British MP adds voice to condemnation of Pyla incident

Attacks on UN peacekeeping forces in Cyprus are completely unacceptable, British Conservative MP Theresa Villiers said.

The British MP added her voice to the international condemnation of the episodes in Pyla in a post on Instagram.

Villiers supported the press release issued recently by the British High Commission, the US Embassy and the Embassy of France in Cyprus, following the incidents in the buffer zone.

“Attacks on UN peacekeeping forces in Cyprus are completely unacceptable and I condemn them. The Turkish authorities should respect the integrity of the UN buffer zone in Cyprus,” Villiers, who heads the Conservative Friends of Cyprus, said.

Head of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) Colin Stewart, is continuing contacts with both sides to find a mutually acceptable solution to the situation.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Wednesday reiterated the government’s position for no change to the status quo, in answer to questions from journalists about a potential “exchange” agreement by which the Pyla-Arsos road could open, as well as the checkpoint at Pyroi, to cut travel time between Athienou and Nicosia.

Also on Wednesday, President Nikos Christodoulides informed House Speaker, Annita Demetriou, of the status of all diplomatic efforts underway. In statements after the meeting, Demetriou said the president had also briefed her on his upcoming visit to New York and on coordinating actions towards the goal of restarting negotiations.

“Parliamentary diplomacy, has a very important role to play,” the House speaker said, adding that she had already sent letters to all her counterparts notifying them of the Pyla incident, as well as the response of the UN Security Council that the matter is one of legality and violation of international law.

The president, in the second half of September, will address the UN general assembly in New York, during which time he is expected to have, among others, a private meeting with the UN secretary general.

The situation on the ground near Pyla remains calm with Unficyp forces closely monitoring any developments.

However, Bulent Bebek, mayor of Pergamos – the current nearest security point to Pyla – has accused the British of “causing difficulties”, saying it takes as much as an hour to pass through the checkpoint in his village.

Meanwhile, assistant UN Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, Miroslav Jenča, is expected to arrive on Sunday to hold separate meetings with Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.

The UN official on Tuesday will take a helicopter from Nicosia to the buffer zone in Famagusta where he will meet Slovak peacekeeping forces.