Cyprus calls for protection in case of retaliation by Syria

Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides Friday said Cyprus in particular was extremely concerned with the "use of chemical weapons (in Syria) so close to us, the proximity of possible arrivals of refugees."We are preparing to host the European, American and other citizens who may need to evacuate the Middle East. We want to play this role as a shelter and therefore we have been promised that Cyprus and the British bases will not be used as a launching pad for any military operations," he told journalists in the Lithunianc capital Vilnius where he is attending a meeting of EU foreign ministers. His remarks were picked up here.Britain maintains two large military bases in Cyprus."I am not raising any issues on economic help as yet, what we need is cooperation for joint efforts for the defence of Cyprus in case there is any retaliation," he said."We are not in a position to say whether there should be or not a military action, that will be not decided by us. The fact that we have been given assurance that Cyprus will not be used as a launching place for strikes is enough for us," he added.