Palmas says buffer zone violations could result in casualties

UN ‘monitoring situation’ near Avlona as claims of buffer zone violations persist

By Johanna Pauls and Tom Cleaver

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) is continuing to monitor the situation in the buffer zone near the village of Avlona, which is located between Nicosia and Morphou, amid repeated claims that the buffer zone is being violated, its spokesman Aleem Siddique said on Wednesday.

It is understood that on Tuesday, Turkish Cypriot police officers erroneously believed that a Greek Cypriot farmer had crossed into the north and thus moved to intercept him, before Unficyp peacekeepers stepped in to diffuse the situation.

Once all parties had established where the buffer zone begins and ends, the police officers returned to the north.

Of this situation, Siddique told the Cyprus Mail that “we are monitoring the situation very closely” with the aim of “preventing tension” and “maintaining the status quo”.

However, given the fact that the buffer zone in that area is not demarcated, incidences of farmers, both Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot, erroneously farming beyond their bounds are not infrequent.

Greek Cypriot Avlona mukhtar had on Tuesday lambasted Unficyp for its response to an incident in which a Turkish Cypriot farmer had reportedly strayed beyond his bounds over the weekend, saying that their patrols “are not effective” and that “something else needs to be done by the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus to stop the Turks”.

He also claimed that the farmer in question was a Turkish national and not a Turkish Cypriot, though this claim is unsubstantiated, asking, “if they cannot stop a Turkish citizen, how will they carry out their terms of reference in the event of a heated incident?”.

Additionally, he called for the government to expand the amount of infrastructure in that area of the buffer zone, demanding more lighting and for permits to be granted for the erection of prefabricated buildings in the buffer zone.

“The activity will prevent Turkish violations or any illegalities,” he said.

On Wednesday, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas sought to assert that the incidents are part of a wider plan on the part of Turkey to expand its control of territory in Cyprus.

“I believe the Turks are trying to gain some metres,” he told CyBC radio, before describing both incidents as “serious in the sense that we are trying to create some conditions for the climate for the resumption of substantive talks”.

He also called on the UN to “become stricter”, though he did say that Unficyp had “reacted in a timely manner” to heightened tensions in the buffer zone village of Pyla two weeks ago.

“Perhaps the UN should consider whether to take other measures, because this situation cannot continue. In general, the UN should hold Turkey accountable for its role, because when we talk about such violations, most of the time, they are committed by the Turkish army,” he said.

He then accused the Turkish Cypriot leadership of organising “more frequent” incidents in the buffer zone “to remind us daily, and not only us, but also the international community, that they are present and they are in Cyprus”.

To this end, he said the stationing of six F-16 fighter jets at the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport since last month constitutes a “very aggressive position”.

Asked about the possible bearing of the incidents on efforts towards a solution to the Cyprus problem, he said that “I believe that this has to do with the approach and the behaviour of the Turkish army, which is not under the control of [Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan] Erhurman”.

“Of course, it is not the case that Erhurman is showing an absolutely good attitude or a constructive attitude towards the recommencement of talks, but okay, we have experienced that through all the years we have been trying through political dialogue to achieve a solution to the Cyprus problem,” he said.