Northern Ireland soldiers for Cyprus UN mission (BBC News)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8503047.stm
8 February 2010

More than 270 soldiers from Northern Ireland are to be deployed to Cyprus for six months, as part of the United Nation's peace-keeping effort.

The Territorial Army troops are with 40 (Ulster) Signal Regiment Group, which is based in Belfast.

Using the reservists means that regular forces will be able to concentrate on Afghanistan, the Army said.

They are to maintain security along a 30-kilometre stretch of the Green Line on the divided island.

Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974, which was triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup.

The Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides re-started peace negotiations in September 2008.

Training is under way for the tour, with the deployment beginning at the end of next month at a crucial time in political talks regarding re-unification of the island.
Map

The NI soldiers take up duties on the Green Line buffer zone in the capital, Nicosia, and will be working with regular troops from Argentina as well as Slovak and Hungarian troops who will be manning other sections of the frontier.

The section controlled by the NI soldiers starts at Mammari, west of Nicosia and ends at Kaimakli to the east of the capital.

Lieutenant Colonel Stewart McConnell, Commanding Officer of 40 Signal Regiment Group said: "The reservist soldiers themselves bring a lot to the mission; they are mature, have a wealth of skills and experience and approach things in a slightly different light to their regular counterparts."

This is only the second time in the 100 history of the Territorial Army that an entire unit has deployed on a peacekeeping mission.

However, of the 270 soldiers to be deployed, more than 30% have already undertaken previous operational tours in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and Cyprus, the Army said.

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