Actions by authorities of north and south Cyprus creates tension and resentment among Cyprus people - UniteCyprusNow

Grassroots movement UniteCyprusNow, a group that includes people from both sides of the divided Cyprus island has expressed it's deep concerned about recent actions by the authorities on both sides of the island that have created tension and resentment among the people of Cyprus.

According to the group in a press release on Monday, these actions not only create bad feelings amongst the people, but also serve to further discourage economic and social cooperation.

Since the collapse of the talks at Crans Montana, the political establishments on both sides have not only failed to implement any confidence-building measures to help normalise relations between the people, but have actively and deliberately taken steps to poison anything positive that had been created during the early stages of the talks.

The examples of the escalating downward trend are becoming too numerous to mention. They include the decision by the Department of Customs and Excise of the Republic of Cyprus to carry out fuel checks on Greek Cypriot cars at the crossing points, the opening of an ethnically segregated beach in Famagusta, the Larnaca airport visa denials, a tax on UN aid, an attempt to block visits to cultural heritage sites in the north through a note verbale to embassies, the failure to open new crossing points and the lack of effective action against attacks on Turkish Cypriot cars in the south.

Some of these have been reversed. However, it is even more alarming to witness that in a number of these cases elected officials denied full responsibility and failed to give sufficient plausible explanations on how unelected bureaucrats had taken unilateral actions on issues that have a direct impact on the peace process in Cyprus.

A country where obstacles are put to contact between people, where funding to locations that encourage bicommunal relations is blocked, where beaches are segregated and food aid is taxed, and where racial attacks go unpunished is not the kind of country those of us who want peace and reconciliation want to live in, to raise our children in and to do business in.

We firmly believe that the solution to all the above problems and more is the solution to the Cyprus problem. A solution not through segregation and division, but through reunification under federation. But most of all it would be to the long-term financial benefit of both communities as everyone would benefit, even the individual interest groups that may be behind the problems that are being created now.

UCN condemns all actions that erode trust among the people of Cyprus and asks the sides to commit themselves to implementing confidence-building measures without further delay.

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