UN chief announces plans for new Cyprus 5+1 talks

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that he plans to convene a new 5+1 meeting on the Cyprus issue aimed at creating the conditions for a successful outcome.

Speaking at a news conference in New York, Guterres said his recent visit to Cyprus highlighted the urgency of finding a solution amid growing regional instability.

"My visit to Cyprus showed that in a rapidly changing and increasingly volatile region, the search for solutions is more urgent than ever.

"Based on our discussions on the way forward, I decided that I would convene another 5+1 meeting, after adequate preparations on confidence building, methodology and substance, taking into account the convergences already achieved," Guterres said.

Guterres said the UN would work with both sides and the guarantor countries to create the conditions for the meeting’s success.

Asked what he meant by "adequate preparation" for a new five-party-plus-one meeting, Guterres said previous attempts had failed because they were not sufficiently prepared.

"Exactly that. I mean, we had several meetings of the 5+1 that were not able to reach conclusions because they had not been well prepared," he said.

"This time we need to prepare well the next meeting in order to make sure that it leads to a solution," Guterres added.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.