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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 11 december 2018

Cyprus sees surge in migrants crossing from breakaway north

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS share,” Cypriot Interior Min-
Associated Press ister Constantinos Petrides
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — On told The Associated Press.
the final leg of his journey Cyprus was split in 1974
from Iraq to Europe, Hawye when Turkey invaded in
Rasool Saleh paid 400 eu- the wake of a coup by
ros ($457) borrowed from supporters of union with
his best friend to a smug- Greece. Authorities in the
gler who would help him north aren’t recognized by
across the cease-fire line of the international communi-
ethnically split Cyprus. ty except for Turkey, which
The transaction was sealed itself doesn’t recognize the
in anonymity. Cypriot government in the
“You don’t know me, I don’t Greek-speaking south.
know you,” the 32-year- Despite its proximity to the
old Saleh said he was told conflict zones of the Middle
by the trafficker before he East, Cyprus received rela-
climbed into a van on the tively few asylum-seekers
Turkish Cypriot side. during the peak of Europe’s
The crossing was easy, Saleh migrant crisis three years
said. Two soldiers manning ago, when most migrants
a guard post on the Turk- arrived in Greece and
ish Cypriot side checked made their way through
the driver’s ID, then waved In this Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, a migrant from Syria rests at a refugee camp in Kokkinotrimithia the Balkans toward coun-
the van through to the buf- outside of Nicosia, Cyprus. tries in northern Europe. An
fer zone that divides the Associated Press island nation just emerging
breakaway northern part slipped into Cyprus this year their borders. reach 8,000 by year’s end, from a severe economic
of the Mediterranean is- across its porous 180-kilo- Government statistics show up from 3,000 in 2016. While crisis, Cyprus wasn’t seen
land from the internation- meter-long (120-mile-long) that about 5,000 people that’s a fraction of the hun- as an attractive destination
ally recognized Republic of buffer zone. Migrant arrivals — mostly from Syria but dreds of thousands seeking for migrants and refugees
Cyprus, a European Union by sea have also increased, also Somalia, Pakistan, asylum in the EU, it’s putting seeking shelter and a new
member. turning tiny Cyprus into the India, Iraq, Bangladesh, pressure on a country with life in Europe.
Saleh, who said he fled EU’s top recipient of asy- Vietnam and Cameroon just over 1 million people. But that changed as na-
religious fundamentalism lum-seekers relative to its — had claimed asylum in “We’re trying to cope, but tions in Europe shut their
in Iraq, is one of the thou- population size, as other EU Cyprus by the end of Au- for a long time, now, we borders and the economic
sands of migrants who have countries have tightened gust. That’s expected to have exceeded our fair situation improved.q

Kosovo’s prime minister says new army will serve world peace

BY SYLEJMAN KLLOKOQI a beneficiary, of peace. dent initiated the same
LLAZAR SEMINI “You cannot be safe and thing but backed down af-
Associated Press secure, you can’t help ter international pressure.
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — peace and stability of NATO and the U.S. asked
Kosovo’s prime minister the world without being that the transformation be
said Monday that the army in peace yourself, having made with constitutional
the country expects to your own army,” Haradinaj amendments, which need
have soon will be a mod- told The Associated Press. the votes of the ethnic Serb
est contributor to creating Kosovo declared indepen- minority to pass.
world peace. dence from Serbia in 2008, NATO Secretary-Gener-
Kosovo’s lawmakers will a move Serbia doesn’t rec- al Jens Stoltenberg has
vote Friday on three laws ognize. warned Kosovo “that such
that would transform the Serbia’s president has said a move is ill-timed, goes
national security force into the new army could jeop- against the advice of many
a regular army. The mea- ardize regional stability and NATO allies.”
sures are expected to eas- In this Monday, Nov. 19, 2018 file photo, Kosovo Prime Minister peace, and its prime min- He called on both Serbian
ily pass the 120-member Ramush Haradinaj addresses the media during a press ister also warned it could and Kosovo officials to
parliament. conference at the federal chancellery in Vienna, Austria. trigger an armed interven- “show calm and restraint,
Prime Minister Ramush Ha- Associated Press tion. and avoid any provocative
radinaj said that the trans- formation would make Kosovo a provider, not only Last year, Kosovo’s presi- statements or actions.” q