Adopted by the Security Council at its 6908th meeting, on 24 January 2013
The Security Council,
Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General of 7 January 2013 (S/2013/07) on the United Nations operation in Cyprus,
Noting that the Government of Cyprus is agreed that in view of the prevailing conditions on the island it is necessary to keep the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) beyond 31 January 2013,
Noting the intention of the Secretary-General to report on his Good Offices in the next reporting period, and echoing the Secretary-General’s firm belief that the responsibility for finding a solution lies first and foremost with the Cypriots themselves, and reaffirming the primary role of the United Nations in assisting the parties to bring the Cyprus conflict and division of the island to a comprehensive and durable settlement,
Welcoming the progress made so far in the fully fledged negotiations, and the leaders’ joint statements including those of 23 May and 1 July 2008,
Recalling the importance attached by the international community to all parties engaging fully, flexibly and constructively in the negotiations, and noting that the move towards a more intensive phase of negotiations has not yet resulted in an enduring, comprehensive and just settlement based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as set out in the relevant Security Council resolutions, encouraging the sides to resume the substantive negotiations on the core issues, and stressing that the status quo is unsustainable,
Welcoming the efforts of the Secretary-General to stimulate progress during his meeting with the two leaders on 31 October 2011 and 23 January 2012, and expressing continued support for his efforts,
Noting the need to advance the consideration of and discussions on military confidence-building measures, calling for renewed efforts to implement all remaining confidence-building measures, and for agreement on and implementation of further steps to build trust between the communities,
Reaffirming the importance of continued crossings of the Green Line by Cypriots, and encouraging the opening by mutual agreement of other crossing points,
Convinced of the many important benefits, including economic benefits, for all Cypriots that would flow from a comprehensive and durable Cyprus settlement, urging the two sides and their leaders to foster positive public rhetoric, and encouraging them clearly to explain the benefits of the settlement, as well as the need for increased flexibility and compromise in order to secure it, to both communities well in advance of any eventual referenda,
Considering that undermining the United Nations credibility undermines the peace process itself,
Highlighting the importance of the supporting role of the international community, and in particular that of the parties concerned in taking practical steps towards helping the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to exploit fully the current opportunity,
Taking note of the assessment of the Secretary-General that the security situation on the island and along the Green Line remains stable, and urging all sides to avoid any action which could lead to an increase in tension, undermine the progress achieved so far, or damage the goodwill on the island,
Recalling the Secretary-General’s firm belief that the situation in the buffer zone would be improved if both sides accepted the 1989 aide-memoire used by the United Nations,
Noting with regret that the sides are withholding access to the remaining minefields in the buffer zone, and that demining in Cyprus must continue, noting the continued danger posed by mines in Cyprus, and urging rapid agreement on facilitating the recommencement of demining operations and clearance of the remaining minefields,
Highlighting the importance of the activities of the Committee on Missing Persons, urging the opening up of access to all areas to allow the Committee to carry out their work, and trusting that this process will promote reconciliation between the communities,
Agreeing that active participation of civil society groups, including women’s groups, is essential to the political process and can contribute to making any future settlement sustainable, recalling that women play an important role in peace processes, welcoming all efforts to promote bicommunal contacts and events including, inter alia, on the part of all United Nations bodies on the island, and urging the two sides to promote the active engagement of civil society and the encouragement of cooperation between economic and commercial bodies and to remove all obstacles to such contacts,