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Roundup: EU's foreign policy chief visits Cyprus, signals more active EU role in search of solution

Xinhua, October 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

The European Union (EU)'s Foreign Affairs chief Federica Mogherini had talks with Cypriot community leaders on Friday, signaling EU's more active involvement in the search for an agreement ending the partition of its most southeastern state.

Mogherini's visit came just days ahead of crucial negotiations Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will have in early November.

She said that her visit was a must "at this moment that we understand perfectly well is a crucial moment in the negotiations."

"This will be not only a turning point, a historic page for the island; this will be an extremely important step for the entire region," she added.

She met Anastasiades and Akinci separately to hear their views on the upcoming round of talks between Nov. 7 and 11 in the Swiss city of Mont Pelerin, overlooking the lake of Geneva.

No statements were made by the participants after the two meetings, but Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said that Anastasiades set out his views and "there was an exchange of views on how to better calibrate the role of the European Union on certain outstanding issues."

The EU has kept a low profile in the Cyprus negotiations, leaving most of the work to be done by the United Nations. However, Anastasiades said EU did a good job regarding the Cyprus negotiations.

Regarding the 1960 system of guarantees and security under which Turkey, Greece and Britain were given guarantee and unilateral intervention rights to restore the status quo on the island, Mogherini said, "the best guarantee for security of any country in the world is a well-functioning state and particularly for any member of the European Union is being a member of the EU itself."

The remark touched on the core of what is expected to be the toughest part of the negotiations as Turkish officials have insisted in public statements on preserving a security role for Turkey while the Greek Cypriot side demand for the abrogation of the 1960 system.

Anastasiades has repeatedly stated that he would not put to a plebiscite an agreement under which Turkey would have security and guarantee rights, but he would accept security arrangements which would be implemented either by the UN Security Council or the European Union.

In an unrelated development, the UN Secretary-General's special adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, confirmed in a statement on Friday that Ban Ki-moon will open the intensive stage of negotiations in Mont Pelerin.

"The Secretary-General looks forward to lending his personal support to the work of the two leaders as they are entering this crucial phase of their negotiations," the statement said. Enditem