NICOSIA – A number of special envoys to try to negotiate a settlement of a divided Cyprus have failed but some members of the United Nations Security Council want another stab at finding a solution.

The Cyprus News Agency said the proposal was put forth by France, Switzerland, Great Britain and China during a closed session after Turkey – which seized the northern third of the island in 1974 invasions – remains intransigent.

Colin Stewart, a Canadian diplomat who is the Special Representative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, briefed members of the council ahead of the open session on the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) on Jan. 30, the report said.

Cyprus’ Foreign Ministry spokesman Demetris Demetriou said the mandate for the peacekeepers is expected, as usual, to be routinely extended for another six months until July 31.

The last round of reunification talks collapsed in July, 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana as Guterres became the latest UN leader to fail to broker an agreement after Turkey and Turkish-Cypriots refused to remove a 35,000-strong army and demanded the right of further military intervention.

In October, 2020 elections an ultra-nationalist hardliner, Ersin Tatar, became the leader of the self-declared Turkish-Cypriot government no other country apart from Turkey recognizes and said he wants recognition, not unity.