October/November 2009The UNFICYP Magazine

The Blue Beret

Seedlings of Peace

3October/November - Blue Beret2 October/November - Blue Beret

THE BLUE BERETPublished monthly by the:

Public Information OfficeUnited Nations Force in CyprusHQ UNFICYPPO Box 216421590 NicosiaCyprus

Tel: 2261-4553/4416/4408Fax: 2261-4461E-mail: unficyp-blue-beret@un.org

blueberetcyprus@hotmail.comWebsite:www.unficyp.org

Editorial Team

José DíazNetha KreouzosErsin ÖztoycanSSgt. Pavol Kubis (Photographer)Capt. Tomas Daño

Unit Press Officers

Sector 1 Capt. Hugo Gomez Sector 2 Capt. Lucy ReynoldsSector 4 1 Lt. Peter MelnikMFR Maj. Mick NicholUNPOL Cmdr. Phil SpenceUN Flt Lt. Franco VacaFMPU Capt. Jozef Bolecek

The Blue Beret is UNFICYP’s in-housejournal. Views expressed are of the au-thors concerned, and do not necessarilyconform with official policy.

Articles of general interest (plus photoswith captions) are invited from all mem-bers of the Force.

Copyright of all material is vested in UNpublications, but may be repro-ducedwith the Editor’s permission.

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s UNFICYP enters its forty-sixth year in Cyprus, the UN’sthird-oldest peacekeeping mission continues to play a vitaland unique role on the island. That is the conclusion

drawn by the Secretary-General in his latest report on theoperation in Cyprus, an assessment the Security Council isexpected to agree with by extending UNFICYP’s mandate untilJune 2010.The Secretary-General concludes that UNFICYP’s contribution inCyprus includes its support of the ongoing settlement talks, whichare well into their second year. It has become a cliché to saynegotiations have entered a critical phase. As the Secretary-General concludes in a separate report, it is undeniable, however,that since the current process began, the gaps between the sideshave narrowed on a number of important issues. Differences doremain, including some very stark ones; and it is clear that muchwork needs to be done in order to achieve full convergence. Butthe leaders of the two main Cypriot communities have showngreat commitment, courage and determination despiteconsiderable challenges and criticism from domestic detractors.On this basis, the Secretary-General has expressed cautiousoptimism about the prospects for a settlement.A settlement to the Cyprus problem would naturally lead to adifferent UN operation in Cyprus. That was the reasoning behindthe provision in the last Security Council resolution on UNFICYPlast June regarding contingency planning in relation to asettlement. The Secretary-General concludes that althoughconsiderable progress has been achieved in the Cyprus talks, thetwo sides have not yet considered in depth the role which theUnited Nations would be expected to play in support of asettlement. It is, therefore, too early to be able to identify withsufficient confidence the parameters of the United Nationsinvolvement in the context of a possible solution. As talks enteryet another “critical phase”, more thought is sure to be given towhat that future UN presence should look like. What is certain isthat the world organization will be ready to continue to supportCyprus on its path to reunification.

Front Cover: Seedlings of PeaceBack Cover: Remembrance Day, 11 November 2009

ContentsEditorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Leaders show support for work of CMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Letting peace take root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Music and dance build trust in Pyla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5In memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Remembrance Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Celebrating UN Day with Cypriot children/ Ukraine joins UNPOLranks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Marking fall of one wall with hope of dismantling another . . . .9Secretary-Generals reports: Cautious optimism and extension ofUNFICYP the highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11UN Staff Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-13Force Commander Inspections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15New Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-17Visits/Kiki’s Farewell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Childrens Halloween party/Fireworks night . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

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The two Cyprus leaders Demetris Christofias andMehmet Ali Talat attended an event at LedraPalace Hotel on 17 November in recognition of the

€ 2 million contribution made by the European Unionto the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP).Both leaders thanked the European Commission fortheir generous support of the work of the CMP thatoperates under the aegis of the United Nations.

Addressing the event Greek Cypriot leader DemetrisChristofias pointed out that the problem of missingpersons touches almost every family in Cyprus. “It hascaused a lot of suffering and agony to so manypersons, for so many years. It is a humanitarian prob-lem, and, as such, should remain outside politics orother considerations and expediences, he said.

Christofias stressed that both communities inCyprus should support, not only in words but inpractice, all efforts towards the resolution of theproblem of missing persons. “We owe it to the families;we owe it also to Cyprus and to its entire people. Weshould work together, in good spirit and trust, toimprove and expedite what is already being done, inthe framework of the CMP. Christofias congratulatedthe Committee, its three members, and theirassistants, “for working hard and effectively to developand operate the Exhumation and IdentificationProgramme, and generally for trying to find theanswers, the families are entitled to have”.

Christofias made particular reference to the youngscientists from both communities, who, for monthsnow, are working together, in the Anthropological andDNA Laboratories, as well as for the excavations in thefield. “They are an example of the way things shouldhave been in Cyprus”, he noted.

Christofias also announced that the Greek Cypriotside would donate another €150.000 to cover immedi-ate and unforeseen needs, and to increase the numberof exhumation teams.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat reiteratedhis commitment to the work of the CMP and pointed

out that, “Healing the grievances of the families has tobe our top priority. For quite a long time, we worked tochange the understanding of the approach to thishumanitarian problem. Ultimately, we have succeededtogether with the Greek Cypriot leader.” “We initiated the work of the CMP and it is doing a greatjob now including the excavation and identification ofthe remains. This work hopefully will respond to all theexpectations of the families sometime in the future.”

Talat stressed his commitment to help the CMP withevery means and method to do its job and finalise itsjob which he said was crucia while avoiding thepoliticisation of the issue. “Politicising the matter willkill the efforts,” he said.

Head of the European Commission Representationin Cyprus, Androulla Kaminara, said that the EU isproud and honoured to support the work of CMP andbe its largest single donor. “It is well known that the EUis always sensitive and supportive to initiatives aimedat addressing the human side of conflicts, and it ismore than obvious that the EU attributes great impor-tance to this initiative, as it is considered one of themost successful confidence building and reconciliationmeasures in Cyprus”, she said.

Referring to the families of the missing persons inCyprus, Kaminara expressed the EU’s sincerecondolences. “Our thoughts are with you, and we wantto assure you that it is our goal to not only help theCommittee continue, but also to speed up its work thatwe hope will soothe your pain”, she added.

The Third Member of CMP Christophe Girod thankedthe European Commission for its essential andcontinuous support towards CMP. In addition, hethanked the members of the European Parliament fortheir efforts in securing the financial aid. Girod alsothanked the leaders of the two communities in Cyprusfor their political and financial support, both past andpresent. “This donation is crucial for the work of theCMP and brings us a step closer to healing the woundsof the past for people of both communities”, Girod said.

Leaders show support for work ofCMP

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Letting peace take root

In a symbolic gesture of peace and unity, on 15October the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriotleaders planted two olive trees at the entrance to

the site where they are currently engaged in talksaimed at unifying the divided island.

The leaders also received a petition from civilsociety representatives from both communitiesconveying a message of hope and solidarity for thenegotiations process and for a united Cyprus.DemetrisChristofias, the Greek Cypriot leader, and Mehmet AliTalat, Turkish Cypriot leader, saluted the civil societyinitiative and pledge to their utmost to achieve asuccessful conclusion to the negotiations process.

Speaking for the more than 40 organizationsinvolved in the initiative, Greek Cypriot and TurkishCypriot representatives expressed their "dedication tostrengthening the peace efforts, by opening andmaintaining channels of communication, buildingmutual trust and promoting reconciliation between thetwo communities".

Through their combined statement they alsoaffirmed their commitment "to contribute to a newimpetus in moving forward to realizing a bi-communal,bi-zonal Federal Cyprus".

Following the ceremony, the two leaders met tocontinue discussions, under the auspices of the UN,focusing on how the executive of a future unitedcountry could function.

Speaking to the media following the talks,Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representa-tive on the island, Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, said the twoleaders had "discussed each other's proposals in a veryconstructive manner" and planned to meet next weekto continue their discussion on governance and thentake up the issues of external relations and propertyrights.

In May last year, Mr. Christofias and Mr. Talatcommitted themselves to working towards "abicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality,as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions."

The wives of the Cyprus leaders, Elsi Christofiasand Oya Talat, agree: rapprochement betweenthe island’s two communities is an essential

ingredient of efforts to find a just and viable solution tothe Cyprus problem.

The two women reiterated this message at abicommunal concert held on 25 October in the mainsquare of the buffer zone village of Pyla, where Greekand Turkish Cypriots live together. The concert, titled,“Love and Peace for our Country”, was organised by thepolitical parties of the two communities in cooperationwith the local authorities of Pyla and UNFICYP, andunder the auspices of Slovak Ambassador AnnaTurenicova.

Addressing the event, which was attended bySpecial Adviser of the Secretary-General AlexanderDowner, Elsi Christofias welcomed the promotion ofpolitical cooperation between the two communities.“Rapprochement constitutes the means for buildingtrust and for establishing the prospect of peacefulco-existence between Greek Cypriots and TurkishCypriots”, she said.

Mrs. Christofias noted that although rapprochement

alone cannot solve the problem, it can offer an impor-tant contribution towards restoring trust between thetwo communities on the basis of mutual respect, friend-ship, love and acceptance of diversity.

Mrs. Christofias recalled that she and Mrs. Talat hadpreviously organized humanitarian activities, includinga joint fund-raising event in support of children withspecial needs. “As women and mothers, we areanxious about the future of our country and that of ourchildren and we know that to succeed in our efforts wehave to rely on everything that unites us”, she said.

Mrs. Talat said Pyla was the only village in Cypruswhere Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots continuedto share their day-to-day existence after 1974. Pyla’sinhabitants have contributed a lot to the political andsocial history of Cyprus, she said, adding that as weproceed to the road of a federal, bi-communal, andbi-zonal solution their contribution continues. “It is ourduty to support every step taken towards the directionof a solution,” she said. “Everybody must support theongoing direct negotiating process between theleaders of the two communities”.

Music and dance build trust in Pyla

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October/November - Blue Beret6 October/November - Blue Beret

De-miner dies in accident

In Memoriam Remembrance Day

As the sole member of the Canadian Contingentserving with UNFICYP the honour and responsi-bility of maintaining the Canadian Memorial at

Ledra Palace Hotel in Nicosia for the fallenpeacekeepers from over 45 years of service with theUN in Cyprus fell on my shoulders. I had decidedinitially to conduct a quiet one person memorialservice on 11 November while the rest of the UN wasfocused on the Sunday prior to Remembrance Day.

Work was well underway and the Canadian Memorialhad received a fresh coat of paint and the brass waspolished. However it wasn’t long before the memorialservice grew. While having a quiet informal chat withthe Padre Connolly from 27 Regt RLC (UK) I explainedthe simple service I was planning. In no time the“Danny” volunteered to do a reading and play thebagpipes as only a Scotsman can. Honoured by hisenthusiasm I readily accepted and didn’t think muchmore of the issue until a couple of days later Dannydropped by to see me and asked if 27 Regt RLC (UK)could participate as well.

It seems the Padre in speaking to the CO of the unitexcited his interest and the simple service at theCanadian memorial grew yet again. In short, the wordspread and our remembrance service grew to includethe wife of the Irish Ambassador to Cyprus Mrs CathiBrady a Canadian originally from Toronto, Ontario

Remembrance Day has always been a day for allCanadians wherever they are to stop and rememberthe sacrifices made to preserve our freedoms that weso cherish.

It was simply amazing to me those who not justremember but make that special effort to actuallydemonstratively remember regardless of where theyare in the world. Lest We Forget.

“Lest we forget”

Honouring sacrifice

7

Amember of the Mine Action Centre Cyprus(MACC) was killed on 28 October 2009 in ademining accident, the group's first fatality in five

years of work on the island.Femisberto Novele, a MACC member from

Mozambique, died in an explosion at approximately8am in a minefield near Geri, some 10 kilometres southeast of Nicosia.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNFICYP, Tayé-Brook Zerihoun,

said he was saddened and shocked to learn of theaccident, which he called a tragic reminder of thedangers landmines still pose in Cyprus. He conveyedcondolences to Mr Novele’s family on behalf of theUnited Nations team in the country.

The Mine Action Centre Cyprus is a project of theUnited Nations Development Programme’s Partnershipfor the Future. The MACC has removed and destroyedmore than 14,000 mines since 2004, with the supportof UNFICYP. A total of 57 minefields have been clearedto date, covering more than 6.5 million square metresof land.

In the summer of 2008, The Blue Beret featured thework of the brave men of the MACC, includingMr. Novele who said he was proud to be a deminer andstrongly opposed landmines having seen first hand thedevastation they can cause.

“I am proud to be a deminer because our efforts areto guarantee the new generations of the future a saferworld. What we need now is to rebuild schools andhospitals, not lay down mines.” Mr Novele said he wouldfeel great satisfaction if on the land he had cleared inCyprus a recreation centre, school or other communityproject was developed for the benefit of the people. Heleaves behind a wife and eight children.

Sergeant Antonio David Ojeda was killed on27 November 2009 in a traffic accident nearKokkinotrimithia in Nicosia.

Sergeant Ojeda was born in Argentina in 1981and attended the NCO Navy Academy where hetrained as a communications operator and a diver.He was an experienced peacekeeper, and served inthe Argentinian Task Force 24 from September 2004to March 2005. He served in the AmphibianVehicles Battalion in Punta Alta, Buenos Aires,Argentina.

He arrived in Cyprus on 11 September and servedin the Argentine Contingent as a specialized driver ofPatrol Base 32.He leaves behind a wife and twochildren.

Remembrance Sunday -- celebrated internationallyon the eleventh day of the eleventh month --was marked on 9 November 2009 at Wayne’s

Keep Cemetery, located within the buffer zone area ofNicosia.

UNFICYP's Sector 2, commanded by Lt Col DavidAlbon RLC of 27 Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps,hosted this year’s memorial service which was attendedby representatives of the diplomatic community,soldiers and guests from the local community – includ-ing a contingent from the Royal British Legion and theAirborne Veterans Association. A total of twenty fourwreathes were laid in front of a congregation of sometwo hundred and fifty people.

The service was led by Sector 2 Padre, Maj DannyConnolly, and delivered in English, Spanish, Hungarianand Slovakian, with the help of fellow padres theReverend Father Oviedo from Sector 1 and theReverend Father Paluba from Sector 4. The Last Postwas played by bugler Cpl James Christopher.

Lt Col Albon said, “Today’s ceremony was a thoughtprovoking ceremony, enhanced by its multi-nationalityand reminded us of the dangers faced by friends andcolleagues currently serving in Afghanistan”.

Remembrance Sunday falls on the closest Sundayto the 11th November and marks the end of hostilitiesof the First World War in 1918.

Wayne’s Keepitself consists ofthree cemeter-ies - RomanCatholic andMaronite, GreekOrthodox, andthe central andlargest ceme-tery - theBritish WarGraves Ceme-tery. This wasopened by theBritish MilitaryAuthorities forthose servicepersonnel wholost their lives in the course of duty and to this day ismaintained by three local civilians who are employedby the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Following the service, a traditional post-Remem-brance Service reception was held to honour theveterans and fallen soldiers, at Ledra Palace Hotel.

By 2LT Adam Stratford

Sad farewell

By Capt. Lorne Cooper

9October/November - Blue Beret8 October/November - Blue Beret

Celebrating UN Day with Cypriot children

Ukraine joinedthe ranks ofUNPOL in Octo-

ber. The flag raisingceremony was held on30 October 2009 andwas attended byAmbassador H.E. Mr.Oleksandr Demianiuk.The Ambassador not-ed that Ukraine hadbeen a long time sup-porter of peacekeepingwith peacekeepers invarious missionsaround the world.

He said that hiscountry’s presencesent an important po-litical message for the

continuation of peacekeeping and support for thispeacekeeping mission in its efforts to solve the Cyprusproblem. He expressed the hope that the Ukrainianpeacekeepers would be effective and successful intheir mission.

Lt. Colonel Andrii Sachavo, 41 is the first Ukrainianofficer to serve in UNFICYP and is stationed at Ledrapalace where his responsibilities include patrolling thebuffer zone, checking farming permits and ensuring nounauthorized personnel are found in the buffer zone.They also control illegal dumping and hunting in thebuffer zone as well as monitoring construction.

He says, “It is anhonour for me to rep-resent my countrywhile working for thebenefit of the UnitedNations.” He seeshimself as a pioneerthat will start byworking on theground, patrolling thebuffer zone and get-ting a clear picture ofthe mission. “I willtry to use my skills inthe most effectiveway possible,” hesays.

Andrii served asthe Head of the Train-ing Centre in thePolice Academy in Kiev and has been on peacekeepingmissions in Georgia and Kosovo. He has university de-grees in law and pedagogy and a Doctorate of Philoso-phy.

Andrii says he is happy to have his wife Yana and 18year old son Illyia with him on this peacekeeping mis-sion as this is the first time they have been able to joinhim on a mission abroad and they have helped him ac-climatize more easily.

An ex professional volleyball player, Andrii continuesto enjoy sporting activities including swimming and ex-ercising in the gym.

Ukraine joins UNPOL ranks

UNFICYP peacekeepers visited children at theTembria Nursery School on 25 October as part ofefforts to raise awareness of UNFICYP’s work on

UN Day.The children of Tembria together with the children of

Korakou Nursery School prepared a petition with thehelp of their teacher calling for peace in Cyprus, “freeof barbed wires where all children can live happily andsafely.” The children who signed the petition with theirthumb prints presented it to Captain Pablo CayetanoPetrocelli, Captain Eduardo Forte and 1st Lt. PabloCarballo from Sector 1.

Captain Petrocelli said that they explained their workas peacekeepers to the children and pointed out thatthey were here to help re-unite the island and that theywould return to their own countries when this wasachieved.

He noted that his daughter Ibi who attends thesame nursery school in Tembria but also has friends inthe Turkish Cypriot community, said she wants all thechildren of Cyprus to play together and in herinnocence said a new language had to be found so thatthey could all understand each other. He explained thatjust as Ibi is learning Greek, so the children of the twocommunities needed to learn each other’s languages sothat they could communicate in the future.

Teacher Charis Maratheftou said the event was heldwithin the framework of lessons held at the school toteach the children about UN Day -- celebrated on 24October -- and to explain to them the role of the UnitedNations in Cyprus. The children prepared paintingsdepicting themselves calling for peace on the island.They also asked the peacekeepers to continue assistingthe two leaders in their efforts to find a solution thatwould make all children of Cyprus happy.

In honour of the peacekeepers the children sang anumber of songs about Cyprus. The peacekeeperspresented the children with gifts from UNFICYP.

The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wallin November had a special resonance inNicosia, famously the “last divided capital in

Europe”. While it is much easier to cross the bufferzone in Cyprus than it ever was to get from one sideof the German city to the other, the decades-long

division of the island is no less painful for its people.As the reproductions below show, the commemora-tion of the events of autumn 1989 in Germanysparked renewed interest in the barrier so manyCypriots are bravely trying to dismantle.

Marking fall of one wall with hopeof dismantling another

By Sonia Wolf (AFP) – Oct 25, 2009

NICOSIA — Shoppers in the capital of the divided Mediterranean is-land of Cyprus sometimes have to take along an extra item with theircredit cards and mobile phones -- their passports.Many of those unable to find what they want in the designer shopsof the southern part of the city often proceed on foot through theLedra Street crossing to browse the shopping lanes of the northern side of old Nicosia.Twenty years after the Berlin Wall fell, symbolising the reunificationof Germany, Nicosia is also peaceful and prosperous.But it remains the world's only divided capital, partitioned horizon-tally across its middle after the failure of numerous attempts to agreepolitical reconciliation.People can and do move freely between north and south on presen-tation of their passport, whether on business, to go shopping or justto have lunch.But after 35 years of division that followed the 1974 invasion just 14years after independence, the island's ethnic Greek and Turkish com-munities remain wary of a unification deal which might be worse thanthe status quo.In the heart of old Nicosia, the Checkpoint Charlie snack bar is farfrom a token gesture to the famous crossing point in Berlin. It adjoinsthe buffer zone separating Greek speakers in the south from Turkishspeakers in the north.A few dozen metres (yards) away stand guard posts where policefrom both sides monitor people crossing to "the other side."The Ledra checkpoint is one of six pedestrian and vehicle crossingsalong the approximately 180-kilometre (112 miles) Green Line thathas divided the island from east to west since 1974.People have only been able to move freely between the two sidessince 2003, and some 850 soldiers from the United Nations still pa-trol the buffer zone dividing the two sectors.Their mission is to prevent flare-ups between forces of the largelyGreek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus, a fully fledged EU and euro cur-rency zone member, and soldiers of the self-proclaimed Turkish Re-public of Northern Cyprus, which is recognised internationally only byTurkey.In recent years the peace has been kept so completely that thegreatest risk facing the UN soldiers is boredom."After a couple of months you can lose motivation because you getfrustrated," said Warrant Officer David Provan, a Scottish soldier incharge of training the UN troops."If you served in Iraq or Afghanistan and you had a lot of tension, alot of rockets, explosions, and you come here and it's quiet you canbecome frustrated and lose motivation."Turkey, whose closest coastline is around 60 kilometres (37 miles)from the northern Cyprus shore, invaded in 1974 in response to acoup aimed at uniting the island with Greece.In the buffer zone of "no man's land" in Nicosia, all that remains arethe shells of once-sumptuous houses, long ago invaded by nature inthe form of cacti or fig and olive trees.Dozens of shops, their metal barriers having last clattered down longago, stand in rows. In an importer's garage Japanese cars that werenew 35 years before now sleep under a thick layer of dust.Time also stands still at Nicosia's former international airport, wherefighting raged in 1974.The stripped shell of a Cyprus Airways Trident airliner, pockmarkedwith bullets, has languished in the heat on the parking apron off therunway for more than three decades.On a mountainside north of the capital, the outline of a giant Turk-ish Cypriot flag 400 metres (yards) across flaunts itself, a daily irri-tation to Greek Cypriots.Students and soldiers reportedly painted the flag at night on stoneswhich were then turned back over in the daytime. When their workwas complete, the painted stones were all unveiled at the same time-- on the day of the Greek national holiday.At night, an illuminated version of the huge flag twinkles brightly, aconstant reminder of the island's continuing division.Direct negotiations between Cyprus President Demetris Christofiasand Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat began in September2008 under UN supervision, a renewed bid to secure a deal after pre-vious efforts failed.But so far the talks have not led to a timetable for a possible deal,let alone any firm unification proposals.According to Jose Diaz, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force inCyprus, "We have a very good chance in this process that we are fa-cilitating now, because both leaders... are very committed to mak-ing this process successful."

20 years after Berlin Wallfell, Nicosia remainsdivided

British UN soldiers stand guard at a gate leading to the green lineseparating the divided Cypriot capital of Nicosia

Abandoned and destroyed houses are seen along the green line sep-arating the divided Cypriot capital of Nicosia

20 years after Berlin Wall fell, Nicosia remains divided Duration

11October/November - Blue Beret10 October/November - Blue Beret

In his latest report on the work of UNFICYP(S/2009/609, available on www.unficyp.org) theSecretary-General commends the work of UNFICYP

over the previous six months and recommends theextension of the mission’s mandate. He writes that theopposing forces have cooperated very well withUNFICYP and that the situation in the buffer zone hasremained stable.

The Secretary-General notes that, from June toNovember, military violations by the opposing forceswere at comparable levels following a reduction inviolations by the Turkish Forces. However, hecontinues, despite a significant relaxation of restrictionsplaced on the movement of UNFICYP militarypersonnel, the continued restriction on the movementof locally-employed United Nations civilian personnelimposed by the Turkish Forces/Turkish Cypriot SecurityForces remains a concern. Regarding the NationalGuard, he records that in June 2009 that force wasresponsible for a violation that subsequently developedinto a serious incident in which two UNFICYP mobilepatrols were threatened with weapons and detained.The incident was remedied by the prompt interventionof the respective Military Observation and LiaisonOfficers, resulting in the immediate release of theUNFICYP personnel.

According to the Secretary-General’s report, theopposing forces continue sporadically to employ low-level tactical measures that provoke reactions from theother side, mostly in the centre of Nicosia. UNFICYPremains optimistic that the military confidence-buildingmeasures it has proposed, such as the unmanningand/or closing of observation posts in areas whereopposing troops are particularly close to one another,as well as agreements for future demining activities,would help improve the situation. To date, the NationalGuard has agreed to these measures, but UNFICYP isstill waiting for concrete steps to be taken by theTurkish Forces/Turkish Cypriot Security Forces.

In addition to its buffer zone stability tasks, themilitary component of UNFICYP has continued tosupport the peace process, including the mobilizationof the UNFICYP Mobile Force Reserve and the ForceMilitary Police Unit in support of over 50 meetingsbetween the two leaders at the premises of the goodoffices mission in the United Nations Protected Area.

Mine-free buffer zoneDemining in the buffer zone is progressing well, with57 of the 72 minefields cleared, the report notes. Atotal of 14,000 mines have been destroyed and morethan 7 square kilometres of land cleared of mines.

The period the report covers also saw a tragedy,however. On 28 October, a civilian contractor of theMine Action Centre, Mozambican Femisberto Novele,was killed in a demining accident, the demining group'sfirst fatality in five years of operation on the island. Theaccident occurred in the buffer zone, some 10 kilome-tres south-east of Nicosia.

Restoration of normal conditions andhumanitarian functions

Cypriots from both sides continued to seek assis-tance from UNFICYP in addressing day-to-day issuesarising from the division of the island that affect theirlives, including in relation to educational matters, thetransfer of deceased individuals, and commemorative,religious and socio-cultural gatherings.

During the period covered in the report, UNFICYPrecorded approximately 928,200 crossings through thebuffer zone, of which 205,100 occurred at the LedraStreet crossing point. Goods worth approximately€237,000 crossed from the south to the north, andgoods worth approximately €2,982,000 crossed in theopposite direction. Both sides have agreed to proceedwith the implementation of the joint project preparedby the two Nicosia municipalities under the NicosiaMaster Plan for the restoration of buildings at LedraStreet. Work in that area is expected to commencesoon.

On 26 June, an agreement was reached by theGreek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders on theopening of a buffer zone crossing at Limnitis/Yeşilirmak(see Blue Beret ...). Technical surveys to determine theamount of work and funds that will be required toupgrade the road has been completed. In the mean-time, the UNFICYP military engineering unit enhancedthe patrol track in this area of the buffer zone to astandard suitable for emergency use by civilian traffic inadvance of the construction of a new road.

UNFICYP also continued to deliver humanitarianassistance to Greek Cypriots and Maronites living in thenorth of the island; facilitate the delivery of textbooksand the appointment of teachers to the elementary andsecondary Greek Cypriot schools in Rizokarpaso, on theKarpas Peninsula in the north; assist Turkish Cypriotsliving in the south with obtaining identity documents,housing, welfare services, medical care, employmentand education; and work with the local authorities andcommunity representatives in Limassol and Paphos tostrengthen support in educational and social areas.

Members of both communities continue to seek touse the buffer zone for various civilian activities,including farming, the maintenance of public andprivate infrastructure, construction and commercialventures. Facilitation of those activities while ensuringstability and maintaining the status quo in the bufferzone remains one of the main challenges facingUNFICYP. Lack of adherence to UNFICYP proceduresregarding civilian activities in the buffer zone anddifferences in the mapping of the buffer zonecontinued to pose problems in the implementation ofthe mandate of the mission.

UNFICYP continued its efforts to assist in maintain-ing good relations and building confidence between theGreek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities in themixed village of Pyla in the buffer zone. To that end,UNFICYP continued to play a mediation role and tomonitor long-standing arrangements establishedbetween the two communities.

Missing personsDuring the reporting period, the Committee on MissingPersons pursued its bicommunal project on theexhumation, identification and return of the remains ofmissing persons. By November 2009, the remains of570 individuals had been exhumed on both sides of thebuffer zone by the Committee's bicommunal teams ofarchaeologists. The remains of over 350 missingpersons had undergone examination at theCommittee's bicommunal anthropological laboratory inthe United Nations Protected Area. After DNA geneticanalysis had been carried out in 1,232 cases by abicommunal team of scientists at the Cyprus Instituteof Neurology and Genetics, the remains of 186 individ-uals were returned to their respective families.

ObservationsDuring the reporting period, the situation in the

buffer zone remained calm, the Secretary-Generalconcludes. The number of military violations has beencomparable to that in the previous reporting period,while the opposing forces have demonstrated restraintand overall good cooperation with UNFICYP. Notwith-standing this, the consistent efforts of UNFICYP toadvance discussions on military confidence-buildingmeasures have so far failed to produce positive results.

The Secretary-General notes with satisfaction that

the Turkish Forces/Turkish Cypriot Security Forces havelifted almost all restrictions on the movement ofUNFICYP personnel. At the same time, he calls for theurgent removal of the remaining restrictions on themovement of locally employed United Nations civilianpersonnel. Freedom of movement for all United Nationspersonnel is a matter of principle to the Organizationand an operational requirement for UNFICYP.

The Secretary-General commends both sides forreaching an agreement on opening theLimnitis/Yeşilirmak crossing and calls for urgent imple-mentation of stage two of the restoration of buildings atthe Ledra Street crossing.

Concerning demining activities, the Secretary-General calls the tragic accident on 28 October areminder of the danger posed by the remaining mine-fields in Cyprus, both inside and outside the bufferzone. He urges both opposing forces to continue tocooperate closely with the United Nations to achieve amine-free buffer zone as soon as possible.

The Secretary-General concludes that it is his firmbelief that UNFICYP continues to play a vital and uniquerole on the island, including in support of his goodoffices mission. He recommends that the SecurityCouncil extend the mandate of the Force for sixmonths, until 15 June 2010.

In a first stand-alone report on his mission of goodoffices in Cyprus since the start of direct talks inSeptember 2008, the Secretary-General says he is

encouraged by the commitment, courage and determina-tion shown by the two leaders despite the considerablechallenges posed by the negotiations and ongoingdomestic criticism in the north and the south directed atthe leaders and the process.

Gaps between the sides have narrowed on a numberof important issues, the Secretary-General continues.However, differences remain, and it is clear that muchwork needs to be done in order to achieve full conver-gence. Implementing in practice the agreed objective of abizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality in aunited Cyprus in which the concerns of both parties aretaken into account and that is, at the same time, functionaland stable, is a considerable challenge. It is ambitious,but it is achievable. Ultimately, the two sides mustcontinue to demonstrate flexibility so as to accommodateeach other's concerns, as no solution can be perfect foreither side. At the same time, the process of negotiationshould not be seen as a "zero-sum game", since both sideswill gain in a united Cyprus.

The Secretary-General notes that it is important thatboth parties create a favourable environment and condi-tions conducive to the continued progress of the talks. Inthis regard, active participation and engagement on thepart of civil society in the effort to achieve a solution andin its implementation will be crucial. Furthermore, theparties will have to be prepared to explain to the people inthe clearest terms the benefits of a solution so that theycan make an informed decision regarding the peace agree-ment.

In this context, the Secretary-General continues, it isnoteworthy that, after the agreement was reached on

nearly two dozen confidence-building measures during thepreparatory phase of the talks, the parties made littleprogress in their implementation of some of those meas-ures during the reporting period. The measures improvethe daily lives of many Cypriots and also assist in facilitat-ing increased interaction between the two communities. Iurge the parties to make greater efforts to implement theconfidence-building measures in order to strengthenintercommunal relations and to build greater public sup-port within the communities for the process. “My overallassessment,” writes the Secretary-General, “is that theparties are making solid progress, and I am cautiouslyoptimistic that a solution can be achieved. On the basis ofwhat has been accomplished so far, the internationalcommunity expects the talks to continue to makesubstantial progress in a timely fashion. The broad outlineand established parameters of a solution are well knownand already articulated by the two sides”. “There is also aclear desire on the part of both sides to reach a settlement,as they have both asserted that the status quo isunacceptable”, according to the Secretary-General. “Inaddition, there is a general acknowledgement that thebenefits of a solution for both sides would be huge,whereas the cost of failure could be high”.

In conclusion, the Secretary-General recalls that thenegotiations are Cypriot-led, and the two sides haveassumed responsibility for and ownership of the process.“The pace at which the negotiations proceed will bedetermined by the two sides alone”, he writes. “I reaffirmthe Organization's steadfast commitment to and supportfor the peace process under the leadership of my SpecialAdviser, and I stand ready to personally assist andfacilitate the negotiations if requested to do so by theparties”.

Good Offices Report

UNFICYP Report

Secretary-General’s reports: Cautious optimi sm and extension of UNFICYP the highlights

13October/November - Blue Beret12 October/November - Blue Beret

The Slovak Engineers prevailed over theircompatriots from SLOVCON (Sector 4) in the UNDay Football Cup Tournament 2009 with a score

of 2-1. SLOVCON took an early lead but did not fazethe Engineers, who had already had to make up a1-0 deficit against HUNCON earlier in the tournamentin order to advance. All involved thanked ForceCommander Real Admiral Mario Sánchez Debernardi

for making the draw and assisting with medal andtrophy presentations, as well as the PROM Office forthe excellent pitch preparation. “Last but not least”,said Evrikos Demetriou, “a massive thank you to allparticipating teams and loyal spectators during thetwo week tournament, which had all the greatingredients that contributed to this successfultournament, as I'm sure it was appreciated by all”.

October was an enjoy-able day planned withthe usual activities plus a

few surprises. The new footballprogramme allowed the staff to joinin the other events on offer as wellas enjoy the delicious BBQ cookedand served up by Michael’s teamfrom the International Cafeteria.

Other annual favourites includedthe backgammon and speed chesscompetitions and who can resist thegripping enigma that is WellieThrowing.This year staff crammedinto the new Bingo tent with Ersin

who did a great job calling out thenumbers making this a definiteregular in the future.

The Transport Unit came up witha variation on last years Big Toygame and the chance to play withthe crane truck by moving a roadcone to two specific targets usingthe remote control with a time trialas a side interest.

However the unexpected high-light of the day turned out to be thePotted Games. Several teams fromthe contingents, a team of localstaff and another from UNPOL

battled it out for first place in onehilarious game after another.

Equally a spectator and competi-tor’s event each game was subtlydesigned to strip away every lastshred of each team member’sdignity. And we loved every singlemoment.

All thanks go to WO2 DavePovey who arranged every singleaspect of this fantastic event.UN Staff Day 2009 was definitelythe most fun and most successfulby far!

Slovak Engineers take UN Day Cup24

15October/November - Blue Beret14 October/November - Blue Beret

Force Command er’s Inspections

FMPU

FMPU

Engineers

MFR

Sector 4

Force Commander Rear Admiral Mario Sanchez Debernardi conducted inspections of all sectors and units inthe last two weeks of October following the major rotations of all contingents. The inspections aimed atassessing the operational capability of the force and ensuring it remains at high standard at all times.

The Force Commander met with the troops of the various contingents and had the opportunity to participate inpatrols as well as visit observation posts and meet with the troops on the ground. During his inspection of theFMPU, the Force Commander was invited to use the Ultralyte Speed Meter device in order to see how efficientthis piece of equipment is in detecting speeding. Under the direction of SSgt Gary Brown, Senior Investigator,the unit then staged a Major Incident scenario and talked the FC through the procedures required to deal withthe most serious of incidents and the necessary steps involved in order to gather all the evidence required to piecetogether how and why such accidents happen.

17October/November - Blue Beret16 October/November - Blue Beret

New faces

Rolando Gómez, a New Yorker of Pe-ruvian origin, joined UNFICYP’s Pub-lic Information Office in October to

assume the post of Public Information Of-ficer. Rolando arrived from Geneva wherehe most recently served as Spokesmanfor the UN Human Rights Council at theOffice of the High Commissioner forHuman Rights. Prior to this he worked in

various capacities in the Department of Public Infor-mation (DPI), both in Geneva and New York, includingmedia focal point for sustainable development,HIV/AIDS, human rights and peacekeeping operations,the latter during a stint in the Spokesman's Office atUNHQ. He has also worked on peacekeeping missionsin Ethiopia/Eritrea and in Timor Leste where he was amember of the team tasked with conducting the voter

education campaign in 1999 leading up to thereferendum that year and eventual independence ofthat country. Rolando served as a Spokesman for thefirst and second UN Internet Governance Forums, heldin Athens and in Rio de Janeiro, in 2006 and 2007, re-spectively, and has worked with OCHA in promotingdisaster reduction strategies following the 2005 SouthAsian Tsunami. He has also worked as a press officerin DPI and has supported the Spokespersons travellingwith the Secretary-General on official visits. Before joining the UN in 1992, Rolando worked in theadvertising and film industries in New York. Rolo, ashe prefers to be called, plays the guitar and is an avidtennis player. He greatly looks forward to his wifeCecilia and son Teo joining him on the island in thecoming months.

Lt.Col. Igor Dobrovic arrived inUNFICYP on 23 September 2009 totake up the post of the Force

Engineer. He was born in the beautifulregion of the rural Low Tatras mountainrange in central Slovakia. There he spenthis childhood and teenage years beforejoining the army. He graduated theSlovak Air Force Academy in 1989 and

during his military career he has achieved a number ofmilitary awards and honors. He has served in different

units of the Slovak Armed Forces as CompanyCommander, Chief of the Airbase Field Support ServiceBranch and as Chief of Logistics Operations PlanningDepartment at the General Staffs of the Slovak ArmedForces. He has attended many logistics and foreignoperations courses that he subsequently applied in hismilitary career. Lt.Col. Dobrovic is married to Iris andthey have a son Daniel who is 18 years old. In his freetime he enjoys swimming, cycling, listening to musicand reading books.

Lt Col Csaba Vysztavel arrived in Cyprus on 23 Sep-tember 2009, taking up the position of UNFICYPLiaison Officer for Turkish Forces. This is his first

UN mission, but second overseas mission overall. In2008 he served in the NATO mission in the Uruzganprovince of Afghanistan as a CIMIC staff officer in theDutch Provincial Reconstruction Team. Lt Col Vysztavelwas born in 1961 in Bratislava. He graduated from theMilitary Technical Academy in 1989, as a specialist forradiolocation, and joined the former Czechoslovak AirForces in Plzeň as a technical support officer for airfieldradars. In 1998 he again attended the MilitaryAcademy for studies this time in andragogics, and

graduated in 2003. During his studieshe changed profession and went towork for the social and psychologicalservices branch of the Air Force Head-quarters in Zvolen. In 2005 he wasappointed as a chief of CIMIC andPSYOPS Section in the OperationsBranch of the General Staff of theSlovak Armed Forces. Lt Col Vysztavelis married to Melinda and they have a daughter Orsolya(17) and son Marcell (16). He enjoys mountain biking,playing tennis and watching documentary movies.

Maj Mick Nichol took over the post of OC of theMobile Force Reserve on 1 October 2009. Mickjoined the Army in February 1979 as a driver at

8 Regt RCT in Munster. After spending the majority ofhis non-commissioned service in Germany with theField Army, he was commissioned from the RegimentalSergeant Major appointment of 13 Air Assault SupportRegiment Royal Logistic Corps in May 2000, and wassubsequently posted to 79 Port Clearance SquadronRoyal Logistic Corps as Second in Command. During hismilitary service he has deployed on operations toNorthern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Greece inaddition to exercises in USA, Canada, Denmark, Spain

and Hungary. He completed theIntermediate Command and StaffCourse in May 2007 before assumingthe post of SO2 Training Operations 1 atthe Defence College of Logistics andPersonnel Administration. During thistime he was responsible for managingthe Recruit Allocation Plan for the RoyalLogistic Corps and Adjutant GeneralsCorps. Maj Nichol is married to Jackie for 27 years andthey have two grown up children, Alan (25) and Kirsty(19). His interests include Football, Skiing and Mo-torhomes.

Lt Col Ferenc Sándor took over the post of DCOSector 4 in September while at the same timetaking on the role of CO of the Hungarian

Contingent. Born in Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary in1962 Ferenc attended the former Máté Zalka MilitaryPolytechnic College in Budapest in 1980 and com-missioned into a radar base of the Hungarian NationalAir Defence in 1984 where he served in different posi-tions as radar specialist until 2001. Since 2001 he hasbeen working for the HDF 12th “Arrabona” Surface-to-Air Missile Wing and its predecessors. His last positionwas the CO of the Command and Controll Battalion,prior to that he also was appointed as battalion CoSand Chief Engineer. He participated in a Live FiringExercise in Poland in 2005 and worked jointly on the

integration of the Hungarian SAMsystems to the NATINADS. He attendedspecialised radar and IFF courses inRussia in 1986 and 1989 and was acorrespondence student of the MiklósZrínyi Military Academy from 1999 till2002. He feels himself fortunate to beserving for a second time in Cyprus,having first deployed for a six monthtour in 2006. Ferenc has been married to Erzsébet for24 years and they have two daughters (23, 19) and ason (15). He is interested in reading, exploring histor-ical sights and nature. he likes to play football and is aqualified referee.

Lt Col Paul Stockdale arrived at the end of Septem-ber to take up the appointment of Chief Personneland Logistic Officer. Born in the North of England

he joined the Army in 1982, and was commissioned into The Royal Corps of Transport. He served his first 5years in Germany with a Heavy Lift Transport and thena Tank Transporter Regiment, during which time he didan attachment with a sister French regiment. On returnto UK he qualified as Second in Command of one of thethree ocean-going Landing craft and served at sea for3 years. Subsequently he served as an Ops Officer,Logistic Brigade Plans Officer and Adjutant of a ReserveUnit. He commanded 12 Artillery Support Squadronand then became Senior Instructor at the School ofLogistics and SO2 Combat Service Support at the UKBrigade Training Unit. His last Regimental tour was as

Second-in-Command 27 Regt RLC, afterwhich he was promoted. He joinsUNFICYP on completion of 3 years in theMinistry of Defence in London as an SO1planning future UK Deployment, Recep-tion and Sustainment capability. He hasdeployed on operations in NorthernIreland, Bosnia, and Iraq and has beeninvolved with exchange appointmentswith the Australian, French and US Forces and formedtraining teams to support Polish, Georgian and KenyanArmed Forces. He is happily married to Tracy and theyhave two teenage children; Vicky (17), and Tom (19).Lt Col Stockdale is a keen mountain biker and horserider, skier and sailor and a great rugby fan.

Lt Col David Albon assumed commandof Sector 2 on 1st October 2009.Born in September 1968 in the UK,

Lt Col Albon spent the majority of hisyounger years living and studying inKenya. He then moved to the UK wherehe studied for a degree in ModernEuropean Studies, before attending theRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst and

commissioning into the Royal Corps of Transport in1991. Following a number of squadron appointments inGermany, Lt Col Albon returned to the UK as theAdjutant of an Airmobile Combat Service Support Bat-talion in 1996. Since then, he has completed several

tours including SO3 G4 of a Brigade Headquarters,Officer Commanding of a Brigade Support Squadron,SO2 G4 Plans in a Divisional Headquarters, DirectingStaff at the UK Staff College and OF4 Training Policy forLogistics. He attended the UK Staff College in 2000.During his career Lt Col Albon has deployed on anumber of operations including Northern Ireland,Bosnia and Iraq. Lt Col Albon is currently the Com-manding Officer of 27 Regiment, the Royal LogisticCorps and deploys to Cyprus with his regiment as theincoming Sector 2 United Nations Roulement Regiment.Lt Col Albon is married to Martine and has a 4 year oldson George. His interests include military history, allsports, skiing, and travelling widely.

Maj Paul Holder arrived in UNFICYPon 24 September to take up thepost of Deputy Commander Sector

2. He was commissioned into the RoyalCorps of Transport in Dec 1991. Followinga tour with the Allied Rapid ReactionCorps, Support Battalion, he became theOperations Officer for the NorthernIreland Logistic Regiment. Subsequently,

after a tour at HQ LAND as the SO3 Log Sp Ops(responsible for Operational Commitments), he wasappointed Military Assistant to the Lord Mayor ofLondon. After a year at Shrivenham on the AdvancedInformation Systems Course, he was selected to be aProject Manager for the Queen’s Golden JubileeCelebrations. This was followed by a post in the office

of the Assistant Chief Defence Staff (Log), where hemanned the Logistics Desk during the 2003 invasion ofIraq. His sub unit command was in London as theOfficer Commanding 20 Logistic Support Sqn andCommanding Officer of Regents’ Park Barracks.MajHolder’s last post was in the Army Personnel Centre asthe RLC Captains’ Desk Officer. He started with 27Regt RLC as the OC 8 Fuel Sqn in Jun 07 where hedeployed as OC of the Combat Service Support, Oper-ational Monitoring and Liaison Team in Afghanistan;later becoming the Regt 2IC in Jun 08. Having beenselected for promotion to Lt Col, on his departure fromSector 2, he will become the SO1 Logistic Support Op-erations in the HQ Land Forces.He enjoys canoeing,skiing and trekking. His interests are travel and pho-tography.

Public Information Officer

Commanding Officer Sector 2

Chief Personnel and Logistics Officer

OC Mobile Force Reserve

Deputy Commanding Officer Sector 4

Deputy Commander Sector 2

Liaison Officer for Turkish Forces

Force Engineer

19October/November - Blue Beret18 October/November - Blue Beret

Children’s Halloween party

The Annual Chil-dren’s HalloweenParty was held on

Monday 19 October atthe Nicosia Library. Thechildren all looked fan-tastic in their fancy dress– there were monsters,pirates, witches, devils,ghosts, vampires andfairies to name but afew. It was a very diffi-cult decision for MrsTracy Stockdale whovery kindly judged thecompetition but in theend it was SamuelThomas dressed as

Frankenstein who won! Mrs (Good Witch) MelAlderson supervised thegame ‘Pin the Nose onthe Witch’ that was wonby Caitlan Dyke. TheGhost colouring competi-tion was won by MeghanDyke.All of the above winnerseach received a €15book voucher from TheSolonion Bookshop inNicosia. A big thank youalso goes to Mrs KrissyThomas for her delicioushomemade Halloweencakes.

Fireworks night

The annual International Fireworks Night washeld on 30 October 2009. As with previousyears the event attracted members of theUNFICYP community, their friends andfamilies as well as members of the diplomaticcommunity.

The event was held at the UNPA airfield in thevicinity of the old Air Traffic Control tower.

The event went off smoothly in large partthanks to the organizers, the British Propertymanager - Maj. Paul Anderson and CPLO Lt.Col. Paul Stokedale but of cause a lot of hardand dirty preparation work done was carriedout by members of the MFR, the Slovakengineers, the Fire unit and FMPU.

The proceeds from the event will be given tothe families of the late Femisberto Novele, amember of the Mine Action Centre Cyprus(MACC) who was killed in an deminingaccident on 28 October 2009 and SergeantAntonioi David Ojeda who died in a trafficaccident on 27 November 2009. (see relatedarticles on page 6).

Kiki’s farewell

Visits

Kyoko Shiotani, better known to her friends andcolleagues as Kiki, left UNFICYP in earlyNovember after three years of remarkable work

as head of the Civil Affairs Branch. Chief of MissionTaye-Brook Zerihoun put it best when he said, during afarewell function on 26 October, that working with Kikihad been a pleasure and a privilege. Kiki has sincetaken up her new duties as regional UN ombudsman,based in Vienna. We wish her and her family all thebest.

Slovak Chief of general staff - Gen ĽubomírBULÍK and Hungarian Chief of generalstaff - Gen László TÖMBÖL visited UNFICYP

between 20-22 November. The two Generalsinspected an honour guard on arrival at UNICYPbefore meeting with Chief of Mission Tayé-BrookZerihoun and Force Commander Rear AdmiralMario Sanchez Debernardi. This was followed bymeetings with their country’s respective contin-gents serving in Cyprus.

Austrian Ambassador, Mr. Martin WEISSand the Austrian Defence Attache ColNikolaus Egger visited Sector 1 on 11

November 2009, accompanied by the COOLtCol Ricardo Beldi and CO AUSCON LtColBernhard Theissel. The visit included a tourand briefing on the full area of responsibilityof Sector 1 by the CO Sector 1, LtCol CarlosM. Michel.

British Minister of State forForeign and CommonwealthAffairs Christopher John

Bryant, accompanied by BritishHigh Commissioner, Peter Millet wereextended the usual courtesies duringtheir visit to UNFICYP on 23November 2009. The delegation metwith Chief of Mission Tayé-BrookZerihoun and Force Commander RearAdmiral Mario Sanchez Debernardi.

Remembrance Day11 November 2009