The United Nations Security Council agreed on Tuesday on a draft resolution to renew the Unficyp mandate for another six months, while the final resolution is expected to be adopted on Wednesday.
The final draft said the Security Council “urges the sides and all involved participants to seize the important opportunity presented by the consultations of UN Consultant Jane Holl Lute on a way forward by engaging actively and constructively in those consultations, and urges them to agree terms of reference which would constitute a consensus starting point for meaningful results-oriented negotiations leading to a settlement within a foreseeable horizon, and to renew their political will and commitment to a settlement under United Nations auspices.”
It added that the Security Council requests the Secretary-General to submit by April 15 a report on his Good Offices and on progress towards reaching a consensus starting point for meaningful results-oriented negotiations.
Also, the resolution said that that on July 10 the Secretary General is requested to submit a report on the implementation of the resolution expected to be adopted on Wednesday, and progress on confidence-building measures, efforts towards establishing mechanisms to alleviate tensions and address island-wide matters and efforts of the two leaders to prepare the communities for a settlement, and on how UN activities in Cyprus can be best configured to advance political progress while preserving stability.
The Security Council resolution said that the sides should renew their commitment to an enduring, comprehensive and just settlement based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as set out in relevant Security Council resolutions, stressing that the status quo is unsustainable.
The draft statement said that all involved parties need to respect Unficyp’s mandated authority in the buffer zone as “the Security Council expresses serious concern at the increased number of violations in the military status quo along the ceasefire lines.”
The security council also called on the leaders of the two communities to promote peace education across the island, including by further empowering the Technical Committee on Education to address impediments to peace in school books, as a contribution to trust-building between the communities.
The draft resolution urged the implementation and further development of confidence-building measures, including those aimed at improving mobile phone and electricity interconnectivity, based on a shared vision for the future and joint actions.
