United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus

UN Buffer Zone warning sign at the Ledra Palace crossing, Nicosia

The United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus runs for more than 180 km along what is known as the Green Line and has an area of 346 km square. The zone partitions the island of Cyprus into a southern area effectively controlled by the Republic of Cyprus government (which is the de jure government for the entire island save for the British Sovereign Base Areas) and often referred to as the Greek Cypriot side, and the northern area administered by the separatist^[1] Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, also referred to as the Turkish Cypriot side.

The term Green Line refers to the cease fire line that de facto divides the island nation of Cyprus into two, cutting through the capital of Nicosia. It was first established in 1964, when Major-General Peter Young was the commander of a "peace force", a predecessor of the present UNFICYP. After stationing his troops in different areas of Nicosia, the general drew a cease-fire line on a map with a green pencil, which was to become known as the "Green Line".

The Green Line became impassable following the July 1974 invasion by Turkey which, euphemistically called "Peace Operation", intervened by air, sea, and land, capturing approximately 8% of Cyprus territory in response to a short lived Greek Cypriot coup. When the coup dissolved, the Turkish Armed Forces advanced to capture approximately 37% of the island and meet the "Green Line". The meandering green line marks the southernmost points that the Turkish troops occupied during the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 16 August 1974. With the self-proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Green Line became the southern border of the unrecognised (by any country other than Turkey) country.

This line is also referred to as the Attila Line on some maps, named after the Turkish code-name for the 1974 military intervention: Operation Atilla. The closed off zone has become a haven for Cyprus' wildlife, an example of an involuntary park.

Traffic across the buffer zone was very limited until 2003, when the number of crossings and the rules governing them were relaxed.

The buffer zone

The UN buffer zone is shown in brown on the map

The zone stretches for 180 km from the western part of near Kato Pyrgos to the east just south of Famagusta. It cuts through the center of the old town of Nicosia, separating the city into southern and northern sections. There is also a buffer zone around the Kokkina exclave in western Cyprus. The width of the zone ranges from 3.3 meters in central Nicosia, to 7.4 km at the village of Athienou.

There is no buffer zone along the common border between the eastern British Sovereign Base Area and the area under Turkish Cypriot control.

The buffer zone is patrolled by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. Turkish forces built a barrier on the zone's northern side, consisting mainly of barbed-wire fencing, concrete wall segments, watchtowers, anti-tank ditches, and minefields. ^[2]

The buffer zone is home to some 10,000 people and there are several villages and farms located within. The village of Pyla is famous for being the only village on Cyprus where Greeks and Turks live side by side. Other villages are Dhenia, Mammari, Athienou, Troulli while Lymbia lies partially within the zone.

History

UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus

A "security zone" was established after the Tripartite Conference of Geneva in July 1974. Pursuant to UNSC Resolution 353 (1974)^[3], the foreign ministers of Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom convened in Geneva, Switzerland on 25 July 1974. According to UNFICYP, the text of the joint declaration transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations was as follows:^{[citation needed]}

A security zone of a size to be determined by representatives of Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, in consultation with UNFICYP, was to be established at the limit of the areas occupied by the Turkish armed forces. This zone was to be entered by no forces other than those of UNFICYP, which was to supervise the prohibition of entry. Pending the determination of the size and character of the security zone, the existing area between the two forces was not to be entered by any forces.

Crossings

Ledra Street, once cut by the Green Line in Nicosia

After a nearly 30-year ban on crossings, the Turkish Cypriot de facto administration significantly eased travel restrictions across the dividing line in April 2003, allowing Greek Cypriots to cross at the Ledra Palace Crossing just outside the walls of old Nicosia.

These are the crossings now available :

• Astromeritis / Zodeia-Bostancı (by car only)
• Agios Dometios / Metehan
• Ledra Palace (on foot only)
• Ledra Street (on foot only)
• Pyla / Pergamos–Beyarmudu
• Agios Nikolaos / Strovilia-Akyar

Before Cypriot accession to the European Union, there were restrictions on Green Line crossings by foreigners imposed by the Republic of Cyprus, but these were abolished for EU citizens by EU-regulation 866/2004 [1]. Generally, citizens of any country are permitted to cross the line, g Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Passports are required for entry into the area not under the Republic of Cyprus's effective control, but they are not stamped.

Greek Cypriot protest in the Buffer Zone

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Tasos Isaak beaten to death within the Buffer Zone.

In August 1996, Greek Cypriot refugees demonstrated with a march against the Turkish military-occupied section of Cyprus. The demonstrators' demand was the complete withdrawal of Turkish troops and the return of the refugees to their homes and properties.

On 11 August of the same year, a Greek Cypriot demonstrator, Tassos Isaak, crossed into the buffer zone, but came face to face with Turkish counter-demonstrators and was beaten to death.^[4]

Solomos Solomou shot by Kenan Akin and Erdan Emanet.

Another man, Solomos Solomou, was shot by Turkish troops during the same protests on 14 August 1996.^[5] Aged 26, Solomou was one of many mourners who entered the Buffer Zone three days after Isaak's funeral, on August 14 to lay a wreath on the spot where he had been beaten to death. Solomou was fired upon by Turkish soldiers at close range as he climbed a flagpole.^[6] An investigation followed by authorities of the Republic of Cyprus and the suspects were named as Kenan Akin and Erdan Emanet. International legal proceedings were instigated^[7] and arrest warrants for both were issued via Interpol.^[8]

See also

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representation in Cyprus
• No man's land
• Cyprus dispute
• Cypriot refugees
• Sovereign Base Areas Customs
• Pyla
• Louroujina Salient
• Kokkina exclave

References

External links

• Maps of the Buffer Zone, from the UNFICYP website
• Associated Press: Barriers Slowly Eroding for Cyprus
• Beyond the Buffer Zone: One Woman's vision for bringing new life to the No-Man's Land
• Nicosia in Dark and White A photo project about the abandoned buildings around the Green Line
• Trapped in the Green Line Tony Angastiniotis Cyprus peace activism in Cyprus
• The United Nations Force in Cyprus Since 1964
• EU Commission report on implementation of the Green Line Regulation (July 14, 2005)
• EU Green Line Regulation (April 29, 2004)

Documentaries

• Echoes Across the Divide (2008) is a documentary film about an attempt to bridge the Green Line with a bicommunal music project performed from the rooftops of Old Nicosia

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