Published monthly by the Public InformationOffice of the United Nations PeacekeepingForce in Cyprus, HQ UNFICYP, PO Box21642, Nicosia 1590, Cyprus.

Tel: 22-864550/22-864416/22-864408Fax: 22-864461E-mail: unficyp-blue-beret@un.org

blueberetcyprus@hotmail.comWeb site: www.unficyp.org

Editorial TeamBrian KellyMaj. Ingrid TomekováMiriam TaylorPhotographySSgt. George CséfalvayContingent Photographers

Unit Press OfficersSector 1 Maj. German LozanoSector 2 Capt. Ali SimmonsSector 4 Lt. Ladislav RegendaUNCIVPOL Garda Alice Tierney

Supt. Marty PlimHQ UNFICYP Maj. John HuntUN Flt Lt. Mauricio OrtizMFR Capt. Garrett O’LearyFMPU Capt. Fiona SmithThe Blue Beret is the in-house journal ofthe United Nations Peacekeeping Force inCyprus. The views expressed are those ofthe authors concerned, and do not neces-sarily conform with official policy.Articles of general interest are invited fromall members of the Force. Photographs,together with captions, should accompanythe articles.The copyright of all material in this journalis vested in United Nations Publications.Any article or illustration may be repro-duced with the written permission of theEditor.

TH

EB

LU

EB

ER

ET

Th

e m

agaz

ine

for

UN

FIC

YP

’s c

ivili

an, m

ilita

ry a

nd

po

lice

per

son

nel

2 May 2003 - The Blue Beret

Giving Peace A ChanceMay 29 has been designated the first Interna-tional Day of United Nations Peacekeepers bythe UN General Assembly in tribute “to all themen and women who have served and continueto serve in UN peacekeeping operations, as wellas to honour the memory of those who have losttheir lives in the cause of peace”.The date marks the day in 1948 when the firstUN peacekeeping mission, the United NationsTruce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) beganoperations with a group of unarmed militaryobservers in Palestine.As the Secretary-General said in a special broad-cast message to peacekeepers around the world,the mission of UN peacekeeping remains vital.While “peacekeeping by itself cannot end a war... it can prevent a recurrence of fighting. Aboveall, it gives time and space for conflict resolu-tion. It gives peace a chance”.Today, and as the Day itself was being observedaround the world, peacekeepers fulfil roles asmilitary observers, trainers and disarmament ex-perts, civilian police, civil administrators, judgesand prosecutors, economists, human rights andhumanitarian workers.Others perform the more traditional peacekeep-ing functions of monitoring ceasefires andbuffer zones in 14 missions on three continents.UNFICYP, the UN’s third-oldest peacekeepingmission, is among these.In the past 55 years, 1,819 United Nations peace-keepers – civilian and military – have died whileon mission, 172 of them while serving withUNFICYP.While most were the victims of accidents orillness, 583 were the casualties of hostileactivities. All paid the supreme sacrifice in theservice of peace.On this special anniversary, we salute them.

Ed

ito

ria

l

Front Cover: Crossing the DivideBack Cover: ANZAC Day

Contents

3May 2003 - The Blue Beret

Editorial/Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Back to the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Two Sectors – One Aim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4/5Baghdad to Larnaca (and back...)/

Playing at the Palace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6UNFICYP Wedding/A Special Day in Varisha . . . . . .7Cultural Heritage of Cyprus: Part XII

The Mountaintop Refuge of Kantara Castle . . . . .8.9The Hard Rock Cafe/

UNCIVPOL Medal Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Artists of the World Unite! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Air Crash Exercise/

Green Line – Virtual Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12A Tribute to Štefánik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Three Finns and a Sauna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14/15

Thousands ofGreek Cypriotsand Turkish

Cypriots, many visiblymoved, began crossingfrom one side to theother of the dividedisland on 23 April,following theannounced easing ofrestrictions by theTurkish side the daybefore. For many, itwas a journeyback to thehomes they leftin 1974. Forall, it was atentative stepinto the future.

ActingSRSG andUNFICYPChief ofMission,ZbigniewWlosowicz,welcomed thecrossings whilespeaking with reportersin the buffer zonebetween the LedraCheckpoints. “This isa very important dayfor Cyprus. For manyyears, Cypriots werenot able to move freelythroughout the island.We hope that it will befollowed by more goodthings and thatit will contri-bute to reconci-liation”, he said.

Press reportsindicated thatsome 2,900Turkish Cyp-riots and 1,750Greek Cypriotsmade the cross-ing between9:00 am andmidnight on thefirst day, asCypriots wentcautiously back to thefuture.

The initial tricklequickly became a flow,spurred on by the co-incidence of the GreekOrthodox Easter holi-day weekend withsome 18,000 peoplepassing through theLedra Palace crossingpoint in one day.

As we go topress, some 242,000Greek Cypriots havemade the journeynorth while morethan 158,000Turkish Cypriotshave travelled south.

To help ensuresafe passage throughthe various crossingpoints in the bufferzone, UNFICYPwas at full stretchfrom day one

working closely with therelevant Greek Cypriot andTurkish Cypriot authorities.Sector 2, with only 24hours’ notice at the outset,was in the centre of thingsin devising the beststrategy to get the peopleacross as quickly andsafely as possible.

Troops from Sector 2 andMFR spent long,hot, dusty hours onduty, reassuring thewaiting crowds,distributing water,and even erecting ashaded walkway onthe stretch betweenthe Ledra check-points to help thelong queues copewith the unsea-sonably warmweather.

Since then,three new crossing pointshave been established atAyios Dometios/Metehan,Pergamos and the 2.5 MileGate.

Like their Sector 2colleagues, UNFICYP’sengineers were quick offthe mark to help ease thetraffic congestion as newcrossing arrangements

meant that vehiclescrossing in Nicosiawould switch toAyios Dometios/Metehan whileofficial vehiclescontinued to useLedra, makinguse of the newlylaid gravel roadparallel to the“pedestrianised”old link road inthe buffer zonethere.

Bac

k to

the

Fut

ure

Bac

k to

the

Fut

ure

Preparing the “Ledra Highway”

Media inspect new crossing point at AyiosDometios/Metehan

Eager to cross

Chief of Mission with Sector 2 peacekeeper/traffic director at the Ledra crossing

Watching the crowds

May 2003 - The Blue Beret4 5May 2003 - The Blue Beret

Maj. Milan Kukuk of Slovakia is an air defencespecialist with 23 years army service. He ismarried to Emilia and they have two children

Veronika, 18, and Martin, 17. He is no stranger to theUnited Nations, having been one of eight Slovakianobservers based in Iraq in 2000-2001 with UNGCIunder the Oil for Food programme. He is now seniorlogistics officer for Sector 4. Maj. Kukuk, 41, says: Iam getting used to the different procedures andcomputer systems here but the main parts of my job arethe same back home. The work is more demanding thanit was when we were in Iraq. I come from the town ofTrenŁ n in the western part of Slovakia, and I find livingon an island very different to my homeland. In hisspare time he enjoys studying Egyptian history. Hisother hobbies of motorcycling and hunting will have towait until the end of his tour.

Capt. Andrea I arikovÆ comes from the industrialtown of Presov in eastern Slovakia. She is single and apersonnel officer in Sector 4, having completed 13years army service. In the hot summer months inCyprus she likes swimming and diving on the coast andat other times she climbs the Troodos mountains andtakes part in social and cultural events. I think it s veryinteresting being part of an international team, Capt.I arikovÆ, 30, says. I enjoy the different accents andlearning about other cultures. I recently met someArgentinians and I liked their folk music very much.Cyprus is a beautiful country with very nice people andI would like to do another tour after this one finishes.

Capt. Andras Palatinus from Szabadszallas,Hungary, is married to Gyongyi and they have two sonsaged eight and four. He is second-in-command of the 1st

Hungarian Company based in Athienou. He lists sports,soccer and table tennis as his interests and is very keento research the history of Cyprus as this is his first tripabroad. Capt. Palatinus, 34, says: I have only been herea short time but I think this is a very nice country andthe local people are very friendly. I would like to tour alot here when I am off duty. My wife and children willbe coming for 10 days in August and I would like totake them to some interesting and historic places.

MCpl. Zsuzsanna Kubic, 24, is single and fromSzolnok, Hungary. She is a radio operator in the 1stCompany communications centre and took the job aftercompleting a one-year army course in English. She is akeen swimmer and jogger, and would like to spend moretime learning languages. MCpl. Kubic says: I am in ateam of six radio operators and three are on duty at onetime. I enjoy talking to people so I like my job. This ismy second time here in Cyprus and I really like theisland and the people, Greek Cypriots and TurkishCypriots.

SSgt. Roland Dravucz has completed 10 yearsservice in the Hungarian Army. The 26-year-old, a nativeof Szolnok like MCpl. Kubic, is a patrol base radio non-commissioned officer. He has served in the Ukraine andBosnia and in common with his colleague, he wants toimprove his written and spoken English. SSgt. Dravuczsays: It s really great to be here and I would say it iseven better than Hungary. I was out and I went to a shopwhere I accidentally left my mobile phone. I went backtwo days later and the shopkeeper returned it to me. TheCypriot people are very honest.

UNFICYP has welcomed the latestmembers of the Force from SouthAmerica and Central Europe who

arrived in March. The Blue Beret hasbeen meeting some of the new faces anduncovering stories, including the youngmarine who discovered he had become afather while manning his observationpost 17,000 km from home, and theblind dog who runs anti-snake patrols inSector 1.

Capt. Pablo Halaburda, 35, fromAsunci n, Paraguay, a member of hiscountry s Special Forces, arrived inLarnaca after a 16-hour military char-tered flight, which he jokingly describedas being better than a C130 . Asingleman and keen skydiver and targetshooter, he is one of seven Paraguayanofficers, NCOs and other ranks. Capt.Halaburda says: Were just settling down right nowwith the new jobs. We are trained for war but now we arepeacekeepers and it is a totally different kind of mission.We look forward to the challenge of working with bothsides here in Cyprus.

Chilean Marines Capt. Mauricio Diaz, 37, is fromViæa del Mar near Santiago, Chile, where he left behindhis wife Paula Muller and daughters Catalina, eight, andJaviera, five. Capt Diaz, who enjoys sports includingsoccer, arrived in Cyprus with four officers and 28 otherranks. It is his first trip outside the Americas apart froma UN tour in Cambodia in 1991-92. He says: For Chile,the most important thing is integration with our newfriends from the other South American countries hereand most importantly, with the Argentinian Task Force.We are very keen to experience peacekeeping operationsin different situations, such as in the line or at HQ.

April 7 started out like any other day for Cpl. PatricioPerez of the Chilean Marines, when he reported for dutywith Alpha Company at OP 09. But at 22.00 hours, hereceived a very important message he was a new father.More than 17,000 km away in Viæa del Mar, his wifeMaritza had given birth to a baby boy, Benjamin. Cpl.Perez, 25, says: Capt. Diaz told me the news when I wason duty and I have just seen for the first time a pictureof my son. The Navy welfare department arranged an e-mail photo and when I saw it, it was such an emotionalmoment. It s hard to be away from my baby son and wifebut at least I will see them in October. His motherJaqueline is delighted to be a grandmother but insists sheis not old enough at 39, jokes Cpl. Perez. Meanwhile, heis busy at work, keeping fit and playingsoccer until the family is reunited in fivemonths.

Capt. Claudio Alexandre De Al-meida Freitas, 31, is a veteran of 16years with the Brazilian Army. Theother Brazilian member in UNFICYP, isSgt. Felipe Bran a da Costa. Capt.Claudio, of Resende in Rio de JaneiroState, is advancing his English andSpanish languages, and finds Spanisheasier as it is related to his ownPortuguese. Describing his job, he says:We analyse incidents which come to us

by fax, and if there is a threat to the status quo, we reportit to HQ in Nicosia. Every soldier is able to solveproblems and they are real professionals. I am veryproud to serve my country in this international mission.It s a very important mission and I intend to continue thegood relationships with Argentina, with the other SouthAmerican countries and with Cyprus too. Capt.Claudio, a jungle specialist and instructor, is engaged toViviane Melo and the couple are planning their wedding.Addressing his fellow South Americans, he laughs: Yes,you are all invited if she s still waiting for me when Iget home!

At Patrol Base 25 in Sector 1, high in the Troodosfoothills, one mongrel dog lies sleeping in a makeshiftgymnasium. He s blind, and the best snake-hunter inSector 1. When we go out running, the dog goes outwith us, but 2 5 , who got his name from our patrolbase, gives us early warning of snakes. He runs over towhere the snake is and points it out for us so we know tokeep away. Hes really useful to have around. Lt. HugoDaniel Yamanishi, whose father s family emigratedfrom Japan to Paraguay, adds: This is our little home uphere. We have the gym where we work out and we rotateevery 10 days so it s quite relaxing, but we still have ourjob to do and go out on patrol. It does get quite busysometimes.

Argentinian Marines Capt. Gabriel Marin, 31, is aCompany Commander based in a former box factorycloser to the British sector. A single man and native ofRosario, Argentina s second-largest city, he is welltravelled, having visited many countries while training

as a naval officer in a tall ship. His areaof responsibility includes Mammarivillage, a community of 1,500 GreekCypriots in the buffer zone. Says Capt.Marin, who enjoys social activities andquizzes: We are right next to the Bri-tish sector, and sometimes we combineour patrols or start and finish in eachother s areas. It s very good teamwork.I got to Cyprus two weeks ago, but Iwas here a few years back when I wassecond-in-command of an area. NowI m the commander of two areas so I mgrowing or just getting older!

Douglas Campbell profiles Sectors 1 and 4

Lt. Yamanishi with “25”

Men on the line

6 May 2003 - The Blue Beret

Sonia Dumont of the United Nations Office of TheHumanitarian Coordinator in Iraq (UNOHCI) wasevacuated to Larnaca, Cyprus, along with more than

100 UN colleagues on 18 March, during the transition towar in Iraq.

Preparations were being made as the Blue Beret wentto press to assess security on the ground before staffcould return to Iraq and help the people who are sodesperately in need of food, water, medicines and otheressentials under a coordinated distribution system.

Ms. Dumont, 34, an information officer, is a Cana-dian national from Montreal. Her husband, Michel, ischief of operations for the UNOPS Mine ActionProgramme. Since leaving Iraq, they had been rentingaccommodation in Larnaca until it was deemed safe toreturn. The Adonis and Flamingo hotels in Larnaca arebeing used as a temporary base for UN staff.

Ms. Dumont gave the Blue Beret this personalperspective on the situation. I ve been in Iraq for twoyears with the office and I was stationed in Erbil in the

north of the country, where the Kurdish majority live.Staff working on the Oil-for-Food programme had anobservational mandate in the centre and south, while inthe north the nine UN agencies were implementing theprogramme.

I arrived here in Larnaca with the first group ofinspectors to be evacuated. We were just five from thehumanitarian agencies and the rest were inspectors. Thebulk of our humanitarian workers left on the third flightwith the Coordinator, Mr Lopes da Silva. He was the lastone to leave. We had 3,400 national staff left behind andour thoughts were with them as the situation evolved.

We watched the pictures on the TV like everyoneelse and we got more and more concerned as we sawevents in the field and the chaos. The whole population ofIraq were a part of us a part of our lives. Talk to anyonehere and they will tell you the same thing they are eagerto go back. We are starting now to get more contact withour national staff, but the information is scattered. In thenorth, the situation is less intense.

Security staff have been assessing the overallsituation in the north and have agreed to the return of thefirst UN inter-agency team, depending on a safe passage.There is an ongoing dialogue but at the same time, thingsare still happening on the ground. We have 200 peopleworking here in the coordination office in the Adonis andFlamingo hotels. We had to take out furniture andorganise computers, but the procurement system kickedin. We have four or five people working in one office butit is a little more organised now. We are coordinating withgroups in Jordan, Turkey, Syria and other regional centres.

We know what we are doing, the preparation hastaken place and we are ready. We want to be impartial andfair in the distribution of aid. You cannot deliver whenthere is chaos and lawlessness, looting and hospitals beingransacked. The Geneva Convention is clear on this.[Editor s Note: Since giving this interview, Ms. Dumonthas returned to Iraq.] CD

Baghdad to Larnaca (and back...)

Sonia Dumont

Playing at the Palace (Ledra)

Sector 2 recently hosted its bi-annual Combined Services Enter-tainments Show at the Ledra

Palace Hotel. Over the two nights,nearly 400 UN personnel joined in thefun. The star attraction was MissClaire Sweeny, the well-known BritishTV actress who stars in the West Endsmash hit, Chicago. There was also anextremely funny ventriloquist, not tomention a comedian (he didn t!) andsome very energetic dancers who wereclearly a hit with the young men.

All attending agreed it had beentwo nights of fantastic entertainment.Each night saw many of the audiencedancing on stage and in the aisles.There was lots of laughter when, to theamusement of all, a strange man fromSector 2 ran onto the stage dressed instockings, high heels and suspenders.We ll just never know the wholestory!!

May 2003 - The Blue Beret 7

UNFICYP Wedding

As 28 April dawned, the focus of attention was theday s event in the village of Varisha, some 800metres southeast of OP 11. Soldiers from ATF 21

had been appointed to mount the escort several daysearlier and now everything was ready. All that wasrequired was for the officer in charge to give marchingorders to the convoy of five vehicles waiting to leave SanMart n Camp.

After an hour-and-a-half on a hard, zigzagging road,the Agios Giorgios church tower bell loomed 800 metresabove the beautiful old mountain village in the buffer

zone. Greek Cypriots have been coming here on pilgri-mage from Limassol since 1999.

At about 08:00 hours, the first buses started to arrive,escorted by UN vehicles from the temporary checkpoint1,000 metres away from the church. It was a poignantmoment when the pilgrims caught their first glimpse oftheir former homes.

For those of us privileged to be there, it was gratifyingand rewarding to be present at that moment in the serviceof the people, in the service of UNFICYP.

SSgt. Lee Crawford tied the knot on Friday11 April when he married Sarah Hunt inPaphos. Lee, who is on a 2‰ year posting

with Ops Branch at HQ UNFICYP, arrivedfrom Abingdon last October. Sarah, whocomes from Bedford, was working for LloydsTSB before arriving in Cyprus early in April.

For the occasion, Lee wore his blues (No.1 dress) and Sarah looked lovely in a longivory wedding gown. The couple were wed inSt. George s Chapel located in the grounds ofthe St. George s Hotel in Paphos. They chosePaphos because their first proper home will bein Cyprus, and it seemed the nicest place towed. Lee says: We chose Cyprus because wecome from different parts of the UK and it wasone way for all our family and friends to gettogether for the wedding and enjoy a littleholiday as well . For the ceremony, about 15members from both sides of the family flewout from the UK, and the reception at the hotelcatered for approximately 40 guests from theUK and from UNFICYP. The honeymoon wasspent in Rome and Paphos.

The couple have known each other for twoand a half years, and Lee has been away forover half that time on operational tours inKosovo, Afghanistan and Cyprus. Sarah sfather was in the forces too, so she knows whatlife will be like married to a soldier. Sarahsays: It was a wonderful day. We are verylucky to be starting our married life inCyprus.

A Special Day in VarishaThe Bishop of

Morphou, Neophytos,with Lt. Col. JoséMaria Colombo,

2i/c Sector 1

8 9May 2003 - The Blue Beret

Kantara Castle is located on one of the last peaks at the eastern endof the Kyrenia Mountains, at a height of 630 metres. Its nameprobably comes from an Arabic word, qantara, meaning “bridge” or

“arch”, which may have originated with Arab invaders or perhaps theMaronites from Lebanon who are said to have had settlements in this partof the island.

Indeed, the castle’s setting resembles an arch, and it commands abreathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea, the eastern reaches of theMesaoria Plain, and the Karpaz Peninsula extending like a finger, pointingto the northeast.

It’s widely believed that the castle was built in Byzantine times, 200years before Richard the Lionheart took possession of Cyprus in 1191. Inthe 10th century, Kantara would have served as an observation post,keeping watch over the movements of the Seljuk Turks from the oppositecoast.

Some historians dispute this, however, dating the castle’s origins to thefirst years of the Lusignan (Frankish) rule, around 1192, when Kantarabegins to appear in the written records of that time. What is certain is thatthe Lusignan kings improved Kantara, recognising that the steep cliffsaround it offered a natural protection from attack, and that its lofty positionafforded views of any enemy approaching from either sea or land.

One story from this period comes from a witness of the third crusade,saying that after the Battle of Tremithousa, Duke Isaac Comnenos, chasedby Richard the Lionheart, found refuge at the castle. After Kyrenia Castle,on the northern coast, surrendered to Guy de Lusignan (Richard’s repre-sentative), Isaac left Kantara, and surrendered himself to de Lusignan. Inthis chronicle, the castle is mentioned as Candasia or Candaira.

During the Lusignan period, at the beginning of theLombardic War, supporters of the German EmperorFrederick II managed to capture Kantara. AfterFrederick’s troops were defeated by Regent Johnd’Ibelin’s army at the Battle of Nicosia on 14 July 1229,one of the leaders – Gauvain de Chenichy – took refugeat Kantara. D’Ibelin’s army besieged the castle under theleadership of Anseau de Brie, but the thick walls andstrategic position proved a difficult challenge. Only afterde Chenichy’s death did the castle surrender, in thesummer of 1230 – although it changed hands back toFrederick’s supporters, and back again to d’Ibelin,several years later.

The castle’s key place in history continues in latercenturies. During the Genoese occupation of Famagusta,which lasted almost a century (1374 to 1464), the castleof Kantara appears to have served as a strategic positionfor the Lusignans to defend against the Genoese attacksinland, remaining in the hands of the supporters of KingPeter II. This era saw Kantara once again providing saferefuge, this time for the Regent John of Antioch, when hewas smuggled out of the Famagusta prison to which theGenoese had sent him, and brought to Kantara. In 1391,James I (Peter II’s uncle and successor) reinforcedKantara by adding its outer wall.

During the early Venetian period (1489 to 1571), thecastle was guarded by a company of Italian soldiersdetached from the garrison of Famagusta. After 1525,however, hampered by a lack of manpower to guard thecastle, Italian engineers judged Kantara to be of nofurther use, and it was partially dismantled andabandoned to the elements.

DescriptionKantara Castle sits within a forest that takes its name from the

castle – an area that, owing to its cool summer breezes, was longa favoured summer refuge from the heat of the Mesaoria Plain.Fire destroyed the previous Kantara forest of pine and cypresstrees in 1912, so the trees and small brush on the slopes today aremuch younger than the old stone of the castle walls.

The castle is in reasonably good shape, especially comparedwith Buffavento Castle. Many chambers survive, including guardrooms, store rooms, the Queen’s room, and even a smallChristian chapel.

With particularly steep cliffs to the north, west, and south,Kantara’s entrance was placed on the (relatively) approach-ableeastern side. Here, an imposing barbican entrance sits in thecentre of an outer wall, protected by two rectangular towerswhose upper floors are now largely in ruins. The wall itselfstretches protectively in front of the castle, ending in twohorseshoe-shaped towers with loopholes (narrow windowsthrough which arrows could be shot).

The barbican leads to a steep hillside, up which a series ofsteps climbs to the wall around the inner ward, similarly flankedby two towers. To the left, the southeast tower features a large,rectangular room with a cross – vaulted ceiling. In the tower’slowest level, which was once used as a prison, a cistern gathersrainwater. Beyond the tower, three vaulted rooms with loopholeswere used as barracks for the soldiers – conveniently near thecastle’s entrance – along with a mediaeval latrine.

The chambers that line the rest of the south and the west castlewalls are less well preserved than these first three, but still offera sense of the castle as it once was, with cisterns, and a ruinedtower that would have protected a small entrance in the westernwalls (impractical for everyday use, but vital in emergencies).

Circling around toward the castle’s northern wall, a ruinedtower stands on the mountain’s highest peak, one window stillframing the view to the west. From this vantage point, guards atKantara could communicate with their counterparts at BuffaventoCastle, exchanging messages and warning of potential threats.

The two-storey northeasttower – located on the northernedge of the castle’s entrancewall – remains in fair condition.Here, its ground floor passageleads to a square chambercovered with a cross vault. Adoorway leads to a horseshoe-shaped vaulted tower, withloopholes on three sides. Thetower’s top floor features along, narrow passage and arectangular chamber that leadsto the tower’s parapet.

NearbyThe site of an ancient

monastery dedicated to theKantariotissa Virgin lies a shortdistance from the castle. In the13th century, the monastery wasthe Orthodox Church’s centre ofresistance to the Latin clergy.

Although the limestone cliffsof the Kyrenia mountain rangedate back to prehistory, theirrugged peaks belong verymuch to the mediaeval world.Kantara, St. Hilarion, Buffa-vento… the names of the threecastles that cling to the moun-taintops evoke a time whenobservation posts surveyed thenorthern coastline of Cyprus toguard against invasion.

The Lusignans rebuilt andimproved the castles between1192 and 1489, and the stonyramparts that still remain onthe peaks owe much to thisperiod of time. In this instal-ment of The Blue Beret’sseries on the Cultural Heritageof Cyprus, we look at theeasternmost castle: Kantara.

May 2003 - The Blue Beret

Kantara

May 2003 - The Blue Beret 1110 May 2003 - The Blue Beret

On top of a hill, in the middle of the buffer zone,south east of Camp Saint IstvÆn in Athienou,there is a small isolated patrol base called the

Hard Rock Cafe. Where that nickname derives from noone knows! Maybe it s because it is situated on a hardrock ? Or maybe it s because its habitants have madeit into a nice, cosy cafe, always ready to offer a visitora cup of coffee and engaging small talk.

Six men live there side by side, day in, day out.They patrol, they observe, they are standby in the 2nd

Platoon 1st Coy area of responsibility, and when that isdone, they hang out together, as a close family, work-ing, resting, eating, and often making jokes with eachother. As SSgt. TamÆs Csendes, PB leader, says:There is a very strong bond between us!

When the soldiers are not out patrolling, they arebusy with their hobby collecting old motor vehiclesin the buffer zone. They have jokingly named theirbase as the heaviest base in 1st Coy. It s also one ofthe more pleasant ones, with a year-round breeze, evenduring the hottest months, giving PB 114 another nick-name: Base of the Everlasting Wind.

There is one member of the team not yet mentioned.Burkus, the watch dog, is responsible for guarding andsecuring the area. She is the oldest member of the PB,and is always there to greet and bid farewell duringrotations.

Yes, life in PB 114 is not all that bad!

During April and early May 2003, the new crossingpoints opened along the BZ led to a significantlyincreased workload for UNFICYP. Ledra- and

Pyla-based UNCIVPOL members were especially hard-pressed. So it was with regret and after much deliberationthat Ch. Supt. Basil Walsh, Commander UNCIVPOL,

decided that the UNCIVPOL Medal Parade had to becancelled. Nevertheless, it was also decided that ifoperational priorities permitted, a less formal MedalPresentation would take place.

On 8 May, available UNCIVPOL members and theirfamilies, assembled outside UNFICYP HQ, where the

Chief of Missionpresented UN med-als and numerals to15 AUSTCIVPOLand 11 IRCIVPOLmembers. All weredisappointed thatthe Medal Paradehad to be cancelled,but felt, under thecircumstances, thatthe Medal Presenta-tion was an appro-priate substitution.

Others welcomedthe large turnout ofspouses, partnersand young children,saying that the his-toric circumstanceson the island madethe presentationperhaps even morememorable.

The Hard Rock Cafe

UNCIVPOL Medal PresentationBy Supt. Marty Plim

When in Italy last year, I purchased a painting froma little gallery in Florence. When I got it home Itook it to a gallery downtown and asked the owner

what she thought of it. She said: The good news is it s agenuine Pandino, from his Venice period . I was ecstatic.The bad news is that Pandino was a plumber. But as the

old clichØ goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder andbeauty, style, class and a whole lot more were in abundantdisplay on 14 May at St. Michael s school UNPA when thestudents of the UN art workshop exhibited their creationsfor all to see.

Many were showing their work for the first time and allmust be congratulated for the quality and diversity ofpainting on display. Works ranged from horses in oils, tolilies in pastels, charcoal drawings of churches, old menlooking pasty in pastels, frogs climbing trees, apples,flowers and abstract shapes and colours. Picasso wouldhave been proud of them.

The evening started with a reception hosted by MarianIngruber, tutor and mentor, who guided the students throughmonths of hard work from furrowed brow frustration toraptures of delight on being told when shyly showing theirwork to a loved one: It s fantastic, get it framed and hangit on the wall ! Oh the joy when it all comes together.

The very large attendance included the Chief of Mission,Mr. Zbigniew Wlosowicz, and the Force Commander, Lt.Gen. Jin Ha Hwang. The Irish Ambassador, Mr. John Swift,was also present to support his wife, Jean, who was one ofthe exhibitors.

The very appreciative students presented Marian with abouquet of flowers. In return, she thanked all for attendingand, in particular, John and Shelia Hunt for their support inhelping to keep the art classes thriving within the UNPA.

Anyone interested in participating in the Art workshopcan contact Marian at 99-584104.

CCC

Marian Ingruber and Alice Tierney discussthe merits of Marian’s painting “An Open Window”

Big Spender Dermot Higgins inspects the exhibits,hand firmly on his wallet

United Artists!

Look, with hands like these,I could have painted the Sistine Chapel!If I framed this shirt, I could hang it with all the others!

Wall-to-wall paintings and not an inch of space!

Following UNFICYP s air crashexercise which took place in theUNPA on 7 March this year,

Sector 4 decided to hold a similarexercise in the AOR of 1st Coy closeto PB 101. The event was plannedand cooordinated by the Ops Asst.and Air Liaison Officer, Maj. SÆndorHegedus, to test the ability of Sector4 personnel in an air crash situation.

The scenario was as follows: ahelicopter crash occurred in thevicinity of PB 101. This was imme-diately reported to the JOC, and thelocal medical and fire teams werecalled to the scene. Simultaneously,members of PB 101 began fightingthe fire.

Meanwhile an Incident ControlPoint (ICP) had been set up and thearea secured by two checkpoints.

The trapped crew were gradually eased out of thehelicopter and first aid was provided.

The fire team brought the area under control, and theSector 4 Medical Officer and his team attended theinjured. The casualties were evacuated from the crashscene by a Bell 212 UN Flight helicopter and byambulance.

Although this exercise may sound easy andstraightforward, it definitely isn t! It is vital that suchtraining takes place, ideally on a regular basis.

It was an excellent opportunity for all personnelinvolved to experience an emergency situation and learnhow to deal with it accordingly.

May 2003 - The Blue Beret12 13May 2003 - The Blue Beret

The camp in Sector 4Headquarters is named afterone of the most significant

generals in Slovakian history. Toexplain his importance, The BlueBeret highlights the biography ofthis distinguished personality.

Nestling at the foot of MountBradlo in Slovakia lies the smallvillage of BrezovÆ, hidden amongthe surrounding wooded hills. Near-by is the village of Ko ariskÆ, whereMilan Rastislav tefÆnik was bornon 21 July 1880. His father was aLutheran clergyman, who ministeredto the spiritual needs of the villagers.His vocation afforded him moreconsolation of conscience than pecu-niary reward, for the people werepoor and the emoluments meagre.

In this peaceful atmosphere, in circumstancesbordering on outright want, tefÆnik spent his boyhoodunder the guidance and tutelage of his parents. It washere that the foundation was laid for the education of theboy who was destined to become a noted mathema-tician, astronomer, diplomat and soldier, and ultimatelyachieved the army s highest rank, that of French General(August, 1918).

Small of stature, frail and lightly built, having beenborn with heart problems, tefÆnik was a dynamo ofenergy in spite of this handicap. It seems that the veryknowledge of this defect, and the uncertainty as to whenhe would be called back to his Creator, imbued youngtefÆnik with exceptional zeal and determination inwhatever he undertook. Certainly his frail condition didnot deter him from succeeding in the tasks andchallenges he set for himself. If anything, it probablyjust spurred him on.

In 1910, tefÆnik, whose attainments had drawn theattention of the scientific world, was commissioned by

the French Government to go to theisland of Tahiti in the Pacific toobserve the course of Haley s comet.It was on this trip that tefÆnik camein contact with his compatriots in theUS and learned that nearly threequarters of a million Slovaks hademigrated there in search of betteropportunities than those available intheir own homeland, whichremained strangled in the grip offeudal government.

While travelling from New Yorkto San Francisco, tefÆnik stoppedoff to visit the Slovak colonies inNew York, Chicago and on the westcoast. Everywhere his magneticpersonality won him friends. By1913, his renown had spread far andwide, and his astronomic calcula-

tions, discoveries and observations were widely knownand respected.

On 9 September 1913, the New York daily paperSlovak v. Amerike , under the headline Dr. tefÆnik in

America , informed its readers of his visit, hisachievements and plans. Recalling an earlier visit by thedistinguished traveller, the paper noted how he hadsurvived many perilous adventures but perhaps none sodangerous as when he had almost lost his heart to acharming young Slovak lady, the belle of Chicago’sSlovak community.

Returning to Czechoslovakia from Siberia where hisvisit had helped boost the morale of the Czech army,tefÆnik next turned to Italy where some legionaires stillawaited transfer home to their newly liberated country.tefÆnik made the necessary arrangements and then setabout organising his own trip back.

Such was his love of country that he opted to flyhome on the wings of love, on a Caproni plane. So,accompanied by two Italian aviators, he took off in the

early hours of the morning. Heand his companions crossedover the crests of the CarnolianAlps and shortly before noonapproached the outskirts ofBratislava, the new capital ofSlovakia. It was a windy day anda suitable landing place couldnot be found. As the aircraftcircled above the town ofVajnory at a height of 1,500 feet,it dropped suddenly, crashing tothe ground. tefÆnik and the twoaviators were killed instantly.

tefÆnik s earthly remainswere buried on Mount Bradlo,the mountain of his earlychildhood. To this day, his spiritlives on among the people, thehero who had worked untiringly,day and night, in the crucialliberating days of the revolution.

A Tribute to Štefánik

Itold the British High Commission I would be happyto give the kids a talk about the Green line and thehistory of Cyprus. So here I was on 7 March, wel-

coming a group of 15 eight-year-olds from HighgatePrimary School at the gates of Sector 2 HQ at WolseleyBarracks, and wondering what I had let myself in for!

After they had settled down in the briefing room Ilaunched headlong into my tried and trusted presenta-tion on the history of Cyprus and a short chronology ofthe war in 1974, though slightly simplified, (mainly formy benefit!!). I sensed that the attention span of a groupof pre-teens might not last as long as my usualpresentation demanded and quickly switched to myelectronic version of the Green Line Virtual RealityTour.

The photographs of the old streets and lanes of theGreen Line, seemed to raise their interest level to a pointwhere there was a great deal of audience participation,especially when it came to the minefields within the oldcity.

After the presentation, we all marched smartly overto Ledra Palace Hotel (LPH) in military fashion,

climbed the four long flights of stairs and eventuallycame out into the sunshine on the roof of LPH. This wasthe closest they would come to actually seeing thesituation at first hand, and the questions came thick andfast. All the kids seemed to enjoy the unusual schooltrip departing Sector 2 with waves and very smartsalutes!

Green Line – Virtual RealityBy Capt. Ali Simmons

Air Crash Exercise

May 2003 - The Blue BeretMay 2003 - The Blue Beret 1514

The Finnish Contingent is one of the oldest inUNFICYP. Over 10,000 Finns have served with theForce since the mission was set up in 1964. Currently

there are three Finns based in the UNPA.Maj. Jussi Hokkanen, the outgoing LO TF, who has been

with UNFICYP for the last year, is now saying goodbye andhanding over to Lt. Col. John Laukka. John comes from hisposting as CO of the Hame Cavalry Battalion in the HameRegiment in Lahti in south Finland (a town famous forskiing and winter competitions). John hasbeen with the Finnish Army since 1974.He joined as a conscript, attended theofficers cadet school and becamea lieutenant in 1978. John hasprevious service with the UN,serving as a MilitaryObserver with UNTSO inOGGD (Damascus) from1995-96. John s wifeRitva joined him inCyprus on 16 April andwill stay for the wholeyear. Tony and Jani, theirtwin sons (21), are cur-rently conscripts and willcome for holidays. Johnsays: I m looking forward toworking with all the people inUNFICYP. I think I am theluckiest Finn to have been selected toreplace Jussi. There are many people whowould have liked this post, but, as they say inFinland, I won the lottery.

Jussi says: I ve had a great time with UNFICYP, and Ihope John gets the same support and encouragement Ireceived during my tour. I wish all the best to UNFICYPand my colleagues.

Pekka Riekkola, the Camp Commandant, is the secondFinn in UNFICYP and is well-known to everyone. Pekkaenlisted in 1977 as a conscript and has been in the armysince then. He arrives from the Personnel Office of WesternCommand Headquarters in H meenlinna in the south ofFinland. Pekka is responsible for 1,220 officers (nomina-tions, promotions, salaries, task demands, retirement, etc).On his return to Finland, Pekka will take up the post ofPersonnel Administration Planning Officer.

He arrived in UNFICYP in September 2002 for a one-year tour as Camp Commandant. This entails basicallyrunning the Camp Command office, which includesfollowing up on the contractors who take care of the UNPAand the facilities located therein. CC also allocatesaccommodation in Blue Beret Camp, as well as taking careof the renovation and refurbishment plans.

The Camp Command team includes Pekka, WO2 NoelO Neill and Camp Assistant Mr. Panicos Loizou. Pekka

however wears two hats in UNFICYP. He is also respon-sible for Finnish Contingent personnel and logistics mattersincluding financial affairs, contingent paperwork andFinnish Contingent property, especially the sauna.

Pekka was with the UN in 1995-96 with UNPROFORand UNPREDEP in Macedonia as Chief of the PersonnelOffice in the Nordic Battalion. His hobbies include studyingadministrative science, jogging, karate, ju-jitsu and kick-boxing.

Pekka s wife Anne and son Tommi were unable to joinhim on this tour since Tommi attends school, but they catchup with him for holidays. Pekka says: I am always lookingfor new things to do and here in Cyprus, I can find theopportunity to practise my English and of course meetpeople from other nations. Some days I don t say even oneword in Finnish. It has been quite a difficult year sinceCamp Command has had to deal with all the flooding andconcurrent problems in the UNPA. I m now waiting for thesummer season to arrive so that I can have a taste of nice, hotweather!

The third member of the Finnish Contingent is Capt.Marko L hteenm ki, the UNFICYP Force Signals Officer.

Marko comes to UNFICYP from KainuBrigade in northern Finland where he

served as Staff Officer of the SignalBattalion.

Marko works with theSector Signals Officers who

channel signal requeststhrough him. He is direct-ly responsible to the ChiefOperations Officer andthe Chief of the Elec-tronic Services.

Marko enlisted as aconscript in 1987. Hejoined the military aca-

demy in 1989 and gradu-ated in 1992 in communi-

cations. Here in UNFICYP,Marko s duties involve the

operational communications sys-tems for the whole Force. He began

his one-year tour in January 2003.Marko attended a UN staff officers course

(UNSOC II) in Sweden last year. He enjoyed the course andfound it very instructive. But this isMarko s first UN mission and hehas already found out that everymission works in its own way.The UN system took somegetting used to, but now Ifeel quite comfortable.

Marko was an ath-lete in the militarypentathlon at inter-national level. Hehas been all overEurope (particularlythe Nordic countries)and has even travel-led as far as China.He keeps up thetraining but not soseriously as before.His hobbies includewater sports, boating andhunting with dogs.

Like all true Finns, the Finnish Contingent takesgreat pride in its sauna in the UNPA.Those lucky guests who have received an

invitation to a sauna evening hosted by the Finnswill know that it is not simply a body cleansingritual. It s a social event that could last a wholeevening or even a whole day. Fifteen-minutesessions in the sauna room are followed by coldbeer, sandwiches and traditional sausages and thenanother stint in the sauna and so it goes.

A guest who attended one such event said, mostScandinavians enjoy taking a sauna but it is theFinns who have taken it to higher levels, making italmost an art form. It should then come as nosurprise to learn that there are 1… million saunas inFinland for a population of 5.2 million, meaningthere is one sauna to every four people.

Saunas are an integral part of life in Finland anddeeply rooted in their culture with many socialevents historically centred around the sauna, in-cluding birth and death as well as almost everythingin between.

Only a few decades ago, when midwivesand hospitals were rare in Finland, babies wereborn in saunas as there was plenty of hot wateravailable and the bench was a good place to liedown on and give birth.

During wartime, the Finns built saunas fortheir soldiers in the front line of battle to keeptheir morale high. And when the armyretreated, it not only carried its dead back withit but its saunas as well.

In even earlier times, when Finnish settlersmoved into new territory, the first thing theybuilt was not a cabin for themselves and theirfamilies but a sauna, and they lived in it until areal home was erected. Saunas were also usedfor brewing beer, curing and smoking meat,washing clothes and laying out the dead.

Today, however, it is the therapeutic effectsof saunas that are capitalized on in spas theworld over. Stepping into a steam room with atemperature of 100 degrees Celsius (the boilingpoint of water) to perspire for 15 minutes

seems almost masochistic to somebodywho hasn t tried it, but those who haveinsist it has a wonderful therapeuticeffect. Your skin feels great after asauna and for days afterwards it feels assoft as a baby s, one Scandinavianwoman said.

Then there is the social side of it it sgreat once you get over the fact thateveryone sitting around you is naked, youcan relax and enjoy yourself. Womentend to use it as a therapeutic time forthemselves to socialize with theirgirlfriends and catch up on the latestnews.

On the other hand, men in Scandina-vian countries, and especially in Finland,use it as an informal business meetingarea where deals can be clinched.

Newly arrived Lt. Col. John Laukkasays he would like to bring a flavour ofFinland to UNFICYP. The last thing Idid before leaving Finland and the firstthing I did when I arrived in Cyprus wasto have a sauna. It s the perfect place torelax and discuss business!

John (left), taking over from Jussi

Pekka

Marko

In the sauna’sreception room

Outside the saunaon the UNPA

Enjoying the sauna