U.N. SOLDIERS HELD Allegation Of Gun-Running

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30556, 26 September 1964, Page 13

U.N. SOLDIERS HELD Allegation Of Gun-Running

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright! NICOSIA, September 25. Five Swedish United Nations soldiers were arrested by United Nations authorities yesterday after the discovery of arms and ammunition in two armoured cars near Xeros, north-west Cyprus. The vehicles were stopped by Cyprus National Guardsmen and police on suspicion of illicit carriage of arms on behalf of Turkish Cypriots. General K. S. Thimayya, the United Nations force commander, visited the scene, and ordered a search in his presence.

The search revealed arms and ammunition which has been handed to the Cyprus Government. General Thimayya has ordered a thorough investigation.

At police headquarters correspondents were shown arms said to have been found in the United Nations vehicles. They included 75 British-type .303 rifles of American manufacture, 10 bren guns with 40 loaded magazines, 5 U.S.made bazookas, two 60 mm mortars of U.S. origin, one pistol, 72 bayonets, 250 U.S.-made hand grenades, 48 bazooka shells, 16 mortar shells, and 64,360 rounds of rifle ammunition. The hand grenades were packed in boxes marked: “From the United States of America for Mutual Defense.” The mortar shells were

wrapped in sacks stamped in Turkish and Greek: “Gifts from the People of the United States of America.” For some months Cyprus security forces had believed that the , Mansoura-Kokkina area had been the scene of the landing and transport of arms from Turkey, and was the bridgehead for further operations, the Cyprus National Guard commander, General George Grivas, said. Men under his orders yesterday morning set up roadblocks to stop and search United Nations vehicles suspected of transporting arms from Kokkina, a Turkish Cypriot village. “After following certain United Nations officers and their movements, the (Cypriot) security forces

formed the impression that something was cooking.” There might have been other consignments of arms, but this was not known, as yesterday's were the first United Nations vehicles searched. General Grivas said. A United Nations spokesman said the soldiers arrested were being held by their own contingent. They could be dealt with only by the Swedish authorities. The Swedish Ambassador. Mr S. C. Astrom, expressed his country’s regrets today to tiie U.N. Secretary-Gen-eral, U Thant. Mr Astrom said the men involved would be relieved of duty and returned to Sweden for possible court martial charges.