The UN in Cyprus has underlined that existing agreements on farming activities in the UN-controlled buffer zone stand and need to be respected, UN spokesman in Cyprus Aleem Siddique told the Cyprus News Agency on Tuesday.

Commenting after media reports suggested the UN is considering a moratorium on the cultivation of agricultural plots that adjoin the north and extend to a depth of 200 meters within the buffer zone and if this is a new proposal, he said “existing agreements stand and need to be respected for all farming activities inside the UN buffer zone”.

His clarification comes after the UN filed a formal police report earlier this month after two peacekeepers were injured and three UN vehicles were damaged during a confrontation with Greek Cypriot farmers in the buffer zone.

The fracas began when a group of farmers in Dherynia’s buffer zone forced their way through a UN blockade to cultivate land near the Frenaros-Vrysoulles area.

Unficyp clarified that no permits had been granted for such activities. However, one farmer, Paschalis Paschali, claimed he had received approval from the UN.

Unficyp stressed that “farming near the ceasefire lines inside the UN buffer zone is strictly prohibited and risks provoking tensions.

No farmer is ever granted permission to work near the ceasefire lines, such actions jeopardise the safety and security of both civilians and UN peacekeepers.”