DEFENCE Minister Socratis Hasikos yesterday rejected opposition claims the helicopters that carried out a demonstration flight were not fuelled to capacity to be able to carry more troops.
On Friday two Bell helicopters used by police were filled to capacity with President Glafkos Clerides and armed special forces troops in one, and reporters in the other to prove that they could carry the 13 troops plus two crew specified by the manufacturer.
The helicopter’s capabilities were vigorously contested by main opposition party AKEL, which vowed not to approve the £22 million necessary for their procurement.
AKEL said the Bell-412EP was not a military craft and was not fitted with the essential equipment normally carried by such helicopters.
The US maintains a military embargo on Cyprus, so would only provide civilian versions of the Bell, which would then be kitted for military use in a third country.
Yesterday, Hasikos said the extra equipment – armour, electronic counter measures – could be fitted in Cyprus at a cost of around $60,000 per helicopter.
But AKEL argues that it was unacceptable to pay so much money to acquire the helicopters and then pay extra to equip them.
AKEL deputy Doros Christodoulides, who claims the helicopters could not carry the necessary troops and equipment yesterday charged that the police helicopters’ fuel tanks had not been filled to capacity to be able to carry the troops.
This was promptly rejected by Hasikos.
DISY deputy Antonis Karas echoed the minister, adding that Christodoulides’ claims were a “joke”.
The helicopters on Friday flew from Nicosia to the Paphos air base and back, without refuelling.
“If the President had not been on board the helicopter the opposition would have accused the government of putting troops on helicopters with no fuel to get them killed,” Karas said.
But Christodoulides said he would look into the possibility of a “conspiracy” involving National Guard officers who were persuaded to support the Bell option.
Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou yesterday said the flight proved that the opposition’s claims were totally unfounded.
The flight proved that the lied in an effort to mislead the public, Papapetrou said.
“I wonder who these politicians are, who want to cast experts and procedures aside, and pose as experts,” he said.
“What the National Guard needs is decided by experts and not politicians,” Papaperou added.
The spokesman dismissed attacks against the president’s decision to participate in the flight as efforts to mislead people from the essence of the issue.
The Defence Minister warned that if the House did not approve the funds it would be undermining institutions and blatantly disregarding laws it had passed.
“Everything was done according to procedures,” he said.
Gone are the days were the minister went to the companies and bought equipment without asking anyone, he added.
He suggested that the whole issue was blown out of proportion because of upcoming general elections.
“I find it hard to believe that issues concerning the army are used in parties’ election campaigns,” Hasikos said.
He suggested there was considerable backstage horse-trading between parties and the helicopters were used as a bargaining chip by opposition parties.
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.
