OT: Happenings in Cyprus

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all,

 

An interesting story below .. leastways, interesting for those who

follow international events. I made an official tour of the " Green

Line " some years ago .. inside the No Man's Land there are many nice

buildings .. even a warehouse full of Mercedes automobiles .. all of

it forgotten and falling to ruin. The family of my ex-wife(18 years

ago) owned property that is now inside the No Man's Land.

 

Meanwhile .. on 18 March, Tanya, Alexander and I will spend 3 days in

Northern Cyprus .. in Girne at the Dome Hotel. Its less than two

hours by air from Ankara .. interesting old town with quaint fish

restaurants along the wharf. The Shipwreck Museum and Kyrenia Castle

are 5-6 minutes walk from the hotel. Also a Folk Art Museum in the

same area.

 

I've been there many times over the years but this trip is necessary

so we can leave Turkey, then reenter and renew our Tourist Visas.

After 26+ years in Turkey (this trip began in 1988) I no longer have a

Residence Permit. We are leaving Turkey in May, so I let it expire in

December and we are simply " tourists " now. That puzzles some of my

Turkish friends .. they say I am a Turk so how can I be a tourist. ;-)

 

http://www.dome-cyprus.com/

http://www.dome-cyprus.com/kyrenia.asp

http://www.flytwi.co.uk/hotel_large_image_16_80.htm

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

PS: From the 1500's, the Turkish and Greek Cypriots were one big

happy family under the Ottoman Empire. In 1914, Britain declared war

on the Ottoman Empire and annexed Cyprus. From then on, the British

began to execute their famous " Divide and Conquer " tactics. ;-)

http://www.regiments.org/nations/europe/cyprus.htm

 

 

Greek Cypriots Raze Dividing Wall

 

POSTED: 1318 GMT (2118 HKT), March 9, 2007

 

NICOSIA, Cyprus (Reuters) -- Greek Cypriots razed to the ground a wall

symbolizing Cyprus' decades-old division running through the heart of

the capital Nicosia and challenged Turkey to respond by withdrawing

its troops from the area.

 

Demolition work on a concrete barrier in Nicosia's Ledra Street ceased

by dawn on Friday, exposing a corridor of crumbling buildings

untouched for decades.

 

The barrier was quickly replaced by sheets of aluminum and remained

under heavy police guard. Authorities said that for security reasons

the area would remain off limits to civilians until Turkey removed its

troops stationed there.

 

It was not immediately clear why the Greek Cypriots decided to take

down the barrier on the Mediterranean island. Some analysts said it

was move to upstage Turkey politically during an EU summit in Brussels

and Turkish media saw it as a reaction to pressure from the European

Union.

 

Cyprus relations remain a stumbling block to Turkey's aspirations to

join the EU and a source of tension with neighboring Greece, its

historical rival.

 

Greek Cypriots voted against a U.N. re-unification plan shortly before

joining the EU in 2004. Both sides have been under intense pressure

from the international community for the past few years to strike a

lasting peace deal.

 

Nicosia residents hailed the move as an important step and one

compared it with the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

 

" The dynamism created by this move will lead to the opening of the

crossing, " said Rasit Pertev, chief adviser to Turkish Cypriot leader

Mehmet Ali Talat.

 

In Turkey, the foreign ministry said it was studying the situation and

would make a statement. There was no immediate word on the call to

remove troops.

 

" Tonight we have demolished the checkpoint on our side, " Cypriot

President Tassos Papadopoulos told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels.

 

" So now we will see whether the Turkish troops will be withdrawn so

the passage would be opened or not. Because if the troops are not

withdrawn ... there cannot be a passage. "

 

Private TV channel CNN Turk's Web site quoted Turkish Cypriot " prime

minister " Ferdi Sabit Soyer, who is on a visit to London, as saying:

" That wall could not stay there... This is a positive development. "

 

Cyprus has been split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot

south and a Turkish Cypriot north, recognized only by Turkey, since

1974 when Turkish troops invaded to foil an Athens-backed Greek

Cypriot coup seeking to unite the island with Greece.

 

Turkey has about 35,000 troops in the island's north.

 

The barrier was a cement wall stretching from one side of Ledra

Street, Nicosia's main commercial district, to the other. Beyond it is

a buffer zone about 50 meters wide and manned by UN troops. Turkish

troops are stationed on either side of the road beyond the buffer zone.

 

Diplomats say even if there is a deal with Turkey, it could take

several weeks to prepare for any possible opening of the crossing. " It

would take about four to five weeks at least, " said a western diplomat.

 

When the barrier was demolished, people grabbed chunks of mangled

metal and concrete from trucks as they rumbled past.

 

" This is what happened when the Berlin Wall came down, only in our

case the police wouldn't let us take anything, " said a woman who

carried off a rotting plank of wood after a confrontation with police.

 

In 1989 Greek and Turkish Cypriots agreed to a partial military

disengagement of sentry posts which reduced tensions.

 

Turkish Cypriot authorities eased restrictions on visits across the

Green Line in 2003 and five crossing points have been erected since

then between the north and south.

 

Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved

[Guest guest]

BBC world just had a really nice item

on Turkey. Butch, you were on my mind

when we watched it!

 

Stunningly beautiful place and I love the

sound of the language.

 

I wasn't so sure it was a good idea to let them

into the EU, but watching it sort of changed

my mind. Not that it is any of my business..

 

Ien in the Kootenays

http://freegreenliving.com