UN steps up patrols in area where rock-throwing incident took place

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) has stepped up patrols around the buffer zone near the Ledra Palace hotel after rocks were thrown across the buffer zone at Turkish Cypriots on the anniversary of the creation of Eoka this week.

Unficyp patrol cars were seen parked on Markos Drakos avenue, which connects the city walls’ Paphos Gate to the Ledra Palace hotel, on Thursday night, while vehicles were also parked on the nearby Egypt Avenue.

The increased patrols come after Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman had said that it was “unacceptable that no precautions were taken in such an area on a day like April 1” and described a “failure to take the necessary precautions” on the part of both the Greek Cypriot side and the UN.

He said he condemns “those who carried out the attack”, and that he expects both Unficyp and the Greek Cypriot side “to take the necessary steps as quickly as possible and share information with our authorities”.

“We will follow up to ensure that the Greek Cypriot … authorities immediately initiate the necessary judicial investigation and that those who carried out this attack are subject to the necessary legal proceedings,” he said.

Later, Unficyp had said that it had “reached out to the relevant authorities on both sides immediately after the incident occurred to follow developments and to support efforts to establish the facts through an appropriate and thorough investigation”.