Cyprus leader says UN could scope out restarting peace talks

President Nicos Anastasiades said it’s up to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to decide whether to send an envoy. (Photo By European People’s Party – Flickr: Nicos Anastasiades at EPP HQ, CC BY 2.0)

NICOSIA, Cyprus – The Greek Cypriot president of ethnically divided Cyprus said the United Nations secretary-general could dispatch an envoy to scope out the possibility of resuming moribund reunification talks.

President Nicos Anastasiades said it’s up to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to decide whether to send an envoy.

Anastasiades made the remarks after a U.N.-hosted meeting Monday with the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, Mustafa Akinci.

It was the first time the two leaders met face-to-face since high-level peace talks collapsed in July.

Anastasiades said the discussions covered all the differences between the two sides, but both remain entrenched in their positions.

However, he and Akinci agreed to open this year two more crossing points across a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone that separates the breakaway north from the internationally recognized south.