“The United Nations is committed to help the leaders find a solution,” said a UN statement released on Wednesday. “The secretary-general would like to personally show his support for their efforts,” the statement said, noting that Ban would visit Cyprus from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. In the statement, Ban stressed that the UN remains committed to helping the two communities reach a solution.
“The international community has tremendous goodwill for Cyprus and a strong interest in seeing the Cypriots arrive at a solution,” Ban said.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish military intervention in 1974 after a short-lived Greek-inspired coup, and the conflict has defied mediation since then. Greek Cypriots represent Cyprus in the European Union, although EU legislation is not implemented in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) in the north of the island, while Greek Cyprus does not agree to Turkey joining the bloc until the conflict is resolved.
Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have been locked in talks on reunifying the Mediterranean island since September 2008. They began an intensive phase of negotiations this month under the mediation of UN envoy Alexander Downer, a former Australian foreign minister, but so far the talks have been inconclusive. The UN statement said Ban had spoken with Downer on Wednesday.
UN diplomats say they are concerned that if Turkish Cypriot hard-liner Derviş Eroğlu wins a presidential election in the KKTC on April 18, prospects for a settlement could recede. As of Wednesday, Prime Minister Eroğlu publicly announced he planned to run in the presidential election, and he also stated that he would continue peace talks with Christofias if elected.
Most opinion polls put him ahead of Talat, the leftist incumbent leader. Eroğlu advocates a two-state settlement to the division of Cyprus, a prospect rejected by Greek Cypriots. Talat and Christofias are now discussing how Greek and Turkish Cypriots are to co-govern the Mediterranean island. After a meeting on Wednesday, Downer said the two leaders would continue their discussions on Friday, wrapping up what will be by then four days of intensive talks this week.
