Cyprus talks to EU, neighbors on humanitarian corridor for Gaza

Nicosia: Cyprus on Tuesday said it was in talks with parties in the Middle East and the European Union over its suggestion to establish a humanitarian aid corridor from the island to Gaza.

Nicosia is pursuing the option as fighting rages for a fourth week between Israel and Hamas, deepening a humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

“We are continuing diplomatic contacts with states of the region, the EU and the United Nations for this very important humanitarian corridor to become possible,” Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told a news briefing.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who floated the proposal at an EU leaders’ summit last week, was due to speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Letymbiotis said.

Cyprus is the closest EU member state to Gaza, lying approximately 370 km (230 miles) north-west of the enclave at its closest point.

Details of how the corridor would work — including which authority would be running it and security issues — were still being discussed, sources said.

Cyprus believes the idea has merit because of its close proximity to the Middle East and good relations with all its neighbors, one Cypriot official said.

The Cypriot foreign minister, Constantinos Kombos, visited Jordan and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah on Sunday and Monday, officials said. The Cypriot President has also raised the matter with the President of Egypt.

The island was the springboard for several missions of foreign pro-Palestinian activists sailing to Gaza between 2008 and 2010, challenging Israel’s blockade of the coastal territory.