Official says the UN remains committed to helping reach a deal healing Cyprus’ ethnic split

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A senior United Nations official says the U.N. chief is paying very close attention to the situation on war-divided Cyprus and will use all means at his disposal to help reach an agreement to heal the Mediterranean island nation’s ethnic split. U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča said Monday he and Cyprus’ Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides discussed ways of resuming stalemated talks with breakaway Turkish Cypriots. Cyprus’ division returned to the fore earlier this month when angry Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of U.N. peacekeepers who obstructed crews working on a road that would encroach on a U.N.-controlled buffer zone bisecting the small Mediterranean island.