Downer steps down for Cyprus role

By Nick Bryant
BBC News, Sydney

Mr Downer served alongside PM John Howard for 12 years

Australia's former foreign minister, Alexander Downer, is stepping down from politics to accept a role as UN special envoy to the Cyprus peace process.

Hopes of reuniting Cyprus have risen since the election of Greek Cypriot Demetris Christofias. It was divided in 1974 after a Turkish invasion.

Mr Downer has experience in conflict resolution and was Australia's longest-serving foreign minister.

He held the post for the 12 years of John Howard's conservative government.

Ousted from office in the general election of November 2007, he made it clear that he wanted to leave politics and retire as a member of parliament.

Now a job has come along which he clearly believes can utilise his experience and diplomatic talent.

Mr Downer will become the UN envoy to a peace process which, after decades of stalemate, is showing signs of real progress - with the chance of direct negotiations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots.

The former foreign minister says he brings to the role a wealth of experience in the field of conflict resolution.

Along with the New Zealand government, he helped hammer out a peace agreement to end Papua New Guinea's long-running civil war.

He was also instrumental in securing a UN-backed force to end the bloodshed in East Timor, following the country's vote for independence from Indonesia in 1999.

Mr Downer has been a frequent critic of the UN, but that has not barred his appointment.

He says that trying to fix up Cyprus, as he put it, "is not going to be a cakewalk".