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Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 10-04-17
CONTENTS
[01] BUFFER ZONE - TREK
[01] BUFFER ZONE - TREK
It is said that revisiting history is a means of finding new ways
forward. Twenty years ago, a colleague and I embarked on a tour of the
Nicosia Buffer Zone. It was to the young journalists, at the time, a
profound experience. Twenty years on, we traced back our steps in the
hope that things might have changed, as the future remains uncertain.
However, the experience remains the same. A sense of despair when
visiting an area where time has stood still and the only residents are
the ghosts of the past.
The United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus arranged for a tour of
the Buffer Zone with another two journalists and coordinated the entire
trip as the area is under their administration. Our journey began at
Beaver Lodge Agios Kasianos where we had arrived from Ledra Palace
Hotel on board a minibus.
In the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, this area suffered significant
casualties by both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot forces, according to
the UN. It sustains quite heavy damage.
Lieutenant Gareth Dickson, who has been in Cyprus for a just over three
weeks, feels very comfortable in the area.
Prior to deployment, he tells us, «we had spent two and a half months
doing condensed training and this was very intense. Before that, we
spent roughly six months learning all the historical aspects of
things».
Lieutenant Dickson said that as part of an agreement between the UN and
the Turkish occupation forces, the area of the Beaver Lodge is now
actively patrolled by the UN.
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