The UN Security Council which will convene today in New York will call for the resumption of structured negotiations for the Cyprus problem without dealy and in a results-oriented manner.
The UNSC is expected to adopt today a resolution for the renewal of the mandate of UNFICYP (UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus) for six more months, until July 31, 2015.
In its final draft resolution, the UNSC calls for the resumption of structured negotiations without delay, in a results oriented manner as agreed to in the Joint Declaration adopted by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders on 11 February 2014, and stresses the need for renewed efforts of the leaders and negotiators to reach a comprehensive settlement as soon as possible.
Furthermore, it acknowledges the progress made so far in the fully fledged negotiations, but notes that this has not been sufficient and has not yet resulted in a comprehensive and durable settlement, and calls for an urgent resumption of structured negotiations to reach decisive progress on the core issues.
The UNSC recalls its resolution 2026 (2011), and calls upon the two leaders to put their efforts behind further work on reaching convergences on the core issues, to continue to work with the Technical Committees with the objective of improving the daily lives of the Cypriots, to
improve the public atmosphere for the negotiations, including by focussing public messages on convergences and the way ahead, and delivering more constructive and harmonised messages and to increase the participation of civil society in the process as appropriate.
It expresses its support for the ongoing efforts of the Secretary General’s Special Advisor Espen Barth Eide and notes the importance of a conducive environment.
It also commends the work of the Committee on Missing Persons, highlighting the importance of intensifying its activities, noting that half of all missing persons have yet to be located and more than 70% have yet to be identified. To this end, it urges the opening up of access to all areas expeditiously to allow the Committee to carry out its work, and trusting that this process will promote reconciliation between the communities.
It welcomes all efforts to accommodate the Committee on Missing Persons exhumation requirements and calls upon all parties to provide more expeditious, full access to all areas, given the need to intensify the Committee’s work;
The UNSC takes note of the assessment of the Secretary-General that the security situation on the island and along the Green Line remains stable, and urges all sides to avoid any action, including violations of the military status quo, which could lead to an increase in tension, undermine the progress achieved so far, or damage the goodwill on the island.
Moreover, it urges the implementation of confidence-building measures, and looks forward to agreement on and implementation of further such mutually-acceptable steps, including military confidence building measures and the opening of other crossing points, that can contribute to a conducive environment for a settlement.
Reaffirming all its relevant resolutions on Cyprus, in particular resolution 1251 (1999) of 29 June 1999 and subsequent resolutions, it
expresses its full support for UNFICYP and decides to extend its mandate for a further period ending 31 July 2015.
It calls on both sides to continue to engage, as a matter of urgency and while respecting UNFICYP’s mandate, in consultations with UNFICYP on the demarcation of the buffer zone, and on the United Nations 1989 aide-memoire, with a view to reaching early agreement on outstanding issues.
The UNSC calls on the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkish forces to restore in Strovilia the military status quo which existed there prior to 30 June 2000 and calls on both sides to allow access to deminers and to facilitate the removal of the remaining mines in Cyprus within the buffer zone, and urges both sides to extend demining operations outside the buffer zone.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Numerous UN-backed negotiations with the aim to reunite the island under a federal roof, have not yet yielded result.
President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades has suspended his participation in the talks following a Navigational Telex or NAVTEX, issued by Turkey in October last year, as Turkish seismic research vessel “Barbaros” violated the Republic’s exclusive economic zone.
Repeated calls for the withdrawal of “Barbaros” went unheeded by Ankara, which announced recently the NAVTEX`s extension until April 6, 2015.
