The United Nations today welcomed the crossings in recent weeks by thousands of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots of the buffer zone maintained by the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus today said it was working with both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides to help people move to and from the northern and southern sides of the island.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the top United Nations human rights body today that its mission was more important than ever in an era when “war, terror and the threat of political violence have become a much greater part of many peoples’ lives,” an era when “inaction is not an option.”

A senior United Nations official today urged the Security Council to reject calls to end the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), stating that the mission has, and will continue to encourage dialogue and multi-ethnicity in the province, which still has some way to go in establishing independent functioning institutions.