THE UNITED Nations has increased the presence of peacekeepers in the Pyla area to keep an eye on a contentious road being built by the Turkish Cypriots close to the buffer zone.
Tension rose in the mixed village last week when the construction work was discovered, with Greek Cypriot residents fearing the road was a ploy by the Turks to gain easy access to the village.
UNFICYP sources confirmed yesterday that there was “no way” the road was for civilian use only, and that the force would take “robust” action if it went any further.
A second UNFICYP source told the Sunday Mail that his latest information was that the road was just 300 metres short of the buffer zone.
“The road is not in the buffer zone. There is no road being built in the buffer zone, nor are we considering such,” said the source adding that it was not UNFICYP’s mandate to interfere with works being carried out in the north “until such time as it looks as if it might be going into the buffer zone”.
“When a road looked liked it might be doing that, we drew it to their attention and stated the obvious,” the source said. “Last I heard it was 300 metres or so short of the buffer zone and looked as if it might be heading into the buffer zone, so then you ask ‘excuse me, sir, but where might that road be going?’.”
The source said UNFICYP was having discussions with the local authorities in Pyla on the possible improvement of dirt tracks for residents who need to access farms and grazing areas, in addition to keeping a close eye on the controversial road. Additional peacekeepers are also present in the area. Pyla is under the control of UNFICYP civilian police rather than military peacekeepers.
“Clearly we move around in the buffer zone. We do patrols and so it is possible someone observed that we had additional peacekeepers spending a little more time in the area than usual, but they’re not in Pyla,” the source said. “They are keeping things under observation and that’s a kind of reassurance to anyone who is a bit nervous, but it also makes it very clear we take seriously the business of maintaining the status quo as it applies to the buffer zone.”
The government said last week that the Turkish side was seeking an alternative route into Pyla because they have to pass through British Bases territory to get to the village, but that the new road cannot lead to Pyla without violating the buffer zone.
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.
