Government wants British blue berets to leave, reports say

DUE to the hostile stance of Britain towards Greek Cypriots, the government has asked for the withdrawal of part or of the entire British UNFICYP contingent if the UN decides to cut its troop levels in Cyprus, reports said yesterday.

A team of four UN experts has been on the island since last week to review the operations of the peacekeeping force as requested by Secretary-general Kofi Annan.

The team’s main task is to make a first-hand evaluation of the situation and report back.

The government is opposed to any change in the force’s mandate because it considers that the irregular situation on the island has not changed and that the peacekeeping mission is still necessary.

But according to media reports, the government has suggested to the team to partially or entirely remove the British contingent serving with UNFICYP if they decided to downsize the force.

The government argued that Britain’s participation in UNFICYP was incompatible with its role as a guarantor power.

Further, the government noted Britain’s hostile attitude towards the Greek Cypriots.
Cyprus provided the experts with information on the Turkish occupying forces, which it claimed were increasing in number while their arsenal was being upgraded.

The British contingent numbers 414 troops out of a total of around 1,272.

It operates in Sector Two, which is the central part of the buffer zone and includes Nicosia.

Almost half of the annual cost of maintaining the force on the island is paid by Cyprus — $ 14 million – with Greece paying $6.5 million.

The UN experts have met with both sides on the island and will have contacts with the guarantor powers and all permanent members of the UN Security Council where they will submit their suggestions after completing their mission.

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.