U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL Kofi Annan has recommended to the General Assembly the appropriation of $43.6 million for the maintenance of UNFICYP for the 12-month period from July 1, 2002, to June 30 next year.
An amount of $20.5 million is to be funded through voluntary contributions from the governments of Cyprus and Greece.
Referring to UNFICYP’s political mandate, Annan said: “Since the hostilities of 1974, the Security Council has adopted a number of resolutions, requiring UNFICYP to perform additional functions relating, in particular, to the maintenance of a buffer zone between the lines of the Cyprus National Guard and the Turkish forces as well as a de facto ceasefire, which came into effect on 16 August 1974.”
With regard to the humanitarian and economic role of UNFICYP, Annan said that the Force encourages and facilitates the resumption of farming in the UN buffer zone. It also sponsors bi-communal contacts and encourages co-operation between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots in restoring normal conditions, the report says.
UNFICYP also undertakes routine visits to deliver humanitarian aid to more than 425 Greek Cypriots and more than 150 Maronites living in the northern part of the island and to the 300 Turkish Cypriots living in the southern part, the report added.
The current authorised strength of UNFICYP stands at 1,230 troops, 35 civilian police monitors, 44 international staff and 147 local staff. For the period from July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003, a net reduction of 42 local posts is proposed to reflect efficiency gains, gained from outsourcing catering services.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
