Commissioner Kyprianou barred from visiting northern Cyprus

Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection Markos Kyprianou was prevented Friday from visiting the Turkish occupied northern part of the island, reports said.

Kyprianou, who had meetings with the leaders of Greek Cypriot ruling and opposition parties, was barred by a decision of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, Antenna radio reported.

The Commissioner said that he was not in Cyprus as a member of the Greek Cypriot community, but as part of the regular schedule of EU Commissioners’ meetings with the political parties of their home countries.

Kyprianou was quoted as saying that he would raise the issue back in Brussels.

Earlier reports said that Turkish Cypriot political parties had declined to meet the Commissioner.

“He would have liked to have met with the Turkish Cypriot political parties”, a Commission spokesperson told the Financial Mirror on Tuesday.

The Turkish Cypriot press and information office was unable to comment on why Kyprianou was not visiting Turkish Cypriot politicians.

One possibility is that Turkish Cypriots are dissatisfied with the rules on health and safety that have reportedly prevented certain Turkish Cypriot agricultural products from crossing the 31-year dividing line under the Green Line regulation.

The Green Line regulation was supposed to have encouraged trade between the two communities after the 1974 war divided the nation. A further 259 million euros was also earmarked for infrastructure aid to the Turkish Cypriots in the north, but was never delivered as the trade regulation was blocked for political reasons by both sides.