UN chief says ‘determined’ for success in Cyprus talks
ISTANBUL: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday he was “determined” to do his best to facilitate a deal to reunify the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus, declaring himself neither optimistic nor pessimistic of success.
Guterres met with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Istanbul for talks aimed at pushing for progress in reaching a Cyprus settlement, ahead of a whirlwind tour of five Arab countries.
Asked about chances of success in solving the Cyprus problem, Guterres said: “I am not optimistic, I am not pessimistic. I am just determined,” referring to a popular quote attributed to French economist Jean Monnet, a pioneer of the European Union.
He added that the United Nations is not playing a leading role.
“We are in a supporting role that I am determined to do my best to help facilitate the conditions for a success,” Guterres told a joint news conference with Yildirim.
Early this month Cypriot leaders asked the United Nations to prepare a new international conference on security arrangements for a reunified island to take place in March, with the participation of the guarantor powers.
Greece, Turkey and former colonial ruler Britain are the guarantor powers on the island under a 1960 deal that gave them the right to intervene to defend the island’s sovereign integrity.
The three governments and the Cypriot leaders held a first conference in Geneva on January 12, followed by technical talks in the nearby Swiss resort of Mont Pelerin.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece. — AFP