Cyprus not yet asked to assist
The European Union has not yet asked the Republic of Cyprus to take any action in the international campaign against terrorism, Cypriot Defense Minister Socrates Hasikos said in Nicosia yesterday. If the European Union asks us to, we will act accordingly, said Hasikos on returning from a visit to Armenia where he discussed a defense accord. He said the October 1 Independence Day march and the military exercise Nikiforos would go ahead. Ruling Democratic Rally party president Nikos Anastasiadis said that the Americans and the international community had not yet asked Cyprus to do anything in the campaign, but that if requests were made they would be on a restricted scale. We do not want to put the island at risk of the retaliation threatened by the Taleban and Islamic groups against any country that helps the US, said Anastasiadis. He added the strictest security measures were in place at Cyprus’s airports. Democratic Party leader Tassos Papadopoulos said Cyprus, like all candidates, was obliged to abide by EU decisions.
