THE good news from Cyprus is that 3,000 Greek and Turkish Cypriots gathered together on Monday night for a deeply moving bicommunal pop concert for peace.
The bad news is that two dozen Turkish Cypriot extremists stoned the bus of the Turkish singer starring at the concert and several dozen Greek Cypriot motor-bikers rioted in central Nicosia in an effort to disrupt the occasion.
But, the concert-goers prevailed and, in the view of the UN representative on the island, Mr Gustave Feissel, they sent a message to the rest of Cyprus that reconciliation "is the only future that makes any sense".
The concert, organised by the UN peacekeeping force, was staged in a unique stretch of the UN-controlled buffer zone, a disused football field located in the moat beneath the 16th century Venetian wall of the old city.
Close to the main crossing point between the southern republic and the Turkish occupied north, the concert venue gave direct access to members of each community who had to submit to strict security checks to enter concert ground. An evening shower laid the dust and chilled the air just before the concert-goers began to arrive.
A steady stream of Greek Cypriots flowed smoothly through the final UN checkpoint, controlled by uniformed Irish gardai, while the more numerous Turkish Cypriots, dammed up behind the barricades, came through in spurts to be greeted by Greek Cypriots already converted into friends and acquaintances by what can only be called the "peace underground" - networks of externally organised contacts promoting people-to-people events abroad.
Among the first to meet and greet one another with kisses on both cheeks were two university students, Suriya, a pretty Turkish Cypriot girl majoring in English literature, and Stelios, a Greek Cypriot from the port city of Limassol.
"Since we were born after 1974 [when Cyprus was divided] we are good friends, we don't worry about the past, only the future, said Stelios. "We think both peoples have a future here on this small island," added Suriya.
Many Turkish Cypriots came bearing fragrant bunches of pink, home-grown carnations or olive branches for their Greek Cypriot compatriots. When asked about the profusion of flowers, Mrs Turker Deler, a solid Turkish Cypriot banker in his mid-30s, said: "There are little boys on our side handing them out." Some mysterious Turkish Cypriot of good will had entered into the spirit of the occasion to make a gracious gesture to the Greek Cypriots. "We've come here to meet not to hear the music," said Mr Deler, "most of us don't even like this kind of music."
The performance began with a leap and a deafening shout from the close cropped, barely bearded, Burak Kut, one of Turkey's popular pop singers, who was promptly joined by Sakis Rouvas, long locks flying, legs encased in tight black leather jeans. The singers' voices boomed one line in Turkish, the next in Greek. The multitude leant into the music, hands fluttering skywards, and swayed back and forth in unison.
Songs in Turkish, Greek and English included: the Beatles' Come Together and Bob Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door. Greek and Turkish Cypriots danced together in couples, a conga line and linked hands to form a circle that embraced the throng.
