Senegalese diplomat Khassim Diagne is to be the United Nations’ new special representative in Cyprus, the Cyprus Mail understands.

Diplomatic sources informed the Cyprus Mail that Diagne was the person about whom government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis was speaking when he announced on Saturday that the Greek Cypriot side had given its consent for a new special representative.

At the time, the Turkish Cypriot side was less than impressed by Letymbiotis’ announcement, with one diplomatic source telling the Cyprus Mail that “issuing any statement or making any announcement before the UN secretary-general [Antonio Guterres] would be contrary to diplomatic practice”.

Diagne’s appointment will require the consent of both Cyprus’ sides, as well as of its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

He is currently serving as the UN’s acting resident and humanitarian coordinator in Mali, having previously worked as the regional director for the UN office for west Africa and the Sahel, and as deputy special representative for protection and operations for the UN stabilisation mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Should he be appointed, he will also serve as the head of the UN’s peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp), and will replace Colin Stewart, who retired last week after having served in the post for four years.

Letymbiotis had also said on Saturday that the Greek Cypriot side wishes for UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin to visit the island before President Nikos Christodoulides, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Guterres hold a trilateral meeting in New York.

That meeting is set to take place during the UN’s “high-level week”, the week during which the 80th session of the UN general assembly is to be held, which has been set for the week commencing September 8.

Holguin most recently visited Cyprus last month, holding meetings with both Christodoulides and Tatar ahead of the most recent enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, involving both Cyprus’ sides, its three guarantor powers, Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom and the UN, which was held in New York.

That meeting ended with the promise of the planned trilateral meeting in September, and a further enlarged meeting to be held before the end of the year, though likely after the Turkish Cypriot leadership election, which is set to take place on October 19.