British deny Turkish planes flew over bases

By Jean Christou

THE BRITISH bases yesterday categorically denied reports that Turkish warplanes had flown over the SBA.

But Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides disputed the denial.

“We will speak with them and inform them about the data our radars received, ” Cassoulides said in reply to a journalist’s questions over the alleged incident.

Earlier, bases spokesman Mervyn Wynne-Jones had said there had been no overflights of Sovereign Base Area air space by any Turkish aircraft, as alleged in the local press.

“There is no substance to any of the media reports of the past 24 hours,” Wynne-Jones said.

British High Commissioner David Madden also said yesterday he was not aware of any such violations.

Madden was speaking after paying a call on President Clerides along with the incoming and outgoing bases commanders, Major General Angus Ramsay and Air Vice Marshal Peter Millar.

Millar who retires from his post tomorrow, said of the alleged violations: “if they did, I know nothing about it and I would not comment on it anyway.”

Millar said the agreement with the Cyprus government was “that we use the bases for British and Commonwealth forces” and that they were never used for anything else.

The reports of a flyover at the British bases came in the wake of a number of overflights by Turkish planes on Monday.

The government said Turkish spy planes had flown 14 nautical miles south of the new Paphos air base and taken photographs of the site.

Cassoulides said the government was making the necessary representations.

He said Turkish threats over the air base, which the government will take delivery of next week, “do not frighten us”.

“For the moment, our decision is to use it only in the case of a Turkish offensive against the free part of Cyprus,” Cassoulides said.

He said Athens and Nicosia had discussed all political measures they would take to tackle Turkish threats.

“Cyprus and Greece feel confident they can handle any developments affecting Cyprus,” he said.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.