#Head of UNFICYP

[kyreniacommentator]

President Tatar received Stewart and spoke about sovereign equality

President Ersin Tatar received the Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General in Cyprus and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Colin Stewart, on Wednesday (22/02/2023). (more…) “”

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.1 (after 1920)

1927 – The Nanchang Uprising marks the first significant battle in the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party. This day is commemorated as the anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army. 1933 – Anti-Fascist activists Bruno Tesch, Walter Möller, Karl Wolff and August Lütgens are executed by the Nazi regime in Altona. 1936 – The Olympics opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler. 1937 – Josip Broz Tito reads the resolution "Manifesto of constitutional congress of KPH" to the constitutive congress of KPH (Croatian Communist Party) in woods near Samobor. 1943 – World War II: Operation Tidal Wave also known as "Black Sunday", was a failed American attempt to destroy Romanian oil fields. 1944 – World War II: The Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi German occupation breaks out in Warsaw, Poland. 1946 – Leaders of the Russian Liberation Army, a force of Russian prisoners of war that collaborated with Nazi Germany, are executed in Moscow, Soviet Union for treason. 1950 – Guam is organized as an unincorporated territory of the United States as the President Harry S. Truman signs the Guam Organic Act. 1957 – The United States and Canada form the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). 1960 – Dahomey (later renamed Benin) declares independence from France. 1960 – Islamabad is declared the federal capital of the Government of Pakistan. 1961 – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara orders the creation of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the nation's first centralized military espionage organization. 1964 – The former Belgian Congo is renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 1965 – Frank Herbert's novel, Dune was published for the first time. It was named as the world's best-selling science fiction novel in 2003. 1966 – Charles Whitman kills 16 people at the University of Texas at Austin before being killed by the police. 1966 – Purges of intellectuals and imperialists becomes official China policy at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. 1968 – The coronation of Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, is held. 1971 – The Concert for Bangladesh, organized by former Beatle George Harrison, is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 1974 – Cyprus dispute: The United Nations Security Council authorizes the UNFICYP to create the "Green Line", dividing Cyprus into two zones. 1976 – Niki Lauda has a severe accident that almost claims his life at the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring. 1980 – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is elected President of Iceland and becomes the world's first democratically elected female head of state. 1980 – A train crash kills 18 people in County Cork, Ireland. 1981 – MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. 1984 – Commercial peat-cutters discover the preserved bog body of a man, called Lindow Man, at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, England. 1988 – A British soldier was killed in the Inglis Barracks bombing in London, England. 1990 – A plane crash in the Karabakh Range kills 46 people. 1993 – The Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993 comes to a peak. 2004 – A supermarket fire kills 396 people and injures 500 others in Asunción, Paraguay. 2007 – The I-35W Mississippi River bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapses during the evening rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring 145. 2008 – The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway begins operation as the fastest commuter rail system in the world. 2008 – Eleven mountaineers from international expeditions died on K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth in the worst single accident in the history of K2 mountaineering. 2017 – A suicide attack on a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan kills 20 people. 2023 – Former US President Donald Trump is indicted for his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, his third indictment in 2023.

[realitajayasaktigroup]

Komandan Satgas MTF TNI Konga XXVIII-O/Unifil Laksanakan Update Analisa Daerah Operasi di Unficyp Head Quarter

KABARDAERAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA II Komandan KRI Diponegoro-365 (KRI DPN-365) yang juga merupakan Komandan Satgas (Dansatgas) Maritim Task Force (MTF) TNI Konga XXVIII-O/UNIFIL, Letkol Laut (P) Wirastyo Haprabu melaksanakan update Analisa Daerah Operasi (ADO) dengan mengunjungi United Nations Peacekeeping Force In Cyprus (UNFICYP) Head Quarter di Nicosia, Cyprus pada Sabtu kemarin (04/05/2024). UNFICYP…

[divyabhashkar]

The senior police adviser urges, "Keep peace regardless of your gender."

The senior police adviser urges, “Keep peace regardless of your gender.”

As head of the police unit in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Says Satu Koivu that “good aptitude and skill”, regardless of sex, will go a long way for those who have ambitions to follow the police leadership. With over 30 years of experience in law enforcement and policing around the world, the Finnish native admits that choosing a career in the Force at the age of 18…

[unpeacekeeping]

UN and AU train future senior female police leaders

The United Nations in partnership with the African Union, recently concluded a command development course specially for female senior police officers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

Over 50 participants from 26 countries took part in this course in the first week of December which aims to prepare senior female police officers to be recruited on police leadership positions by the United Nations and the African Union. 

Participants were given more information about police mandates and policy in UN and AU peace operations and leadership skills required for commanding police officers from around the world. 

The course is in line with the UN Secretary-General’s system-wide gender parity strategy and is part of the Police Division’s efforts to recruit 20 per cent women across all levels. 

Currently, 10 per cent or 1,093 of the 11,300 UN police officers are women. An additional 1,000 female police officers are required to reach the target which was set in 2009. Currently, three United Nations police components (UNAMID, UNISFA and UNFICYP) are headed by police women.

United Nations Police - UNPOL needs more women officers with specialized capabilities to help address important issues such as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), community policing, planning, operations, serious and organized crime.

In addition to contributing to gender parity efforts, the training course also aims to strengthen gender-responsive policing by the United Nations, African Union and host-State police services by increasing the number of well-trained and qualified senior female officers in command positions.

“The equal representation of women and men in police organizations at all levels is a fundamental principle of democratic policing. It enhances the legitimacy of police services and improves their professionalism by ensuring that the diverse needs and concerns of all segments of society are considered in all policing operations,” said Shaowen Yang, the Deputy Police Adviser, opening the training course.

“We hope that gender perspectives will further be integrated and become part and parcel of each of police activities,” he added.

[un-dppa]

Week in Review

News and developments over the past week on issues under the purview of the Department of Political Affairs

Lebanon

Sigrid Kaag, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon. UN Photo/Mark Garten

On 20 July, Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag, in a closed Security Council session, presented the latest report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 1701 regarding the conflict in 2006 between Israel and Lebanon. According to the report, progress on the political front has been achieved with the agreement on a new electoral law in Lebanon, with parliamentary elections to be held in May 2018.

Peace and Security in Africa

Security Council Debates Enhancing African Capacities. UN Photo/Mark Garten

On 19 July, Secretary-General António Guterres during the Security Council open debate on “Enhancing African capacities in the areas of peace and security’ stressed the need to “identify underlying causes of conflict, work closely to develop together joint analysis, share information and strive to reach common understandings leading to early action.”

Cyprus

Special Adviser on Cyprus and Head of UNFICYP Brief Journalists on 18 July 2017. UN Photo/Manuel Elias  

Espen Barth Eide, Special Adviser on Cyprus, speaking after briefing the Security Council on 18 July on the failed Conference on Cyprus, called on the Cypriot leaders to “reflect seriously on what can be done now.” Given the number of developments domestically and around the island, he stressed that this reflection had to be done “in the spirit of understanding and compromise rather than exacerbating the differences that clearly exist.” 

Iraq

Security Council Considers Situation Concerning Iraq. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

On 17 July, Ján Kubiš, Special Representative the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), briefed the Security Council on the situation in Iraq, saying that positive developments in the country “should not conceal the fact that the road ahead is extremely challenging.”

[spicynbachili1]

Two border crossings open in divided Cyprus, first in 8 years | Cyprus News

Officers in Cyprus stated they’ve opened two new border crossings for the primary time in eight years, within the newest push for peace within the ethnically divided nation.

Dozens of individuals from the island’s Greek Cypriot south streamed throughout the jap Dherynia border submit on Monday, strolling previous United Nations peacekeepers into the breakaway Turkish-backed north.

On the identical time, the Lefka or Aplici crossing opened within the northwest of the Mediterranean island, with the full variety of such crossings now touching 9.

Regardless of arguments breaking out amongst onlookers within the run-up to the noon (10:00 GMT) opening, a crowd handed peacefully by means of the Dherynia crossing.

“I’m very happy,” stated 65-year-old Turkish Cypriot Hasan Uzun concerning the transfer. “I’m sick, however I needed to return right here and see this lovely day with my eyes. I’m very emotional now.”

“We dream that quickly all of the roads on our island be freely satisfactory,” one Greek Cypriot lady stated.

Cyprus has been divided alongside ethnic traces since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern area, following an Athens-inspired coup looking for to unite the island with Greece.

The 2 communities lived remoted for many years till the easing of border restrictions following a spherical of talks in 2003.

In 1996, Dherynia was the scene of riots when two Greek Cypriot civilians had been killed in one of many worst incidents on the ceasefire line.

“At this time is nice day four #Cyprus . We welcome opening of 1st crossing factors in eight years. These crossing pts will play an vital position by growing people-to-people contacts; contribute 2 construct much-needed belief & confidence b/w communities.”- Elizabeth Spehar, SRSG/Head, #UNFICYP pic.twitter.com/5QW182YPau

— UN Cyprus (@UN_CYPRUS) November 12, 2018

The transfer to open the border crossings on Monday was welcomed by Elizabeth Spehar, head of the UN peacekeeping drive in Cyprus.

“At this time is nice day for Cyprus,” she stated in an announcement. “These crossing factors will play an vital position in serving to to extend individuals to individuals contacts, contributing to construct much-needed belief and confidence between the communities on the island.”

The event can also be seen as a significant step to reviving peace negotiations, which collapsed in July final yr.

The UN negotiations now goal to create a federation of two politically equal states ruled by a central authorities.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and information companies

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fbq('init', '968100353246427'); fbq('track', 'PageView');

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/two-border-crossings-open-in-divided-cyprus-first-in-8-years-cyprus-news/

[cyprustravelclub]

International Women’s Day: the women in UNFICYP

International Women’s Day: the women in UNFICYP

The U.N. peacekeeping forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP) made history in 2019 by becoming the only mission led by a woman.

UNFICYP also has women heading both its military and police components.

The forces published a video today on the occasion of International Women’s Day reflecting on why gender parity is important for peace and diplomacy.

.@UN Peacekeeping forces in #Cyprusmade history in 2019 by…

[kyreniacommentator]

President Tatar Receives Stewart

President Ersin Tatar has received the Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Colin Stewart, yesterday (16/05/2023).  Tatar and Stewart made statements after the meeting, which lasted approximately one-and-a-half hours. Continue reading Untitled

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.1 (after 1900)

1907 – The start of the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island, the origin of the worldwide Scouting movement. 1911 – Harriet Quimby takes her pilot's test and becomes the first U.S. woman to earn an Aero Club of America aviator's certificate. 1914 – The German Empire declares war on the Russian Empire at the opening of World War I. The Swiss Army mobilizes because of World War I. 1927 – The Nanchang Uprising marks the first significant battle in the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party. This day is commemorated as the anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army. 1933 – Anti-Fascist activists Bruno Tesch, Walter Möller, Karl Wolff and August Lütgens are executed by the Nazi regime in Altona. 1936 – The Olympics opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler. 1937 – Josip Broz Tito reads the resolution "Manifesto of constitutional congress of KPH" to the constitutive congress of KPH (Croatian Communist Party) in woods near Samobor. 1943 – World War II: Operation Tidal Wave also known as "Black Sunday", was a failed American attempt to destroy Romanian oil fields. 1944 – World War II: The Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi German occupation breaks out in Warsaw, Poland. 1946 – Leaders of the Russian Liberation Army, a force of Russian prisoners of war that collaborated with Nazi Germany, are executed in Moscow, Soviet Union for treason. 1950 – Guam is organized as an unincorporated territory of the United States as the President Harry S. Truman signs the Guam Organic Act. 1957 – The United States and Canada form the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). 1960 – Dahomey (later renamed Benin) declares independence from France. 1960 – Islamabad is declared the federal capital of the Government of Pakistan. 1961 – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara orders the creation of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the nation's first centralized military espionage organization. 1964 – The former Belgian Congo is renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 1965 – Frank Herbert's novel, Dune was published for the first time. It was named as the world's best-selling science fiction novel in 2003. 1966 – Charles Whitman kills 16 people at the University of Texas at Austin before being killed by the police. 1966 – Purges of intellectuals and imperialists becomes official China policy at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. 1968 – The coronation is held of Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei. 1971 – The Concert for Bangladesh, organized by former Beatle George Harrison, is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 1974 – Cyprus dispute: The United Nations Security Council authorizes the UNFICYP to create the "Green Line", dividing Cyprus into two zones. 1976 – Niki Lauda has a severe accident that almost claims his life at the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring. 1980 – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is elected President of Iceland and becomes the world's first democratically elected female head of state. 1980 – A train crash kills 18 people in County Cork, Ireland. 1981 – MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. 1984 – Commercial peat-cutters discover the preserved bog body of a man, called Lindow Man, at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, England. 1988 – A British soldier was killed in the Inglis Barracks bombing in London, England. 1993 – The Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993 comes to a peak. 2004 – A supermarket fire kills 396 people and injures 500 others in Asunción, Paraguay. 2007 – The I-35W Mississippi River bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapses during the evening rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring 145. 2008 – The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway begins operation as the fastest commuter rail system in the world.

[divyabhashkar]

Pursue peacekeeping ‘regardless of your sex’, urges Senior Police Adviser |

Pursue peacekeeping ‘regardless of your sex’, urges Senior Police Adviser |

As head of the police component at the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Satu Koivu says “good competencies and skillset”, regardless of sex, will go far for those with ambitions to pursue police leadership.  With over 30 years of experience in law enforcement and policing around the globe, the Finland native acknowledges choosing a career in the force at 18 years old was not…

[mainzakangombe-blog]

once upon a time i got to chat with a very interesting african in his office 🙌🏾 Tayé-Brook Zerihoun of Ethiopia was appointed Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs on 28 April 2010 by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Mr. Zerihoun replaced Mr. Haile Menkerios, who now serves as Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU). Mr. Zerihoun brings to this position a wealth of experience and administrative skills from his various assignments with the United Nations since March 1981. He has worked on special political questions in New York, in different capacities and areas like decolonization, trusteeship, conflict prevention and resolution, peacemaking, peacebuilding and peacekeeping. Between 1995 and 2003, he served initially as Deputy and then Director of the Africa I Division in the Department of Political Affairs, with responsibility for the countries of the Horn of Africa, Great Lakes and Southern Africa regions, as well as regional organizations including the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Zerihoun served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Cyprus and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). He was the Acting Special Representative of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) from 2006 to 2007, where he also served as the Secretary-General’s Principal Deputy Representative since August 2004 and Chief United Nations Mediator for the Darfur Peace Talks in support of the efforts of Special Envoy Jan Eliasson. Mr. Zerihoun completed both his undergraduate and graduate studies in New York, and holds a master of philosophy degree in comparative politics from Columbia University. Mr. Zerihoun was born on 13 December 1942. He is married and has four children. (at United Nations)

[esprit-de-corps-magazine]

1974: Lest We Forget, Part 2

(Volume 21-8)

By Robert Smol

In 1974, a total of 41 Canadian Armed Forces personnel (including six army cadets) were killed while on service overseas and here in Canada. Outside of the military community, their sacrifices and the ordeal of their families and friends went largely unnoticed by the Canadian public. In the series 1974: Lest We Forget, Robert Smol tells the stories of the little-known events that plagued the CAF 40 years ago.

In April of 1974, the Canadian Airborne Regiment (CAR), which had stood up only six years prior, was deployed to Cyprus for its first peacekeeping mission. Three months later it was to stand in the centre of an all-out war when Turkey, a NATO ally, invaded the island. Dutifully remaining within peacekeeping’s extremely restrictive rules of engagement, the Canadians exchanged fire with both belligerents while attempting to keep the United Nations mandate intact. At the same time, CAR soldiers rescued civilians and tourists caught up in the erupting conflict.

 Deployed to keep the peace in a “boiling pot of distrust”

When Canada’s Airborne Regiment arrived, the mandate of UNFICYP (United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus) was to monitor the 10-year-old ceasefire between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities on the island.

“There really was no political unity between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities for many years,” says David Bercuson, director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. “The island had had issues with a sort of intermittent civil war and that was when we first sent a contingent to Cyprus in 1964.”

In his book, The Bulletproof Flag, Brigadier-General Clay Beattie, who in 1974 was a colonel and commander of the Canadian contingent in Cyprus, described the ethnic situation on the island as a “boiling pot of distrust.”

According to retired Lieutenant Colonel Ian Nicol, who in 1974 was serving in Cyprus as the staff officer responsible for intelligence and security, elements of the CAR were deployed to Cyprus as a composite unit called No. 1 Commando Group. It consisted of No. 1 Commando (the French-speaking part of the unit) as well as elements of the Airborne HQ and Signal Squadron, engineers, and Service Support Unit.

At the time, Canada’s area of responsibility on the island was the Nicosia Zone, which comprised the capital and airport and outlying areas. The remainder of the island was monitored by other UN contributors, including Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Austria and Britain, which retained sovereign air bases.

 The military coup and Enosis

The lead up to the Turkish invasion of the island on July 20, 1974 began five days earlier when the president of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, was disposed and sent into exile in a coup d’état organized by the Greek Cypriot National Guard.

“I was in a United Nations helicopter moments after the coup started and saw many movements of troops, including the actual attack on the presidential palace with BRDM APCs, with infantry on foot, and with T-34 tanks,” recalls Nicol. “The island went quiet for a few days and the mobility of the Airborne was severely curtailed.”

At the time of the coup, Beattie was on leave with his family at a cottage near Kyrenia, on the north of the island. When a helicopter arranged by the local Finnish contingent arrived to pick him up, the Canadian commander suddenly became the target of fire from nearby Kyrenia Castle.

“As I approached the helipad I could see what I assumed to be national guardsmen on the top of the castle wall. They could easily observe the helicopter circling as if to pick somebody up. As soon as I came into sight, they began to shoot in my direction, skipping bullets off the helipad. It was abundantly clear that they didn’t want anyone to use the helipad. I waived the helicopter off and made my way back to the cottage.”

Before a second helicopter was to extract him from a more secure location, Beattie personally led a convoy of 20 civilian vehicles seeking safety in the Finnish Zone.

On the Green Line separating the Greek and Turkish communities in the Nicosia Zone, the fighting among the Greeks inevitably spilled over into the Turkish enclave.

“My platoon area was right on the Green Line itself, and in my area the separation was sometimes no more than five metres” recalls retired Major-General Alain Forand, who in 1974 was a captain serving as the CAR’s recce platoon commander. “So obviously, during some of the fighting among the Greeks, the bullets went over to the other side and there was inevitably a lot of uneasiness amongst the Turkish population.”

The July 15 coup replaced Archbishop Makarios with Nikos Sampson, whose stated objective was to seek enosis or unification with Greece. “No other act could have inflamed Turkish sensibilities more and, as we now know, planning for the invasion was stepped up,” says Nicol.

 Visitors are coming from the North

On the afternoon of July 19, 1974, the CAR’s log entered an observation from Forand’s recce platoon reporting that the Green Line had become “suspiciously quiet” and that Turkish Cypriots had established roadblocks adjacent to the Green Line leading into their enclave. Just after midnight on July 20, the CAR received intelligence from a local source indicating that Greeks were setting up positions at Ledra Palace Hotel, a popular tourist spot on a high point on the Green Line, which also provided a vantage point into the Turkish enclave. An hour later, Forand’s recce platoon reported that Turkish Cypriots were upgrading their barricades.

Despite the danger and the escalation in tension between the two national groups, humorous situations still occurred, as recalled by Corporal Alain Gaudet in his diary.

“We were watching a John Wayne movie in the mess hall last night (July 19). As soon as the cowboys started shooting (in the movie), the Greeks heard it and started firing on us in the mess. We got out of there and ‘the cowboy movie’ will be left for another day.”

At 0330 hrs the commanding officer received a call from Brigadier General Francis Henn, the UNFICYP chief of staff, advising that “he had some info that visitors are coming from the north” and that “he wants our contingent to be ready for any action.” At 0332 hrs the Canadian contingent went on full alert with orders that observation posts were to be double manned. At 0505 hrs the recce platoon reported that Turks were out of their buildings with weapons and equipment.

At 0520 hrs came the first confirmation that Turkey was invading the island with air attacks on Greek National Guard locations in Kyrenia as well as on the airport in Nicosia. By 0615 hrs, some 36 Turkish Hercules and DC-3 aircraft had dropped over 1,000 troops in Turkish enclaves with more insertions to follow that morning. In addition, close to 100 Turkish helicopters were reported to be flying in the region and 11 warships were observed firing off of Kyrenia.

By 0730 hrs the CAR’s incident log ascertained that “it would appear that the object of the invasion is to secure a corridor from Kyrenia to the (Turkish) enclave.” At 1030 hrs the first reported amphibious landings took place off Kyrenia.

Recalling those fateful early morning hours on the invasion’s one-year anniversary, Beattie wrote: “It was clear to me that we at UNFICYP would be fully committed to trying to manage a full-scale war. This was one task that had never been foreseen and was not within the forces’ mandate.” According to Beattie, the UN could, at that point, “only encourage us at UNFICYP to play it by ear and do our best to meet the challenge of the task.”

“Our main role was to keep our own people safe and report on what was happening,” says Nicol. “Also under the UN mandate in Cyprus, we could only use force to defend ourselves and this did not change in the post-invasion period.”

In spite of the restricted rules of engagement, Canadian Airborne Regiment patrols on the Green Line continued as the two sides exchanged fire. This in spite of the fact that in some areas along the Green Line the space separating the two sides was no more than five metres!

“We received the order to patrol in order to convince both belligerents not to shoot and that is when we started to get some wounded because, obviously, we became a target,” says Forand. “After a couple of days I had received five wounded and the decision was made to withdraw to a place near the Ledra Palace Hotel in Nicosia.”

 Securing a place at the Hotel

The Ledra Palace Hotel stands on the Green Line between the two enclaves and, in the words of Corporal Gaudet, provided a “helicopter view of the Turkish positions.” Not surprisingly, the hotel became a major bone of contention between the two sides in the hours and days following the invasion.

“At the time fighting broke out, about 350 people were trapped in the hotel,” recalls Nicol in a 1974 interview with the Canadian Armed Forces magazine Sentinel. “Our CO, LCol Don Manuel, went to the hotel on the first day of the invasion and the effect of his presence on the civilians was quite noticeable. They calmed down and listened to him.”

The following day the Airborne Regiment proceeded to escort the civilians out of the hotel.

“For a lot of those civilians I think it was the first time that they had heard bullets flying over their heads so we did not have to push them to move faster,” says Forand. “They were pretty eager to get out.”

The next priority, according to Ian Nicol, was to have the UN secure the hotel. Although Greek National Guard personnel had previously evacuated the hotel and the site had been declared a UN protected area, allegations continued to come in that the Greek Cypriots were sniping at the Turks from the hotel.

At 1748 hrs on July 21, the Turkish ambassador informed the UN liaison officer that “the hotel would be bombed in about five minutes.” At that time, 10 to 15 Airborne soldiers were guarding the building and they were told to seek shelter in the basement.

“I stated that if the attack was carried out and any Canadians were killed or injured, I would hold him personally responsible and report the details to the Canadian government,” wrote Beattie. “Approximately 10 minutes later, Turkish aircraft attacked the area of the hotel. They made four passes but they did not drop bombs — they simply sprayed portions of the hotel and the surrounding area with canon and machine-gun fire.”

According to Nicol, a local ceasefire was negotiated to extract the 15 Airborne soldiers from the hotel.

“The full air strike was subsequently called off and we re-established UN operations in the hotel.”

 Firefight at Camp Kronborg

On July 23, the headquarters for the Canadian company manning the observation post, Camp Kronborg, began to draw mortar and gun fire from Greek Cypriot National Guards when the remains of a retreating Turkish patrol sought sanctuary within the camp. The Greek attack also set the camp’s infirmary on fire and prevented it from being put out. As they continued to draw fire, priority then became to get the Turkish soldiers safely out of the Canadian camp.

“Captain Normand Blaquière, the operations officer, said he knew a safe way across the small river to the Turkish Cypriot side,” explains Nicol. “As he was escorting them, with a flag and bullhorn, he was fired on by machine guns and hit in the legs. Anyone who tried to get to him and help him was also fired on.”

Among them was Private Michel Plouffe, who was part of the escort party for the Turkish soldiers being dispatched back to their lines. According to Beattie, Plouffe then proceeded to “crawl over Turkish bodies, positioning himself between the Greek fire and Captain Blaquière. He then began to cut the legs off of Blaquière’s trousers in order to apply tourniquets. As he was doing this, a bullet hit his helmet, glancing into his face and breaking his jaw.”

By this time, Forand was on his way to the camp with two British-loaned Ferret Scout Cars. While his troops provided covering fire, he went across to retrieve Blaquière and Plouffe.

“I am going to get Blaquière and Plouffe and if they shoot at me from the Greek side, I will order you to fire. When the Greeks then started shooting at me, I gave the order to fire.”

Following orders, the CAR soldiers opened up on the Greek National Guard positions. Among them was Corporal Gaudet who, in his words, “unnerved the gun pit crew with my firing, standing prone over the .50 calibre gun pit that was also blasting away at the Greeks. I fired until I had no ammo left … My God, the bashing they took.”

“I think we killed three or four of them. This allowed me a bit of breathing space to bring back Blaquière and then to move back for Plouffe,” explained Forand.

For their actions at Camp Kronborg, both Captain Alain Forand and Private Michel Plouffe were awarded the Star of Courage.

 Defending the Nicosia Airport

By July 23, it became clear to UNFICYP that the invading Turkish forces had no intention of allowing the airport to remain in UN hands.

“Turkish interest in the airport became obvious as they made allegations concerning the control and occupation of the airport itself,” wrote Beattie. “I approached the force commander and suggested that he delegate me with the authority to open fire if the airport came under attack.”

Forand, who was now in command of a company, was ordered to take defensive positions at the airport together with other elements of the Canadian force.

“We had four recoilless rifles, six heavy machine guns, and the motor platoon from the regiment in location,” explains Forand. “Our mission at the time was to defend the airport and not to let them seize it. Even though the resources we possessed were not very high, we would have given it our best.”

The threatened attack never came. The Canadians, according to Nicol, had “made the local Turkish commander blink.”

“Interestingly, the international media — but strangely not the Canadian — hailed the Airborne as the saviours of Nicosia.”

By early August the regiment was to be reinforced with the remainder of the Canadian Airborne Regiment as well as other personnel and equipment.

“The Canadian government had agreed to double the size of the contingent, so part of our logistics company had to coordinate arrivals at the RAF station at Akrotiri of our aircraft, which amounted to over 50 flights bringing reinforcements and equipment,” stated Nicol in his 1974 interview with Sentinel.

The reinforcements included the remainder of the regiment as well as a reconnaissance troop from the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians). Added to the surge in personnel were M113 APCs and M113.5 (Lynx) recce vehicles from Canadian bases in Germany.

During the months of August and September, two soldiers of No. 1 Commando were killed: Lionel Gilbert Perron on August 6, and Claude Joseph Berger on September 10. The Cyprus conflict also resulted in 30 wounded among the Canadian contingent. In addition, two Stars of Courage and six Medals of Bravery were awarded for actions during this operation, and five members were also made Members of the Order of Military Merit.

 Lessons Learned

Reflecting on his experiences in Cyprus and in 1995 as commander of the UN’s southern sector in Croatia, Forand believes that traditional Chapter 6 peacekeeping “does not function. I think that the only thing that can function is that you have to impose peace; otherwise, we become part of the problem. When you look at the definition of peacekeeping, I don’t think it exists anymore.”

For Bercuson, the lessons of Cyprus in 1974 “should have been learned at a higher level. You need to be far more aware than you think when it comes to these so-called peacekeeping operations, which turn out not to really be peacekeeping in the sense you thought they would be.”

[unpeacekeeping]

Maj. Gen. Lund of Norway new Chief of UN Truce Supervision Organization

Secretary-General António Guterres last week appointed Maj. Gen. Kristin Lund of Norway as the Head of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).

Maj. Gen. Lund has had a distinguished military career: she was the Norwegian Army’s first female officer to be promoted to the rank of Major General in 2009. Maj. Gen. Lund served as Force Commander of the UN Mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP) from 2014-2016, becoming the first woman to serve as Force Commander in a UN peace operation. In the past, she has also served with the UN Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL-PIO) in 1986, and with the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR) both in 1992 and 1994.

Maj. Gen. Lund succeeds Maj. Gen. Arthur David Gawn of New Zealand, who will complete his assignment this month.

We are grateful to Maj. Gen. Gawn for his dedicated leadership, and we wish good luck to Maj. Gen. Lund for her upcoming service.

Full statement: bit.ly/2z3ty6F

[kyreniacommentator]

UN Security Council supports Greek Cypriots claim for control of Cyprus

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the TRNC regarding the statement made by the United Nations Security Council on Cyprus United Nations Security Council issued an unfortunate statement following the presentation of Mr. Colin Stewart, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) to the Security Council regarding the two periodical…

[kyreniacommentator]

TRNC President Tatar attended the UNFICYP End of Year Reception

TRNC President Tatar attended the UNFICYP End of Year Reception

President Ersin Tatar has met with Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and UN Head of Mission Colin Stewart in the UN buffer zone at the End of Year Reception hosted by the Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus Colin Stewart. (more…)