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Moscow, July 14: Russia and the Greek Cypriot government reaffirmed their intention to go ahead with the controversial delivery later this year of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to the divided island of Cyprus.
The reaffirmation came during a meeting yesterday between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Greek Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides, Russian news agencies reported Yeltsin aide Sergei Prikhodko as saying.
Prikhodko called military cooperation an integral part of relations between Russia and Greek Cypriots.
Meanwhile, a dispatch from Moscow by the Cyprus news agency in Nicosia quoted diplomatic sources close to the talks as saying that the delivery of the missiles would take place next October. The sources said this was due to the fact that no change is foreseen in the Turkish intransigent position which would enable Cyprus and Russia to roll back the deal, as they have said they would if there is progress toward a political solution in Cyprus.
The agency's report on the talks in Moscow Moscow, July 14: Russia and the Greek Cypriot government reaffirmed their intention to go ahead with the controversial delivery later this year of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to the divided island of Cyprus.
The reaffirmation came during a meeting yesterday between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Greek Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides, Russian news agencies reported Yeltsin aide Sergei Prikhodko as saying.
Prikhodko called military cooperation an integral part of relations between Russia and Greek Cypriots.
Meanwhile, a dispatch from Moscow by the Cyprus news agency in Nicosia quoted diplomatic sources close to the talks as saying that the delivery of the missiles would take place next October. The sources said this was due to the fact that no change is foreseen in the Turkish intransigent position which would enable Cyprus and Russia to roll back the deal, as they have said they would if there is progress toward a political solution in Cyprus.
The agency's report on the talks in Moscowsaid the Cypriot side did not question at all the possibility of not fulfilling its part of the contract for the purchase of the missile system and understands that the Russian part of the deal is to deliver and deploy the S-300s in Cyprus. It quoted Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides as saying that Moscow and Nicosia would also be coordinating on a joint stance at the United Nations and that Cyprus would take Moscow's views into account as to the timing of a request for a United Nations Security Council meeting if it should decide that this becomes necessary because of Turkish actions.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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