![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/HEADER-3.jpg\")
\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n U.S. military is secretly supplying weapons to Israel using UK...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDivide and rule<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe British, opposed to the 1950s idea of Enosis (a political union between Cyprus and Greece) found themselves in a geopolitical quandary. If a union went ahead, Britain and its allies would lose not only their \u2018office\u2019 in the region, but their military launchpad too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the appointment in 1955 of Field Marshal Sir John Harding as governor of Cyprus, then still a British colony, the UK set to work to violently suppress the revolts staged by the newly formed Greek nationalist movement EOKA. That movement opposed British occupation, communism and later in 1971, with the forming of EOKA-B, Turkish speaking Cypriots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In turn, the British meted out punishment in the form of public executions, hangings, enforced curfews, raids, and the construction of internment camps from 1956 to 1959. As fighting escalated between the British, EOKA-A and also the Turkey-backed TMT (Turkish Resistance Organisation), London began to consider plans to divide the island.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing Turkey was the closer ally with military supremacy, British officials thought it might work in their favour if they could convince Ankara of a genuine threat to the security of the Turkish speaking Cypriot minority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“The British meted out punishment in the form of public executions”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Americans, cautious not to inflame the situation by aggravating Greece, warned of possible ramifications if they decided to pull out of NATO, or worse still, if two NATO countries went to war. The British decided to let Greece and Turkey pontificate on the fate of Cyprus, and so in a hotel lobby in Zurich in 1959, Greek prime minister Constantine Karamanlis and Turkey\u2019s Adnan Menderes began to sketch out the island\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was agreed Cyprus would be granted limited independence in a move to circumvent Enosis. The newly drawn-up constitution would allow troops from Turkey and Greece to be based on the island, plus the appointment of a Turkish speaking Cypriot vice-president with powers to veto all legislation if necessary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final article became the famous Treaty of Guarantee made between Cyprus, Britain, Turkey, and Greece in 1960. This permitted these powers to intervene in any future conflict on the island if they felt a breach of the settlement had taken place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In return for facilitating what they considered to be a satisfactory deal, the British rewarded themselves with two sovereign military enclaves in Cyprus – one in Akrotiri and the other in Dhekelia – annexing 3% of the island\u2019s territory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even on the summit of Cyprus, at Mount Olympus, Britain kept a spy station that could intercept communications as far away as Zambia. And the island\u2019s north-west peninsula, Akamas, would be used as a UK army firing range until 1999. Once the final treaties establishing the new republic were signed, it appeared more legislation had been devoted to the British bases in Cyprus than to all other provisions combined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/HEADER10.jpg\")
\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n RAF admits to making 17 military flights to Israel since...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nLaunchpad<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSince independence, the British bases have been used not only to surveil other parts of the region, but to supply weaponry, military assets, fuel and personnel to almost every major conflict without giving notice to Cypriot officials. It\u2019s reported the US were using the bases to deploy troops into Iraq and later Syria which signifies a direct violation of the Treaty of Guarantee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The RAF also used Akrotiri for surveillance and aerial refuelling missions in the bombing campaign against Libya in 2011. During Saudi Arabia\u2019s brutal bombardment of Yemen<\/a>, BAE Systems cargo flights refuelled at the base every week while carrying essential spare parts for the Saudi air force.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMost recently, Declassified UK<\/em> and Haaretz<\/em> reported<\/a> that America is moving weapons into Israel via the British bases in Akrotiri, with 50% of US flights leaving the area said to be carrying arms. This would again implicate Britain in offering the territory to the Americans without consulting the Republic of Cyprus, and thwart the notion of true postcolonial independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPresident Nikos Christodoulides<\/a> indicated he had been blindsided by the arms transfers, saying: \u201cThere is no such information, our country cannot be used as a base for war operations.\u201d Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar<\/a> said both communities \u201cwill definitely not approve of the island being used as a tool for Israel\u2019s oppression of Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nAKEL, Cyprus\u2019 main socialist party, has been openly opposed to the bases from their inception. It states: \u201cTerritories of our country are used for the carrying out of military operations of third states in our wider region, the promotion of their interests and not for the benefit of the people of Cyprus.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of AKEL\u2019s MPs, Giorgos Loukaides, said the flights from Akrotiri to Israel made Cyprus complicit in the genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2001 over 1,000 Cypriots clashed with riot squad officers amidst plans to erect a radio mast at the Akrotiri base. The mast, considered to be a health risk to the environment as well as local people was met with wide disdain after Cypriot MP Marios Matsakis was arrested for leading the campaign to have the mast removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The British, opposed to the 1950s idea of Enosis (a political union between Cyprus and Greece) found themselves in a geopolitical quandary. If a union went ahead, Britain and its allies would lose not only their \u2018office\u2019 in the region, but their military launchpad too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the appointment in 1955 of Field Marshal Sir John Harding as governor of Cyprus, then still a British colony, the UK set to work to violently suppress the revolts staged by the newly formed Greek nationalist movement EOKA. That movement opposed British occupation, communism and later in 1971, with the forming of EOKA-B, Turkish speaking Cypriots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In turn, the British meted out punishment in the form of public executions, hangings, enforced curfews, raids, and the construction of internment camps from 1956 to 1959. As fighting escalated between the British, EOKA-A and also the Turkey-backed TMT (Turkish Resistance Organisation), London began to consider plans to divide the island.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing Turkey was the closer ally with military supremacy, British officials thought it might work in their favour if they could convince Ankara of a genuine threat to the security of the Turkish speaking Cypriot minority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“The British meted out punishment in the form of public executions”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Americans, cautious not to inflame the situation by aggravating Greece, warned of possible ramifications if they decided to pull out of NATO, or worse still, if two NATO countries went to war. The British decided to let Greece and Turkey pontificate on the fate of Cyprus, and so in a hotel lobby in Zurich in 1959, Greek prime minister Constantine Karamanlis and Turkey\u2019s Adnan Menderes began to sketch out the island\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was agreed Cyprus would be granted limited independence in a move to circumvent Enosis. The newly drawn-up constitution would allow troops from Turkey and Greece to be based on the island, plus the appointment of a Turkish speaking Cypriot vice-president with powers to veto all legislation if necessary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final article became the famous Treaty of Guarantee made between Cyprus, Britain, Turkey, and Greece in 1960. This permitted these powers to intervene in any future conflict on the island if they felt a breach of the settlement had taken place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In return for facilitating what they considered to be a satisfactory deal, the British rewarded themselves with two sovereign military enclaves in Cyprus – one in Akrotiri and the other in Dhekelia – annexing 3% of the island\u2019s territory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even on the summit of Cyprus, at Mount Olympus, Britain kept a spy station that could intercept communications as far away as Zambia. And the island\u2019s north-west peninsula, Akamas, would be used as a UK army firing range until 1999. Once the final treaties establishing the new republic were signed, it appeared more legislation had been devoted to the British bases in Cyprus than to all other provisions combined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nRELATED<\/h3>\n
\n\n \n\nRAF admits to making 17 military flights to Israel since...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Launchpad<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Since independence, the British bases have been used not only to surveil other parts of the region, but to supply weaponry, military assets, fuel and personnel to almost every major conflict without giving notice to Cypriot officials. It\u2019s reported the US were using the bases to deploy troops into Iraq and later Syria which signifies a direct violation of the Treaty of Guarantee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The RAF also used Akrotiri for surveillance and aerial refuelling missions in the bombing campaign against Libya in 2011. During Saudi Arabia\u2019s brutal bombardment of Yemen<\/a>, BAE Systems cargo flights refuelled at the base every week while carrying essential spare parts for the Saudi air force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most recently, Declassified UK<\/em> and Haaretz<\/em> reported<\/a> that America is moving weapons into Israel via the British bases in Akrotiri, with 50% of US flights leaving the area said to be carrying arms. This would again implicate Britain in offering the territory to the Americans without consulting the Republic of Cyprus, and thwart the notion of true postcolonial independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Nikos Christodoulides<\/a> indicated he had been blindsided by the arms transfers, saying: \u201cThere is no such information, our country cannot be used as a base for war operations.\u201d Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar<\/a> said both communities \u201cwill definitely not approve of the island being used as a tool for Israel\u2019s oppression of Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AKEL, Cyprus\u2019 main socialist party, has been openly opposed to the bases from their inception. It states: \u201cTerritories of our country are used for the carrying out of military operations of third states in our wider region, the promotion of their interests and not for the benefit of the people of Cyprus.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of AKEL\u2019s MPs, Giorgos Loukaides, said the flights from Akrotiri to Israel made Cyprus complicit in the genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2001 over 1,000 Cypriots clashed with riot squad officers amidst plans to erect a radio mast at the Akrotiri base. The mast, considered to be a health risk to the environment as well as local people was met with wide disdain after Cypriot MP Marios Matsakis was arrested for leading the campaign to have the mast removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n