Irish consul among 58 injured at protest against Turkish Cypriots

THE honorary Irish consul was among the 58 Greek Cypriots injured during Sunday's clashes between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the UN-controlled buffer zone in Cyprus.

Mr Stephanous Stephanou, a businessman and local politician who represents An Bord Trachtala in Nicosia, told The Irish Times: "I was hit in the leg by a shotgun pellet and struck on the shoulders and back by chunks of scrap iron slung from elastic slings" by Turkish militants.

Mr Stephanou was at Dherynia, overlooking the Turkish-held port of Famagusta, in his capacity as an elected municipal councillor of the occupied city. Sunday was the 22nd anniversary of the beginning of the Turkish army's march across the central plain of Cyprus to Famagusta, which was captured three days later and "ethnically cleansed" of its 60,000 Greek Cypriot inhabitants.

Greek Cypriots protesting about the occupation of the port city on Sunday could see Famagusta from the edge of the buffer zone.

Mr Stephanou, who is in his 50s, said: "As a municipal councillor I had some responsibility for what was happening. I was trying to help the UN peacekeepers evacuate our people when I was hit. And the UN was trying to protect me.

His son, Augustino, was also injured by a shotgun pellet. When this correspondent met him at Dherynia on Sunday morning he was in the company of his teenage son, his two daughters, who are university students, and his wife, Dr Cecilia Stephanou.

At that point most Greek Cypriots did not anticipate violence and the Dherynia front was occupied by a scattering of motorcyclists preparing for a ride along the "Green Line" from the village to Nicosia, day-trippers, European tourists and ice-cream and sandwich vendors.

A field bad been levelled for the bikers, demonstrating against the Turkish occupation, to gather and listen to speeches from their organisers before setting off. Small groups of motorcyclists were permitted to ride to the edge of the buffer zone to have a look at the road and the narrow strip of dusty and dry land that separates the two communities.

The Cyprus police had mustered hundreds of officers and reserves from among retired policemen to keep order.

"The clashes began with stone-throwing at about half past two," Mr Stephanou said, and Turkish militants "opened up with shotguns, air guns, plastic bullets and live ammunition about half-an-hour later".

Yesterday he went to the nearby village of Paralimni to console the family of Tassos Isaac (24), the man who was beaten to death.

Meanwhile, in Dublin the Department of Foreign Affairs said it was not advising Irish tourists against going to Cyprus. It told tourists to "take due care and take account of local advice". Representatives of the Irish travel trade said they had no reports of anxiety among prospective Irish travellers.