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De-mining along buffer zone begins
An EU-funded de-mining project in the buffer zone was launched yesterday with
the destruction of the first two landmines belonging to the Cyprus National
Guard. The two controlled explosions took place within the UN Protected Area
(UNPA) to the south of the Old Nicosia Airport, in the presence of the media.
The launch of the project, funded by the EU programme "Partnership for
the Future" with 2.5 million euro, signalled the implementation of the Cyprus
Republic's unilateral decision to destroy its minefields within the buffer zone,
in full compliance with the provisions of the Ottawa Convention.
During
an official ceremony to mark the beginning of the de-mining procedure, the Head
of the European Commission's Representation in Cyprus Mr Adriaan van der Meer
and the UN Acting Special Representative in Cyprus and UNFICYP Chief of Mission
Mr Zbigniew Wlosowicz symbolically cut a barbed-wire fencing the
minefield.
Addressing the ceremony, both Mr van der Meer and Mr Wlosowicz
praised the Cyprus Government and the National Guard for their close cooperation
and commitment to the de-mining process.
Mr van der Meer expressed the
hope that through this programme further steps would be taken towards
reconciliation and peace on the island.
Mr Wlosowicz noted that "every
mine removed leaves space for stepping-stones to mark the path of peace and
reconciliation, every mine absent is one less obstacle to crossing points, and
every mine destroyed is a step forward on the road to normalcy".
He
further hoped that it would not be long before there was a similar launching
ceremony in one of the Turkish forces minefields.
An estimated 3.000
mines will be cleared from eight minefields belonging to the National Guard. The
project is expected to be completed in just over a year and work will take place
on a daily basis.
2004-11-19
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