The two leaders mustn’t get distracted from the main issue at stake – the resumption of negotiations

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 1 November 2018, Nicosia

Until a while ago it was very clear what had to be done for the negotiations to resume: the preconditions set out by the UN Secretary-General had to be met. Mr. Guterres, having listened to the views of the involved parties, decided that no prerequisites existed for him to undertake a new initiative. He gave another short period of time for the sounding outs and fermentations to continue. That is the reason why the UN Secretary-General sent his Special Envoy Mrs. Lutte to Cyprus.

Today, the situation is not clear as to the prospect of the resumption of negotiations and the landscape is bleak.

However, this situation must not distract the two sides from the main issue at stake, which is the resumption of the negotiations. As the UN Secretary-General clearly points out in his latest Report, his Framework of Conclusions constitutes the basis for negotiation and any preparation must be made with the sense of urgency. Consequently, there isn’t much time and both leaders are called upon to assume their historical responsibilities. They can’t be setting preconditions and terms that deviate from the Guterres Framework, nor can discussions be conducted outside and beyond the agreed basis of the solution of Bizonal, Bicommunal Federation…

The period we are going through is critical and the continuation of the negotiations from the point where they had remained and on the basis of the Guterres Framework is the only way to achieve a workable and viable solution; a solution that will liberate and reunify.