No sympathy for inconsiderate pilgrims

Yesterday, I also crossed over to the north and was asked to show my papers to both Greek and Turkish Cypriot police at the Astromeritis crossing point.

Today I returned and was once again asked to show my papers; these are the rules imposed by both sides. You either go along with it or you do not cross.

This week, a special arrangement was made and agreed to for the pilgrims to cross at a point which as yet has not been completed for normal traffic. The agreement was not adhered to by some of the pilgrims whose names did not appear on the lists.

Thus they were in breach of the agreement not the Turkish Cypriot police. Those pilgrims who did not go along with the negotiated agreement thus spoiled the day for the majority and I have no sympathy.

The whole debacle could have been avoided if those operating the buses had checked that their passengers were on the required list.

Those who were not could have travelled in separate buses and had their identities checked individually or travelled by a different route.

To cancel the much more important reunification talks on such a pretext as the above nonsense is pathetic and does little credit to our politicians.

John Russell,
Limassol