Anastasiades says ‘steps are being taken’ over issues with Unficyp

President Nicos Anastasiades hinted on Friday that steps were being taken even as high as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over issues that arose with Unficyp in the past few weeks.

Following a church service for ‘Ochi’ Day, Anastasiades was asked if anything was being done over Unficyp’s perceived discriminatory attitude and if he would recommend that force chief Colin Stewart be replaced.

The president responded: “The steps that need to be taken are being taken in every direction, the UN Secretary-General not being excluded.”

Commenting on the expected visit of Assistant UN Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo, Anastasiades said that a high-level UN official was expected sometime in November.

DiCarlo was reported to be coming to Cyprus on a fact-finding mission to is if the process for resolving the Cyprus issue could be kept alive.

The Greek Cypriot side has been protesting actions in the buffer zone recently, with tensions rising Tuesday, when a farmer was approached by the Turkish military, while tilling his field.

The farmer, who was approached while working in Denia, Nicosia, was approached by the Turkish military, while he was in his tractor working.

After finishing his work, the farmer left.

However, Denia community leader Christakis Panayiotou told local media that he was informed by the farmer that three army trucks with about 30 soldiers approached and threatened him, insisting he leave – despite having a licence to cultivate there. Similar incidents in Denia have typically only involved four to six soldiers.

In his reply, Unficyp spokesperson Aleem Siddique told the Cyprus Mail that: “The farmer was working without authorisation inside the UN Buffer Zone and north of the ceasefire line, despite being warned several times that he should move back; Unficyp was present, and our presence averted any tensions arising.”

Complicating matters are accusations that the Turkish military installed a new sentry post near Denia, with the UN saying the works took place just outside the ceasefire line.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides has also been complaining about Unficyp for allowing works on the Cetinkaya stadium located in buffer zone, down the road from Ledra Palace crossing in Nicosia.
Last week, Kasoulides had a “strong and stern” phone conversation with Unficyp head Colin Stewart, over the works.

Works began earlier in the week, after an agreement was struck between Unficyp, the Turkish Cypriot side, and Turkey.

The ministry said in a statement that Kasoulides “expressed his intense uneasiness on our side for the way Mr Stewart and Unficyp handle their mandate in Cyprus, in a way that creates complications and problems mainly to the detriment of our side.”

He referred to specific examples taking place along the ceasefire line, in the area of Pyla as well as within the enclosed area of Varosha.

On the issue of the works at Cetinkaya stadium, the minister asked Stewart for the immediate suspension of the ongoing works, so that there could be a consultation with the government and to explain the rationale that led Unficyp to granting a work permit without the consent of the Republic of Cyprus.

He recommended that they “avoid actions that could be exploited by the Turkish Cypriots to upgrade the breakaway regime,” the announcement said.

A few days before, the Unficyp spokesperson told the Cyprus News Agency that any suggestion that the status of Cetinkaya pitch ‘Taksim’ has changed, was wrong and misleading.

Siddique also said that “the site would be used for football practice only, as it has been used in the past, with strict regulations in place to manage its use and protect its status within the buffer zone.”

Also on Friday, the president commented on the recent agreement between Lebanon and Israel to delimit their EEZ, which the Turkish foreign ministry said should be a good precedent between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.

Anastasiades said: “It is well-known that we made a similar proposal for a dialogue between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey or to file an appeal with the international court in the Hague to delimit the EEZ of each country, always based on the Treaty for the Law of the Seas and international law. They rejected it.”

He added that the government thinks that what happened and resulted in a peaceful solution between Lebanon and Israel could be a real model for Cyprus.

However, he said that the north is not a separate state, so such advice cannot be considered.

“The one that violates the rights of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots is Turkey, which disputes 40% of the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus,” he said.