UK sources have indicated that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab did not deviate from the UN parameters regarding the settlement of the long-standing Cyprus issue during this week’s informal talks in Geneva.
A report by the Turkish Service of the BBC World Service suggested that Mr Raab presented two different proposals to the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides during the Geneva meeting.
The first proposal envisaged the creation of a decentralized federation, while the second proposal was said to be based on the idea that Greek and Turkish Cypriots should mutually recognise each other`s existence, and Northern Cyprus should be regarded as a part of the EU but not have an international recognition.
The Cyprus News Agency understands that no mention of such a proposal, which would not conform with the parameters set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, exists in the minutes of the Geneva meeting.
This seems to be corroborated by a British diplomatic source who denied that new proposals were submitted by the UK delegation.
The diplomatic official said that the British delegation argued that a decentralised federation, within UN parameters, can best secure the needs of both communities.
A second source in London pointed to the public acknowledgment of the Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades from Geneva that Mr Raab remained supportive of the agreed settlement basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
Both sources added that during the informal ‘5+1’ talks the UK was supporting the UN Secretary-General.