THE UN Security Council yesterday adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for another six months.
Resolution 1898 was adopted with 14 votes in favour and one against, that of Turkey.
The Security Council welcomed the two reports of the UN Secretary-General on the UN operation in Cyprus and his mission of good offices, noting it looked forward to “decisive progress” in the near future on efforts to end the division.
The top UN body reaffirmed the view that “the responsibility for finding a solution lies first and foremost with the Cypriots themselves” adding that there “now exists a rare opportunity to make decisive progress in a timely fashion”.
The leaders of the two communities were urged to increase the momentum in the negotiations. The importance attached by the international community to all parties engaging “fully, flexibly and constructively in the negotiations” was also noted. 
The 15-member Council called on both sides to clearly explain the benefits of a solution, as well as the need for increased flexibility and compromise, to both communities well in advance of any eventual referenda.
It further stressed the need for the Council to pursue a rigorous, strategic approach to peacekeeping deployments. It welcomed the intention of the SG to keep all peacekeeping operations under close review, noting the importance of contingency planning.
The resolution called on both sides to continue to engage, as a matter of urgency, in consultations with UNFICYP on the demarcation of the buffer zone and called on the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkish forces “to restore in Strovilia the military status quo which existed prior to 30 June 2000”. 
The Council also called on the UNSG to submit a report on implementation of the resolution, including on contingency planning in relation to the settlement, by June 1, 2010.