Το Συμβούλιο Ασφαλείας του Οργανισμού Ηνωμένων Εθνών, υπό την προεδρία του Μονίμου Αντιπρόσωπου της Σουηδίας Πρέσβη Olof Skoog, είχε το πρωί της 17ης Ιουλίου 2018 κλειστές διαβουλεύσεις, στη διάρκεια των οποίων ενημερώθηκε από την Ειδική Αντιπρόσωπο του Γενικού Γραμματέα στην Κύπρο κα Elizabeth Spehar, για την Ειρηνευτική Δύναμη των Ηνωμένων Εθνών στην Κύπρο (UNFICYP), της οποίας η εντολή λήγει στις 31 Ιουλίου 2018.
Στις 26 Ιουλίου 2018 το Συμβούλιο Ασφαλείας αναμένεται να υιοθετήσει το ψήφισμα για ανανέωση της θητείας της UNFICYP για ακόμη έξι μήνες.
Αμέσως μετά από την ενημέρωση, ο Πρόεδρος του Συμβουλίου Ασφαλείας και η κα Spehar προέβησαν στις πιο κάτω δηλώσεις προς τους δημοσιογράφους. Επιπλέον, η κα Spehar απάντησε σε ερώτηση δημοσιογράφου.
“President of the Security Council: Hello everyone. The members of the Security Council have just received a briefing by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG), Ms Elizabeth Spehar, and we have all expressed our very strong support for her and for UNFICYP. The members of the Council welcomed the appointment also of Ms Jane Holl Lute, as consultant to the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus settlement. Members of the Council called on all parties to engage meaningfully with the UN consultations and to seize the opportunity presented to urgently build on the progress achieved towards a bi-zonal bi-communal federal solution to the Cyprus issue, in accordance with the Security Council resolutions. The members of the Security Council also called on all parties to show real political will and responsibility, and make the necessary compromises to reach settlement to the benefit of all Cypriots and the wider region. Members of the Council welcomed UNFICYP’s further efforts on confidence building measures, as set out in the Secretary-General’s UNFICYP Report, including efforts to strengthen the participation of civil society, including women and youth, in a future settlement process. Now, I would like to give the floor to SRSG Elizabeth Spehar for a few comments.
Elizabeth Spehar: Hello. Good afternoon. So, as you have just heard from the President of the Security Council, we just had a good exchange with the Security Council Members on the situation in Cyprus at the moment, as well as the continuing role of the United Nations in Cyprus. I was very pleased to hear a continued expression of support on behalf of the Security Council, for UNFICYP’s work on the ground, as well as for the work of the Secretary-General’s Good Offices in Cyprus. Many members of the Council also commended the work of UNFICYP in completing almost all of the recommendations that came out of the strategic review of the Peacekeeping Mission that took place last year. We cited in the Secretary-General’s report a 94% completion rate of the implementation of those recommendations. And as we also heard from the President, there was a unanimous welcome of the role of Ms Jane Holl Lute, who has been appointed by the Secretary-General to conduct consultations with the parties that would begin in a few short days. Thank you.
Question: Given the position of some Permanent Members like the United States, to further put some new policies on the peacekeeping operations. Are you skeptical that maybe UNFICYP’s role is going to change?
Elizabeth Spehar: We basically need to wait now for the Security Council to finalize the resolution on UNFICYP and that will be happening in the next few days. Thank you.”
