“The UN Secretary-Gneneral Antonio Gutterres intends to take some steps in the near future regarding the Cyprus issue, with the parties involved expecting to be informed about how matters are progressing in substantive terms, the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) has learnt.”

This so-called news report, which said nothing, was filed by the state news agency, the source of which could only have been the government, because the UN, despite its faults, does not deal in vague speculation – it speaks when it has something concrete to say. The Christodoulides government, in contrast, is incapable of staying silent even when there is nothing to report.

This is particularly true in the case of the Cyprus issue, as this CNA story illustrates. According to the agency’s sources, “following recent meetings between Guterres and his personal envoy on Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin, the parties are awaiting clarification either from her or from the UN, more specifically, on the direction to be taken.” There were more revelations. “The emphasis will be on how matters are advancing in substantive terms, the same sources said, adding that Guterres intends to make some move in the near future.”

What is the point of this government-generated nonsense “on the direction to be taken”? And why would clarifications be issued when nothing is actually being discussed? Will the clarifications relate to the “steps” or “the move” Guterres intends make? Or perhaps the clarifications relate to how close or far, the near future in which the UNSG will make his move, actually is. The government source avoided being specific on this matter.

The government source could not say when Holguin was expected to visit Cyprus, even though she had said she would return in July after Cyprus’ presidency of the European Council was over. This angered the government at the time, as it was ready to resume negotiations that very week. Before this meaningless report was filed, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told CyBC radio that the Greek Cypriot side was “fully ready, even next week, if developments emerged that would lead to a resumption of talks.”

There would be no resumption of talks next week, even if Guterres makes a move, so why does the government feel obliged to tell us it is fully ready for a resumption? Who is it taking for a ride with this vacuous rhetoric? It is certainly not the international community, not the UN and not the Turkish Cypriot side. By the rule of elimination, we can only guess that these nonsensical platitudes can only be targeting the Greek Cypriots. Why? Does the government seriously believe the Greek Cypriots are at all likely to buy this nonsense?