Annan urges extension for Cyprus mission

Kofi Annan: Peacekeeping efforts have "suffered" because of Turkish Cypriots restrictions

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended renewing the mandate of peacekeepers on the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus for six months.

In a new report to the Security Council, circulated on Tuesday, Annan said restrictions imposed on the force by Turkish Cypriots were hampering the peacekeeping effort.

The 1,240-member UNFICYP force has been deployed since 1964 to help restore order between conflicting Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

Cyprus has been virtually partitioned since 1974 when troops from Turkey occupied the north of the island in response to a coup in Nicosia engineered by the junta then ruling Greece.

Last June, Turkish Cypriots announced measures limiting the travel of peacekeepers in retaliation for a Security Council move to renew UNFICYP without the Turkish side's approval.

The island's internationally recognised Greek-Cypriot government had threatened to block an extension for UNFICYP in protest at what it interpreted as a suggestion the council seek Turkish Cypriot approval for the force.

Annan called on Turkish Cypriots and Turkish forces to lift the measures that prevent peacekeepers from freely crossing into the northern part of the island.

The restrictions include closing several crossing points into the north and curbing the access of the U.N. troops to the hamlet of Strovilia, inhabited by Greek Cypriots.

Turkish Cypriots also imposed additional insurance requirements for U.N. vehicles, which must be obtained from firms in the north.

"As a result, the operational effectiveness of UNFICYP has suffered; response times have increased and command, logistic and administrative movements have lengthened significantly," Annan said.

He also said there was a shortfall of $22.5 million in funding the mission and appealed to governments in arrears to pay their contributions.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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UNFICYP
Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the United Nations
Turkish Government Information Service
Greece Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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