FOREIGN Minister Marcos Kyprianou has said he intends to resign over last week’s explosion at a naval base that killed 13 people.
He made the statement at parliament following the first of a series of hearings held by the House Defence Committee investigating the blast at the Evangelos Florakis base.
Kyprianou told reporters that he would ask President Demetris Christofias to accept his resignation “not because there is a sense of guilt, but for reasons of political sensitivity.”
Also attending the committee were ex-Defence Minister Costas Papacostas and ex-National Guard chief General Petros Tsalikides. Both stepped down last Monday within hours of the incident.
In his statement, replete with loaded remarks, Kyprianou appeared to be hinting that certain quarters – which he did not specify – sought to have him take the fall for the tragic events.
“I would like to believe that we all sense what a crucial time this is. It is my hope that…the real responsibilities are identified and apportioned, based on the facts and on reality.”
“Not a game of impressions,” he went on, “such as that which has played out over the last days, which was an attempt to seek out not those who are truly responsible, but rather to seek out scapegoats.”
Kyprianou said “the aim is not to enlighten the public, but to manipulate public opinion in an irresponsible manner.
“The injustice against me is not of a personal nature, it is to the detriment of democracy and of the people,” he said, adding that public sentiment was being manipulated “in order to serve agendas.”
The Foreign Minister said he refuses to have a hand in “such games” or to “do any favours to those who want to neutralise political opponents instead of dealing with the truly culpable.”
“I hear the public, and I want to contribute to the restoration of trust in the political system at such a crucial time for Cyprus,” he said.
Kyprianou went on to muse: “For where is my involvement, what are the real responsibilities, who bears the responsibilities?”
He added: “What is it that is being judged at the moment: a diplomatic decision and its handling – responsibly and with the national interest in mind – or the actions or omissions of those who were really responsible for the safekeeping of the cargo irrespective of why, or for how long, it was kept at the base.”
Asked whether he would ask to be transferred to a ministry other than Foreign Affairs, Kyprianou said: “I have no other ministry.”
Later in the day government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou confirmed that Kyprianou had informed the President of his desire to resign during a phone conversation in the morning.
He declined to comment on whether President Christofias had accepted Kyprianou’s resignation, whether the two had set a meeting, or on what the President’s reaction was.
“We shall let you know once we have something,” said Stefanou.
Asked if Kyprianou had sent the President a letter of resignation, Stefanou said that Kyprianou “has only communicated his intention [to step down].”
On whether Kyprianou’s departure signaled DIKO’s withdrawal from the government coalition, Stefanou noted “now is not the time for such a discussion.
In February 2009, under US and international scrutiny, Cyprus authorities seized the cargo of the Monchegorsk, a ship sailing from Iran to Syria in violation of UN sanctions against Tehran.
The cargo was transferred to the naval base at Mari.
According to leaked minutes of meetings held to discuss the fate of the cargo, on at least two occasions the Foreign Ministry advised the Defence Ministry that the cargo of the Monchegorsk remain at the naval base until further notice.
In December 2009 the Foreign Ministry informed the Defence Ministry (in response to a query from the latter): “The political reasons for which we reached the conclusions last August remain the same and therefore no change in the handling of the matter is necessary for the time being.”
The government has come under fire for its decision to keep the cargo on the island despite possible alternatives, including a controlled detonation, transferring the containers to Germany or selling off parts of the cargo. Critics suggest the Christofias administration had pledged to the Syrian government that the cargo would remain intact on the island.
In a brief statement issued last night, Kyprianou’s party DIKO said the Foreign Minister’s announcement “speaks for itself,” adding that “we hope Mr. Kyprianou’s behaviour sets an example.”
