Cypriot exiles make emotional return

A woman who fled her home in northern Cyprus in 1974 as the Turkish army approached returned to her village for the first time yesterday.

Maroula Mihaili, now 75 and a widow, left Yerolacos with her husband and daughter, then six, carrying just one bag.

She discovered yesterday that her house was practically unchanged. The Turkish Cypriot family living there had kept many of her possessions intact.

"It was as if they were waiting for this day,'' she said. They had kept her crockery, a grandfather clock, her cutlery and even a stack of wedding photographs. "I wasn't expecting to be able to see any of these again. I wasn't even sure my house would be standing but it was almost all there.

"It was emotional for us and them. There was a lot of crying and hugging."

The reunification of Cyprus may lack the scale of the fall of the Berlin Wall but, for Greek and Turkish Cypriots, the simple act of crossing the border is revolutionary. Braving long queues and traffic jams, thousands of jubilant Cypriots have made the trip across the border since it opened four days ago for the first time since 1974.

Escorted by their children and grandchildren, hundreds of frail elderly Cypriots have come to visit homes and haunts they thought they would never see again. "It was my one wish that I see my home before I die," said Mrs Mihaili, who lives in Limassol in the south.

The surge of people crossing the border has taken officials on both sides by surprise. "We weren't ready for this," said one police officer at the checkpoint. At the barricades, where hundreds of people waited patiently to cross, the atmosphere was like that of a giant wedding celebration.

Many Greek Cypriots spent the night in their cars, waiting for the 9am opening. Turkish Cypriots are not yet allowed to cross by car. In the queues, there was much laughter and translation of basic vocabulary. People in cars waved and honked their horns. Many clutched bouquets of flowers and bottles of brandy to offer the families now living in their former houses.

The day was too emotional for some. "My wife decided not to come with us," said Prokopis Pattakis, an architect from Nicosia who made the journey to show his daughter her mother's hometown. "She's just not psychologically ready yet."

Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, announced the opening of the border to day trips on Monday. His surprise gesture was dismissed by Greek Cypriot officials and the Turkish Cypriot opposition, who said it was a ploy to appease his populace. Mr Denktash has come under fire at home and abroad for refusing to reach an agreement on a UN-sponsored plan to reunite the island. Thousands of Turkish Cypriots have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against his intransigence and urge him to step down. His son, Serdar Denktash, was the man credited with the decision to open the border.

Metin Munir, a Turkish Cypriot commentator, said: "What they have done ... is they have finally let the people have their way. There was a real fear among the Turkish Cypriot leadership that if they did not do something to ease the pressure, people would take matters into their own hands."

Officials hope this move will be followed by an opening up of trade between the two communities. But time is tight, as the southern part of the island is due to become a full EU member in May 2004.

Previous talks broke down early this year over arguments about land and population exchanges, dashing hopes that a united Cyprus would join the EU. Many feel the UN peace plan – the latest of many – is one that could work. Esref Vayiz, a Turkish opposition politician, said: "Both my father and grandfather were killed in fighting. But I think both sides have learnt the hard way that violence is not an answer. The UN plan is fair and should be kept on the negotiating table."

Proof of the goodwill between the communities is that no violence or hostility has been reported since the border was opened. Mr Vayiz said: "It has been very emotional, but people have been overwhelmed by the sense of good feeling."

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

For younger generations, there is a sense that reunification is just around the corner. In the meantime, cross-border freedom is a great excuse to have fun. Cafés and pubs in the harbour town of Kyrenia, on the Turkish side, were overflowing with youths from both sides.

At a bar called the Green House, teenagers ordered each other beer and made awkward conversation in English.

"We went there yesterday. Today, they have come here," said Huseyin Dogru, a student aged 17. "We're getting along just fine. Now the next step needs to be a formal agreement."