An article written by Agni Hasabi who lives in Germany - she is a member of the
executive of the German Cyprus Forum. On June 26th, 2000 she  sent it to all big
newspapers, TV, Radios, News Agencies. She also sent it to the Ministry of exterior
and to the German Parliament. You can use the article in any way you think will be
helpful. 

-------------

Former neighbours meet each other for the first time after 26 years
Young people bring the older generation together on the divided island of Cyprus
by Agni Hasabi

For the first time, Greek and Turkish Cypriots meet their old neighbours and
friends from the other side of the Green Line. People who have not seen each other
for 26 and partly for 40 years are to meet in a park outside Pyla, the only place
in Cyprus that one can reach from both sides. 

The idea came after a very successful festival, that teenagers from both sides of
the divided island organised together. More than a 1000 people, mostly young
people, participated at that festival on the 26th of March 2000. There was dancing
from folklore groups from both sides, poetry reading, modern music by a bi-communal
band, singing by the bi-communal choir and different other events (a web site of
this project can be found at: http://agrino.org/pyla2000/pergamos/ ). At that time,
the teenagers had said "this is only the beginning". 

For weeks now, the teenagers are en route in towns and villages re-establishing the
relations between old friends. There is great response. Lists are made with persons
one wants to meet and personal messages are sent per e-mail. The people are
impatiently waiting for a response to their message. 
"Yiannis is greeting his friend Hussein and would like to hear news from him. His
house was behind the coffee shop and he would like to have a picture of it, if it
is possible". (Names changed).
"I am greeting Mehmet who saved my life in 1955" (Name changed).
"Tell our former Turkish Cypriot co-villagers that we took pictures of all their
houses; we will bring the pictured to the meeting".

The teachers Ulus Irkad and Nicos Anastasiou help co-ordinate the work of the
teenagers in their project.

"Despite the violence and the pain, there is a lot of positive experiences
slumbering in the hearts of the people" says Nicos. "The enthusiasm with which the
people welcome our project gives us the strength to keep going".

After the unrest and violence between the ethnic groups in the sixties, the Turkish
Cypriots retreated in enclaves. When in 1974 the Junta governing in Athens at that
time tried to annex Cyprus, Turkey occupied the north of the island. 180.000 Greek
Cypriots fled to the south of the island and about 50.000 Turkish Cypriots moved
from the south to the north.

The 1st of July is the big day. In a park outside the village of Pergamos, Cypriots
from both sides will be coming to meet each other. There will be signs with the
names of villages and towns that had mixed population placed in a
"geographical" order so that the people can find each other more easily. The two
children suffering from leukaemia, Andreas and Kemal, are not forgotten. At a
corner a blood donating procedure will take place. The right marrow donor has not
yet been found.  
Despite all the difficulties of this ambitious project that aims to show that in a
divided country the people can be united the organisers are optimistic. Nicos never
stops telling everyone that "we shall overcome". Ulus says, "I am not afraid... I
am doing what is necessary for the good of our common country".