Miller in Ankara on Monday

US SPECIAL co-ordinator Thomas Miller will visit Ankara on Monday, with the S-300 missiles and proposals for a no-fly zone that might prevent their deployment expected to be high on the agenda.

Miller is exploring ways of postponing and eventually cancelling the arrival of the Russian-made missiles to Cyprus. Turkey has threatened a military strike on the missiles if they are deployed.

The idea of a no-fly zone, which might make the anti-aircraft missiles redundant, was first proposed by Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos. Turkey has so far consistently opposed plans for a flight moratorium over Cyprus.

Meanwhile, the US newspaper Defence News, which is considered to be the voice of the Pentagon, has raised the concern that the delivery of the S- 300 missiles might spark a war in Cyprus and the broader region.

It said the Pentagon was not ruling out Turkish air attacks against Cyprus, which would be concentrated on the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos. The paper also revealed that the missile situation in Cyprus was now considered the most fragile in the world.

Defence News also stated that although the S-300 missiles were considered to be defensive, they were also capable of offensive use. The paper said the missiles had the power to hit Turkey itself, while simultaneously shielding Greek warplanes which could then be free to attack air bases in eastern Turkey.

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.