Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-06-19

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

Friday, June 19, 1998

Clinton call under the spotlight

A COUPLE of yesterday's papers tried to gauge the significance of President Clinton's telephone call to Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis to discuss the EU's relations with Turkey.

Alithia reported that, despite the triumphal reports in the Greek press praising Simitis' rejection of Clinton's request, the Athens government had tried to play down the incident. Government spokesman Demetris Repas said the telephone conversations did not constitute pressure - it was merely a "friendly" intervention, that showed US interest for the region.

Repas said that other political leaders had undertaken similar initiatives in the past. While he admitted the significance of Clinton's call, he said there was no cause for concern.

Phileleftheros was not convinced by Repas' assurances. It said that while Athens and Nicosia had tried to allay the fears raised by Clinton of tension in the area, they could not hide their concern. It added that the negative outcome of the Cardiff summit for Turkey meant the US initiative on Cyprus would slow down.

Despite efforts to play down the incident, the fact that the warning about tension had come from the President of the US could not be ignored. It was worrying that the warning could have been construed as encouragement for the Turkish side to behave aggressively.

Machi saw the arrival of four F-16s of the Greek Air Force to Paphos air base as a direct response to Clinton's warning. A Greek Defence Ministry source described the appearance of the planes as "a response to the pressure".

Military sources said the Greek officers had arrived to inspect the air base and to look at the possibility of stationing Greek fighters there for the "critical period" until November, when the S-300 missiles are set to arrive. The Greek fighters would defend Cyprus from a possible attack by Turkish planes.

Simerini reported that Turkey was strengthening its presence in Cyprus with US-made tanks, heavy artillery and armoured vehicles. Turkey had been upgrading its military equipment in the north from July 1997 to March 1998.

Diplomatic sources said that the Turkish troops had taken attacking tactical positions on the southern face of the Kyrenia mountain range, but there was nevertheless "no reason to worry".

Haravghi lambasted the government's decision to give permission for the construction of a huge commercial complex in the Strovolos area. The complex, which is a joint venture between a Cypriot and French company, will consist of shops, supermarkets and a cinema complex.

The paper said that the government decisions could not be justified on the grounds of "the public interest". Town Planning had originally rejected the application for permission, only to change it later.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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