AKEL GS statements after meeting with Under-Secretary General of the UN for Political Affairs

Statements by General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL A. Kyprianou

7 December 2018, “Dialogos” web portal

The next visit by the UN Secretary General’s Special envoy on Cyprus Mrs. Lute aims to hear in a very specific way what the leaders of the two communities mean by “new ideas and new approaches” and what some of the guarantor powers also may have to say on this issue, stated AKEL General Secretary Andros Kyprianou, following the AKEL delegation’s meeting yesterday at the headquarters of the International Organization with the Under-Secretary General of the UN for Political Affairs, Rosemary A. DiCarlo

A.Kyprianou also noted that it is evident that the United Nations are pinning a lot of hopes on the mission that Mrs. Lute has undertaken.

The General Secretary of AKEL said that the delegation of AKEL had a very meaningful discussion with Mrs. DiCarlo and her associates about Mrs. Lute’s mission, who – as he understands – will visit the island soon.

The General Secretary of AKEL added that the UN Secretary General’s envoy is also in contact with the guarantor powers and hence will soon be in a position to draw her conclusions from the contacts she will have and whether a new negotiation could resume, and most important of all, on what basis.

He stressed that on his part he conveyed to the UN official AKEL’s readiness to back the resumption of negotiations, provided that they are based on the agreed framework.

Replying to a question as to whether there is any reflection among the Secretariat of the UN, but also among the Permanent Members of the Security Council about what is being discussed lately in Cyprus concerning the form of the solution, the General Secretary of AKEL underlined that “from certain members of the UN Security Council we have heard clearly that they will not accept any change whatsoever in the agreed framework of the solution. “And we didn’t ask them, they themselves expressed their position and indeed quite strongly on this matter,” he pointed out.

A.Kyprianou clarified that Mrs. DiCarlo told the delegation of AKEL that the issue of new ideas and new approaches does not stem from the United Nations, but on the part of the two sides on the island.

“They (the UN) too are expecting what the two sides of the island are presenting as new ideas to take shape. As I precisely understand it, Mrs. Lute’s next visit aims to hear in a very specific way what the leaders of the two communities and possibly also some of the guarantor powers mean on this issue. “

Replying to a question about the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), the General Secretary of AKEL said he didn’t discuss the issue with the Under-Secretary-General of the UN, but with the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council.

“It is obvious that on the part of the United States, this issue is being interconnected with how Mrs. Lute’s mission will evolve on the island, while the rest of the countries were quite clear that keeping the UN force on the island is essential for maintaining stability and peace and, at the same time, of course, in order to assist the procedure underway.”