By Jean Christou
THE GOVERNMENT yesterday denied reports that Russia had failed to respond to its requests to change the contract for the ill-fated S-300 missiles.
Spokesman Christos Stylianides said consultations were taking place between Cyprus, Russia and Greece on where the missiles would eventually be deployed.
When President Clerides cancelled the Cyprus deployment of the S-300s two weeks ago, proposing instead that they go to Crete, speculation began that Cyprus would perhaps purchase a shorter range system.
A meeting yesterday at the Presidential Palace bringing together the Defence and Finance Ministers fuelled speculation that discussions were under way to purchase Russian TOR-M1 missiles instead of the S-300s.
But Stylianides refused either to confirm or deny that this had been the subject of discussion, saying that no comments would be made on defence matters.
“There has been no confirmation from any government representative that there was a conference concerning the purchase of missile systems,” Stylianides said. “This did not happen.”
Stylianides’ reference to the S-300 issue was in response to Monday reports from the Russian Novosti News Agency.
Novosti said Russia had not yet replied to an official appeal by the government for changes in the provisions of the original contract.
Citing sources close to the Russian Defence Ministry, the agency said, however, that this did not necessarily mean that Moscow would take a negative stance.
The sources said the entire issue needed an additional assessment by Russian politicians and generals, as Greece is a Nato member.
According to the Russian military, the deployment of the S-300s on Crete would ensure their effective performance within the framework of the joint defence pact between Cyprus and Greece.
Stylianides played down the report after yesterday’s cabinet meeting.
“There are consultations among the three contracting parties,” he said. “Discussions are taking place on the basis of a joint decision between Greece and Cyprus.”
His views echoed an earlier response to the report, made in Moscow by a senior Russian official.
The first deputy minister of defence, Nicolai Michailov, told Russian television on Tuesday that the issue of where the missiles was deployed was “the prerogative of the Cypriot leadership.”
Michailov described the government’s decision not to deploy the missiles in Cyprus as “a good one”.
