Cyprus Talks: UN Special Representative in Cyprus expresses hope both sides will heed calls for settlement

UN Special Representative in Cyprus and Head of the UN peacekeeping force on the island  Elizabeth Spehar has expressed hope that calls for the both sides of the divided Cyprus island to renew their political will and commitment to a settlement of the Cyprus problem will be heeded.

In her remarks on Tuesday at a ceremony during which troops from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay received medals in recognition of their service to the United Nations, Spehar said that “the Security Council in its recent resolution has urged the sides to renew their political will and commitment to a settlement and our own Secretary-General’s message has reinforced the notion that any sustainable solution has to come, first and foremost, from both leaders and more broadly, from Cypriots themselves. 

We hope that these calls will be heeded. For our part, we will continue to work for the goal of peace on this island, she added.

Unfortunately, as you are all aware, there have been no peace negotiations since the closure of the Conference on Cyprus last July and, after so many years, hope for a solution to the Cyprus problem has been diminishing, Spehar noted.

At the same time we can recall the tremendous advances in the recent negotiation process that began in May 2015 and the desire of many Cypriots to ensure that those gains are not lost.