Nicosia’s Ledra Street Reopened
Greek and Turkish Cypriots recently reopened Ledra Street, a major crossing in the divided Cypriot capital of Nicosia. Local officials declared Ledra Street, which stood as a symbol to the island’s partition, open. It was then closed again for a couple of hours by the Greek Cypriots, after what they called an illegal Turkish Cypriot police patrol only to be shortly re-opened on mediation by United Nations officials.
Ledra Street was divided in 1964 during a flare in violence between the ethnic Greek and Turkish communities. New Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot Leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed to the reopening of the busy shopping street.