Cinderella Demonstration - 9 July 2003

No to Passports, No to Cinderella time, No limit to friendships!

Yes to URGENT SOLUTION!

Hands Across the Divide, the first joint women’s NGO with members from both the Turkish- Cypriot and the Greek- Cypriot communities demonstrated together on the 9th of July in Nicosia, at the Ledra Palace checkpoint.to say “NO TO PASSPORTS IN CROSSING THE LINE, NO CINDERELLA TIME, NO RESTRICTION AND LIMITS TO FRIENDSHIPS! YES TO AN URGENT SOLUTION!”

The partial opening of the “Green Line”, though offering opportunities for the two communities to come together, cannot substitute for a solution of the Cyprus problem.

As women of Cyprus they demonstrated together to protest with one voice against the insistence of authorities to restrict the movement they themselves say they ‘allow freely’. Their insistence of Turkish-Cypriot authorities that Greek-Cypriots show passports to travel in their own country prevents many of them from visiting the northern part of Cyprus... At the same time, the checks the the Greek-Cypriot authorities put Turkish-Cypriots through each time they pass the “Green Line” create discomfort... The crossings could be made more people-friendly and more passing points could be opened for Cypriots to enjoy their own country without having to wait in lines and go through bureaucratic procedures. The Turkish-Cypriot authorities’ insistence that Turkish-Cypriots have to be back in the north by midnight like Cinderellas, also creates discomfort. As women of this country we don’t accept any restrictions or limitations on our freedom of movement. Cyprus is our common country and our common struggle is for the reunification and restructuring of life on this island.

Standing and demonstrating together, they stressed that only a political settlement would normalize the relationships between Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots and an urgent solution is needed in order to allow the whole of Cyprus to enter the EU in May 2004.

They called on all parties concerned to do their utmost for the humanization of the crossings, to get rid of all bureaucratic procedures and to lift time restrictions; demanding free access for all citizens throughout Cyprus.

There was a call on all parties concerned to start a meaningful negotiation process, addressing the concerns and wishes of all citizens, including especially youth and women, and to have these reflected in a final solution of the political problem for which the need is decisively urgent.