Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias cut short an official visit to London on Friday after a checkpoint ceremoniously opened a day earlier for the first time in decades was forced to close following a dispute over how the street should be policed, according to dpa. Greek Cypriot authorities temporarily closed the southern entrance to the crossing on Ledra Street late Thursday just hours after it opened to the public. The crossing is located in the main shopping district of the divided capital that had once been barricaded for the last 44 years. The opening was meant to serve as a opening initiative for peace negotiations between Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. But the presence of Turkish Cypriot police in the 80-metre stretch of United Nations-controlled buffer zone triggered the abrupt closure of the crossing for more than two hours on Thursday. The problems forced Christofias to return to Cyprus to handle the dispute, saying the Turkish Cypriot police force is under the jurisdiction of the Turkish army. The president was in London for to attend Prime Minister Gordon Brown's progressive summit which will focus on such issues as climate change and the economy. Speaking upon his return at Larnaca airport, the president said he had to return "to be here because violations from what is essentially the Turkish army continue in the buffer zone." The Cypriot president said he would meet later on Friday with the ambassadors of the UN Security Council's five permanent members and with UN Special Representative on Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar to ensure that no more violations took place. The closure ended after dozens of protestors gathered on both sides calling for its reopening and UN officials mediated between rival police forces. "Due to the violations by the Turkish Cypriot police based on negotiations for the opening of Ledra Street and the problems which occurred last night, President Christofias has seen it necessary to immediately return to the island so as to follow closely the situation," said a press ministry release. Officials from the Turkish Cypriot side said police entered the buffer zone to break up the demonstrators who were chanting and holding up banners. Christofias said he does not hold Talat responsible for the violations. The opening of Ledra Street, as it is known in Greek - and Lokmaci in Turkish - was part of a landmark deal between Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on March 21 who agreed to resume peace negotiations by the end of June. Hundreds of Cypriots continued to use the crossing point on Friday following its brief interruption the night before. Ledra Street was barricaded in 1964 when British peacekeepers decided to divide the street between Nicosia's Greek and Turkish communities as a result of inter-communal fighting. The entire island has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the northern third of the island in response to a brief Greek- inspired coup. "The opening of Ledra Street is a very positive step ... the next step in my opinion will be for the demilitarisation of the entire area of Nicosia and to open the crossing point at Leminitis," Christofias said as he was about to board a plane for London.
