NICOSIA — The divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus
braced on Tuesday for an approaching oil slick from a power plant in Syria that
threatened a pristine coastal stretch of the breakaway north.
اضافة اعلان
Environmental officials in self-declared Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) — internationally recognized only by Ankara — said that
20,000 tonnes of fuel oil had spilled from the Syrian plant.
"It is a complete disaster for the marine
ecosystem," the head of the North's chamber of environmental engineers,
Cemaliye Ozverel Ekinci, told the local TAK news agency.
"This problem is not just a problem that concerns
Northern Cyprus," Ekinci said. "We should act together with the
south."
Syria's electricity minister had told the pro-government
Al-Watan newspaper on Monday that the size of the leak ranged from two to four
tonnes of fuel.
He added that a committee had been formed to investigate the
cause.
The head of the north's deep diving centre, Erol Adalier,
said the oil slick was approaching the island's northeastern Karpaz peninsula —
a wild region of sandy beaches and verdant hills.
He added that the oil had reached to within 32 kilometers of
the coast on Tuesday morning and was drawing nearer by the hour.
Local officials said Turkey had sent teams to assess the
situation and prepare a response.
"Even if it passes us tangentially, it will affect
Turkey," the north's tourism and environment minister Fikri Ataoglu said.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974.
The Republic of Cyprus — whose overwhelming majority are
Greek Cypriots and which has been a European Union member since 2004 — has
effective control over the southern two-thirds of the island.
The government in the south said Tuesday it had not
"located" any sign of the oil spill in the areas under its control
and that it had conveyed its readiness to help authorities in the north in
tackling any pollution.
"Unfortunately... we have not received any information
or any response from the authorities of the illegal regime, and so we remain
alert," Environment Minister Costas Kadis told Cyprus News Agency.
The TRNC government relies almost exclusively on financial
and other assistance from Ankara.
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