Still no agreement on Pyla road

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said there is no agreement on the Pyla road dispute despite the Turkish Cypriot media saying a deal has been reached and construction will resume on Monday.

On August 18, Turkish Cypriot police and others punched and kicked a group of British and Slovak peacekeepers who obstructed crews illegally working on a road that would encroach on the  UN-controlled buffer zone.

The attack happened as peacekeepers stood in the way of work crews building a road connecting the Turkish-occupied Arsos village with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla inside the buffer zone.

Letymbiotis said on Monday that “negotiations on the issue continue,” and we are in contact with the UN.

He said the government will not proceed with any settlement that questions the status of the buffer zone and create any military advantage for the Turkish occupation forces.

“When there is an agreement, then the public will be duly informed”.

When asked if work would take place within the buffer zone on Monday, the spokesman replied, “Not that I know of”.

The UN Security Council, Brussels and the United States roundly condemned the Pyla violence.