As wall crumbles, Cyprus suddenly gets larger

Cyprus's tense ceasefire line appeared to be crumbling yesterday as thousands of people crossed the border to visit places that have been off limits to them for nearly 30 years.

Long queues formed either side of the checkpoint in Nicosia, one of the world's last divided capitals, a day after restrictions on north-south crossings were lifted for the first time since the Mediterranean island was partitioned in 1974.

A wall of mistrust, created and fostered by intercommunal bloodshed and years of estrangement, started showing cracks as excited Greek and Turkish Cypriots mingled at the border.

"People are like rivers, you can't stop them," one Turkish Cypriot said.

For Greek Cypriots, the harbour town of Kyrenia was suddenly a mere 20-minute trip over the mountains north of Nicosia.

But there was a long wait first. "I've been here for six hours, but I think it is well worth the wait," said Greek Cypriot Maria Socratous, 36, as she sat in a four kilometres traffic jam leading to the Nicosia checkpoint.

There was as much excitement on the other side of the border.

"Overall this is a very historic event... I just really hope there is no violence." said Ipek Kasapoglu, a 22-year-old Turkish Cypriot woman.

"This is a very good thing to bring the two communities back together and we will be able to see a place we haven't seen for 29 years," added Oguz Gormen.

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash authorised opening checkpoints for day trips on Tuesday, to bolster confidence between the two sides after the collapse of UN-brokered peace talks last month.

The talks foundered amid arguments over land and population exchanges, ending hopes that a united Cyprus, rather than just the Greek Cypriots, could join the European Union in May 2004.

By mid-afternoon yesterday, more than 700 Turkish Cypriots had crossed to the south, and 1,508 Greek Cypriots to the north, according to Greek Cypriot police.

But a Turkish Cypriot police officer said well over 3,000 Greek Cypriots had visited the north by lunchtime. He put the number of Turkish Cypriots crossing south at 550.

As word of entry spread yesterday, long queues formed on either side of a UN-manned checkpoint at the Ledra Palace, a former luxury hotel and now quarters for British peacekeepers.

The flow was expected to increase as Greek Cypriots head into a four-day break for Orthodox Easter from today.

Police reported there were more than 1,000 cars waiting to cross another checkpoint in the southeast of the island.

The Green Line stretches for 180 kilometres across the northern part of Cyprus with four crossing points, the main one in Nicosia.

Many Greek Cypriots wanted to visit their old homes. Angelica Di Fazio, an expatriate from the United States, recalled the visit of one Greek Cypriot to a house she leases in the village of Karni, nestled in the mountains above Kyrenia.

"I heard someone at my courtyard gate. As soon as I saw the man I knew he was a Greek Cypriot. He was hesitant, shy and asked if he could look around. It just opened my heart. I said, welcome home."

Some canny businessmen were already eyeing profits; Turkish Cypriot car insurers were the first to benefit.

"I was charged five pounds for a cover note which I was later told normally costs just a pound," said Jeanu Thomas, who visited northern Nicosia with his family on Wednesday night.

One Greek Cypriot openly inquired about the cost of heating fuel. "It must be cheaper over there," he said with a wink.

Diplomats were cautious about the impact the events would have on the UN talks. "This is a great start, but it has to be sustained. Opening the border on its own cannot replace a settlement," a Western diplomat said.

Turkish Cypriot opposition leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed. "This is extraordinary, but this cannot be a substitute for a solution," he said.

The Turkish Cypriot north and the Greek Cypriot south have lived apart since a Turkish invasion in 1974 in response to a brief Greek Cypriot coup backed by Athens. A nine-nation UN peacekeeping force guards the dividing line.

The north is a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state recognised only by Ankara.