PROVISIONAL INFORMATION ON CYPRIOT PRESENCE AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000486

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, IO/UNP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2019
TAGS: KSEP PREL OTRA OVIP CY
SUBJECT: PROVISIONAL INFORMATION ON CYPRIOT PRESENCE AT
64TH UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

REF: SECSTATE 68590

Classified By: Charge d'affaires, a.i., Jonathan Cohen for reasons 1.4(
b) and 1.4(d)


1. (SBU) Provisional information regarding Cypriot VIP
attendance at the 64th UN General Assembly appears below.
Post will continue to engage Presidency and MFA contacts to
ascertain final information, providing Department and other
addressees updates as appropriate.


2. (SBU) Tentative Attendees:

President Demetris Christofias (head of state/government)

-- Arrives NYC from Cyprus on 20 September. Departs NYC for
Cyprus 27 September.
-- President will be present for the General Debate.
-- President Christofias will be joined by his wife, Elsie
Christofias.
-- Speaks English, no interpretation in
bilateral/multilateral meetings needed.

Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou

-- Accompanies President Christofias throughout, with same
arrival/departure information.
-- Will support President at General Debate.
-- Speaks English, no interpretation in
bilateral/multilateral meetings needed.

Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou

-- Accompanies President Christofias throughout, with same
arrival/departure information.
-- Mr. Stefanou will not be accompanied by his spouse.
-- Speaks English, no interpretation in
bilateral/multilateral meetings needed.


3. (C) Should pull asides and/or meetings with the Secretary
on the margins of UNGA prove possible, we believe that the
Secretary should meet (separately) with both President
Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat to
maintain the USG's image as a fair broker and sustain the
positive momentum in the on-going UN-brokered peace talks. A
meeting with only President Christofias, or with Talat, for
that matter, will give the impression to the sides that the
US is playing favorites. Post notes, as way of background,
that in the context of the UN-brokered negotiations, Talat
and Christofias are "equals" and referred to respectively as
the "leader of the Turkish Cypriot community" and "leader of
the Greek Cypriot community."


4. (C) To our knowledge Talat, at present, has no plans to
attend UNGA. If a meeting with the Secretary proves possible,
however, we believe that Talat could and would go to NY on
short notice.
Cohen