Ledra talks offer news to Iacovou

THE GOVERNMENT said yesterday it had not been officially informed that the Turkish Cypriot side might be willing to dismantle the controversial bridge that has prevented the opening of Ledra Street.

On Tuesday Turkish Cypriot Mayor for Nicosia north, Kutlay Erk, signalled that they might be willing to remove the bridge it built at the proposed crossing in the Green Line.

He called for discussions between the two sides, saying he was willing to sit down at the table with the Greek Cypriot side without any preconditions.

However Foreign Minister George Iacovou told the Cyprus Mail that no such information had reached the Greek Cypriot side “officially”.

“This information not reached me. When it reaches me depending on its exact content we will take a position,” he said.

“It has to go to the UN and come to use through the UN and then formulate our position. For the moment I don’t have anything.”

Iacovou said no moves have been made on the Greek Cypriot side towards the opening, the issue of which has been dragging on since last November. “There is nothing new from this side,” said the Foreign Minister. “Our position is well known.”

The government wants the Turkish Cypriots to stop work on the controversial pedestrian bridge designed to link the north side with the Green Line so that Ledra Street can be opened.

The bridge crosses Ermou Street, which crosses Ledra near the proposed opening point.

The government says the bridge is a violation of the status quo and has accused the Turkish side of a land grab in the buffer zone. The Greek Cypriot side said it would not enter any discussion until the bridge was dismantled.

Diplomatic sources told the Cyprus Mail on Tuesday that no bi-communal discussions on the crossing were taking place at present. One diplomat, who wished to remain nameless, said the only way out of the deadlock would be to offer both sides “face-saving” ways out of the rhetorical cul-de-sac.
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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.