NICOSIA — An oil slick spreading from a Syrian power
plant pulled away from the breakaway north of the Mediterranean island of
Cyprus on Wednesday thanks to shifting winds.
اضافة اعلان
The internationally isolated government of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) — recognized only by Ankara — has been
watching for days as an estimated 20,000 tonnes of fuel
oil drifts toward the
region's northeastern tip.
Emergency workers tried to contain the spillage by roping it
off with booms tossed from ships some 28 kilometers off the shore.
Top ministers had warned that at least some of the oil could
reach the scenic Karpaz peninsula on Friday.
But they sounded more positive after noticing that winds had
begun pushing the oil back up north and away from the coast.
"The weather conditions continue to be in our
favor," Tourism and Environment Undersecretary Serhan Aktunc said.
The minister added that beachgoers should remain
"vigilant" until Friday in case the winds change direction again.
"There is no problem in our sea now," he said.
But Aktunc and other officials warned that marine life
remained threatened because some of the oil had started to solidify and sink to
the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
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.
Officials there on Wednesday reported detecting traces of
oil some 56 kilometers off its eastern-most coast.
The TRNC government has relied almost exclusively on
financial and other assistance from Turkey since breaking away in 1974.
Turkey has already sent two ships to help contain and
collect the spillage.
Turkish transport and environment ministers have also been
advising the North about how to respond.
Officials in war-torn Syria have provided few details about
what may have caused fuel to start leaking from the oil-operated Baniyas
Thermal Station last week.
Syria's electricity minister had told a pro-government
newspaper Monday that the size of the leak ranged from 2 to 4 tonnes of fuel.
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