UN chief to return to Cyprus talks

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINTON (AA) – UN chief Antonio Guterres will return to Switzerland to attend talks on reunifying Cyprus, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Stephane Dujarric told reporters the Secretary-General has received "a number of calls" for his return from parties to the talks and "it would be dangerous" to make any predictions about a possible breakthrough, according to media reports.

Guterres' decision to return to the talks in the Swiss Alps follows Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's call for the Secretary-General to come back to speed up the reunification process.

"It is very simple. We wanted him to come here and he is coming on Thursday. This is serious business and his role is important," Cavusoglu told reporters after a meeting in Crans-Montana with representatives from the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides and those from two guarantor countries, Greece and the U.K.

The UN is seeking a peace deal to unite Cyprus under a federal umbrella that could also define the future of Europe's relations with Turkey, a key player in the conflict. The Eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks, and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.