A UK Labour Party official has expressed ‘deep concern’ over the recent attack against UN peacekeepers in Cyprus’s buffer zone by Turkish Cypriot security forces.
The shadow Minister for Europe Stephen Doughty was responding on behalf of his party’s leader Sir Keir Starmer to a letter penned by the Famagusta Association of Great Britain Dr. Vassilis Mavrou.
Dr. Mavrou had condemned the ‘physical attacks and threats’ against UN peacekeepers and damages to UN property as ‘unacceptable’ and a ‘crime’ under international law.
The Association has said that Doughty conveyed the Labour Party’s belief that the UNFICYP mandate should be respected.
He added that the UK major opposition party remains committed to the pursuit of a lasting reunification settlement in Cyprus, based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation, as set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, with political equality for all communities.
Doughty also criticised actions and rhetoric regarding Famagusta that contravene Security Council resolutions and hamper the chances of a lasting, comprehensive settlement.
Recognising the string historical links between he two countries, he also referred to the need for the UK to continue to play an active role in supporting the resumption of settlement talks.
Members of the UN Security Council condemned on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, the incidents in the buffer zone, in the village of Pyla, in Larnaca district, with assaults against UN peacekeepers, reiterating their full support for UNFICYP
They also condemned the attacks on UN peacekeepers and the damage to UN vehicles by Turkish Cypriot personnel and wished a speedy and full recovery to the peacekeepers who were injured. They emphasized that “attacks against peacekeepers may constitute crimes under international law and reaffirmed their full commitment to the safety of all UN personnel.”
On Friday August 18,2023, Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers who obstructed crews illegally working on a road that would encroach on a U.N. controlled buffer zone.
The attack happened as peacekeepers stood in the way of work crews building a road to connect the Turkish occupied village of Arsos with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla, inside the buffer zone.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency