Stewart raised buffer-zone tensions with the two leaders
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, on Thursday expressed concerns about the increasing militarisation of the buffer zone and said that the latest report on Unficyp’s mandate reflected these concerns.
The draft reports on the Secretary-General’s Good Offices Mission and on the operation of Unficyp were released earlier on Thursday. The reports spoke extensively about the increased number of incidents in the 180km long buffer zone during the reporting period June 2023 to December 2023, which were causing tensions.
Stewart was speaking after a meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides. He was meeting the two leaders ahead of briefing the UN Security Council in New York and had met Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Wednesday.
Responding to questions from journalists, Stewart expressed his concerns “about issues that threatened the integrity of the buffer zone and some issues that upset the military status quo”.
He also said that he discussed all these issues with both Christodoulides and with Tatar.
“The main concern we have is this increase in militarisation along the buffer zone because our main purpose is to maintain stability and to create favourable conditions for the Cyprus issue to be resolved,” he said. He added that once the new UN Secretary-General’s envoy is appointed, it would be preferable if she was to operate under more favourable conditions in order to be able to move forward. The new envoy’s job will be to assess prospects for a new round of negotiations.
When asked about his meeting with Tatar, Stewart said that they primarily discussed the buffer zone and related issues, and did not discuss the Cyprus issue per se. “I have not seen any significant changes in the positions of the parties,” he added.
Asked about the delay in appointing the new envoy, Stewart said: “I don’t know if these things take time but I’m sure it will happen very soon”. He said he was waiting himself for the announcement but looked forward to meeting Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar when he is in New York next week. The delay in announcing her appointment is said to be due to technical reasons.
Stewart also referred to expectations for 2024 and said he hoped there would be positive developments. “We hope for a positive 2024, as you know, 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the UN presence in Cyprus. It is a very sad anniversary. We believe that the Cyprus issue should have been resolved a long time ago,” he said.
He added that this 60th anniversary, which is marked on March 4, should be a reminder of how important the resolution of the Cyprus issue was.
The government is now waiting to see the two UNSG reports and decide on the next steps in view of the discussion that will follow at the Security Council. Normally, haggling goes on behind the scenes to re-phrase certain parts if the government does not feel they accurately represent the situation on the ground.
Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, also speaking after the meeting, said the president had told Stewart that the reports of the Secretary-General should present the facts objectively in order to be able to create the conditions for the immediate resumption of negotiations within the agreed framework.
On the appointment of a new envoy, he said: “We enter the process optimistic but very adequately and properly prepared to be aware of the eventualities. We are realistic. What is important at this moment is to take advantage of any opportunity.”
Referring to a particular recent incident where the Turkish side installed cameras on a house in the buffer zone near Ayios Dhometios, Letymbiotis said: “We expect the peacekeeping force to restore the status quo in the buffer zone and to continue the efforts to implement the consensus in Pyla.” This was the obligation of Unficyp, he said.