- Reaction score
- 3,660
- Points
- 1,160
Something that might interest those here who remember the area.
Greek Cypriots Remove Wall, Seek Turkish Pullout
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-03-09T122607Z_01_L09150173_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-CYPRUS-LINE-COL.XML&archived=False
By Michele Kambas Fri Mar 9, 2007 7:26 AM EST
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greek Cypriots razed to the ground a wall symbolizing Cyprus's decades-old division running through the heart of the capital Nicosia and challenged Turkey to respond by withdrawing its troops from the area.
Demolition work on a concrete barrier in Nicosia's Ledra Street ceased by dawn on Friday, exposing a corridor of crumbling buildings untouched for decades.
The barrier was quickly replaced by sheets of aluminum and remained under heavy police guard. Cyprus made clear the crossing would not open for civilians until Turkey removed its troops stationed there.
Turkey has not responded to the move, which some analysts say is aimed at putting Ankara on the spot during an EU summit in Brussels. One Turkish official in Ankara called it an empty gesture forced on the Cypriots by the international community.
"Their condition about removing the military is irrelevant because our army is not located in that area," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "If the crossing were opened to civilians, Turkish Cypriot authorities could then take over."
Cyprus relations remain a stumbling block to Turkey's aspirations to join the EU and a source of tension with neighboring Greece, its historical rival.
EU WELCOMES MOVE
Turkey is unlikely to make a major gesture on Cyprus ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections this year but the EU hailed the demolition as a courageous decision and said it was ready to fund works at the crossing point.
"The long-waited opening of the crossing point would be a major symbolic step forward in bringing both communities in Nicosia closer together. It would also encourage the necessary efforts aiming at a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem," said Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.
Cyprus has been split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north, recognized only by Turkey, since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded the island in response to an Athens-backed coup in Nicosia.
Turkey has about 35,000 troops in the island's north.
Greek Cypriots voted against a U.N. re-unification plan shortly before joining the EU in 2004. Both sides have been under intense pressure from the international community for the past few years to strike a lasting peace deal.
Nicosia residents hailed the move as an important step and one compared it with the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
"The dynamism created by this move will lead to the opening of the crossing," said Rasit Pertev, chief adviser to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.
In December, Turkish Cypriots tore down a footbridge on their side of Ledra street. Greek Cypriots protested the move, saying security concerns had not been addressed.
The barrier was a cement wall stretching from one side of Ledra Street, Nicosia's main commercial district, to the other. Beyond it is a buffer zone about 50 meters (yards) wide and manned by UN troops. Turkish troops are stationed on either side of the road beyond the buffer zone.
When the wall came down, people grabbed chunks of mangled metal and concrete from trucks as they rumbled past.
"This is what happened when the Berlin Wall came down, only in our case the police wouldn't let us take anything," said a woman who carried off a rotting plank of wood only after a confrontation with police.
Turkish Cypriot authorities eased restrictions on visits across the Green Line in 2003 and five crossing points have been erected since then between the north and south.
(Additional reporting by Simon Bahceli, Gareth Jones and Zerin Elci in Ankara)
Greek Cypriots Remove Wall, Seek Turkish Pullout
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-03-09T122607Z_01_L09150173_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-CYPRUS-LINE-COL.XML&archived=False
By Michele Kambas Fri Mar 9, 2007 7:26 AM EST
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greek Cypriots razed to the ground a wall symbolizing Cyprus's decades-old division running through the heart of the capital Nicosia and challenged Turkey to respond by withdrawing its troops from the area.
Demolition work on a concrete barrier in Nicosia's Ledra Street ceased by dawn on Friday, exposing a corridor of crumbling buildings untouched for decades.
The barrier was quickly replaced by sheets of aluminum and remained under heavy police guard. Cyprus made clear the crossing would not open for civilians until Turkey removed its troops stationed there.
Turkey has not responded to the move, which some analysts say is aimed at putting Ankara on the spot during an EU summit in Brussels. One Turkish official in Ankara called it an empty gesture forced on the Cypriots by the international community.
"Their condition about removing the military is irrelevant because our army is not located in that area," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "If the crossing were opened to civilians, Turkish Cypriot authorities could then take over."
Cyprus relations remain a stumbling block to Turkey's aspirations to join the EU and a source of tension with neighboring Greece, its historical rival.
EU WELCOMES MOVE
Turkey is unlikely to make a major gesture on Cyprus ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections this year but the EU hailed the demolition as a courageous decision and said it was ready to fund works at the crossing point.
"The long-waited opening of the crossing point would be a major symbolic step forward in bringing both communities in Nicosia closer together. It would also encourage the necessary efforts aiming at a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem," said Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.
Cyprus has been split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north, recognized only by Turkey, since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded the island in response to an Athens-backed coup in Nicosia.
Turkey has about 35,000 troops in the island's north.
Greek Cypriots voted against a U.N. re-unification plan shortly before joining the EU in 2004. Both sides have been under intense pressure from the international community for the past few years to strike a lasting peace deal.
Nicosia residents hailed the move as an important step and one compared it with the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
"The dynamism created by this move will lead to the opening of the crossing," said Rasit Pertev, chief adviser to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.
In December, Turkish Cypriots tore down a footbridge on their side of Ledra street. Greek Cypriots protested the move, saying security concerns had not been addressed.
The barrier was a cement wall stretching from one side of Ledra Street, Nicosia's main commercial district, to the other. Beyond it is a buffer zone about 50 meters (yards) wide and manned by UN troops. Turkish troops are stationed on either side of the road beyond the buffer zone.
When the wall came down, people grabbed chunks of mangled metal and concrete from trucks as they rumbled past.
"This is what happened when the Berlin Wall came down, only in our case the police wouldn't let us take anything," said a woman who carried off a rotting plank of wood only after a confrontation with police.
Turkish Cypriot authorities eased restrictions on visits across the Green Line in 2003 and five crossing points have been erected since then between the north and south.
(Additional reporting by Simon Bahceli, Gareth Jones and Zerin Elci in Ankara)
