Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-06-20

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

Saturday, June 20, 1998

Headlines reflect threat of war

WAR TALK dominated the front pages of the local dailies yesterday.

The arrival in the occupied north of Turkish F-16 warplanes on Thursday in a tit-for-tat response to the landing by Greek jets at the Paphos air base the day before had all the papers talking of increasing tension on the island.

Machi, under the banner headline "WAR ATMOSPHERE", reported that Turkish military and political leaders were working overtime to persuade the world Greece was planning some sort of military action in Cyprus. The paper also reported that an unnamed Turkish army officer in Istanbul had told the Wall Street Journal Ankara was considering ways of responding to the arrival of the Greek F-16s at the Andreas Papandreou air base.

The officer allegedly told the US paper the matter had been discussed at an emergency top-level meeting in Ankara on Wednesday night. Among the measures being considered was the bombing of the Paphos base or action to prevent Greek fighter jets approaching Cyprus.

Machi also reported that both Britain and France had called on Greece, Turkey and both sides on the island to calm things down.

A front-page report in Alithia, headlined "WAR RHETORIC", covered much the same ground. The paper focused on statements made by Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, quoting him as saying Turkey did not want war in Cyprus. "The responsibility for further developments rests with Greece," Yilmaz said. "The Greek Cypriots are the ones who will suffer most from an increase in tension," he added.

Both Phileleftheros and Haravghi also picked up the _Wall Street Journal _report, carrying front-page stories suggesting the Turks might be preparing to bomb the Andreas Papandreou base.

Simerini meanwhile reported that National Guard officers training in Russia to operate the S-300 missiles would carry out their first live exercises during the first ten days of July.

The exercise will be watched by Defence Ministry officials, Greek dignitaries and the media, the paper reported. It also said the National Guard trainees learning to handle the ground-to-air missiles were proving to be real aces.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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