NICOSIA, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus told the United Nations (UN) on Wednesday that Turkey is hindering the reunification process on the eastern Mediterranean island by engaging in natural gas drilling near its coasts, government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said in a statement.
Prodromou said that Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades met with Elizabeth Spehar, special representative of the UN secretary general and head of the UN peace operations in Cyprus, to discuss the renewal of the peacekeeping force's mandate for a further six months later in July.
"The president raised Turkey's actions in our region, the violations taking place in the sea ... in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, actions which certainly impede the process for a Cyprus settlement," Prodromou said in reference to efforts to restart the peace negotiations.
A Turkish vessel has been conducting drilling operations 39 nautical miles (about 60 kilometers) off the west coast of Cyprus, and a second one is preparing for drilling activities in the east of Cyprus, according to statements released by the Turkish government.
The European Commission decided to propose a list of sanctions on Turkey at a meeting of the European Union (EU) member states in Brussels on Wednesday. The proposed sanctions are to be discussed next week either by the foreign ministers or by the European affairs ministers of the member states.
The proposed measures reportedly include cutting pre-accession assistance to Turkey by 145.8 million euros (164.2 million U.S. dollars) next year, terminating the European Investment Bank's activities in Turkey, suspending a series of ministerial level dialogs on the economy, agriculture, energy and transport, and putting on hold meetings between top officials of the EU and Turkey.
Ankara has rejected accusations that it was violating the sovereignty of any state, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that the drilling vessels operate within Turkey's continental shelf.
Meanwhile, several countries have condemned Turkey's actions, including four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Prodromou said that President Anastasiades told Spehar he wanted to meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci as soon as possible.
Anastasiades and Spehar reportedly also discussed confidence-building measures agreed between the two sides of the divided island concerning mobile phone interoperability, as well as problems in the buffer zone.
The UN official also met on Wednesday with Akinci, discussing a report by the UN secretary general to the Security Council on the extension of peace operations in Cyprus.
The meetings came as Jane Holl Lute, personal envoy of the UN secretary general, reportedly concluded talks with British officials in London on a new initiative to restart the peace negotiations, which were discontinued two years ago.
Lute is now expected to travel to Greece and Turkey, the other two guarantor powers of Cyprus, as well as to Brussels and Nicosia in a fresh bid to secure an agreement on the terms of reference for further negotiations.
