Cyprus crossing due to reopen in divided Nicosia

by Rachel Nixon | March 21, 2008 at 10:13 am

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In an effort to boost peace talks, rival Cypriot leaders have agreed to reopen a key crossing in the capital, Nicosia.

Ledra Street runs along the dividing line in Nicosia and has come to symbolise the partition of the island.

Reading from a joint statement issued by Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, Moller said "the leaders have also agreed that Ledra Street will as soon as technically possible open and function in accordance with the established practices at other crossings."

Speaker later in the day, Nicosia Mayor Eleni Mavrou said she was hopeful the street would be reopened by the end of the month.

"Technical work will begin on Monday and I'm optimistic that the crossing at Ledra Street will open by March 31," she told state radio.

Ledra Street has been a symbol of the decades-old conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, with Christofias calling it the heart of Nicosia, the world's last divided capital.

Last year, the Greek Cypriots tore down their side of the concrete barrier on the pedestrian street inside the old city's 600-year-old Venetian walls. Turkish Cypriot authorities demolished their side in 2005.

Following Moller's intervention, the Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot authorities hammered out a deal to open the barricaded street.