Cyprus made representations to the US re CIA flights

Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardes said today that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made representations to the US Embassy as regards the use of Cypriot airports by CIA planes for extraordinary renditions.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Pashiardes said that the Cyprus government has many reasons to support its position that there are no practical and effective ways to check the exact identity and content of planes landing for technical reasons at Cyprus’ airports.

Responding to questions as regards a European Parliament interim report on the alleged use of European countries, including Cyprus, by the CIA for the transportation of prisoners, Pashiardes said “we have no reasons or evidence to question this report”.

”We have, however, cogent reasons and evidence to support our belief that there are no practical and effective ways to check on the exact identity and content of the planes that land for technical reasons to Cypriot airports”, he said.

Pashiardes noted that “CIA aircrafts have no recognizable insignia, it leases aircraft from various companies and when one of these planes requests permission to land for technical reasons in our airports, it is not obliged to give a list of its passengers and of course there is no way to know if the specific aircraft or aircrafts are leased by the CIA”.

He also noted that when an aircraft asks for such a permission, the only information given is the airport of departure and the final destination.

”We cannot check whether the specific aircraft will land at the reported destination”, he added.

Responding to a remark that the rapporteur of the European Parlianent report suggests that the interested countries should make an investigation on the issue, the Government Spokesman said what is important is the result of a possible investigation.

Concluding he noted that there is no issue of tolerance on behalf of the Cyprus Republic because “we were not aware” of such incidents.