BBC News Online: World: Europe

Greek Cypriots visit Northern Cyprus

A group of about one-thousand Greek Cypriots has crossed into Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus to visit a Greek Orthodox monastery.

It's the second such trip this year to the historic Apostalas Andreas monastery on the Carpath peninsula.

Earlier this year, a group of Turkish Cypriots was allowed to visit an Islamic shrine in Greek Cypriot territory.

The exchanges are part of continuing attempts by the United Nations to improve relations between the two communities, as a first step towards ending the twenty-three year division of the island.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service