The restoration works of the Deryneia - Famagusta road and the opening of the local roadblock are in the final stretch, since the only thing left is the repair of a part of the road located in the Dead Zone, about 250 meters long.
The part of the road that is in the free areas has been repaired by the Department of Public Works of the Republic, which is now dealing with the setting up of the Police outpost and the Customs Department of the other auxiliary premises. The part located in the occupied area has also been repaired, but the occupation army outpost remains to be moved backwards in order to achieve the widening of the road. This is the outpost located at the place where Solomos Solomou was assassinated in August 1996 when he tried to lower the Turkish flag from the mast.
Based on the practice that was valid in the case of the other roadblocks, the repair of the section located in the Dead Zone will be undertaken by a consortium consisting of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot companies, and the costs will be paid by the European Union and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). UNDP).
"We are waiting for the funds from the EU and the tenders for expression of interest from consortia will be announced soon," said a competent source. It is estimated that the remaining work requires a period of time not exceeding three months. However, the Turks demand that the Deryneia roadblock be opened at the same time as the Lefka (Apliki) roadblock, as provided for in the Anastasiadis-Akinci decision dated 25 May 2015.
Information from the occupied territories states that many local actors and businessmen of occupied Famagusta are exerting pressure and demanding that the Deryneia roadblock be opened before the tourist season, in anticipation of an increase in visitors from the free areas. Mustafa Akinci has been widely criticized in the occupied territories for not opening a single roadblock during his two years in charge of the occupied territories.
In Lefka there is a delay because there are difficulties due to the morphology of the soil. The road in the free areas that need restoration is three kilometers long while the part located in the Dead Zone is 300 meters. The contractor who undertook the project in the territory of the Republic has been selected and the works will begin soon, which if there is no overthrow is expected to be completed by the end of the year. To avoid delays, Democracy appeared willing to restore the part of the road that is inside the Dead Zone.
"This part is very difficult, it is rude," said a competent source. The delay is also due to the fact that this is a forest area where they live and wild, which is why studies are needed for any effects on the environment. The demining process in the Lefka area was completed a year ago by the UN Mine Action Agency (UNMAS), which informed the technical committee responsible for opening the roadblocks that there were no mines in the Deryneia area.
More are pending
Before the Technical Committee for the roadblocks there is the request of the e / k side for opening several other passages (in the base of the Confidence Building Measures proposed by President Anastasiadis in June 2015) on the old road Aglantzias-Athienou, in Tillyria, in Pyli Paphos and the opening of a roadblock in eastern Nicosia. The Technical Committee gave priority to the Deryneia and Lefka roadblocks for which it received terms of reference from the two leaders with the agreement of 25 May 2015.
In one month, 14 years have passed since the partial lifting of the ban on movement to and from the occupied territories. On April 23, 2003, Rauf Denktash decided to open the roadblock of Ledra Palace, while a few days later the roadblocks of Pergamon and Strovilia were opened. During the presidency, Christofias opened the roadblock on Ledra Street in Nicosia and Kampos-Limnitis.
Source: Liberal