US ambassador reiterates support for UN-facilitated Cyprus solution

Nicosia, Cyprus. United States ambassador John Breslow reiterated Washington’s support for a Cypriot-led, United Nations-facilitated solution to the island’s division after meeting Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Tuesday.

Breslow described the meeting as fruitful, while Erhurman called it productive and said it was his last significant engagement before travelling to New York for the UN General Assembly.

US position

“The United States remains steadfast in its support of a Cypriot-led, United Nations-facilitated solution to the island’s division,” Breslow said.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the US government was positive towards Erhurman’s four points for restarting substantive negotiations on the Cyprus problem.

Veteran journalist Ulas Baris wrote that Erhurman’s office received a telephone call in December last year from one of the highest-ranking representatives of the US State Department, who requested a meeting with Erhurman.

According to Baris, the official told Erhurman’s office: “We appreciate your four-point methodology” and “we find it positive”.

Four-point methodology

Erhurman’s four points call for the Greek Cypriot side to accept political equality, for negotiations to have a time limit, and for all past agreements to be preserved.

They also call for the United Nations to guarantee that embargoes imposed on Turkish Cypriots would be lifted if the Greek Cypriot side leaves the negotiating table again.

New York meetings

Erhurman is scheduled to meet UN Cyprus problem envoy Maria Angela Holguin on Thursday and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday.