NICOSIA, Nov 5 (AFP) – 14:15 GMT – Cypriot Defence Minister Socrates Hasikos said Tuesday Nicosia and Washington are trying to resolve the issue of US-made weapons on the island which contravene Congressional law banning arms exports to Cyprus.
“It is a fact that the Americans have a legal problem on this issue”, Hasikos said, referring to US-made weapons acquired by the Greek Cypriot army, after meeting US ambassador to Nicosia Michael Klosson.
The US diplomat made no comment afterwards.
Congress prohibits US arms exports to Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974 between Greek and Turkish sides, from third countries without the consent of the US government.
The minister would not be drawn on whether the Americans had asked for US-made weapons acquired from Greece under a 1993 joint-defence pact to be shipped out.
“We should not make a big issue over four old artillery pieces,” said Hasikos, suggesting recently paraded self-propelled howitzers were the only problem.
Ankara maintains 40,000 troops in the island’s northern third since 1974 following the Turkish invasion in response to an Athens-engineered coup to unite Cyprus with Greece.
Nicosia has often criticised Turkey for its own array of US hardware in the Turkish Cypriot north trained on the Greek Cypriot south.
“This should not turn into a confrontation about what the occupation forces have and what we have,” Hasikos said.
“I will handle this issue with the American ambassador and there will be a positive outcome … there are ways to resolve this,” he added.
Tensions have eased in the region since Nicosia, Athens and Ankara last month agreed to call off separate war games on the island in response to a US-led initiative to do so.
The move came amid ongoing UN efforts to reunite the island before it becomes a European Union member in 2004.
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/afp/defense/021105141511.p5u35tcn.html
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November 5, 2002 at 6:00 pm