Nicosia airport

Littlenige



Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 3594

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 09:11

http://search.bbc.co.uk/search?scope=all&tab=av&edition=d&q=fast+track



fast:track and the ghostly airport

Mike London gets rare permission to look around a Cypriot airport, deserted for 35 years.

24 Oct 2008

ianwfs


Joined: 08/01/2008
Posts: 563

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 10:27

[quote]maybe one day soon we will get it back[/quote]



Fat chance of that, I'm afraid. Whatever the settlement ends up as, the airport is too far gone and has too much development round it for it to reopen.



Ercan, however, has the potential to become "Nicosia International". It is already international standard, recognised by IATA, ICAO and ATA (Irespective of what the propaganda from the south would like you to believe). Sure it would need to be expanded, but there is room to do it. Because of its location, it would be an easy job to link to the motorway system in the south.



We would then be left with an island with three airports giving easy access to all parts. This assumes that as part of the settlement there would be common customs and immigration controls at the three airports, or at least free movement between the "states" (for want of a better way of expressing the eventual outcome) and immigration controls at the point of entry to the island.



Ian

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 10:54

Visiting journalists get a standard tour of the airport after the Green Line experience by City Troop of UNFICYP'S Britcon. There's also a crashed Russian plane just out of shot from the Trident. What most people don't realise is how close the UN came to going to war with Turkey in 1974. The invading Turkish army wanted to seize the airport, but after checking with New York the UN force warned the Turkish general staff they would open fire if their troops continued their advance on the airport. Turkey backed off, knowing the UN would have brought in air strikes on them. Pretty heroic considering the size of the UN force.

RedSnapper


Joined: 12/08/2008
Posts: 540

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 11:10

very interesting article that little nige, thanks... reminded me of when i first started travelling as a teenager.

rcroton


Joined: 05/06/2008
Posts: 192

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 12:16

Spot on very interesting, but will it ever change!!! Now thats another question

Aussie


Joined: 17/06/2007
Posts: 657

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 12:53

I think Pikes suggestion the UN would have gone to war to stop Turkey taking Nicosia airport is just some form of urban myth or delusion.



When they recently reprinted official documents from the Nixon Administration he was derisive about this saying they couldn't believe Turkey was so incompetant as to not take the airport. This hardly suggests the Americans would have backed action and without them it wouldn't have happened.



Personally I doubt the UN would have gone to war even if Turkey took the whole island at the time and given the embargoes and lack of recognition on the TRNC they may as well have done so as it hardly would have generated a worse result.



The UN record on intervention is woeful with Korea being the only "successful" large miltary intervention only achieved because Russia was boycotting the Security council and Communist China wasn't recognised with Taiwan having the seat. The UN did nothing about the mass executions by South Korea there either.



Aussie

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 13:00

Aussie: "I think Pikes suggestion the UN would have gone to war to stop Turkey taking Nicosia airport is just some form of urban myth or delusion."



Not at all. Read the book A Business of Some Heat by Brig Francis Henn, commander of UNFICYP in 1974, and find out all about this little-known incident.

Aussie


Joined: 17/06/2007
Posts: 657

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 13:20

Pike



So your saying a local UNFICYP commander had the authority to committ the UN to a war with Turkey.



I understand only the Security Council (if no permanent member exercises a veto) can permit the UN to go to war.



Perhaps under the existing peace keeping mandate he could have exercised some local discretion to suggest he would open fire. In any event the Turkish troops could simply have surrounded the airport without actually attacking any UN troops, which they would not have wished to do and would have caused a major diplomatic incident for them.



If the UN genuinely wanted to intervene why start with the airport and not resist elsewhere.



Why didn't it intervene in the Sampson Coup as well ?





Aussie

Aussie


Joined: 17/06/2007
Posts: 657

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 13:33

Nige



A good post and interesting programme. I missed the original broadcast so glad you posted the link.



Aussie

Stewart


Joined: 19/07/2008
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 14:28

May I suggest that you read "The Cyprus Conspiracy" by Brendan O'Malley

Then decide

Littlenige



Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 3594

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 14:39

Ithought it an interesting post.



Idid like the comments from the un comander.



All in all a ballanced report for a CHANGE.

MUSIN M


Joined: 26/06/2008
Posts: 1352

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 18:29

the un very close to going too war with turkey ,i think i read it in the beano .





strange boy

Turtle


Joined: 28/05/2007
Posts: 2669

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 18:58

Very interesting Nige.

The commander did say that tensions dated back to the 60,s ?

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 23:07

Aussie: "Pike So your saying a local UNFICYP commander had the authority to committ the UN to a war with Turkey. I understand only the Security Council (if no permanent member exercises a veto) can permit the UN to go to war."



Yes, Aussie. That's why I said they had to check with New York. That's where the UN Security Council is based. They told Brig Henn to "play it by ear". I do know something about this subject - and so can you if you do your homework:



Peacekeeping and Peacemaking: Some Lessons from Cyprus account is provided by F. Henn, 'The Nicosia Airport Incident of 1974: A Peacekeeping. Gamble', International Peacekeeping, Vol.1, No.1, 1994, pp.80-98. ...

http://www.informaworld.com/index/784171180.pdf -



Mind you, it also helps to have some first-hand experience on the ground in Cyprus, eh? ;-)

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 23:12

Musin: "the un very close to going too war with turkey ,i think i read it in the beano."



You may find the Beano less challenging, but help yourself to some humble pie and do your homework on Cyprus, my London friend. It appears you have much to learn.



http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=632



Peacekeeping and Peacemaking: Some Lessons from Cyprus, account is provided by F. Henn, 'The Nicosia Airport Incident of 1974: A Peacekeeping. Gamble', International Peacekeeping, Vol.1, No.1, 1994, pp.80-98. ...



http://www.informaworld.com/index/784171180.pdf -

andysue


Joined: 12/11/2007
Posts: 891

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 23:24

the UN - stands for useless nations does,nt it ? only one powerfull global force in this world and its NATO , of which turkey is a major player armed to the teeth with state of the art US arms

andysue


Joined: 12/11/2007
Posts: 891

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 23:34

suzanne there are rich and poor in every society. in washington DC even . regards andrew

karakum5c



Joined: 18/03/2008
Posts: 1021

Message Posted:
26/10/2008 23:53

The UN are a bad joke when it comes to armed conflict.

MUSIN M


Joined: 26/06/2008
Posts: 1352

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 00:02

pike



your understanding of wars is zero ,bay city roller boy.

turkey is a major force anyone attacking her will have their work cut out .

musin

long live the kktc

bradus


Joined: 25/02/2007
Posts: 2641

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 00:05

Interesting post. I have also read about this and if I can remember right the commanding officers in the British and Canadian Forces felt that it would be an unacceptable blow to UN credibility if they allowed the Turks to take the airport as it had been defined as a UN protected zone. The Canadian soldiers were certainly posed to defend this position but the Turks chose not to act.

Aussie


Joined: 17/06/2007
Posts: 657

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 00:05

I looked up Pikes "unbiased" source





Peacekeeping and peacemaking: Some lessons from Cyprus

Authors: Marios Evriviades a; Dmitris Bourantonis b

Affiliations: a Teaches International Relations, Athens University of Economics and Business,

b Lecturer in International Relations, Athens University of Economics and Business,

DOI: 10.1080/13533319408413522

Publication Frequency: 5 issues per year



This article analyses the role of the UN Force in Cyprus and its modus operandi prior to the 1974 Cyprus War and since. It shows that besides keeping the peace, UNFICYP was mandated to help bring about 'a return to normal conditions' on the island. UNFICYP's activities did improve daily life considerably prior to 1974 but political peacemaking lagged behind. The 1974 Turkish invasion worsened the political situation and complicated UNFICYP's tasks. After 1974, UN peacemaking explicitly divorced the internal aspects of the problem from the international ones because its mediation acti

Aussie


Joined: 17/06/2007
Posts: 657

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 00:08

(Cont) ignored a key component of the problem, namely Turkey's military role in the island. As a result, the post-1974 UN peacemaking efforts were fundamentally flawed. Consequently the UN failed to address the underlying causes of the conflict while freezing a status quo on the island which contains the roots of renewed violence and conflict that affects international peace and stability.



Aussie

Aussie


Joined: 17/06/2007
Posts: 657

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 00:12

Pike



So you can just get a relatively junior UN military officer to phone up and miraculously the full UN Security Council meets and authorises going to war against a member of Nato. For such a resolution the President of the US, and the leaders of The former Soviet Union, China, the U.K and France would have to authorise such a move .



I don't think so



Aussie

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 02:19

Aussie,



You have failed to research the primary source. Ignore any Greek stuff you care to be diverted with and read Brig Francis Henn's paper, as cited, or his book, A Business Of Some Heat (Pen & Sword, 2004) to learn about the Nicosia Airport Incident and how Turkey backed down to a token force of the United Nations. One of UNFICYP's proudest moments.

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 02:23

Musin: "pike your understanding of wars is zero ,bay city roller boy....turkey is a major force anyone attacking her will have their work cut out..."



Is this based on the experiences of someone who has actually served in Turkish Cypriot uniform? North London Battalion, perhaps?

Turbo


Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 833

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 08:17

Why didn't the UN threaten Turkey to stop at Kyrenia or Morphou or Karpaz ? Mr Pike.

Could it have been an "Intervention".? and they looked the other way, just like the UK did.

Turkey gave plenty of warning of their intentions. Even what time they would arrive.

Littlenige



Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 3594

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 09:09

Back on topic PLEASE

kavenkoy


Joined: 10/04/2008
Posts: 1787

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 10:00

great view of inside airport and really shows that times have moved on in travel and facilities etc .



cant help wondering why now the bbc would be invited in though ?



and is not more feasable for the sake of the future they promote ercan and demolish old airport .for the future of cyprus ,and cypriots ,not the pleasure of politicians ?



watched a travel programme on sky day or two ago where the C.T.O was busy promoting cyprus not only as allround sun and golf resorts ,but also tp upgrade its status as exclusive image and not package destination in napa .



this must be long term for all cypriots ?



kav

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 19:01

Howdy Turbo,



Don't ask me about UN Security Council designs on the Turkish invasion. As you'll probably know, UN mandates do not always extend as far as blue beret troops would like them to. I'm simply pointing out that Turkey did indeed back down to UNFICYP, who courageously defended the airport. The UN left Ankara in no doubt that air strikes would be be called in if they advanced any further.

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 19:05

Kavencoy: "...cant help wondering why now the bbc would be invited in though ?"



They were probably filming elsewhere and were invited in by the troops, as it does form part of the tour. I went into the terminal and the runway with a camera man a few years ago. The whole drive into the UN Protected Area (where the peace talks are now being held) is a surreal experience.

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
27/10/2008 20:17

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We appear to be experiencing a little turbulance from unexpected 7.62mm rounds coming in from the north as we await clearance from air traffic control. Please observe the no smoking signs and keep your seat belts fastened.



"If you look out to the left you will see in the distance a sandbagged bunker. That is where I am speaking from. Thank you."

Aussie


Joined: 17/06/2007
Posts: 657

Message Posted:
28/10/2008 00:25

Pike



Do you know if A Business Of Some Heat (Pen & Sword, 2004) is sold in North Cyprus or in South Nicosia and if so where ?



Thanks



Aussie