THE GOVERNMENT yesterday announced it had signed an agreement with Britain for the installation of a monitoring station at Akrotiri that will measure the levels of electromagnetic radiation emitted from the massive new Pluto antennas.
In a written statement yesterday, the two governments said the issue of the monitoring station had been under discussion during the past 12 months.
The statement said experts from the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) and France Telecom, together with experts from the British Bases (SBA), had carried out tests on August 2001 to determine the levels of electromagnetic radiation emitted from the antennas in the Akrotiri Salt Lake area.
Both the Cypriot and British governments maintained that the study showed that levels of electromagnetic radiation emitted in the area were far lower than maximum levels allowed by the European Union, and insisted that the antennas posed no health risk for the local residents.
The new monitoring station will be installed at the Akrotiri municipal council and will allow local residents to have a clear indication of the levels of radiation emissions.
“The readings from the monitoring station will be sent directly to the Ministry of Communications and Works without any intervention from the SBA,” the statement read.
“The ministry will also have the right to carry out random measurements around the area in order to confirm the results received from the monitoring station.”
But the Green Party yesterday launched a scathing attack against both the Cypriot and British governments, accusing the British of retracting written assurances that they would not turn the antennas on, and the Cypriot government of being unable to stop them.
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Greens deputy George Perdikis said he had credible information that the antennas had been operation since March 20 and accused the British for maintaining a colonialist stance.
“They have been operational since March 20, but for now there’s nothing we can do,” he said.
“The government is busy with other matters right now,” he added.
Perdikis also claimed the monitoring station had already been installed and accused the SBA of meddling with a Health Ministry medical team carrying out a study on cancer levels in the area, by warning locals not to take part.
The bases admitted the antennas had been put into operation but categorically denied Perdikis’ allegations that they had interfered with the medical team’s study.
“The antennas have been continually working,” a source said.
“Let me just clarify they are complementary and that they will function as a single system, so the system will continue to transmit the same maximum power and have the same maximum gain as the previous system, but rest assured that the same maximum power has not been adjusted,” the source added.
“As for Mr Perdikis’ comments, they are absolute rubbish. There has been no study at all that has come out on the negative results and I don’t know where they got their information, but that’s a categorical no, we have in no way affected the locals in participating in the study.”
