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Canadian peacekeepers bid farewell to Cyprus

Broadcast Date: June 16, 1993

When it began in 1964, the Canadian-led United Nation mission to Cyprus was expected to last 90 days. Now almost three decades later, Canada's work on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is finally over and the troops are heading home. With their final patrols completed the soldiers pack up their gear, clean out their lockers and prepare for a new peacekeeping mission. In this CBC Television clip Paul Workman looks at the reactions of Cypriots as the well-respected troops take their leave from the still simmering dispute.

"It'll be a hard, tough and increasingly thankless task." This was the prediction of a CBC anchor in March 1964, as Canadian troops became the first to arrive in Cyprus to help temper a violent clash between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Those words would prove prophetic, as the ethnic rift dragged on and on with little progress towards peace. Despite their well-respected tenure in Cyprus, the Canadian soldiers exit after what is considered a failed mission.

Canadian peacekeepers bid farewell to Cyprus

• The Canadian peacekeeping mission in Cyprus began on March 15, 1964, when a 29- member contingent arrived in the capital of Nicosia to make arrangements for more than 1,000 troops.
• Originally intended to help soothe a flare up between Greek and Turk citizens, the mission's mandate was repeatedly renewed over the years.
• It came to an end at midnight on June 15, 1993 as the Canadian soldier's conducted their last patrol. The day after, troops passed on their duties to British and Austrian peacekeepers.

• The island of Cyprus, which is roughly the size of Prince Edward Island, is located in the Mediterranean Sea approximately 75 kms south of Turkey.
• Home to the Mount Olympus, Cyprus is believed to have gotten its name from the ancient Greek word for copper, which is plentiful on the island.
• Formerly a British colony, Cyprus gained its independence in 1960. Three years later, tensions between the Greek majority and Turkish minority boiled over in bloody violence in Nicosia.

• The civil war left thousands of people without homes and prompted the United Nations to mount a peacekeeping mission.
• Canada was the first country to respond, with a commitment of 1,150 peacekeeping troops. The troops, which arrived in March 1964, were charged with patrolling a contentious 65-km strip of a UN-designated buffer zone that ran directly through the capital city.
• Despite negotiations, the dispute continued – eventually exploding in July 1974, when the government of Cyprus was overthrown by a coup ordered by the government of Greece.

• The Turkish government responded by sending in troops. Once the fighting stopped a month later, the island was divided into two; the northern part controlled by Turkish Cypriots, the southern Greek Cypriot-controlled.
• The Greek part of Cyprus is officially recognised by the world and is a member of the European Union. The Turkish section of Cyprus is unrecognised by the global community, despite declaring itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983.

Also on June 16:
• 1972: Prime Minister Trudeau officially opens the Churchill Falls hydroelectric project in Labrador.
• 1981: Ken Taylor, Canada's former ambassador to Iran, becomes the first non-American to be awarded the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal. Taylor receives the medal from President Ronald Reagan for sheltering and engineering the escape of six Americans from Iran in 1980, during a hostage crisis.

• 1984: John Turner is elected leader of the federal Liberal Party, defeating Jean Chrétien on the second ballot at an Ottawa convention.

Canadian peacekeepers bid farewell to Cyprus

Medium: Television

Program: Prime Time News

Broadcast Date: June 16, 1993

Guest(s): Tassos Panayides

Host: Pamela Wallin
Reporter: Paul Workman

Duration: 2:17

Last updated:
June 10, 2010