Britain May Be Told To Leave

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30453, 29 May 1964, Page 11

Britain May Be Told To Leave

(N Z. Press Association —Copyright)

NICOSIA, May 28. Greek-Cypriots may seek the removal of British troops from the United Nations peace-keeping force in Cyprus at the end of the force’s first three months on the island.

This comes after the arrest yesterday of a Royal Air Force senior aircraftsman and his wife on charges of smuggling arms to the Turkish Cypriots and acting as a messenger for them. The Cypriot Minister of the Interior (Mr Georghadjis) said: “After this arrest, the British can no longer form a constructive element in the role of the international peacekeeping force in Cyprus.” Mr Georghadjis said the Ministry of the Interior had for a long time received information from Turkish Cypriots, as well as certain other indications, of the alleged help being given by British soldiers to the Turkish Cypriots. “1 regret the British are

following a policy which in no way contributed to the restoration of normality in Cyprus,” he said. A British forces spokesman said it could be assumed the Royal Air Force would ask for the aircraftsman to be handed over to them —“but since he was not on duty at the time of the alleged offence the Cyprus civil authorities have the right to try him, and it is extremely unlikely that he will be handed over.” There are fears the GreekCypriots may use this arrest to justify military action against the Turkish-Cypriot fishing village of Mansoura, in north-western Cyprus, the alleged headquarters of the arms smuggling.