S-300s have no place in Cyprus – White House

AMERICA believes the S-300 missile system “has no place” in an area where it is actively seeking ways to reduce tension, White House spokesman Mike McCurry said yesterday.

In a press briefing, McCurry stated that while his government had no information to suggest that any components of the system had actually reached the island, the US would be “troubled” if the system were to be deployed.

He stressed, however, that in spite of its concerns, America had it made it clear that it condemned Turkish threats of military action should the missiles be deployed.

Meanwhile, Turkish press reports said yesterday Turkish Cypriot Leader Rauf Denktash had written to United Nations Secretary-general Kofi Annan, asking him to intervene over the missile issue.

The reports quoted Denktash’s letter as saying the deployment of the missiles would “negatively affect” the political climate on the island and endanger regional peace.

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.