Document Date: April 8, 1998
Posting Date:... April 12, 1998
From: Cyprus Mail
By Jean Christou
AN AGREEMENT by Greek and Turkish Cypriot businessmen for the preservation of religious and cultural heritage on both sides of the island has the full backing of the government, it was announced yesterday.
But concern remains over whether the Turkish Cypriot leadership will honour its side of the bargain by allowing the renewed contacts between the businessmen to continue, according to sources close to the group.
"It all depends on the permission of the regime," a source said. "Denktash may well stop them again. These things are never certain and they are what we are looking for answers to."
A delegation from the Greek Cypriot businessmen's group, who formed part of last November's Brussels conference, yesterday briefed President Clerides on the agreement announced during last week's visit by US presidential emissary Richard Holbrooke.
After meeting Clerides, Greek Cypriot representative Constantinos Lordos said the issue of the religious and cultural heritage was one of the 20 proposals put forward at the Brussels meeting.
"We were very happy that our Turkish Cypriot counterparts were able to tell us they could agree," he said. "Gradually we may get other agreements."
Lordos said the agreement on heritage would be a huge undertaking and would involve looking for donations, probably from Unesco and from the EU.
Holbrooke announced on Saturday that he had managed to arrange for Lordos to meet his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Vedat Celik.
Their meetings, along with those of other bi-communal groups, were banned by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash last December after the EU's Luxembourg decision to open accession talks with Cyprus.
Holbrooke said the two leaders of the businessmen's group met in his presence "with the approval of both sides".
He also said he was looking forward to reconvening the full 24-member Brussels group and adding more in the near future.
However, a source close to the group said several issues still needed to be ironed out before contacts could resume on a concrete basis.
The businessmen have expressed concern over the slow pace of progress in the promised opening of communication lines.
The UN was to have installed 20 automatic telephone lines by the end of March to replace the three existing manual lines linking the two sides, but little progress has been made, according to the source.
"There's $160,000 worth of equipment sitting in a store in Cyprus and we would like the UN to get moving on this faster," the source said.
A UN spokesman said the installation has begun but could not say yesterday when it would be completed.
Similarly, an information office planned by the bi-communal group at the UN-controlled Ledra Palace hotel can be ready at an hour's notice if there are guarantees the Turkish Cypriots will be allowed access. "But there are no such guarantees," the source said.
The businessmen are also concerned over the charging of a crossing tax by the Denktash regime, which also affects Turkish Cypriots.
The source said Holbrooke had been very clear on his position regarding the tax. The US envoy criticised the charges being imposed by the Turkish Cypriot side. "This thing about paying to cross the line troubles me a lot. I talked to Denktash about it," Holbrooke said on Saturday.
"I think the movement should be free across the line... this is just wrong... it troubles us all."