FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – Efforts to appoint a United Nations personal representative for the Cyprus issue have stalled, according to reports.
The Greek Cypriot newspaper Politis noted that after last Thursday’s meeting between Special Representative Güneş Onar and Greek Cypriot Negotiator Menelaos Meneleou, officials from Cyprus suggested that conditions for progress had been met.
However, President Nikos Christodoulides expressed frustration on Friday over questions about tangible developments, stating that any concrete announcements would come directly from the leadership regarding commitments made to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
Government spokesman Konstandinos Letimbiotis reiterated on Monday that progress was ongoing through discussions between Onar and Meneleou. He said advancements had been made in forming a bi-communal youth technical committee, launching environmental initiatives, maintaining cemeteries and clearing landmines.
However, Politis pointed out that these were among the least critical issues on Guterres’ agenda. The paper also reported that no progress had been made on opening four new crossing points, despite theoretical agreement from both sides.