Celebrations as Wall Demolished

Greek Cypriot leaders and politicians yesterday were unanimous in welcoming the knocking down of the Ledra Street wall, but stressed there was still a long way to go to he actual opening of the crossing point there.

Speaking from Larnaca airport on his return from Brussels, President Papadopoulos said it was now up to the Turkish Cypriot side to pull troops back from the buffer zone.

He added that the government’s proposal for the opening of eight crossing points straddling he Green Line was still on the able.

The administration has been insisting for months that Ledra Street could not be opened until Turkish troops disengaged from he area and until the security of pedestrians was guaranteed, which included the strengthening of the neglected buildings inside the Green Line.

Papadopoulos had also said he wanted Turkish and ‘TRNC’ flags and symbols removed from the area, a demand which angered the Turkish side.

The two sides have been at loggerheads over opening the crossing point for over a year since the Turkish side erected a bridge that would allow Turkish roops to continue patrolling nearby Ermou Street as pedestrians passed over.

However the Greek Cypriot side insisted the crossing would never open until it was gone. Its removal was only a precondition for a dialogue.

This point was reiterated by government spokesman Christodoulos Pashardis:
“The removal of the wall does not mean that all the obstacles involved with the opening of Ledra Street have automatically been removed.

“It is now up to the Turkish occupying forces as well as the Turkish side to cooperate in order to lift all those substantial obstacles, so that Ledra Street can be used by the citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.

“The Greek Cypriot side took an additional positive step last night and made yet another demonstration of its good will. We hope the other side will not remain content with the impression it created with the demolition of the footbridge, but will respond to the reasonable and constructive proposals which we have submitted…”

Foreign Minister George Lillikas drew attention to the positive reaction worldwide to the demolition of the wall, which he said was yet another indication of the government’s “willingness for dialogue,” the ultimate goal of which was reunification.

AKEL chief Demetris Christofias meanwhile suggested that the government had done its part in promoting rapprochement between he two communities.

“Neither the demolition of the footbridge [by Turkish Cypriot authorities] nor our demolition of the military outpost have solved the problem. Let us not forget that the footbridge was built so that the occupying forces could patrol below it. It was unnecessary, and because of hat it was subsequently dismantled. And since certain quarters, both here and abroad, were using the argument, for propaganda reasons, that the outpost was an obstacle, we demolished it.”
For his part, opposition leader Nicos Anastassiades hailed the development as it was commensurate with the idea of free movement on the divided island.

But he urged the government not o rest on its laurels, noting:

“It has always been our position hat we should seize the initiative.”

On the Turkish Cypriot side, ‘Prime Minister’ Ferdi Sabit Soyer said the demolition of the wall was a “positive development” reciprocating the goodwill shown by the north in dismantling the footbridge.

He added that the Turkish Cypriots would from now on carry out all the “technical work” necessary to open the crossing.