Spokesman satisfied with UNSC commitment to talks

DEPUTY government spokesman Victoras Papadopoulos expressed his satisfaction on Wednesday for the statement of the UN Security Council that it remains committed to support the two sides in their effort to reach a settlement of the Cyprus problem based on UN resolutions.

Speaking to state broadcaster CyBC TV, Papadopoulos said that a reflection period will be given to the two sides to reassess some issues so that the settlement talks can resume.

President of the UN Security Council, China’s Liu Jieyi said on Tuesday, following a briefing by UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide and UN Special Representative Elisabeth Spehar on the latest development on the settlement talks, that the members of the security council reaffirmed their continued commitment to support the two sides in their efforts to reach a comprehensive and durable Cyprus settlement based on relevant security council resolutions.

Jieyi, who also announced the security council’s intention to renew the mandate of the Unficyp for a further six months, said that the council urged the sides to sustain their commitment to a settlement and maintain the gains achieved and reflect on the best way to restart the process.

Papadopoulos said that Eide is to return to the island on Monday to meet with President Nicos Anastasiades. The UN envoy will also meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. Eide’s arrival follows the meetings and consultations the two leaders held with political party leaders as to the next steps after the collapse of the talks earlier in the month in Switzerland.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey were on the island, the former to inform the National Council as to the events that led to the collapse of the talks, the latter to discuss with Akinci and party leaders in the north how to proceed next.

Eide sent a stern message to all sides on Tuesday to quit the blame game as to the crash of the settlement talks and reflect deeply as to the next steps.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.