UN appoints Ethiopian Zerihoun as envoy to Cyprus
Güncelleme Tarihi:
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed on Thursday veteran U.N. troubleshooter Taye-Brook Zerihoun to head the peacekeeping mission in Cyprus and oversee expected reunification talks. The EU said "historic opportunity" has emerged for solution.
Zerihoun, an Ethiopian who joined the United Nations in 1981, will replace Michael Moller, of Germany, as special representative of the secretary-general in Cyprus and head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission, U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe was quoted as saying by AP.
Okabe noted that the Security Council must confirm Zerihoun’s appointment. The council’s approval is virtually certain and considered a formality.
Zerihoun is currently serving as the secretary-generals deputy special representative in the U.N. Mission in Sudan , where some 10,000 U.N. peacekeepers are enforcing the 2005 agreement that ended Africa’s longest civil war between Sudan’s Muslim government and Christian and animist rebels in the semiautonomous south.
He also has been serving as the chief U.N. mediator for the Darfur peace talks since October 2007 in support of the efforts of U.N. special envoy Jan Eliasson.
In addition to working extensively on issues related to Sudan, Zerihoun has worked on special political questions at U.N. headquarters in New York and directed the division that deals with the Horn of Africa and central and southern Africa.
Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Talat are set to begin reunification talks in June after a three-month preparation period. The election of Christofias in February elections is set to give new impetus to the peace efforts.
Peace negotiations have been stalled since 2004 when the Greek Cypriots rejected a UN blueprint that was accepted by the Turkish community. Greek Cypriots joined the EU couple of days after the referendum.
Head of European Union's executive body, who is in Turkey to pay an official visit, said on Thursday "a historic opportunity" had emerged to find a settlement to the Cyprus problem, adding that the reunification of the island would serve in "common interests."
"I believe that we cannot afford to miss this historic opportunity, one which may not come up again... "A settlement would also make solid contributions to Turkey's EU accession," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told Turkish parliament.