Charlie Charalambous
DEFENCE Minister Yiannakis Chrysostomis yesterday tried to gloss over the reasons why more than 100 National Guard officers were sent packing from Crete after they demanded more pay and better conditions.
One hundred and three officers, sent to Crete to help with the deployment of Cyprus’ diverted Russian S-300 missiles, are said to have been unceremoniously dumped on a transport plane and sent packing by the Greeks, who could no longer stand their complaints.
Following the embarrassing reports, which also suggested the militant officers had caused a rift between the two countries, Chrysostomis held an impromptu press conference yesterday to dispel rumours that his men were given the boot.
Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis also “categorically denied” that defence ties between the two countries were strained. “It’s a fairy tale,” Kranidiotis told reporters in Nicosia.
Chrysostomis tried to play down the whole affair: “The reason the officers returned is because they were given leave to come back to Cyprus and that’s all… we have no problem with Greece,” he said, giving the official explanation.
He said the officers hadn’t been given indefinite leave but would return to Crete in the next “few days”, and went on to thank the Greek government for allowing the men to see their families again. Apparently, the same officers will return to the Greek island once the Russian S-300 technicians have arrived to help install the missile systems.
However, after a few more questions from inquisitive reporters, Chrysostomis said the officers had not actually been given leave as such. They were, in fact, back at their units and not at home. The minister also agreed that the initial discontent revolved around pay and the state of the living quarters, which were supposedly reserved for Greek fighter pilots. “They wanted better pay, improved accommodation, and they wanted to see their families. Everything has been sorted out,” Chrysostomis told the Cyprus Mail.
Was it not unusual that 103 officers serving in Crete should all be given leave at the same time and sent home on a C-130 transport plane? “There is nothing unusual or suspicious, there are no other dimensions to this issue, ” the defence minister told the news conference.
But the minister then conceded he had personally had to intervene to resolve “a small problem” during his recent visit to Crete, and had promised the officers more money. “I went to assess the problem, and we came to an agreement in which I promised their demands for an extra allowance would be met,” said Chrysostomis.
Last week, Chrysostomis got himself into hot water with Greece for announcing to the world that the S-300 missiles were still in their boxes waiting to be assembled in Crete. It is also understood that the Greeks were not happy with the Cypriot minister getting involved in officer pay demands.
Akel deputy Doros Christodoulides believes it is no coincidence that the entire National Guard unit in Crete was sent home on Thursday so soon after Chrysostomis’ visit. “It appears the defence minister’s visit has caused a rift in relations between Cyprus and Greece, and is linked to all the Cypriots handling the S-300s being sent packing on a plane without warning, ” claimed Christodoulides.
The deputy said it was a “fallacy” to suggest an entire unit had been sent home on leave when their mission was considered such an important one. Moreover, the extra cash promised to the officers by Chrysostomis has to be approved by the Finance Ministry first.
“If the allowance isn’t agreed, then we will see how to handle the situation,” said Chrysostomis, who preferred not to divulge the sums involved.
The Russian surface-to-air missiles ended up in Crete after President Clerides decided to divert their deployment on Cyprus last December following intense international pressure to scrap the deal.
