UN Security Council extends UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus until July 2013
The United Nations Security Council extended on January 24 2013 the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) until July 31 2013, while urging the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to continue discussions aimed at reunifying the divided Mediterranean island nation.
In a resolution adopted by a vote of 14 in favour, with Azerbaijan abstaining, the 15-member body acknowledged the progress made so far in fully-fledged negotiations, but noted that this has not been sufficient and has not yet resulted in a comprehensive and durable settlement, the UN News Centre said.
UNFICYP has been deployed on the island since 1964, when inter-communal fighting erupted.
The UN has been facilitating talks between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leadership, with a view to the eventual establishment of a federal government with a single international personality, consisting of a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, each of equal status.
In the January 24 2013 resolution, the UN Security Council also called on both sides to continue engaging with UNFICYP on the demarcation of a buffer zone and to increase the participation of civil society organisations in the negotiation process when appropriate.
(Photo: Nasa0
