GREENS Deputy George Perdikis yesterday warned that the powerful new PLUTO antenna under construction by the British bases would be dangerous for Cyprus if there is an attack on Iraq.
Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Perdikis expressed concern for the safety of cities close to the bases in the event of a missile attack by Iraq.
“We are particularly concerned after hearing that the British consider the bases to be a likely target for Iraqi missiles,” he said.
“If we take into consideration the range and the technical specifications of these missiles, especially the fact that they could miss their target by a few kilometres, we believe that the whole of Cyprus is in danger — especially residents of Limassol.
“Cyprus is a target in a war it wants no part of. This is because the British continue to use the bases as a launching point for their military operations against neighbouring countries.”
Perdikis said that the installation of the new antenna should be considered a dangerous upgrade to the Anglo-American war effort against Iraq.
“Because of its importance, the antenna could be prone to attack by Iraq or by terrorists,” he said.
“Cyprus does not have weapons that could be used to intercept enemy missiles. Crete does, because they are using our S-300 missiles.”
The deputy also slammed the government for their stance on the British implementation of the acquis communautaire on the British Sovereign Bases after Cyprus’ accession to the European Union.
“The basis of negotiations with the British is wrong,” he charged. “Cyprus must ask the British to confine their activities within the military areas and not the entire Sovereign Base Area. The rest of SBA property, which under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment is controlled by Great Britain, should be released and the acquis communautaire implemented.”
Perdikis said there had been reports that the British had requested that the Akrotiri Salt Lake be included in the Ramsar Convention for the preservation of wetlands without informing the government or local residents.
“They agreed that the installation of the antenna would divide the salt lake, meaning that it would no longer be a unified ecosystem.
“The government should submit its own plan for the inclusion of the Akrotiri Salt Lake and Phassouri Marsh in the Ramsar Convention, and they should report Great Britain to the Council of Europe for breaching the Berne Convention regarding protected migratory birds and the ecosystems that sustain them.
Meanwhile the Greens are staging a demonstration at Akrotiri today in an effort to bring an end to the construction of the new antenna.
An SBA spokesman told the Sunday Mail the bases did not expect any problems, but he warned that the bases police are ready to act in the unlikely event of trouble.
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.
