˘ ˇ ˘ˆ ˘˙ ˝˘˛ˆ˚ ˇˇˆ - UNFICYP · 2015. 12. 4. · our report about Greek Cypriot and...

��Volume 36 - February 2000

��

��

Published monthly by the PublicInformation Office of the United NationsForce in Cyprus, HQ UNFICYP, PO Box21642, Nicosia, Cyprus

Tel: (02) 864550/864416/864408Fax: (02) 864461E-mail: [email protected]

Editorial Team

Charles Gaulkin

Maj Paul Kolken

Miriam Taylor

Photography

Contingent Photographers

Unit Press Officers

Sector 1 Capt Luis Cormick

Sector 2 Capt Neil Richardson

Sector 4 Capt Andreas Vas

Capt Gregorij Hvastja

Maj Zános Hatos

UNCIVPOL Sgt Michelle Lomas-Travers

UN Flt 1/Lt Adrian Ferrari

MFR Capt Alberto Reyes

FMPU 1/Lt Yge ten Berg

Civil Adm Roger de Weever

The 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.

Peacekeepers in a mission focus on the skillsrequired in their particular operation. Butthey must also prepare for future missions in

a different environment. For this reason, theUNFICYP Military Skills competition is heldtwice a year to test the military abilities of each unitwithin the Force. With dedication and determina-tion, the teams practise weeks in advance and thereis a sense of pride and achievement on the day. Itis a credit to them all that, even though they comefrom different armies and from many nations, theirdisciplined training enables them to compete,sometimes in mixed teams, in a spirit of goodwilland competitiveness. Our front cover records thepresence of the Australian civilian police elementof UNCIVPOL, but this time in a military role.

A spirit of teamwork is also covered on page 3 inour report about Greek Cypriot and TurkishCypriot teenagers who showed their desire to meeteach other and spend a day together in Pyla on 5February. The crowd of approximately 150 plantedtrees, played football and enjoyed each other'smusic. And many exchanged e-mail addresses.The internet is a widely used means of improvingdialogue between individuals spread around theglobe, and this kind of communication createsawareness. One of the benefits offered by cyber-space is that it helps to sow the seeds of under-standing.

Yet another combined function took place on 16February, when two members of the Irish ArmedForces stood with members of the AustralianCivilian Police at the Ledra Palace Hotel to receivetheir peacekeeping medals. A medal parade isalways a memorable event, matched in turn by thehospitality with which guests are received andentertained. And no less so on this occasion.

The editorial team

��

��

��

��

��

� ��

��

��

��

��

��

�� !

��"#

��#

��

��

��

� ��

��

��

��

��

��

Editorial/Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2They thought it would never

happen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Military Skills competition . . .4/5Sector One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6/7UN Flight takes no risks . . . . . .8/9View of two section

commanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Around and About . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Sector Four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Sector Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Medal Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

�� !��"��"��!��

��

��

��

��

��

They thought it would never happen. Twoteenage girls from Cyprus, a small island inthe Mediterranean, travelled last October to

the other side of the world to another small islandin the Pacific, Hawaii. The chances of LenaAnastasiades, from the south side of the bufferzone, and Defne Cizakla, from the northern side,meeting up were rather slim, considering therewere 2,000 young people attending the UNEP(United Nations Environment Programme) con-ference. But they ended up sitting side by side,and this is where a very firm friendship began todevelop.

On their return home, the two girls kept incontact through the internet. As Lena says: “Ittook a trip to Hawaii to make me realise that amere friendship was and is the most importantstep in developing such a trust and one that I hopewill last a lifetime. I was fortunate to meetDefne, who is one of the best friends I have everhad. Together, we realised that so many peoplewere mistaken when they said that TurkishCypriots and Greek Cypriots cannot live togeth-er. Defne and I decided in Hawaii that when wewent back to Cyprus, we would do everything wecould to get people (mainly the youth) to concen-trate on what we have in common instead of ourdifferences.”

They talked to their friends and soon, theyouth in the south formed a socie-ty called “Y2P” (Youth PromotingPeace). And they decided to meet.Pyla was the venue, and Sunday 6February was the date. Theteenagers took it upon themselvesto organise a programme whichincluded the planting of 50 trees(donated by the Mayor ofNicosia), a soccer match in theground of the Greek Cypriotschool, lunch at Pilievs Restaurant(located just inside the buffer zone), and finallymusic and song provided by members from thetwo groups.

Another girl from Y2P, Monica, was also pres-ent on the day. When asked why she joined Y2P,she said: “It wasn’t until a friend of mine fromLimassol came to spend the weekend with meand I took her to the UN Day (24 October at theLedra Palace) that I actually came to terms with

the fact that I didn’t know Nicosia like the backof my hand as I thought. There was another partof the city behind the barbed wire that I was notfamiliar with. It brought home to me that myTurkish Cypriot friends (I speak with many onthe internet) live, in fact, much closer to me thanmy friends in Limassol. And I want to get toknow them.”

What did she think of the foot-ball match? “It was great fun! Iwas a goalkeeper. The game wasorganised after the tree planting toget all of us not only to worktogether but to play together in alight-hearted way and to work upan appetite! We were split up intomixed teams - girls and boys fromboth communities - no sexism, noracism. We all played in a spiritof competitiveness. The idea

wasn’t so much to win, but to show sportsman-ship and just enjoy ourselves.”

Lunch was sponsored by both communities -the food from the north and the drinks from thesouth. The event ended with musicians from bothsides playing anything from traditional songs tojazz and international pop music with the audi-ence joining in the singing.

UNCIVPOL Officers PaulWhittaker and Karen Parker,along with a Sector Four militarypatrol, were present throughoutthe day, which passed withoutincident. The whole programmewas completed in an air of goodhumour and infectious friend-ship.

As Defne said, “This peaceproject is just a small steptowards our goal. I do believethat we, Greek Cypriots andTurkish Cypriots, can livetogether in friendship andequality on this island, whoknows, without the green line,maybe… one day. SOON.”

Many helping hands

Who’s on my team?

Any intelligent foolcan make things big-

ger, more complex andmore violent.

It takes a touch ofgenius - and a lot ofcourage - to move in

the opposite direction.

Albert Einstein

��

��

�� !��"�� #�� $� �� %&�'�� #�� (�� (�� %)�� *�� (�� ((��$�� +��#� ,�� (�� (�� (�� -��*�� (�� .��

%-�� $�� (�� !�� (�� (��

/0 ��(��"��1��$��

�� (�� )� �� ((�� (� �� 123)4,5*��(��$�� 5� �� $�� (� �� (��$�� $��&��(��$�� (��((� ��6 %��'��4��$�� 7� 8�� $�� "�� $�� 5�� $� �� '�� $�� #��$��

�� $� �� $��(��$��'�� $�� (�� $�� 5�� (� ��$

�� 8�� &��(� �(� �� (�� (� �� "�� (��((�� (� �� (�� '��$��(�� (�� #�� "�� (��(��(�� (�� )�'��(��

2��$�� )�'�� $ �� (�� $

�((� ��$�� $��(�� (� �� (� �� (� ��$�� $� �� (� #�� (��

��$�� 5��

�� (�� $� �(�� (� ��(��$��

%� � ��&��5((�� 9� ,�� $�� (� �� $� �� +�� -��.��(�� $�� % �� '��*��'��#��'�� ,��

��+-.��(�� 9:0� �� (� �� (��;<:��

=��$� (�� (��$�� #�� ,��

>�� (� �� !�� $� �((�� +� #�� (�� (��$� ��$�� $�� (� ��$� �� (��$��(��

�� $�� (�� $� ��

��'�� ?�� $�� ?�� #�� %�� $�� !�� #��2��-)�5�� ,�� (� �� /0 �� $�� "��

��$�� $� �� (�� $� (�� (�� $�� $�� $��

�� !��"�� $$��$� �� ((��(��(��$��(�� $� �� '�� $�� (��

��

��

Master Corporal László Hangiaand Captain Attila Rábai takingnotes at the operational report-

ing station

25461893

107

Argentina (1A)Argentina (1B)United KingdomUK/NLAustriaSloveniaHungaryMFRUNCIVPOLHQ/UN Flt/FMPU

��

867744796714941648527825490562

10090985392350

7800

74808271903198947388

70688393989383808685

90.587.5

63.757885

80.566.2586.3582.8586.35

42.549.239.535.746.752.550

47.544.257.7

95557095754020704020

1006274189650646800

85748181

100780

813634

97977667887961827373

8354.584.567

92.582.553.574.594.578

-35-40-20-20-0

-35-10-0

-90-15

65676576786242645155

Map

rea

ding

Firs

t ai

d

Obs

tacl

eco

urse

Driv

ing

skill

s

Wea

pon

asse

mbl

y

Wat

er o

bsta

-cl

e

Ops

Inf

o

Pis

tol s

hoot

Sig

nals

Obs

erva

tion

+re

port

ing

For

ced

mar

ch

Tota

l sco

re

Ran

king

Insp

ectio

n

The Slovenian team on the runway, approaching the driving skills station

“Are you sure it’s not a Volkswagen Beetle?”

Private TomKinson: “Thatway, please.”

��

�� ! �� !

��

!��#��

To improve the social, cul-tural and professional inte-gration of the members of

the Argentinian contingent.That's the ambitious aim ofArgentinian Staff SergeantSergio Castillio.

“In November, I started with agroup of Argentinian soldiersworking with the MFR,” he says.“This course will last until thefirst week of May. In December,Major Salinas, the CommandingOfficer of Roca Camp, set upclasses at his location too. Notonly a large number of well mo-tivated NCOs and officers joinedin, but also wives and childrenaccompanying their husbandsand fathers took part. I can safe-ly say that both groups are asexcited about studying Englishas I am about teaching it.

“I follow the syllabus and therules for the examination of theArgentinian English LanguageDepartment, where I was a

teacher before coming to Cyprus.This way, all students can try topass this exam once they havereturned to Argentina.”

Sergio concludes by compli-menting his students. “I am veryproud of them. After all, most

are subject to daily militaryduties. After that, they sacrificeleisure time by attending myclasses. And they are reallydoing well. Studying is aninvestment which will pay offfor the rest of your life.”

$��%��&

Special guest stars: the students

Sector One is the only sectorwith an engineering teamdedicated to road repairs.

The worst tracks in the bufferzone are in the western part ofthe island, however the team stillfinds time to help out with grad-ing certain areas of the track inSector 2.

This can be seen right, whenbetween 20-30 January, WarrantOfficer 4 Carlos Diaz Velez,Warrant Officer 3 (Marines) BlasMiguel Morinigo, SergeantCarlos Raúl Nieto, 1stLieutenant Ramiro Piorno andhis 2nd in Command, LieutenantMario Humbert, completed grad-ing the tracks in the Ledra PalaceHotel area.

“We feel quite proud of our-selves,” says Ramiro. “Not onlyhave we left the patrol track inperfect condition, but we havealso made many new friends.Working with the British engi-neers, we have learned a lot too.”

These men, who have thepower to modify the terrain,know how to relax off duty. “We

invited our British colleagues toshare an “asado” (Argentinianbarbecue) with us,” says Ramiro.“We also played pool and a fewgames of soccer. We didn’t carewho won - what really matteredwas team work.”

#��

Levelling the track inhazardous areas of Sector

Two near the LedraPalace Hotel

!��!��

��

��

��'(!' ��(#� �� "�Being thousands of kilometres away from

home brings many of us in Sector 1, particu-larly those who have never been away before,

right down to earth. It makes us realise the distancebetween the place we are now working in and thefamilies we have left behind - and how we valueour comradeship. Meeting after an evening meal, abirthday party or just a group of us getting togetherto drink and share a “mate” (a typical Argentinianhot drink) provides just the right atmosphere forsomeone to get out his guitar and sing some typicalArgentinian songs. This is a traditional pastime thataccompanies our soldiers wherever they may be.

There is nearly always one soldier within theranks who can play the guitar, and he generallybecomes the “master of ceremonies”. It is he whomanages to get us all to join in a singsong, eventhough we may not all be good at it. Our countryhas a wide variety of birds, one of which is thethrush. This bird has the ability to make other birdssing, and that is why we call a singer who has thesame ability (to make other people sing) a thrush.

In Roca Camp, our thrush is WO III RoqueGaetan. He plays the guitar every night, and man-ages to get everyone around him to join in. Maybewe start off singing our typical Argentinian songs ina shy manner, but with Roque’s friendly smile andspirit, it doesn’t take long for us to work up a lot of

enthusiasm.Roque, who is in charge of the JOC in Roca

Camp, says: “I was born in 1963 in La Rioja, anorth western state in Argentina. I am married witha son and a daughter. I taught myself to play theguitar. I think that playing and singing with othersmake time and distance no obstacle to being closeto my family. It also puts me in a better frame ofmind to perform my duties.”

Estando a miles de kilómetros de nuestro país,cuando la distancia se hace grande y es

inevitable el recuerdo de nuestras familias, es enesos momentos cuando la camaradería se haceimportante. Reuniones después de la cena, unafiesta de cumpleaños o sólo un grupo de nosotrosque se reúne a tomar y compartir unos mates,crean el clima propicio para las guitarreadas.

Guitarrear y entonar populares temas folk-lóri-cos es una vieja tradición que ha acompañado yaun acompaña a nuestros soldados.

En nuestras filas siempre hay alguien queposee la habilidad de rasgar una guitarra y sinquerer se convierte en un maestro de ceremonias.El logra reunirnos y con sus acordes nos invita acantar aunque no seamos muy buenos en el arte deentonar.

Nuestro país tiene una gran variedad de avescantoras. Una de esas aves es el Zorzal que tiene la

particularidad de que, con su canto, hace que otrasaves se le unan en el canto. Esta es la razón por laque llamamos Zorzal a todo aquel que con sucanto motive el canto de otros.

En el Campo Roca, nuestro Zorzal es elSargento Ayudante Roque Gaetán. Con una son-risa franca, cada noche de guitarreada nos va acer-cando a su silla , al principio tímidamente pero amedida que pasa el tiempo el entusiasmo se vaapoderando de los improvisados cantores.

El Sargento Ayudante Gaetán nació en 1963 enla Provincia de La Rioja. Aprendió a tocar la gui-tarra de niño y solo, de “oido”. Está casado y tieneun hijo y una hija. Sostiene que tocar la guitarra ycantar junto a otros hacen que la distancia y eltiempo no sean obstáculos para estar junto a nues-tras familias y, por supuesto, lo ayuda a cumplir sumisión como encargado del JOC del Campo Roca.

Anew year, a new millenniumand a new rank. Traditionally,

promotions for Argentinian sol-diers become effective the firstday of a new year. Being based inCyprus doesn’t make any diffe-rence. So, for many members ofSector 1, the start of this new erawas a good one.

On 3 January, the Command-ing Officer, Lieutenant ColonelCatuzzi, personally congratula-

ted each newly promoted officerand NCO, and presented eachone with his new rank mark-ings. Of course, the extra moneyto go with a promotion is wel-come, but more important is therecognition of service by theindividual branch of the armedforces - the Army, Navy or AirForce.

New tasks lie ahead, newresponsibilities too. The newlypromoted face them with confi-dence.

��

!��#��

By Captain Luis Cormick

By Captain Luis Cormick

Moments of relaxation - a mate and a song

UN

Flig

ht ta

kes

no r

isks

UN

Flig

ht ta

kes

no r

isks The wind speedometer at UN Flight reads 35

knots. Today, the windsock is flying hori-zontally. Those who haven't already put

their blue beret safely in their pocket might haveto search for it at the end of the runway of theabandoned old Nicosia International Airport. Forthe peacekeeping mission the weather doesn’tmake any difference: business is as usual.

But this doesn’t apply to the pilots of thisArgentinian unit. Although the limit to fly eitherthe Bell or the Hughes helicopter is 40 knots, thelimit to start up and take off is 20 knots. Thismeans, for the time being, that it’s no-flying weath-er. Safety first is the creed for all personnel in thisfield.

As soon as I push down the doorhandle, thestorm blows it open and I’m dragged in. CaptainEric Ortiz welcomes me and offers a cup of Cypriotcoffee, or, even better, a genuine Argentinian matté.

Captain Néstor Rivero, second in command,explains that going for a heli-trip isn’t anything liketaking a taxi. “The Air Liaison Officer of each sec-tor has to send in his request for a helicopter flight48 hours in advance. This allows us to plan and pre-

pare for the flight.”Then what does this preparation include?

“First of all,” Néstor continues, “weneed to inform not only our own

Headquarters in the UNPA, butalso, through the two UNFI-

CYP liaison officers, theair transport officials

on both sides of thebuffer zone.

Dependingon the

request, we decide which helicopter is best suited forthe task. To transport a VIP or carry out a buffer zonepatrol, we normally take the Hughes 500. But to trans-port a greater number of soldiers, the larger Bell heli-copter is normally used. We have to establish howmany pounds of petrol are needed for the trip, and inwhat configuration we need to fly, whether we willcarry cargo, seated passengers or if we will transport acasualty on a stretcher.”

Do you need 48 hours’ notice to transport a casual-ty?

“No, of course not,” Captain Rivero replies. “Ifthere is an emergency during normal working hours,we must be airborne within half an hour. At night we

have to warn the duty crew by mobilephone. Then it should not take

more than 45 minutes. Inpractice, for instance when

the shooting incidenttook place north of the

buffer zone a whileago, we were

a i r b o r n ew i t h i n

seveno r

eight minutes after receiving orders from the JointOperations Centre.”

The Air Safety Officer, Captain Fernando Val-entich, joins in and stresses the importance of theCrew Resource Management course each crew mem-ber attended in Argentina before deployment toCyprus. “If a pilot has a health problem or any othermatter which is constantly on his mind, he should feelfree to approach his Operations Officer to discusswhatever difficulty he is in. Sometimes it might benecessary to task another pilot with the mission, onewho can fully concentrate on flying and all the safetyprocedures involved.”

And what does your role as Safety Officer include? “Oh, a lot. I’m a very busy man,” Fernando laughs.

“No seriously, it’s up to me to keep all landing plat-forms, not only in the UNPA but also in the sectors, atthe required safety level. It’s a bit like fashion. Itchanges constantly. Each flying incident is evaluatedthoroughly, and sometimes results in new safety meas-ures. This can mean that even better procedures will beintroduced. If this involves new equipment, I informmy colleague, First Lieutenant Gustavo Fernandez, theLogistics Officer, who in turn makes out the order. Itcan be anything from fire fighting equipment to wind-socks, fluorescent clothing for marshallers, etc.”

One of the major elements of the whole safety pol-icy is the main inspection of the helicopters after

every 100 flying hours. Chief MaintenanceOfficer, First Lieutenant Rodolfos Degiovanni,

says: “My team of technicians will spendbetween two and five days in the hangar,

inspecting the airframe, the engine,the transmission and the hydraulic

and electrical system. Everypart of the helicopter has to

be cleaned to detectcracks or losses in

general. As when you service your car, oil filters needto be changed. We follow strictly the checklists pro-vided by the Federal Aviation Administration(F.A.A.). When everything has been done, an officialof the F.A.A. oversees our work and certifies that therequired standards have been met. During the finalpart of the inspection, all parameters have to be exam-ined in full flight.”

As a final comment, he adds: “I know the dedica-tion and professionalism of my team. That’s why I cansafely wish all our passengers a happy landing.”

Before take off, Sergeant Gustavo Filippini inspects the main rotor of the Bell 212

Warrant Officer 3 Sergio Griatzky and Warrant Officer 2 Hector Fagiosin charge of the ground floor traffic control tower

� �

By Major Paul Kolken

and

1st Lieutenant Adrian Ferrari

The Bell 212, seenhere taking part in anMFR exercise, is atwo-engine helicopterwith equipment to flyby instruments (IFR).It is designed to carry13 passengers, exclu-ding the pilot and theco-pilot. It can carryan internal or externalload of up to 4,000lbs( a p p r o x i m a t e l y1,800kg). The Bellcan also be used formedical or casualtyevacuations, and hasan asset on the air-frame to cut wires,which is sometimesnecessary during anemergency approach.

��

)��

��*��

��

�� With the build-up and training in Tern Hill,

prior to deploying to Cyprus, we still hada few hurdles to cross. At that point of

deployment, we had only worked with the Dutchelement of Britcon. Once we were deployed and intheatre, we still had to meet the three other nation-alities we would be working with. One of the main problems I envisaged as a sectioncommander, was obviously going to be the lan-guage barrier. But my Commanding Officer, MajorAndrew Williams, had arranged a Spanish teacherto give my colleagues and me a four-day course.This was to prove a great help.

So the day arrived. We landed in Cyprus andmoved up to the United Nations Protected Area.The first two weeks were a torrent of informationon routes, gates, OPs and different locations, aswell as information on potential troublespots of thethree sectors. All of this had to be learned beforeour predecessors left Cyprus.

At the same time I had to meet my new section.They included not only English and Dutch, butalso Argentinians, Austrians and Hungarians. I hadto try and establish how all five nations would liveand work together. My advantage was that some of

the soldiers of the different nationalities hadalready been working with UNFICYP. They were avery useful source of information for my forth-coming tour.

Now I am settled in. Every day I learn some-thing new and gain information and ideas from myfellow soldiers in the Mobile Force Reserve. Themain advantage is having the chance to train withdifferent nationalities, as well as to operate withthem.

In my opinion, UNFICYP has a lot to offer sol-diers from all walks of life. Past differences areswept aside and all contingents can bond together,whether on or off duty.

I look forward to the remaining four months thatwe will all be working together.

Richard Watson: “UNFICYP has a lot to offersoldiers from all walks of life.”

"�(��(��+��

$��**��&

This tour is the first time that I have workedunder the auspices of the United Nations. It isalso my first time in Cyprus, and I found both

experiences very different from what I have beenused to in the past. Being on a peacekeeping tour, Ihave had to go about things in a different mannerand adopt a different mental approach to what I amused to. For example, we as the UN are here by con-sent, and in dealing with the OPFORs, we try tosolve problems and bring incidents to a close moreby way of tact and persuasion, rather than by a showof power.

My job deals with the daily running of the Opsroom, running the stag rotas for the towers andtasking the patrols on mountain bike, by foot or byvehicle. I also find myself the first port of call forincidents in the BZ and thus try to resolve problemsover the phone with the OPFORs or, indeed, on theground, in the absence of the Platoon Commander.

So far I have had dealings with both sides, andhave usually found them to be both polite and cour-teous. But getting anything done quickly seemsvery hard to achieve, and I assume that this is dueto the far-reaching political ramifications anyaction may have. However, the fact that the UnitedNations is a political animal, rather than a militaryone, makes life particularly interesting for a soldier.

The training that we conducted before deploy-ment was very intense and led me to believe thatwe would find ourselves resolving far more inci-

dents than we actually have done. The training wasgeared very much towards the private soldier andtested their ability to deal with incidents at theirlevel. Having now had the opportunity to put itinto practice on more than one occasion, it’s clearto me that the training was realistic. That’s why thesoldiers have all been able to handle situations withconfidence.

I have drawn many parallels between Nicosiaand what I am used to at home. Many of the shopsand stores are similar and the local population ispleasant enough, although I would bet my motherthat not all of them have passed their driving test.Having now thoroughly explored the buffer zone, Iam looking forward to discovering the rest thatCyprus has to offer.

,�� "�-��

$��*��&

Alan Maxwell: “Life here is particularly interest-ing for a soldier.”

Lieutenant Peter Posh,troop commander of themultinational Mobile

Force Reserve, calls it the lastoasis, the Austrian Club at theUNPA. “It was founded inApril 1994 with the aim ofbringing the Austrian con-tin-gent and other contingents’soldiers closer together,” hesays.

Of course, running a barrequires a lot of commitment.“That’s no problem,” repliesPeter. “First of all, theAustrian Club is only openedon Wednesday and Fridayevenings. Second, we carrythe burden of running the baron four pairs of shoulders.And one of these belongs toChristian Chmela, who camethird in the world champion-ship power lifting. Need I saymore…?

“But seriously, we worktogether well, and aim to pro-

vide a cosy environmentwhere all ranks can feel wel-come. Occasionally we organ-ise a barbeque or some otherentertainment. The Dutch sol-diers in particular appreciateour bar, but it’s also visited byother nationalities from

UNFICYP and the diplomaticcommunity in Nicosia. Weonly try to cover expenses,which means the drinks arecheap. And the bartenderalways offers a warm wel-come - and a free smile.”

��

�� .��

Four friendly bartenders offer Austrian hospitality

��

The Commanding Officer of the Dutch 103Armoured Recce Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel

Sybren van Klaarbergen, visited the Trakehner sol-diers of Sector Two West.

He took the opportunity to observe A Squadron’sArea of Responsibility from the air and from theground.

Besides spending time with his own soldiers, healso met with the British soldiers of Irish Bridge pla-toon, who, during their six months in Cyprus, serveunder the command of Dutch Major RobbertVerbrugh.

During his visit, he also observed the MFR con-ducting their crowd riot control training.

Well informed, and with taped greetings for thehome front, he returned safely to The Netherlands.

�#��!/+

Lieutenant Colonel Sybren Klaarbergenshakes hands with Irish Bridge platoon

commander 1/Lieutenant Andy Thornton

)�'�� $� �� (�� $��(��/9 ��

�� $� ��$�� $�� (� ��$�� )�� (�� (� �� +�� (�� (� 3�� (��((��(�� 4��

�� "��

��)��

�� ((�� $� -��3�� 5,� /09 ��$� ��/:@� �� $� �� $��(( +�#��=��.��(�� $��

�(�� $�(��2��-��3��$�A��

!�� !B�� $��12��

��/@:@��'�� (��

�� =��!��$�� (�� 12-)3C,�

�� #�� (� !B��'�� $�� %�� %,��(��;D� �� (�� 3�� ,�� 5,�/<9��3��?��*��4�

3�� (�� +��(�?�(��(��>��$�� =��!��$��

)��$��$��!��!B�� (�� $��3��

��

!��

=�B�� =�� +�� 3�� -��$�� )� ��(�� )

�� )�� (�� 3�� ,�� (��$� )� �� $�� ?�(��-�� (�� 12�?�� $�$��5�� -�� =��!��$��12-)3C,�

12��/9@��5,��)�� (��&��5,�(��E6DD�� $� �� (� ��((�� $� )�'�"�� $�� (�� )� ��,��$��"��

��=��3��3��((�� )�F�� $�� $� 4�� (� ��((��((��$��

-��(��)� �� "�� 5��$��)��$��(��,�� 8�� )� �� $��(��$��$� )�� 8�� 5�� /EDD� �� $��

)�+��)��3�� )��$��$�� (�� )�� F��!��F�

"��#�

Thomas Fiegl observes life on thePyla city square, whilst (a picture

of) his commanding officerobserves him.

“It’s good to see the two communi-ties mixing.”

��

“Sapperlot”

#��01/2��*��

Ain’t no mountainhigh enough.........

By CaptainAndreas Vas

By Major Paul KolkenBy Captain Andreas Vas

��$��-��,��A� �� (��-��$��

�� 3��?��*��4� �� $�� (�� 3��&59� ,�� !�� #�� (�� $� �� -�� +�� ,��1�� 12,� �� +��$�� +��G�� H�� (� �� I�� (�� (��

�$�� (�� F!��F� �� $��(?��

��(�� $�� %��F�� $�� %8��

��$�� "��$� ��$��

+��G��FI��(�� F��H�� (��$�� (�� (�� $��

+��,��%&��

�� ,�� !��% ��(��(�� )(� �� F�� (��((� �� 8�� $��$��-��,��A��(

��$�� %+��$�� )��(��(��/;�� C�� /;� +�� $� �� $�� (� �� -�� $� %��$��

,�� $��6 %?�� (��((��&��((��-�� 2�� *��&�� $�� %)F�� F��

$�� (�� (� �� ((�� A�� 5�� (�� ((��((��A�� $�� $�� 3��?�� *�� (�� )F�� (��

��

��Four cultures under one roof

FernandoPerezremovesthetapefromhis new sign

Peter Ham, a satisfied sta-tion commander

�� )�#,��*�

!��

5��(��(�� 12-)3C, 3��(� ��=��J�� (�K��+�

I��5�� ,��(� ��(��,��12,�� 3��(� �(�+�� (�� 3��2��.��(��=�� *�� (�2�� )� �(�� 4�� +��5�� (�123)4,5*�� (��(��$�12-)3C,'�� Current members of the Australian civilian police

��3��

��'��9E��I�� )�� $��

��$��$� �(� �� %�� /LLD��8$�� 3��I��3�� %��$�� (��

/L� �� $��(��((� �� (�� #�� (� �� $��"��(�� $�� (��

(��$��(��9E��I��

�� $��

�� 123)4,5*��$��!�$�3��2�� !�$�� 3�� +�!��

)� �� M� �� (��

By Sergeant Michelle Lomas-Travers

��

!��

Astone wall crushes two soldierson patrol - that could easilyhave been the result of the

storm which battered Nicosia onThursday 20 January. But thepatrolling Privates Shean Armstrongand Sinjin Cooper were lucky. Theeight-foot high wall came down min-utes before the City Platoon soldiersreached the spot. The debris coveredmost of the patrol route, and wouldcertainly have struck a passer-by.

City Platoon Commander, CaptainJohn James, comments on his actionstaken: “The risk to continuepatrolling was too high. For the dura-tion of the storm I had to cancel allscheduled patrols.

“It wasn’t only this wall that camedown. Near Ayios Kassianos school,a high bush was uprooted, blockingthe patrol track. The regiment’s engi-neers made sure we can use that roadagain. We have to remain con-stantlyaware that, during the rainy seasonand especially during a storm like lastThursday, the deteriorated buildingsmay collapse.”

!��

Above: Engineers Sergeant Jim Stewart andLance Corporal Neil van Driel trim the shrub just

enough to let a patrol car go through

We really prepared wellfor the Military Skillscompetition. First we

concentrated on building ourlevel of fitness, in particular run-ning with boots. Sergeant Hart,our team controller and residentOps Info expert, taught and

assessed our knowledge ofCyprus history, key political andmilitary figures in the Cyprusproblem, recognition of uniformsand insignia and OPFOR militaryhardware. Come the actual day,we were walking encyclopaedias.

Although very alien to us, wevery quickly got togrips with the AK-47,FN, AR-16, Steyr,Glock, Makorov,Beretta, SA-80 andBrowning. The teampractised stripping andassembling each one,sometimes usingmethods that I imaginewould not be found inany military manual.

Training for theother stands, however,required outside help,and a training day forall Sector 2 teams andthe MFR was laid onat the Ledra Palace.The driving stand con-sisted of a tick test,fault-finding and atricky obstacle course.

First Aid and signals wererevised and our ability to assem-ble a raft and cross the swimmingpool was practised.

The two other stands we prac-tised for were map reading andpistol shooting; both these activi-ties require high degrees of accu-racy. We managed to achieve thison at least one of them, althoughit involved compasses and pro-trac-tors, rather than pistols.

Thursday 3 February camearound quickly and we were atour first stand by 0615 hrs. Theforced march section got harderas the day progressed; we prac-tically sprinted every leg in orderto make the fastest time andtherefore pick up the maximumnumber of points.

At the end of the day, in a rap-idly darkening sky and to thebackdrop of the MFR’s Tacticas,the Force Commander remindedus of the aim and the spirit of thecompetition. He then proceededto announce the results. Despiteour hard work and commitment,we were disappointed we didn’tquite make the top three.

+��By Lieutenant Dave Jones, OC Liri

A heavy box of books...

��

When the Staffords playedagainst RAF Cyprus at theUNPA, the home advantage

was with the Staffords. This, though,was soon forgotten, as the strongcross-wind meant that playing anyquality football was going to be diffi-cult.

As much as both sides tried, it wasa case of who wanted it more on theday. The physical battle that ensuedwas not pretty by any stretch of theimagination, but it was the Staffordswho did all of the early running andwho were constantly battling forevery loose ball.

The RAF took a different approach.On occasion, they put together somenice passing moves, but yet again, thewind put an end to most of theirattacking options. Both CorporalsHack and Warburton saw sight of thegoal in the first half, only to see theirefforts go agonisingly wide. The RAFdid not sit back and some good playnearly broke the deadlock, but at theinterval, it was all square.

The second half began with theStaffords having the best of it earlyon. The team talk at half time had aneffect as they moved the ball to bothflanks and set up some good attacks.As the game ebbed and flowed, theRAF dragged themselves back intocontention and will probably thinkthemselves unlucky not to have goneahead on the hour. Again, theStaffords battled for everything, withCaptain James and Sergeant Bennettgoing agonisingly close.

A defensive lapse after 80 minutes

gave Toby Longman of the RAF thechance to slot home and break thedeadlock. His shot bobbled passedLance Corporal Godfrey in theStaffords goal. All he could do waslook on in despair. This led to a fiercefight back by the home side and a cou-ple of enforced substitutions.

Instrumental in the equaliser wasPrivate Montgomery who, after beat-ing three players, knocked the ballinto the path of Corporal Steve Hackwho did well to stay on his feet andbelt it into the RAF goal. With timerunning out, the whistle blew and a 1-1 draw was probably a fair result.

An audience doesn’t visit arugby field because it’s abright, sunny day. A good

game of fast, running rugby, that’swhat they want.

Well, fortunately neither the Stags(the Ayios Nicolaos team) nor theStaffords (the Sector 2 team) wereout to disappoint them, although with20 minutes on the clock, it was obvi-ous who was going to fare better.

The Stags attacked from the offand after five minutes, they got overthe try line for the first score. Apenalty soon followed. The Staffordswere 8-0 down and things were notlooking good. After this initial set-back, the Staffords got their game

together and started to run the ball,putting pressure on the Stags’ threequarter line. This pressure paid offand some good support play by theforwards led to the scrum half,Captain John James, dispossessinghis opposite number and bagging 5points for the visitors. CorporalDave Travis did the business with theboot and after 20 minutes, theStaffords were looking good at 8-7.

The Stags had obviously not readthe script, and with some good run-ning and clever tactical kicking,poured pressure onto the visitors’back-line. Some good interplay bythe two Stags centres led to a flurryof scores and at half time, the home

side were comfortable at 23 -7. The second half continued where

the first had ended. A catalogue oferrors killed any chance the Staffordshad to fight back and the Stags werein no mood to let them off the hook.Some fine and spirited individualperformances could not make up forthe lack of match practice and rugbyknowhow. The Stags took fulladvantage of this. They continued topile on the points and at the close itfinished 50-7.

The Staffords learned a lot of les-sons the hard way, but also observedmany encouraging signs to build onfor the future. The Stags fullydeserved their win.

!��.��

As a result of a dinner table chal-lenge, a joint UNCIVPOL/

ARGCON team played footballagainst a team of the population ofDhenia.

The final score was 8-1 in favour ofthe UN team. This was rather a goodindication of the skills of theUNCIVPOL and ARGCON members,and not a reflection of the deter-mina-tion and ability of the Dhenia team.

After the match, the community liai-son continued at the local coffee shopand at UNCIVPOL’s Dhenia station,where the match and all lessonslearned were discussed in depth.

�� )�#,4 (5�#�

��3��

By Captain John James

By Captain John James

RAF drew vs Staffords

˘ ˇ ˘ˆ ˘˙ ˝˘˛ˆ˚ ˇˇˆ - UNFICYP · 2015. 12. 4. · our report about Greek Cypriot and...

Documents

Transcript of ˘ ˇ ˘ˆ ˘˙ ˝˘˛ˆ˚ ˇˇˆ - UNFICYP · 2015. 12. 4. · our report about Greek Cypriot and...