Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he believes there is "a historic opportunity" for a breakthrough in talks aimed at reuniting Cyprus. The two sides have been trying to strike an accord for decades.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/S. Wenig
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Guterres - the new UN chief - will be chairing a conference in Geneva from January 12 with the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders and Cyprus' three guarantors - Britain, Greece and Turkey - that to find an agreement on post-settlement security arrangements, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The secretary-general "appealed to all parties to use this opportunity to find creative and mutually acceptable solutions that address the concerns of both communities," Dujarric said.
The conference will follow three days of talks between the island's Greek Cypriot president, Nicos Anastasiades, and breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.
"We're at a very decisive phase in the Cyprus peace talks," Dujarric said. "At this point it's really about being supportive of the process and seeing how the parties can finally bridge the final gaps."
Guterres met Thursday with Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and late Friday afternoon with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.
Kotzias called it a "very nice" meeting but refused to comment on the Cyprus talks.
The 1974 split
The island was split into a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by Cypriot supporters of union with Greece.
Turkish Cypriots declared an independent state in 1983, but only Turkey recognizes it and keeps 35,000 troops there.
The island joined the EU in 2004, but only the Greek-speaking south enjoys full membership benefits.
Cyprus: An island hoping for unity
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Combating sex abuse allegations
Guterres also said on Friday he would focus on combating sexual abuse in peacekeeping, announcing plans to map out a new "game-changing" strategy to address the problem.
Guterres - who took over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1 - named a nine-member task force to come up with a new approach.
UN peacekeeping missions have been hit by dozens of allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation, but troop-contributing countries have been reluctant to prosecute those accused.
"It's about how we react, how we put the victims at the center and it's about accountability," said Dujarric.
Some 100,000 troops and police from 123 countries serve in UN peacekeeping.
The Caucasus to the Koreas: A world of frozen conflicts
Frozen conflicts rarely make the headlines, but they can be just as destabilizing as active wars. When they heat up, they can thrust whole regions into conflict and even draw in global powers.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Eisele
Eastern Ukraine/Crimea
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and started providing support to rebels in eastern Ukraine. The conflict in Ukraine quickly gained an international dimension and triggered a renewed standoff between Russia and the West that has extended as far afield as Syria.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/Y. Rafael
Korean Peninsula
North and South Korea are technically still at war, having signed no peace treaty to end the Korean War. The demilitarized zone, or DMZ, is a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) strip separating the countries. The border is one of the tensest and most heavily militarized in the world.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Martin
South Ossetia and Abkhazia
South Ossetia and Abkhazia are post-Soviet breakaway republics outside the sovereign control of Georgia. They are backed and recognized by Russia and only a handful of other states. The conflict turned hot during 2008 Russian-Georgian War, which effectively kicked Tbilisi's forces out of the republics.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. Basayev
Cyprus
A 1974 invasion by Turkey in response to a coup attempt to join the island with Greece split the island between the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus in the ethnically Greek south. The two communities' leaders are engaged in complicated reunification talks. Both sides have expressed hope for a settlement this year.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Ammar
Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijan and Armenia went to war over Nagorno-Karabakh until the two sides reached a truce in 1994. Since then, the territory - ethnically Armenian but formally Azerbaijani - has been under the control of local Armenian forces and the Armenian military. The conflict has had periodic violent flare-ups, most recently with a bout of fierce fighting in April.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/V. Baghdasaryan
Western Sahara
Morocco annexed Western Sahara after colonial power Spain withdrew in 1975, setting off a conflict with the Polisario Front, which demands self-determination. In 1991, a UN-brokered ceasefire put a halt to fighting. However, a promised referendum on self-determination has failed to materialize, threatening to upend a shaky peace.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Batiche
Kashmir
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, which have fought two wars over the predominantly Muslim region. India accuses Pakistan of arming rebels fighting for independence or union with Pakistan. The emotionally charged issue is especially dangerous given that both countries have nuclear weapons.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Khan
Trans-Dniester
Trans-Dniester is a pro-Russia breakaway region of Moldova. The sliver of territory bordering on Ukraine split from Moldova, triggering a 1992 war. Russia maintains peacekeepers in the region. Some analysts say Trans-Dniester is a potential hot spot used by Russia to keep Moldova from becoming closer to the West.
