Cyprus-Forum.com

[Lit]

Cyprus President Demetris Christofias has asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to act for the return of the Turkish occupied city of Famagusta to its residents.

In a letter to the Secretary General, Christofias asks the United Nations to send experts to the city in order to prepare for its opening and reconstruction.

The city is surrounded by a barbed wire fence and nobody is allowed inside, except for Turkish soldiers, who occupied it during the 1974 invasion.

In his letter, President Christofias refers to a 1979 agreement between the leaders of the two communities for the return of Famagusta without waiting for a final solution to the Cyprus problem.

He also suggests that reconstruction work should start, beginning with the medieval part of the town.

The president's action has drawn support from the main opposition party. Democratic Rally chairman Nicos Anastasiades said yesterday that he believed Christofias had done the right thing.

Anastasiades added that the Mayor of Famagusta and the "Mayor" of the Turkish part of the city had agreed on a plan for the reconstruction of the city which has been submitted to the European Union.

He said he hoped that Turkey would respond in a positive way and hand Famagusta to the United Nations.

http://famagusta-gazette.com/default.as ... te&he=.com