European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine Canadian pvt Richard w. Slanton 30, looks across open Fields toward the turkish cypriot lines from e Rani observation Tower East of Nicosia Cyprus. The Tower is located in the United nations butter tone which has separated turkish end greek cypriot tones since 1974, . Force patrols Buffer zone editor s note Slaff Fri tar Joseph Ohen spent eight Tys in Cyprus last month getting � firsthand lout at the people the Power and the politics that for Trie lust 14years, hate split this former British Colony into turkish and greek tones of occupation. The a blvd nations bus tin Job of patrolling tit line of sep Ratum keeping � peace that i limes seems As tenuous jew the country s future this in the second part of Owen s report in Ifft situation. Part three appears in tomorrow s daily Ula Sanne. Story and photos by Joseph Owen stall writer United nations troops Haven t always patrolled the mine Fields and Booby trapped houses of Cyprus id Slop cypriots from a lacking each other. It just seems that Way. That s the Type of history lecture one might deliver 1o nearly Hall the residents of Iho Small Eastern Mediterranean Island people too Young to remember when ethnic geeks and turks got along peace utly without United nations troops separating them. The 2,500-member United nations Force in Cyprus or unf1cyp. Is the Solo authority in tha jagged East West duller zone that straddles Cyprus separating the greek speaking Republic of Cyprus the Southern three Tilths of me Island irom the turkish Republic of North Cyprus. The Southern Republic backed by Greece claims Turkey stole the Northern District and demands it Back. The Northern regime created after Turkey invaded and partitioned Cyprus in 1974, says a federation of two cypriot sales is the Only Way to re unite the Island and protect the turkish cypriot minority at the same time. Today each government stations soldiers at observation posts on the Edge of the Buller zone to Back its opinions. The United nations is institutionally Oak Mislick. It s always trying said Charles Gaulkin an american who serves As unfit up political spokesman. United nations efforts in Cyprus should continue he said although there s no solution about o take place " although Cyprus operations now Cost the United nations $102-million annually , officials say the Lack of armed conflict and the United nations assistance to Farmers prisoners refugees Ard Urban planners Are enough to justify the Force s existence into which turkish cypriots previously Scall ered across the Island Lor 400 years wild Rev in fear of militant greek cypriot or terrorists among their own people. After two turkish invasions in 1974, United nations troops look control of the Buffer zone. The zone consists of four sections administered irom West to Easl by Denmark the United kingdom. Canada and Austria. Ireland. Sweden and Finland also have troops assigned to unfit up he at a former British air base West of Nicosia the capital. Tha United nations has the Job of getting the iwo sides to Honor a cease fire agreement that froze the Battle lines of aug. 16,1974, and of trying to help things gel Back to Normal said United nations spokesman Patrick Nash an irishman. In. Troops negotiate and protest such cease fire violations As shootings barricade strengthening on either the greek or turkish front Linos or territorial moves Forward into the Buffer zone the boundaries of which Are constantly debated. The major problem is maintaining the integrity of the Buller zone and in Nicosia the two sides of the Buller zone Are too dose together Nash said. The lines arc less than a Block apart in some places. Nash said the United nations is seeking agreements to Widen the zone in the City where most military confrontations occur unfit up work comprises More than staffing patrols and observation posts however. It s very interesting because it s not Only peacekeeping. It s peace building because we do a lot of civilian tasks said maj. Rupert Kellner the senior operations officer of Austria s forces serving in Cyprus. Most greek cypriots living in the North fled southward when the turks invaded and most Southern turkish cypriots lied Noil. About 300 turkish cypriots so live scattered across the South however and almost 1,000 elderly greek cypriots live in Ihrck areas in Northern Cyprus the austrians Visil Iho isolated greeks regularly to deliver emergency Aid and make sure they Are Sale. Kellner said the greek cypriots Don t Brood about the hostile political climate in which they live for them it s just a part of the unsolved  he said. There is no evaluation of Tho situation it s just Par of the Lalus quo " Canadian army Cape. Wayne Hirlehey Iho Canadian sector humanitarian officer visits the Southern turkish cypriots including convicted criminals in prison in the greek zone to make sure they Are treated Well Hirlehey a 32-year-old Toronto native also is involved in farming promotion another United nations Huma Ylanan Effort. The United nations Buffer zone comprises Only 3 percent of this Connecticut sized country but it includes some of the Island s most Fertile soil. Tho United nations began working to open some Rural parts of the zone to farming in 1976. Greek cypriots now Plant and Harvest Grain near the greek Side and turkish cypriots near their Side with Little conflict. The United nations other major humanitarian Endeavor involves monitoring Utility construction work in the Buller zone. Water systems which once crisscrossed the Buffer zone Ara now virtually Independent in the North and the South. But electricity generated entirely in the South passes northward through transmission lines despite Good results in non military activities some unfit up participants have grown weary of the political stalemate. Sweden for example withdrew its Buller zone troop contingent in Lale 1987, Trust rated by tha Cost and Tho Lack of Progress toward a political solution. Canadian Brig. Gen Lewis Mackenzie who served three hours in Cyprus believes the open ended Nal Urc of the United nations Mission May be a partial deterrent to solving the problem. When you get involved in peacekeeping it s Wise to have an end Date Mackenzie said. In other United nations missions deadlines Are always Given something like of Well do peacekeeping but Only for a year like we did in Lebanon. But we be been in Cyprus since 1964. When you commit to something indefinitely you tend to become accepted As a permanent part of the  tuesday june 21, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 13