Clerides and Yeltsin affirm missile deal

Nicosia - At a meeting in the Kremlin yesterday, President Glafkos Clerides of Cyprus and President Yeltsin expressed their determination…

Nicosia - At a meeting in the Kremlin yesterday, President Glafkos Clerides of Cyprus and President Yeltsin expressed their determination to deploy S-300 surface-to-air missiles in Cyprus, writes Michael Jansen.

This high-level reconfirmation of the 1997 deal, intended to bolster the republic's defences against Turkish attack, ignored threats from Turkey to "take out" the missiles and opposition to their deployment from the US, the UN and the EU.