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UNOG Cyprus 5+1 SG Presser Continuity 29 APRIL 2021
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9:53
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MP4
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729.5 MB

Edited News , Press Conferences | UNOG

UN Secretary-General’s press conference on the Informal Meeting on Cyprus

ENG

STORY: Cyprus Presser - António Guterres 

TRT: 02 min 26s 

SOURCE: UNTV CH 

RESTRICTIONS: NONE 

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS 

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9 

DATELINE: 29 APRIL 2021 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST 

  

  1. Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day. 
  2. Wide shot, projection screen in Room XVIII, Palais des Nations. 
  3. Wide medium shot, photographer taking pictures of the podium with speakers, Room XVIII, Palais des Nations. 
  4. SOUNDBITE (English) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “The truth is that, in the end of our efforts, we have not yet found enough common grounds to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations in relation to the settlement of the Cyprus problem.”  
  5. Wide medium shot, TV camera operator filming in foreground and podium to rear, Room XVIII, Palais des Nations. 
  6. SOUNDBITE (English) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “We have been able to agree that I will convene in the near future another meeting of the 5+1, the five plus the United Nations, again with the objective to move in the direction of reaching common ground to allow for formal negotiations to start.”  
  7. Medium wide shot, podium with speakers, side shot, Room XVIII, Palais des Nations. 
  8. SOUNDBITE (English) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “The position expressed yesterday by the Turkish Cypriots was that the many efforts made to solve the Cyprus issue over the years have failed, including the most recent attempt made in Crans-Montana. They believe that efforts to negotiate the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation have been exhausted.”  
  9. Medium shot, podium with speakers, Room XVIII, Palais des Nations. 
  10. SOUNDBITE (English) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “The position expressed yesterday by the Greek Cypriot delegation was that negotiations should resume from where they left off in Crans Montana. They should aim to achieve a settlement based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.” 
  11. Wide shot, podium with speakers standing up, side shot, Room XVIII, Palais des Nations. 
  12. SOUNDBITE (English) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “My agenda is very simple. My agenda is strictly to fight for the security and well-being of the Cypriots, of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, that deserve to live in peace and prosperity together.”  
  13. Wide shot, Room XVIII, Palais des Nations. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres pledged on Thursday that he would continue to represent the interests of “every Cypriot” in future talks on the divided Mediterranean island, as an informal effort to break the impasse ended without finding common ground.

“The truth is that in the end of our efforts we have not yet found enough common ground to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations in relation to the settlement of the Cyprus problem,” he told journalists in Geneva, where the informal talks took place.

“We have been able to agree that I will convene in the near future another meeting of the 5+1 - the five plus the United Nations - again with the objective to move in the direction of reaching common ground to allow for formal negotiations to start.” 

The development represents the latest UN-led effort to resolve decades of tensions in Cyprus between the Turkish Cypriot north and the Turkish Greek south, whose communities have been split since 1974.

Four years ago, Mr. Guterres attempted to bring the two sides to a deal at the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, where detailed talks ultimately broke down.

Six main issues were on the table, including security and guarantees, new territorial boundaries, and power-sharing.

Ahead of this latest push for a solution to the Cyprus problem, Mr. Guterres was said to “realistic” about the chances of making progress, according to his spokesperson.

But he explained that the position officially outlined 24 hours earlier by the Turkish Cypriot delegation – led by recently-elected Ersin Tatar – “was that the many efforts made to solve the Cyprus issue over the years have failed, including the most recent attempt made in Crans-Montana. They believe that efforts to negotiate the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation have been exhausted.” 

Set against this, the Greek Cypriot position – reiterated by leader Nicos Anastasiades – was “that negotiations should resume from where they left off in Crans- Montana (that should) aim to achieve a settlement based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation,” Mr. Guterres explained, after holding bilateral meetings with the leaders of the Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Greek communities, and with the Foreign Ministers of “guarantor” powers Turkey, Greece and the UK.

“I do not give up,” the UN chief insisted, adding that his agenda was very simple: “strictly to fight for the security and wellbeing for every Cypriot, of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots that deserve to live in peace and prosperity together.”

The UN push for a solution to the Cyprus impasse follows consultations conducted in recent months on his behalf by Under Secretary-General Jane Holl Lute.

One of the UN’s longest-running peacekeeping missions helps to maintain peace on the island.

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was established in 1964 to prevent further fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities and bring about a return to normal conditions.

Its Force Commander is Major General Ingrid Gjerde of Norway.

The mission’s responsibilities expanded in 1974, following a coup d’etat by elements favouring union with Greece and subsequent military intervention by Turkey, whose troops established control over the northern part of the island.

Since a de facto ceasefire in August 1974, UNFICYP has supervised ceasefire lines, provided humanitarian assistance and maintained a buffer zone between the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces in the north and the Greek Cypriot forces in the south.

Ceasefire lines extend over 180 kilometres across the island. In the absence of a formal ceasefire agreement, UNFICYP’s 800-plus troops and 60-plus police officers deal with hundreds of incidents each year, according to the force’s website.

ends

Teleprompter
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
We're I've just concluded the 5 + 1 informal meeting on Cyprus.
We are here with Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who is joined by, excuse me, next to me, Elizabeth Spahar, Special Representative of the Secretary General and head of the of UNFERSIP, Jane Holut, Special adviser to the Secretary General and Rosemary De Carlo, Under Secretary General and head of the Department of Political and Peace Building Affairs.
The Secretary General will take will make some opening remarks and then we will take a few questions.
Sir, you have the floor.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, thank you very much for your presence at the moment in which we conclude the 5 + 1 talks on Cyprus here in Geneva.
I want to express my deep gratitude and the gratitude of all participants to the Swiss authorities for all the facilities that they have provided to guarantee the smooth development of our work in the difficult times we are all living in with the COVID.
As I believe you are aware, the position expressed yesterday by the Turkish Cypriots was that the many efforts made to solve the Cyprus issue over the years have failed, including the most recent attempt made in Trans Montana.
They believe that efforts to negotiate a Byzonal by communal federation have been exhausted.
They believe the Turkish Cypriots have inherent sovereign equality and deserve equal international status and the solution in their view should be based on two states cooperating with each other.
Similarly, the position expressed yesterday by the Greek Cypriot delegation was that negotiations should resume from where they left off in Trans Montana.
They should aim to achieve a settlement based on a by zonal, by communal federation with political equality on the basis of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the Joint Declaration of 2014, the existing body of work, the six elements I presented in Trans Montana and in line with EU AKI.
As you can imagine, this was not an easy meeting, and we conducted extensive consultations in a succession of bilateral meetings and plenary meetings in order to try to reach common ground.
The truth is that in the end of our efforts, we have not yet found enough common ground to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations in relation to the settlement of the Cyprus problem.
[Other language spoken]
My agenda is very simple.
My agenda is strictly to fight for the security and well-being of the Cypriots, of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots that deserve to live in peace and prosperity together.
And being so, we have been able to agree that I will convene in the near future another meeting of the 5 + 1, the five plus the United Nations, again with your objective to move in the direction of reaching common ground to allow for formal negotiations to start.
We are determined to do everything we can to make this dialogue move on and to make this dialogue at one moment be able to reach positive results.
Thank you very much.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
We'll start with Maria from Cyprus News Agency.
Yeah, if you can press the button on your microphone.
[Other language spoken]
Umm, my question if you could just take off your mask when you speak so we can hear clearance.
OK, My question is, you said you're going to convene another such meeting in the near future.
What will happen in in between these two meetings?
Are there going to be any meetings on anymore meetings by Mr Lewd or someone else that will work with the parties in order to make sure that the next informal meeting with will bear fruit and will be successful?
[Other language spoken]
Of course, there will be consultations before the next meeting as we had before this one, and our intention is to try to create as much as possible the conditions to allow for the next meeting to be successful.
Unfortunately, today we are not able to reach the agreements that we would wish to reach to reach, but we are not going to give up and we will be doing our consultations in order to try to create the best possible environment for the next meeting.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Yeah, Jamie from Associated Press, If you could, could you give us the time frame as to when you expect this new round of talks to happen?
And and if I could just follow up, how do you square the circle that the United Nations has generally been in the Security Council has been in favour of a Federated Cyprus and when there is a proposal that's coming that's talking for two separate states, how, how does the UN come on board with that idea?
[Other language spoken]
First of all, in the discussion we just finished, there was an understanding that probably two to three months should be the kind of the time framework that could be useful.
If it is too short the period, it will not allow for any meaningful positive development.
If it is too long, then it really doesn't help in our common search for a solution for a settlement.
Now to square the circle is an impossibility in geometry, but it is very common in politics and opposition is very clear.
As Secretary General, I have a mandate.
That mandate is given by the Security Council and so formal negotiations I have to conduct based on a mandate I received but in an informal meeting and the this informal meeting was convened without preconditions.
In any formal meeting, it is, I would say, useful that all delegations are able to express their positions and that would allow us naturally to interact with each other.
And I will obviously also report to the Security Council on the different positions expressed in this meeting.
Swiss press agency at S Yeah, yeah, thank you.
As one of the party seems to contest the mandate by itself by Speaking of A2 state solution, would it be time for the Security Council to convene again to either reinforce the mandate or to raise again the question of on whether the mandate should be should be amended or or changed?
That is a question that you should ask the Security Council.
And by the way, the pen holder in relation to the Cyprus loss in the Security Council is one of the delegations that's participated in these talks.
Thank you very much.
So thank you and have a good rest of the day.
Thank you very much.
And thank you.