November 29, 1998 (by Lieven Dewitte) -
Greek fighter jets and a transport plane have landed at an air base on the divided island of Cyprus in a move condemned by Turkey and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot government in the north.
A C-130 transport plane arrived at the military base in the western town of Paphos on Monday and four Greek F-16slanded on Tuesday morning.
It is the first time Greek planes are known to have landed at the base since its completion in January. Before its completion, the base was used as a stopover for Greek jets on several occasions during military exercises with the Greek Cypriots.
Cyprus has a defense pact with Greece, its closest ally, whereby the Greeks will come to its aid in the event of hostilities on the island. It is reported that two of the F-16s left Cyprus early in the afternoon.
