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by **cannedmoose** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 12:27 pm

Iacovou says Cyprus responsible for UNFICYP accommodation
CNA - LARNACA-Cyprus - 24/4/2005 13:02

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1305:CYPPRESS:02

Iacovou says Cyprus responsible for UNFICYP accommodation

Larnaca, Apr 24 (CNA) - Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs George Iacovou has said the Republic of Cyprus was responsible for providing accommodation for the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and noted that the government's authorities had determined that the Ledra Palace hotel in the buffer zone was now unsuitable to host the force's members.

Speaking yesterday at Larnaca Airport on departure for Rome, where he will be representing the President of the Republic and the government at the inauguration mass of newly elected Pope Benedict XVI, Iacovou said UNFICYP had notified the government last year that it intended to abandon Ledra Palace in search for better accommodation.

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Could Ledra Palace now be renevated as a bicommunal conference centre? I know it fulfills that function anyway, but with the troops seemingly destined to leave in the future, could the rest of the complex not be brought to its former glory for the benefit of both communities. I'm sure with its history and location, it could become a major international conference centre in the region, with events not solely concentrated on politics, but on economics and all other issues. Surely some of the EU money reserved for bicommunal projects could be channeled into this? I guess it depends on who owns the complex and its status within the dead zone.

by **-mikkie2-** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 5:38 pm

To me, Ledra Palace is a sign of the divisions in Cyprus. The sooner it gets pulled down the better. The space could be used as a commemorative park for both GC's and TC's who lost their lives over the years and as a sign of reconciliation and renewal.

by **cannedmoose** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 6:42 pm

-mikkie2- wrote:To me, Ledra Palace is a sign of the divisions in Cyprus. The sooner it gets pulled down the better. The space could be used as a commemorative park for both GC's and TC's who lost their lives over the years and as a sign of reconciliation and renewal.

Is it not the very antithesis of a symbol of division? Was it not the sole location for decades where families could be reunited, where people from both sides could come together to talk and where efforts to find a solution were attempted. For these reasons, to me, Ledra Palace is a symbol of the attempts to reconcile differences rather than cement them. A commemorative park is also a good concept, but to demolish Ledra would be to demolise a piece of history, a place where GCs and TCs continued to talk even during the darkest hours.

by **magikthrill** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 1:08 am

I've never really understood what this Ledra Palace is? Where is it located exactly in the buffer zone? Who owns it or who owend pre-invasion?

by **cannedmoose** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 1:33 am

Ledra Palace used to be one of the most luxurious 5* hotels in the Mediterreanean. It was certainly the most exclusive hotel in Cyprus. It's, I believe on Markos Drakos Avenue, in Nicosia (near to a big open-air swimming pool if that means anything!). The hotel was built in 1946 and was built in an 'eastern-colonial' style, merging classical British design with Middle-Eastern influences.

Due to its luxury it was the haunt of VIPs, diplomats and foreign media correspondents. I'm not sure who owned/owns it today, but it's basically used as an UNFICYP garrison and meeting location for bicommunal groups and conferences. When you walk through the checkpoint, you can often hear the soldiers inside listening to music or with their Union Jacks hanging out of the windows.

I believe the hotel was closed in 1974, but it was on the front line from 1964 onwards - the Green Line beginning at the end of the hotel's gardens. The hotel suffered slight damage during the Turkish invasion as National Guard troops used its roof to fire on Turkish positions and into the Turkish quarter of the city, with TC and Turkish forces replying with small arms and mortars. From what I understand, the hotel did actually have guests (probably foreign correspondents) at the time, and the Turkish forces instructed via Radio Bayrak them that unless the fire from its roof ceased, the hotel would be bombed. It took intervention from the British High Commissioner to prevent its complete destruction.

That's about the limit of my knowledge MT.