UN official DiCarlo may have to pick up the pieces in Cyprus

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo is favourite to become the next envoy of UN chief Antonio Guterres in Cyprus and to have exploratory meetings with the two leaders, sources said.

If the two leaders, President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci decide to move the negotiating process forward then the most likely scenario will be for Guterres to appoint a Special Advisor.

Anastasiades and Akinci had their first meeting in nine months at a dinner hosted by the United Nations in the buffer zone on Monday evening

In statements afterwards, President Anastasiades said the two had a frank and calm discussion, during which they talked about the problems they are faced with and the prospects of a new dialogue.

He said nobody has ruled out the possibility of the UN Secretary General, if he so wishes, sending a personal envoy in order to examine the chances of resuming the dialogue.

Other than that neither side has shifted from the positions that saw talks in Switzerland crumble last summer.

Rosemary DiCarlo looks like the person who will be sent to Cyprus to sound out the possibility of a new peace push,

She succeeded Jeffrey Feltman, who completed his assignment on 31 March 2018.

DiCarlo has more than 35 years of experience in public service and academia.

Prior assignments included Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, and Director for United Nations Affairs at the National Security Council in Washington D.C. Her overseas tours took her to the US Embassies in Moscow and Oslo.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.

The latest round of peace talks took place in the summer of 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana and collapsed in acrimony.