Government agrees for torch to go north

THE Olympic torch relay will cross to occupied Nicosia areas if the Turkish Cypriot regime agrees to the conditions set by the government concerning the route, Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday.

The government’s conditions are aimed at preventing the event from being exploited politically by the regime, he added.

“The government has given its consent for the Olympic flame to pass through the occupied areas on condition that there would not be an issue of the participating athletes displaying passports and there would not be any exploitation of the route aimed at upgrading the occupying regime,” the spokesman said.

He added that the flame would be carried by Greek and Turkish Cypriot athletes.
Chrysostomides said that if the Turkish Cypriot reply was positive, the torch would cross over from the Ledra Palace checkpoint.

The government’s position has been conveyed to the International Olympic Committee, which is responsible for polishing out the details of the torch’s passage to the north.

Asked how the government would react if there were an attempt to exploit the event, Chrysostomides repeated that the government had asked that nothing be done to promote the Turkish Cypriot regime.