"Crucial Cyprus crossing to open 'before Christmas'
Turkish troops started dismantling a barrier in the heart of the island’s divided capital Nicosia Thursday to make way for a pedestrian crossing between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
The mayors of both sectors of the town claim that they are ready to open the gates before Christmas at a point which divides the communities by a short stretch of empty shops deserted for 31 years.
The United Nations, that patrols the 180-kilometre dividing ‘Green Line’ that cuts through the medieval Venetian city, is overseeing restoration work to prevent dangerous buildings and walls from crumbling and falling down.
The opening of a new crossing at downtown Ledra Street will make it the fifth barricade to open in 18 months that has brought the two communities together, despite rejection of a U.N. plan to reunite the island prior to European Union accession on May 1, 2004."
More:Financial Mirror
