UN will do everything so Pyla agreement can be implemented, Lacroix says

The United Nations will do its utmost to implement the Pyla agreement, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on Wednesday amidst reactions from the Turkish Cypriot side against authorised works in the buffer zone.

In a statement after his one-hour meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, Lacroix said they discussed the issue of the Arsos-Pyla road, on which an agreement was reached between the two communities last month.

He noted that the agreement was reached after a very intense process of consultation between the two sides, with Colin Stewart playing a very important role in bringing the two sides together for an ultimately good agreement.

“The United Nations will do everything possible to ensure that the agreement can be implemented, this is a process where engagement with both sides will continue because that is how we move forward,” he said.

But Tatar complained to the UN official that the Greek Cypriot side started works in the buffer zone in some areas used by Turkish Cypriots which, he said need to “be stopped immediately”, echoing earlier statements by ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu.

The Turkish Cypriot leader said developments in the Pyla area can take place only after the approval of both sides, despite UN sources earlier saying that the Greek Cypriot works were authorised and were in line with the mutual understanding

The two also discussed the efforts being made in the technical committees to address some important issues affecting the island’s population, with Lacroix highlighting the need to fully utilize their potential.

“We are committed to supporting progress in the political process and of course to continue our work through UNFICYP in consultation and very close coordination with both sides, the Turkish Cypriot and the Greek Cypriot sides,” the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations said.

Among the other issues discussed was the good interaction between the Turkish Cypriot side and Unficyp, as well as the dire situation in the Middle East and the efforts of the UN Secretary General to get more humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, but also the role of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.

For his part, Tatar reiterated the Turkish Cypriot side’s unchanged positions on the Cyprus Problem.

“A two-state solution in Palestine would be the most appropriate and it is time to consider a two-state solution in Cyprus as well,” he noted.

Lacroix met Tatar following his meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides earlier on Wednesday.