By Charlie Charalambous
UN CHIEF of Mission Dame Ann Hercus has sent a personal letter to maverick Diko deputy Marios Matsakis warning him to tread carefully in the buffer zone.
Matsakis claims the Hercus letter is a carefully coded form of blackmail suggesting he stop his high profile jaunts into the buffer zone or face the consequences.
“It’s a pure threat wrapped in the glove of diplomacy,” the Diko deputy told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
“I don’t know who she’s been dealing with, but if she thought I would panic and beg for forgiveness then she obviously hasn’t been in Cyprus very long, ” said Matsakis.
Matsakis described Hercus’ action as a “strange letter from a strange person”, but the UN has denied any impropriety on its part.
“It was not written with the intent of being blackmail, but as a professional way of advising him about the full facts,” UN spokesperson Sarah Russell told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
The Hercus letter, dated February 10, followed Matsakis’ much-publicised destruction of the Kokkinotrimithia UN buffer zone checkpoint last week.
In protest at UN peacekeepers denying access to Greek Cypriot pig farmers in the area, Matsakis took a circular saw and a tin of paint to the checkpoint.
This wilful destruction of UN property prompted Hercus to inform the deputy of the real reasons why peacekeepers had stopped the pig farmers.
“Unficyp has prima facie evidence that the pig farm has been employing illegal immigrants. Presumably, that is why they did not wish to give the UN a complete list of workers,” the Hercus letter said.
Although the sending of a personal letter to an individual deputy by a UN chief of mission is rather irregular, Hercus explains:
“I thought, as a matter of courtesy, I should let you know this, before it becomes public and you are implicated in demonstrations which unintentionally support the presence of illegal immigrants.”
Russell said the motive behind the letter was to ensure that Matsakis did not “embarrass himself or get into trouble”.
But Russell failed to give a convincing argument as to why Hercus should single out Matsakis for personal concern after he so publicly flouted UN authority.
“As a former MP, Dame Ann understands how situations can evolve if you don’t have the full facts,” said Russell.
Nevertheless, Matsakis has made a formal complaint about the letter to the Foreign Ministry and House president Spyros Kyprianou.
“I discussed the issue with Mr Kyprianou today and he was most surprised and said he supported my complaint,” said Matsakis.
He added: “a written letter to an MP is a direct form of interference.”
The UN has come under increasing public criticism for its perceived heavy handedness in some parts of the buffer zone and for restricting movements of residents going about their business along the cease-fire line.
Even Attorney-general Alecos Markides said last week that the UN could not behave like a “state within a state”.
The growing number of negative UN stories in the local media even forced the government to issue a public statement of support for Unficyp yesterday.
“It is stressed that Unficyp should not be regarded as our adversary, for Turkey is our adversary. It is better not to seek the solution of certain problems through the media, as this is likely to affect chances of settling such problems practically,” the government announcement said.
