CYPRUS:Greek Cypriots earned international praise yesterday for tearing down a symbol of the island's division, but Turkey appeared in no rush to respond to calls to remove its troops from the area.
Bulldozers tore down part of the wall that has split Nicosia for more than 40 years. A corridor of crumbling buildings untouched for decades was exposed and quickly covered up with aluminium sheeting. Beyond the 50- metre wide buffer zone, which is manned by UN troops, Turkish soldiers are stationed on either side of the road.
Cyprus made clear that no access to civilians would be given unless Turkey removed its troops from the area.
Turkey has not responded to the move. The island's division remains a stumbling block to Turkey's aspirations to join the EU and a source of tension with neighbouring Greece.
"The long-awaited opening of the crossing point would be a major symbolic step forward in bringing both communities in Nicosia closer together," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said.
"It would also encourage the necessary efforts aiming at a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem."
One Turkish official in Ankara called the barrier removal an empty gesture that came after pressure from abroad. "Their condition about removing the military is irrelevant because our army is not located in that area," said the official.
"A cynic could say the Greek Cypriots were squeezed into making a conciliatory gesture, but if this shows goodwill, then it's the best news since sliced bread," said a western diplomat in Nicosia. - (Reuters)