Cyprus claimed — metre by metre

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33611, 13 August 1974, Page 13

Cyprus claimed — metre by metre

(By

XAVIER BARON,

/, of Agence France Press, through N.Z.P.A.)

NICOSIA, Aug. 12. The United Nationscontrolled no-man’s-land between Turkish and Greek Cypriot positions in Nicosia gets smaller every day as the opposing forces push their sandbags ahead metre by metre. Most of the gains have been made by the Turkish Cypriots, who in some places gained 50 metres during the fighting which went on until this week-end. This was particularly true around the former cathedral of St Sophia in the rampartencircled “old town” of Nicosia, where the newly drawn “green line” now gives about half of the territory to each side.

Both sides continue to fill sandbags to buttress their positions, which in some places face each other only a few yards apart.

The U.N, peace-keeping force tries to maintain the buffer zone between the two communities, but each morning Turkish end Greek flags are run up to mark the claims staked out during the night. The same process goes on west of the old walled city along the nearly-deserted “embassy row.” There, the Turks have gained 200 metres and taken the Nicosia Club. The Turkish star and crescent flies over the building and a sentinel stands guard under a parasol. 1 Unable to get into the club, the U.N. troops set up a ladder in front of it to serve as a flagstaff for the inter-

national organisation’s blue-and-white banner. On the other side of the street, the Greek Cypriot forces have moved into the abandoned American Embassy. Only the French Embassy, facing the club, remains occupied by its staff but its position is becoming difficult. With the halting start made by the Cyprus talks in Geneva, there is increasing concern in Nicosia that the military phase of the crisis may not be over. There is fear that a breakdown, or a stalemate, in the talks could lead to renewed fighting. No shooting was reported on Cyprus over the weekend, but both camps remained on total alert and in some cases military positions were reinforced. The Turkish Army forces in the triangular beachhead running from the capital to the northern shore of the island remained on a war footing. Continued movement of armour was observed between Kyrenia and Nicosia, as has been the case almost daily since the Turkish expeditionary force landed on July 20. In informed quarters there was talk of a “Turkish plan” which would be put into force if the Turkish.negotiators at Geneva did not obtain agreement on a federal solution giving the Turkish

Cypriot community an autonomous administration. Under the supposed plan, the Turkish Army would advance on a general drive southwards to Morphou and Famagusta. This would give them a belt of territory 15 to 20 miles deep with its southern border running for over 50 miles east-west through Nicosia, in all representing about one-quarter of the surface of the island. To prevent hostilities, the United Nations now has a total force of more than 4000 men, installed at 38 observation posts throughout thei island. I