UN extends Cyprus mission despite Turkey's objections

Arguing that it ignores the Turkish Cypriot presence on the divided island, Turkey on Tuesday cast the lone negative vote on a UN Security Council resolution extending the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force on Cyprus (UNFICYP). Council resolutions, from the one first setting up the UNFICYP to subsequent extensions of its mandate, are still being drafted "as if there is only one side on the island," Turkish Ambassador to the UN Ertugrul Apakan said at the meeting. "There has not been a joint and constitutional government representing the whole of Cyprus since 1963," he argued. "For over 47 years, treating the Greek Cypriot government as the government of the whole island has been the main obstacle to finding a just, lasting and comprehensive solution." Apakan also charged that the resolution failed to reflect the views of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said in a recent report that the ongoing Cyprus talks cannot be open-ended and that a critical window of opportunity is rapidly closing. "We believe that the resolution should have carried a stronger message towards this end," said Apakan. In the resolution extending the peacekeeping mission through next June, the council also urged Cyprus' leaders to press stronger on negotiations to reunify the island.