NICOSIA, July 11 (AFP) – 12:59 GMT – The Greek Cypriot government has broken a freeze on weapons spending on the divided island and decided on a missile order worth 118 million dollars, a newspaper reported Friday.
Politis said the government has cut a deal with the Italian and French manufacturers of Aspide and Mistral, respectively, to buy the short-range, surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles as part of a weapons upgrading programme.
However, government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides denied the front-page report. “Since the new government took over (in February), no weapon systems have been purchased,” he told reporters.
But Yiannakis Omirou, chairman of the parliamentary defence committee, said MPs had been briefed on the issue and suggested the government had taken a political decision to acquire new weapons.
“The parliamentary committee was informed, but the government can go ahead without approval of the house for this weapons budget,” Omirou, leader of socialist Edek in the government coalition, told state radio.
Former president George Vassiliou said it would be a mistake if the government went ahead with the purchases.
“While ordinary Turkish Cypriots are sending out a clear message that they want a solution, large military expenditure on our part sends the wrong signals,” said Vassiliou.
As a goodwill gesture, the Greek Cypriots put a halt to new weapons purchases during UN-brokered direct talks with the Turkish Cypriot side which began in January 2002 and ended in failure 15 months later.
The aim was to end the island’s 29-year division so a reunited Cyprus could join the European Union in May 2004.
Renewed diplomatic efforts to kickstart a new phase of talks between Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos, the Greek Cypriot leader, have so far proved unsuccessful.
But Turkish Cypriot authorities have eased travel restrictions across the UN-manned Green Line since April, bringing the two communities closer after decades of separation and mistrust.
About 30,000 Turkish troops occupy the island’s northern third since invading in 1974 in response to a Greek Cyriot coup in Nicosia aimed at union with Greece.
By: Arabella-Cox - 12th July 2003 at 21:06
Very interesting – I had indeed heard the usual rumours on the news wire, but you know what the tabloids are like…
And in terms of defence-spending, I think $118 million is hardly considered a “major” sale these days, particularly when you consider that Cyprus is spending around $440 million USD per year sustaining its armed forces rate of development.
The purchase of BATCH 3 Matra Mistrals, I believe, will include ATLAS, SIMBAD and ALAMO 4×4 versions to equip all parts of the armed forces who are disposing of the SA-7B Grail. Mistrals are also to be equipped to new coastal patrol vessels.
The acquisition of Aspides is obviously the cheaper option between that and TOR-M1’s – I believe Cyprus should have dumped Aspide and its newer variant, Aspide-2000, A LONG TIME AGO, and gone with the more expensive versions of the self-propelled TOR-M1 Gauntlet.
SOC, can you please tell me where you got the info on Cypriot BUK-M1-2’s as I have been able to find not a shred of evidence that this is in fact true. The last thing I heard was that the type had been selected to replace S-300 as intermediate range.
And on the subject of rumours, I would like to reiterate the high level of secrecy that is being maintained by Cyprus at the moment. It was five months before anyone knew the Hinds had arrived, and rumour has it that there is four more (options)on the way…
Twi.
By: SOC - 11th July 2003 at 20:41
Why bother with Aspide when they already have the Buk-M1-2 on the island? :confused:
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July 11, 2003 at 8:35 pm