THE STORY OF A BRIDGE
By Erdal Safak

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Jan 9 2007

SABAH- Lokmaci Bridge in Lefkosa, located between the Turkish and
Greek Cypriot sides, is now swarming with foreign and domestic
journalists. All the reporters ask everybody who crosses the bridge
if it will be demolished or not. If things go on this way, Lokmaci
will be more famous than the Kwai Bridge. Lokmaci is an important
issue but there are certain odd details about it. During the Christmas
massacre of 1963, Turkish Cypriots established a barrier in the area
which today is called the Green Line. The barrier, which took its name
from a local Armenian seller of Lokma cakes, was protected by Turkish
security officers until the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation. Afterwards, it
was transferred to the responsibility of the armed forces. Meanwhile,
the Greek Cypriots established their own barriers and thus a bilateral
separation emerged.

Although the peace and unification plan prepared by UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan was rejected by the Greek Cypriots in
an April 2004 referendum, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
President Mehmet Ali Talat, who has continued the TRNC’s policy
of opening up barriers, removed the Lokmaci Bridge as a gesture at
the end of 2005. However, there was a problem. The region was both
a shopping area and a military zone. In other words, people were
shopping there, while there were armed patrols. This situation was
scaring Greek Cypriots who went to the Turkish side to shop. The
solution was to build a bridge so civilians could pass on the upper
level and soldiers below. This idea was quickly implemented thanks
to funds provided by the Turkish Embassy’s Aid Foundation. Small shop
owners enjoyed this situation like a festival.

Then, as part of solution policies, Talat decided to dismantle
Lokmaci Bridge in order to open a new passage between the two sides
and end Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos’ complaints that
Turks were disturbing the buffer zone. The UN, US and EU applauded
this decision. The EU even wanted to pay for the dismantling and
promised to give 100 euros for this. Again small shop owners welcomed
the decision. In sum, Lokmaci Gate was established with Turkish
Republic funds and it will be destroyed with EU funds. Shop owners
celebrated while it was being established and destroyed. Papadopoulos
first expressed his approval and then said that if it is destroyed,
he would remove their barrier. However, when Greek Cypriot shop owners
said that the Turkish side was cheaper, he changed his mind and made
the situation more difficult by saying that the soldiers in the area
should withdraw, mines and dangerous substances should be cleared,
buildings on both sides should be repaired, and door front symbols of
the ‘so-called’ Turkish state should be removed. After he laid down
these conditions, Greek Cypriot shop owners started to celebrate. In
other words, Turkish shop owners are happy that Lokmaci Bridge will
be removed and Greek Cypriot shop owners are glad that their own
barriers aren’t being destroyed. The current situation is this. Work
to remove Lokmaci Bridge will start today. However, no new gate will
be opened. Is this situation at all understandable?