By George Psyllides
THE GOVERNMENT said yesterday that a Cabinet decision to grant the United States access to the island’s airspace was clear and that the matter was considered closed.
The Cabinet on Thursday granted the US access to Cyprus’ airspace, hours after they launched military action against Iraq.
Cyprus also granted facilities for humanitarian emergencies and search and rescue in areas under the responsibility of the Republic.
“I think the matter is closed, it was discussed extensively yesterday (Thursday), statements after the Cabinet meeting were clear and further discussion on the issue is unnecessary,” Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday.
Asked why the government had decided to grant access to airspace when all along it had been saying that only facilities for humanitarian purposes would be provided, Chrysostomides merely said there had been further consultations, declining to go into details.
He added that Cyprus had not asked for anything in return for granting access to the airspace, adding that any confusion had been dispelled by the Cabinet decision.
Chrysostomides said that as far as he knew US forces had not yet used the airspace but he did not rule out its use in light of the problems America was facing with Turkey.
The Turkish Parliament on Thursday granted access to its airspace but disagreements between the two countries have stopped the agreement from being enforced.
Turkey has not allowed the US use of its airbases for refuelling, something that Cyprus could still be asked to provide.
Chrysostomides said he did not think the US had requested permission to refuel on the ground but air refuelling fell within the rights granted for airspace use.
The spokesman added that the US had not requested use of the air-force base in Paphos.
Communications Minister Kikis Kazamias yesterday defended the government’s decision, saying that under the circumstances Cyprus could not refuse the US request.
He stressed that use of the ports and airports would be limited to humanitarian purposes and emergency situations.
Kazamias was echoed by Interior Minister Andreas Christou, who said Cyprus could not do otherwise.
“I am not happy but it was a decision taken under particular political circumstances,” Christou said.
Christou noted that even France, which vehemently opposed the war, had granted the same facilities to the US.
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.
