Buffer zone street reopened to traffic

AFTER 28 years, Alkiviades Street in Nicosia is being re-opened for traffic after being closed off since the 1974 invasion.

The once busy street surrounded by ironmongers, mechanics and carpenters was part of the buffer zone, but after an agreement with the Turkish Cypriot side, National Guard Bulldozers yesterday began clearing the street near the old Municipality of rubble and sandbags, preparing it to be re-opened.

Soldiers carrying out the works refused to comment on why the old street was being re-opened, but UN Spokesman Brian Kelly told the Cyprus Mail yesterday the decision to clear the street was made for the good of the local community.

Kelly said the opening of Alkiviades Street was a one-off agreement and did not necessarily herald the opening of other streets in the buffer zone.

Locals in the area were happy to see the road re-opened, saying they were hopeful their businesses would benefit.

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.