Cyprus appeals to UN Security Council over Varosha moves

Cyprus has filed a recourse to the United Nations Security Council over the transfer of part of an abandoned coastal town on the ethnically-split island to Turkish Cypriot control, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Turkish Cypriot authorities and Turkey said on Tuesday that a small part of abandoned Varosha, left fenced in to rot for 47 years, would come under civilian control for potential resettlement.

"This is a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and will have a negative impact on efforts under way to restart talks," Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said after meeting his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. (Reporting By Michele Kambas; Editing by Alex Richardson)