DELAYS, stalling and a lack of expression of the necessary readiness for cooperation with the UN Sanctions Committee on the Monchegorsk cargo, Cyprus’ permanent representative at the international organisation Minas Hadjimichael told the investigating committee of the July 11 blast yesterday.
Hadjimichael told the committee that on January 25, 2009 he had received a letter from the coordinator of a group of experts from the Sanctions Committee, asking for a visit to Cyprus to be arranged.
The experts wanted to have meetings with various departments and ministries responsible for matters concerning the Iran sanctions resolutions and to be briefed about Cyprus’ actions regarding the munitions cargo seized from the ship sailing to Syria from Iran.
Hadjimichael conveyed the message to the Foreign Ministry, which replied on February 3 that the request was accepted but the visit should be delayed as much as possible to give time to prepare.
The coordinator showed flexibility and agreed that the visit would take place in April or May, Hadjimichael said.
On March 14, 2009, Hadjimichael received new instructions to push for the visit to take place as part of the sanctions group’s new round of visits that started in June and would be completed in December, to give time to coordinate.
The coordinator then asked for information to be handed to them before May 9, 2009 – the deadline for the group’s report to the Security Council – regarding the inspection of the cargo by Cypriot authorities.
Hadjimichael informed the ministry in writing on March 23, stressing that if the information the committee wanted was not given, it would mean Cyprus did not agree to the visit and has not complied with the deadline.
Hadjimichael said he never got a response and when the report came out, it said that the group had asked for a visit but no invitation was extended.
The ambassador said he did not have any instructions to obstruct the visit but “certainly yes to delay it.”
Hadjimichael said he did not know the real reasons for postponing the visit.
Former diplomat Costas Miltiadous, who at the time was the island’s representative at the European Defence and Security Policy Committee, said France, Germany and the UK had offered assistance in the matter.
“They would have given us any help, as long as we asked,” Miltiadous said.
He said the island’s peers in the EU were unhappy because Cyprus would not state that European legal order would be respected.
Instead, Cyprus limited itself in saying it will respect the Security Council resolutions and international legal order.
“This is a paradox because as an EU member-state, it goes without saying that European legal order should be respected. This was not something the partners appreciated, Miltiadous said.
Miltiadous informed the ministry of the partners’ displeasure and that “they have reached their limits.”
After that, Permanent Secretary Nicos Emiliou took it upon himself to assure Cyprus’ partners at the highest level that European legal order would be respected.
“We could have avoided friction with the partners, something we did in the end,” said Miltiadou.
