House: Bases can’t be used for military attacks

THE BRITISH bases should not be used for military offensives and Britain should fulfil its financial obligations to Cyprus, the House of Representatives said yesterday.

The plenum unanimously adopted a resolution declaring that the United Kingdom had no sovereignty over the bases territory, even in the context of the Treaty of Establishment, but a commitment to use the territory for specific military purposes.

The adoption of the resolution comes at the heels of a lengthy debate concerning the political and legal aspects of the British bases.

Discussion of the issue finished yesterday but was not immediately adopted due to last minute amendments tabled by deputies.

The resolution was adopted taking into consideration United Nations decisions on the abolition of colonialism and the fundamental principles of international law, which ban the occupation of territory with another country’s domain.

It also took into account the adverse consequences on human rights and quality of life of Cypriot citizens living in the bases, as well as the danger of them getting involved in aggressive military actions against friendly states in the area.

“The British bases cannot be used for offensive purposes, which will lead to the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of independent states and the undermining of international peace and security,” the resolution said.

The House called upon the British government to fulfil its financial obligations, which stem from the Treaty of Establishment, to Cyprus.

It also urged the Cypriot government to look into legal means to claim what was due to the country.

The plenum reaffirmed its steadfast support to the full demilitarisation of the island, adding that it considered the resolution a statement of its opposition to the inclusion of provisions concerning the British bases that were encompassed in the European Constitutional Treaty.

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.