[A-List] UK sub-imperialism: Cyprus

["Keaney Michael" <Michael.Keaney@xxxxxx>]

Greek Cypriots turn against British bases

Helena Smith in Akrotiri
Monday September 30, 2002
The Guardian

Thousands of Greek Cypriots protested yesterday against the presence of
British military bases on their island, and the prospect of the
installations being used in an attack on Iraq.

The protesters converged on the RAF communications base at Akrotiri, one
of the most important listening posts in the world, and vital for US-led
intelligence gathering on Iraq and Iran.

Dimitris Christofias, the island's parliamentary president and powerful
communist party chief, said Cypriots did not want the bases on their
soil and feared reprisals if they are used to launch attacks on Iraq.

The bases - kept as overseas territories by Britain when it granted
independence to Cyprus in 1960 - were used for the deployment of British
troops during the Gulf war.

"What worries us most is Britain's assertion that the bases have been
targeted by Iraqi missiles," said Green party MP George Perdikis, citing
Downing Street's dossier on weapons of mass destruction allegedly held
by Iraq.

Mr Perdikis said there were fears that giant antennae being erected at
the base could be prone to terrorist attacks.

Violent riots have erupted over the masts in the past 18 months over
fears that they will damage the environment and impair the health of
local residents. Mr Perdikis branded yesterday's larger-than-usual
protest as just "the start".