Preparatory work is underway by the United Nations, based on the convergences achieved so far on the Cyprus problem, with the aim of using them as the basis on which a decision to resume negotiations will be taken at the next expanded meeting.
According to CNA sources, the UN team also includes a constitutional law expert, who is working with the UN Secretariat to reconfirm the existing convergences.
According to the sources, “what is currently taking place is preparatory work by the United Nations based on the convergences. The rationale is that, following this preparatory work, these convergences will serve as the basis on which the resumption of negotiations will be decided at the next expanded meeting.”
The same sources said that the UN team also includes a constitutional law expert, as well as other specialists in international law. The constitutional expert is working on the task assigned by the UN Secretariat but is not attending meetings in Cyprus.
According to the sources, “there are convergences on a great many issues” and, provided these are reconfirmed, it is estimated that discussions could then continue on the remaining issues in order to achieve a “comprehensive final outcome”.
Regarding the Turkish side’s insistence on a two-state solution, the sources said that Turkey continues to adhere to this position and reiterates it in its public statements.
As for the meeting between the two leaders, announced on Wednesday for 26 August, the sources said that preparatory work will be carried out in the meantime so that the leaders can build on this groundwork and further advance the discussions.
According to the sources, it is not yet known whether a meeting will take place in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The same sources said the period of the General Assembly is particularly busy, with numerous high-level meetings taking place. It is expected that it will become clearer in the coming period whether there is any intention for the next steps to be scheduled around the dates of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week or at another time considered more convenient.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.