Congressmen condemn Cyprus buffer zone assault on UN
The authorities in the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus must “immediately withdraw all personnel and equipment from the UN buffer zone,” three members of the US Congress have said, after Turkish Cypriots assaulted a number of international peacekeepers for obstructing construction teams building a road that would encroach on the buffer zone.
“We strongly condemn [the] attacks on UN peacekeepers and the damage to UN vehicles inside the UN-controlled buffer zone in Cyprus by Turkish forces. Threats to the security of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN equipment and infrastructure are completely unacceptable and undermine the UN’s ability to fulfil its peacekeeping mandate, which could threaten the prospects for reunification and the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus,” a statement signed by Gus Bilirakis, Chris Pappas, Nicole Malliotakis and Dina Titus said.
“The Turkish authorities must respect the mandate of the mission inside the UN buffer zone, refrain from any actions that could further escalate tension, and immediately withdraw all personnel and equipment from the UN buffer zone.
“Forty-nine years after Turkey’s illegal invasion and occupation of Cyprus, the unjustified and illegal Turkish occupation regime continues to escalate tensions and destabilize the entire Eastern Mediterranean region. We will continue our efforts to bring justice to Cyprus and demand the immediate removal of Turkish troops, the return of property to its rightful owners and the reunification of Cyprus.”
The UN reported Friday that enraged Turkish Cypriots assaulted a number of international peacekeepers for obstructing construction teams building a road that would encroach on a UN-controlled buffer zone dividing the illegally Turkish-occupied north from the island’s internationally recognized government-controlled south.
According to the report, the attack took place as peacekeepers blocked construction workers from building a road from the village of Arsos in the Turkish-occupied areas to Pyla, a mixed Greek-Cypriot, Turkish-Cypriot village inside the zone.
The route would allow Turkish Cypriots direct access to Pyla by avoiding a checkpoint on the northern edge of a British military base, one of two bases that the UK kept after Cyprus gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960.
Greek Cypriots ascribe military intent to the construction of the road in a sensitive area of the 180-kilometer buffer zone, with Nicosia announcing that “it is taking all diplomatic actions and is in constant contact with the UN, permanent members of the UNSC, the EU, the Greek government and the leadership of the Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus to prevent Turkish plans.”
Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides talked on the phone with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to coordinate further moves, while the Greek Foreign Ministry said “the attempt to create faits accomplis within the buffer zone constitutes a flagrant violation of the status quo, while the assault on members of a UN peacekeeping force is an act of contempt for international law.”
The attack was also condemned by the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, who noted that he is in contact with Christodoulides and is closely monitoring the situation. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borel called on the Turkish-Cypriot side to respect the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in the buffer zone.
