The Green Line in Cyprus

The UN at work 1980-84

 All images are courtesy of the UN's Blue Beret magazine. The low image quality of these early pictures is due to the printing process of the early 80s.
The place names are as reported and may differ slightly from the official name.

This was a period of comparative calm and maintaining the status quo was the main priority. There were a number of "a day in the life" stories as well as the usual number of senior officers pointing towards a distant location.
 

In the January edition the Blue Beret announced a new six month extension to the mandate.

A light-hearted article.

UN tours were not "all work and no play".

The role of the Farming NCO is explained.

Ferrets of the Reserve Force climbing out of Mammari (a small town within the Buffer Zone)

An UNFICYP Flight AAC Allouette flies over Kykko Monastery.

OP D35 is resupplied by a Whirlwind of 84Sqn Det RAF.

An article about the final OP along the Buffer Zone. The soldiers would often have to fire flares to warn tourist boats that they were entering the Buffer Zone.

The artwork accompanying the article about "Operation Northwind".

The article fives details of what the operation entails.

One of the many images and articles about OP D13.......a popular visitor destination.

A somewhat contrived image showing a range of UN assets.........OP 12 with vehicles and air support.

Blue is the colour..........a striking image of a UN OP.........A28

A local farmer with his UN escort drives into the Buffer Zone.

Details of the Southwind Patrol...........checking on a small number of Turkish Cypriots living in the south.

The Wessex takes over from the Whirlwind.

An article about the need to resite a Danish OP near Skouriotissa.

The latest in radio communication equipment.

Details of life in the Kokkina Enclave.

A "day in the life of" story.

An article about the history of the UN camp in Louroujina.

Mine clearance activity..........minefields still exist today (2017)

Another "day in the life of" story.

An Austrian UN soldier at his OP in the area between Agios Nikolaos and Famagusta.

Additional stories about the OPs in the Kokkina enclave.

The famous OP S65.

However, its days were numbered as the article explains.

An article about one of the more sensitive sections of the Buffer Zone.

Omorphita has always been a very sensitive area.

Another article about the Southwind Patrol.

Saluting was a serious business.

A UN escort briefs the farmer on fields that he is allowed to cultivate.

British and Danish engineers repair ther patrol track somewhere in Sector 1.

Efforts continued to improve access to the more isolated OPs. This is in the Kokkina enclave, the OP is on the hillside and the accommodation blocks are below.

A more detailed article about the demise of the old OP S-65 which was close to Louroujina.

Another article using the OP 1 image but with further details of the history of Kokkina.

One of the many "pointing towards" images that were published.