UN chief to return to Cyprus talks upon request of two parties

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland – Anadolu Agency

Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu has said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will return to Cyprus talks in the Swiss Alps in July to speed up the reunification process.  
     
“It is very simple. We wanted him to come here and he is coming on Thursday [July 6]. This is serious business and his role is important,” Çavuşoğlu told reporters after a meeting in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, with representatives from the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides and those from the two guarantor countries, Greece and the U.K.

“When he [Guterres] was here we decided on the framework of the talks and he brought positive energy. So his presence is very important because this is a very important conference, indeed the final conference,” Çavuşoğlu added.

 In a response to a question whether there is progress, he said the negotiations were “moving slowly, slowly.”

Earlier on July 4, Çavuşoğlu criticized the Greek Cypriots for not showing “good intentions and flexibility” in reunification talks.

“If there is to be a solution, we should decide this week, because this is the last conference … We have shown good intentions and flexibility, but this should get a response. Unfortunately, we could not see any positive response from the other side. We also saw that some confidential documents were leaked despite promises,” he said.  

The Turkish foreign minister also said Ankara could not accept “zero troops” in Cyprus.

“The Turkish Cypriot side, as well as the Turkish side, follows parameters that have been set by the U.N. secretary general and we are working hard along those lines. We hope that the coming few days will be productive,” Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı said. 

Guterres left the Swiss resort on July 1 after participating in the Cyprus conference the day before, along with Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders as well as the guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and Britain.

The latest round of Cyprus talks in Crans-Montana began on June 28. On July 3, the U.N. received proposals from the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides, as well as from the three guarantor countries.

Talks were temporarily suspended on July 5 at the request of the two sides, but were scheduled to resume later in the day, the United Nations stated.