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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 23 august 2023

Turkey says U.N. lost neutrality after world body condemns Cyprus roadwork

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — in the Mediterranean na-
Turkey’s foreign minister ac- tion’s northern third where
cused the United Nations Turkey maintains more than
of abandoning its neutrality 35,000 troops. Although
on Tuesday, a day after the Cyprus joined the Europe-
U.N. Security Council criti- an Union in 2004, only the
cized construction work by Greek Cypriot south where
Turkish Cypriots inside the the island’s internationally
buffer zone dividing Cyprus recognized government is
and condemned their as- seated enjoys full member-
sault on U.N. peacekeep- ship benefits.
ers. Since 1974, a U.N. peace-
In a statement issued Mon- keeping force known as
day, the Security Council UNFICYP has supervised the
described the construction de facto cease-fire and
of a road as a violation of maintained a buffer zone
the status quo that is con- between Turkish and Turkish
trary to council resolutions. Cypriot forces in the north
The statement came at the and Greek Cypriot forces
end of emergency closed in the south. The Security
consultations by the coun- Council welcomed the halt
cil’s 15 members. in construction by the Turk-
Angry Turkish Cypriots ish Cypriot side and the re-
last week punched and moval of equipment and
kicked a group of interna- personnel. It called on both
tional peacekeepers that sides to show flexibility and
blocked crews working A woman walks by a UN sign at the UN buffer zone inside Pyla village, outskirt of coastal city of support efforts by the U.N.
Larnaca, Cyprus, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009.
on a road that would en- Associated Press envoy “to negotiate mutu-
croach on the island’s U.N.- ally agreed development
controlled buffer zone. The ish Foreign Minister Hakan population in Pyla was nev- which is said was “divorced in the area concerned.”
road is designed to con- Fidan told reporters during er subjected to obstruction from the realities on the The road would give Turk-
nect the village of Arsos, a joint news conference and condemnation by the ground.” ish Cypriots direct access
in the Turkish Cypriot north, with his Bulgarian counter- United Nations,” he said. He Cyprus was divided along to Pyla by circumventing
with the multi-ethnic village part. Fidan maintained that accused the U.N. of acting ethnic lines in 1974 following a checkpoint on the north-
of Pyla, which is inside the Greek Cypriots had been “like a hawk” to block the a Turkish invasion that was ern fringe of a British military
buffer zone and abuts the allowed to go ahead with Turkish Cypriots’ project. triggered by a coup aimed base, one of two bases
Greek Cypriot south. similar road construction Earlier, the Turkish Foreign at uniting the island with that the U.K. retained after
“We believe that with this projects. Ministry issued a statement Greece. Only Turkey recog- Cyprus gained indepen-
move, the United Nations “The road built by Greek rejecting the U.N. Security nizes a Turkish Cypriot dec- dence from British colonial
has lost its neutrality,” Turk- Cypriots towards the Greek Council’s condemnation, laration of independence rule in 1960. q

Iran unveils armed drone resembling America’s MQ-9 Reaper

By NASSER KARIMI and mph), carrying a bomb capabilities, though an arm
JON GAMBRELL payload of up to 300 kilo- of state television shared a
Associated Press grams (660 pounds). It also video of it taking off from a
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s said the drone could carry runway. Long-range drones
Defense Ministry unveiled electronic surveillance like the Reaper also require
a drone on Tuesday re- equipment and a camera. ground stations and satel-
sembling America’s armed Iran’s hard-line President lite communications.
MQ-9 Reaper, claiming that Ebrahim Raisi, a protégé of Officials in Israel, which flies
the aircraft is capable of Supreme Leader Ayatollah its own long-range, high
staying airborne for 24 hours Ali Khamenei, also viewed endurance drones, did not
and has the range to reach the drone on Tuesday. immediately respond to a
the country’s archenemy “Today, we can firmly intro- request for comment Tues-
Israel. Iran’s state-run IRNA duce Iran as an advanced day. Iran has in the past
news agency published a and technologic nation captured U.S. drones or
photograph of the drone, to the world,” Raisi said in pieces of them, but there’s
called the Mohajer-10, on comments aired on state no evidence that it has In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President
display at a conference television. taken a General Atomics’ Ebrahim Raisi, second left, listens to Chief of Aviation Industries
marking Defense Industry He reiterated Iran’s stance Reaper, which is flown by of Armed Forces Gen. Afshin Khajehfard, as Defense Minister
Day with what appeared about friendly relations with the U.S. Air Force and al- Gen. Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, third left, listens,
to be smoke-machine fog “all countries in the world,” lied American nations as during a ceremony unveiling a drone called the Mohajer-10,
underneath it. “Mohajer” adding that Iran’s armed a “hunter-killer” drone that Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Associated Press
means “immigrant” in Farsi forces will cut off any hand can operate at high alti-
and has been a drone line that will reaches out in an tudes for long hours and from publicly available in- Iranian nuclear sites after
manufactured by the Is- attempt to invade Iran, follow a target before at- formation about the air- it entered Iranian airspace
lamic Republic since 1985. state TV reported. tacking. craft. from neighboring Afghani-
IRNA said the drone is able The Associated Press could North Korea in July showed In December 2011, Iran stan. Iran later reverse-en-
to fly up to 24,000 feet with not immediately verify the off drones mirroring the seized an RQ-170 Sentinel gineered the drone to cre-
a speed of 210 kph (130 claims about the drone’s Reaper, possibly designed flown by the CIA to monitor ate their own variants. q