Holguín Expected to Visit Cyprus Later This Month

In a report headlined “Holguín’s Last Dance,” the newspaper wrote that Holguín was planning to spend approximately a week in Cyprus, where she would hold separate meetings with the two leaders. She also hopes to arrange a trilateral meeting between them, if possible.
The newspaper noted that, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ term ends in December, Holguín’s upcoming visit could be her final one to Cyprus.
Politis said an extension of Holguín’s mandate was considered unlikely, as the person selected to succeed Guterres would choose their own team. The newspaper added that Holguín was expected to begin drafting a report on her mission at the end of November and submit it to Guterres.
Citing sources, the newspaper reported that renewing Holguín’s mandate was not considered likely unless there was a clear expression of genuine political will to make progress.
According to Politis, Holguín wants to see progress not only on confidence-building measures (CBMs), which it described as “major” initiatives that appear to have led the two sides into a deadlock, but also on the methodology for the negotiations, an issue raised during meetings in New York.
The newspaper identified the central question as whether the two sides shared a common vision for a settlement.
It noted that the two leaders had so far put forward different approaches and proposals on how future negotiations should be conducted. Citing one source, Politis reported that “minimal progress” had been made in bridging the differences between the two sides.
According to the report, the United Nations will explore the possibility of making incremental progress on specific confidence-building measures.
Politis also recalled that Holguín had planned to visit Cyprus in September, ahead of the UN General Assembly, but cancelled the trip due to a health problem.
Since the UN Secretary-General’s visit, the two leaders have met four times without announcing substantial progress on confidence-building measures, negotiating methodology or substantive issues, the newspaper reported.
Citing another source, Politis said the leaders had held a productive meeting last Tuesday on specific confidence-building measures, but had failed to reach any significant agreement.