THE TURKISH Cypriot side said yesterday that if there were no technical problems they would give the green light allowing Greek Cypriots to cross at Limnitis for the annual pilgrimage to Morphou.
The statement came a day after residents of nearby Pyrgos said they would prevent Turkish Cypriots from crossing at the same point when they come on Friday to Kokkina to mark the 44th anniversary of the Turkish bombardment that relieved the siege of the Turkish Cypriot enclave in 1964.
Residents have been asking for years to be allowed to cross at Limnitis to hold their own ceremony for the people killed on August 8, 1964 and to cross again on September 2 to attend the Church of Ayios Mammas, to mark the saint’s feast day.
They said on Monday that if they were not allowed to cross, then Turkish Cypriots should not be allowed to either. Until then, requests made through the UN to the Turkish side had proved fruitless.
Hasan Ercakica, the spokesman for Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, said yesterday they always looked favourably on humanitarian issues and barring “technical problem”, would give permission.
Limnitis is the next area slated for a crossing point but is not ready to be officially opened yet. The two leaders agreed at their last meeting on July 25 to go ahead with the opening, but about a year’s work still needs to be done before the road is fully functional.
If Greek Cypriots were to cross, it could involve as many as 20 busloads, which would take some organisation in an area not fully prepared for heavy traffic.
The government, worried that trouble over the August 8 events could jeopardise plans for opening a full-fledged crossing point, has been trying to calm the situation with the Pyrgos residents, who said yesterday they would stick to their guns over the planned blockade on Friday unless they were also allowed access.
Costas Michaelides, the community leader of Pyrgos said: “If the UN provides us with a written guarantee, then there is absolutely no problem, we will suspend our measures. Otherwise, we will go ahead as planned.”
Later, Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou said he was in touch with the UN on the issue. Iacovou was hoping to have a reply within the day yesterday, and was hopeful of a positive outcome.
“I believe that we can justifiably be optimistic that this will have a happy ending,” he said.
Until 2004, the Turkish Cypriots travelled to Kokkina by boat but in 2004, a year after the first crossing point opened in Nicosia, the government, allowed them to cross by land through Limnitis for the first time since 1974 after a request was made by the Turkish Cypriot side.
Greek Cypriots were first allowed to cross to Ayios Mammas in 2004 but had to travel all the way to Nicosia to cross, drive back towards Morphou on the northern side of the buffer zone, and repeat the route to get back home to Pyrgos.
A year later they were able to use the newly-opened Zodia crossing, east of Morphou in the Nicosia district. However, Pyrgos residents don’t see why they have to travel so far when they could cross at Limnitis.
