Key facts
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans a new 5+1 meeting on Cyprus.
- The meeting will involve Cyprus's leaders and guarantor powers.
- Guterres stressed the need for substantive preparation before setting a timeline.
- Preparation will focus on confidence-building measures, methodology, and core issues.
- The UN Security Council will hold its first informal straw poll on Thursday.
- Seven candidates are seeking to succeed Antonio Guterres as UN chief.
- The poll uses secret ballots to gauge support for candidates.
- Members will indicate encouragement or discouragement for each candidate.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is initiating a new 5+1 meeting concerning Cyprus, aiming to establish a path forward for resolving the island's protracted conflict. This high-level gathering will include the leaders of Cyprus and the three guarantor powers. Guterres highlighted the critical importance of substantial preparatory work, focusing on confidence-building measures, the methodology for discussions, and the fundamental issues at stake, before any specific timeline for resolution can be established. The announcement comes as the UN Security Council prepares to conduct its first informal straw poll on Thursday. This poll is designed to gauge the level of support among Security Council members for the seven individuals who are candidates to succeed Antonio Guterres as the next UN Secretary-General. The process will involve secret ballots, allowing members to indicate their level of encouragement or discouragement for each candidate, thereby providing an early indication of potential frontrunners in the race to lead the United Nations.