United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres submitted his latest report on Cyprus to the UN Security Council.
The Secretary-General said that based on the initial consultations carried out by his special envoy Jane Holl Lute with the parties to the Conference on Cyprus, he believed that the prospects for a comprehensive settlement between the two communities remained alive.
“I also observed, however, that the horizon of an endless process without results lay behind us and that there was a widespread consensus that the status quo was no longer sustainable,” he said.
Guterres added that it was his intention to ask Mrs Lute to continue her discussions to “gauge the true extent of convergence on key issues and the willingness of the sides to incorporate novel proposals”.
“I also stated that, before full-fledged negotiations could resume, the sides should agree on terms of reference that would constitute the consensus starting point for a possible negotiated conclusion to the Cyprus issue,” the Secretary-General said.
Stating that it was his hope that the ongoing consultations will lead to a return to negotiations, Guterres called on the two leaders, their communities, the guarantor powers, and other interested parties to engage in efforts to return to negotiations constructively, creatively and with the necessary sense of urgency.
“I urge the leaders and the Guarantor Powers to continue their constructive engagement with Mrs Lute and with each other, as necessary, to establish the basis for negotiations to be resumed. This engagement will need to be infused with a sense of purpose and determination to reach a successful end within a foreseeable horizon,” he said.
BRT
