Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 99-03-13

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

Saturday, March 13, 1999

Machi reveals 'Turkish annihilation plan'

Machi yesterday carried a front-page "exposé" yesterday on Turkish plans to invade and occupy the whole of Cyprus.

The Turkish Army Command, under instruction from the "all-powerful" Security Council in Turkey, had drawn up a military plan codenamed "Barbarossa," the paper reported.

The plan apparently provides for land, air and sea operations and the involvement of special units of Turkish secret service (MIT) commandoes.

Naval forces would be tasked to blockade the island, preventing reinforcements arriving from Greece. The Turkish air force would destroy the Paphos and Larnaca airports and carry out bombing raids across the government-controlled areas.

The land-based operation would involve special forces in "deep penetration" action behind enemy lines to take out National Guard command headquarters. In phase two of the land offensive, the Turkish army would attack along the whole length of the dividing line, with the aim of completely obliterating the National Guard.

Parachute regiments would be dropped in the Polis and Larnaca areas, the paper reported.

"Barbarossa" includes plans to bomb non-military targets with the aim of spreading panic among the Greek Cypriot populace, Machi stated.

Greek military experts had already scrutinised the Turkish plan and had come up with a plan of their own to counter it, the paper said.

"The die has been cast," the paper quoted a top Greek military official was quoted as saying. He added that Turkey was ready to "open the madhouse door and let out the lunatics." But the Greek side was ready to "shut the door of that asylum once and for all," the unnamed official was quoted as saying.

Phileleftheros reported that police chief Andreas Angelides was determined to root out and punish bad apple policemen in the force following recent cases of corruption.

In an exclusive interview with the daily, Angelides said some "parasitic" officers were guilty of accepting bribes to feed information to criminals and smuggle banned goods into the central prison for convicts.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999

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