We welcome the unanimous adoption by the Security Council (SC), which renewed the mandate of the Cyprus Peacekeeping Force for 12 months. The unanimous decision of the SC, i.e. without any dissent, is indicative of the support the SC gives to the agreed basis for a solution. And this is reflected in the resolution.
There are three important points to note compared to the previous resolution in July:
The first is on Varosha where the SC sent a strong message of warning against further provocations by Turkey in Varosha. The language used is quite strong and we welcome it.
The second point concerns the negotiation process. The SC has strengthened the language regarding the appointment of the Secretary-General's envoy,
The third point I want to make is procedural. It relates to the 12-month extension, which is a new element. It is an issue that we have been discussing with various members of the CA for some time. Our concern was that the six-monthly reporting cycle from the SG to the CA should remain, and that is a fact. We see it in the resolution.
I would also like to refer to the issue of missing persons. Unfortunately, the language used this time is the same as the previous ones. We would like to see a stronger word because the issue of the missing persons is purely humanitarian. There is a stagnation in the numbers of missing persons identified and this is evident from the CMP figures. We would like to see a stronger message from the SC to expedite the process of resolving this issue.
(OP)
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