Turkish Cypriot leader crosses to Greek Cypriot Nicosia

Talat walked across the buffer zone that splits the capital at Ledra Street, a pedestrian shopping boulevard in Nicosias mediaeval center. It was an impromptu private visit that elicited smatterings of applause from surprised Greek Cypriot shoppers. Â

Last week's opening of the symbolic Ledra Gate was hailed as a significant milestone in efforts to reunify Cyprus. However, the Greek Cypriots' brief closure of the gate a couple of hours after it's opening signaled a rocky road ahead for the reunification of the island.

"My visit to Ledra sends a message of friendship and Turkish Cypriot efforts to solve the Cyprus problem and the significance of a crossing on this street," Talat told AFP reporters. "I've come to see what's going on here to experience the new climate. I'm very happy everything seems to be going well," he added.

Although Talat has visited the south before, he did so several years ago as the head of a political party. No Turkish Cypriot leader had crossed over to the southern part of the island since Cyprus was physically divided along ethnic lines in 1974.

Talat strolled through the crossing on Friday for an hour-long visit, accompanied by half a dozen bodyguards and advisers. He sat down at an ice cream shop on Ledra Street in the south that he used to visit as a schoolboy, AP reported. "I came to enjoy the Makridromos," he said, using the Greek nickname for Ledra Street. "It is a childhood place and I wanted to experience the new climate," he was quoted as saying by AP.

The owner of the Heraclis store, Costas Vrontis, treated Talat to three scoops of vanilla ice cream. "I was told that this is the best ice cream in Cyprus. I'm not sure about that claim, but it is very good ice cream," said a jovial Talat. Asked whether he would invite Christofias to join him, he said: "Not now, maybe next time."

Talat said he was aware that he might be criticized by some Turkish Cypriots for his brief stroll around southern Nicosia, but said "its a democratic society."

He wandered into a CD shop further down the street, buying a variety of music, including CDs by Vangelis, The Beatles, and famed Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, as well as one of Greek blues-style "rembetika" music. Talat was greeted with a smattering of applause when he walked into a health food store.

Both Greek and Turkish Cypriot shoppers frequently stopped him to meet and shake hands. Aides to Talat said he was not asked to show any identification at the crossing. Cypriots and foreigners using the six crossings between the Turkish Cypriot north and the Greek Cypriot south must show ID cards or passports.

"I am committed to work for peace on the island... I want to find a solution through negotiations," Talat was quoted as saying by AP.

Christofias and Talat are set to begin reunification talks in June after a three-month preparation period.

Photo: AP

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