THE REMOVAL of the first landmines from the buffer zone dividing Cyprus took place yesterday as part of a year-long plan to clear thousands of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines laid by the Greek Cypriot National Guard in 1974.
UNFICYP chief of mission Zbigniew Wlosowicz launched the de-mining programme by firing the first demolition inside the United Nations Protected Area (UNPA) at Nicosia Airport, where foreign experts have been working for more than a year mapping the location of 3,000 landmines.
“Every mine destroyed is a step forward on the road to normalcy,” he said.
The de-mining scheme is part of a 5 million euro package to be spent by the European Commission over the next two years under the ‘Partnership for the Future’ project. Two and a half million euros will be spent in the next year.
The project does not include removing Turkish landmines, but Adriaan van der Meer, the head of the EU representation in Cyprus, said the de-mining of the buffer zone would improve humanitarian conditions and safety in Cyprus.
“My sincere hope is that through this programme further steps will be taken towards reconciliation and peace on the island.”
UN spokesman Brian Kelly confirmed UNFICYP was still in negotiations with the Turkish side on the issue.
“We believe our discussions with our interlocutors in the north – both political and military – on de-mining are moving in the right direction. Hopefully, it will not be long before we see a similar launching ceremony in one of their minefields,” he said. “Such a sequel to today’s event would clearly signify a unity of purpose and determination to make this buffer zone mine-free.”
Project Manager for the de-mining programme Michael Raine said experts would start off de-mining eight National Guard Minefields, out of a total of 48 inside the buffer zone. Experts believe there are 53 minefields outside the buffer zone.
Raine said Cyprus was relatively easy to de-mine: ”From a technical point of view it’s not too hard because of the existence of minefield records here. The mines are fenced in and we know roughly their location.”
All minefields will be cleared in accordance with International Mine Action Standards. Experts will de-mine the area manually, using metal detectors and garden tools. Mine detection dogs will also be used.
