Cyprus Talks: Negotiators Meet to Resume Regular Discussions

The Greek Cypriot negotiator, Menelaos Menelaou, and the representative of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Danak, met on Thursday to discuss the resumption of regular talks on the Cyprus issue. The meeting took place following a pause in negotiations due to the holidays. The two negotiators conducted a general review of the situation, awaiting further instructions from the UN Secretary-General regarding the next steps. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus, Hasim Dian, is expected to brief the UN Security Council on the 15th of the month on developments in the UN Secretary-General's Good Offices for Cyprus and UNFICYP. Furthermore, on January 29th, the UN Security Council will vote on renewing the mandate of UNFICYP for another year. The outcome of this vote will directly affect the presence of the peacekeeping force on the island.