Holguin to visit Cyprus, trilateral meeting with leaders set for November 9

The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguin, is due to arrive on the island late at night, according to information from the United Nations. During her stay she will meet the leaders separately and host a trilateral meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides.

The trilateral meeting is scheduled for November 9. Holguin is expected to meet Christodoulides on Friday. No date has yet been announced for her bilateral meeting with Erhürman, but presidency sources say it is planned for next week. The two leaders last met on Tuesday, October 27, as part of weekly contacts on confidence-building measures, negotiating methods and substantive issues.

In an interview with the Alithia newspaper, Holguin said she believed a settlement of the Cyprus problem was both "very far and very close." She attributed the lack of a near-term solution to insufficient political will to address the difficult issues seriously, and said her role was to facilitate dialogue, not to take part in negotiations. Because Antonio Guterres's term ends in December, the visit may be her last Cyprus trip in this role.