that she earlier today met with President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades.
Spehar said she holds these meetings with the leaders routinely before heading to New York. Next week, the Security Council will discuss renewing UNFICYP’s mandate.
“I was also able to talk to Mr. Akinci about the discussions that I had with Mr Anastasiades in terms of what we might be working on in the future”, she told reporters.
Asked if they discussed holding a meeting either late August or early September, Spehar did not want to give details.
“I would rather not talk about any details but we had a wide range of conversation with both Mr Anastasiades and Mr. Akinci,” she replied.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The last round of negotiations, in the summer of 2017, at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
(Cyprus News Agency)
