SAFE TO AFGHANISTAN

Cyprus is expecting an EU response on the SAFE armaments programme shopping list, with the requests submitted by the Republic of Cyprus including both arms and infrastructure, such as the Vasiliko naval base and the military airport in Paphos. It's not yet clear if SAFE calls for infastructure support too, so the defence ministry has drawn up a supplementary list of armaments just in case, amounting to the total value of 1.3 billion it is allowed to order.

The supplementary list includes Exocet and Spike missiles as well as ammunition and tanks, preferably of French and German origin. President Christodoulides will hold further discussions on this when he visits France in the near future.

In addition, Cyprus has launched negotiations with Israel to purchase used Merkava armoured vehicles, notwithstanding the fact that we're talking about a non-SAFE country. Several proposals have also been put forward to buy a batch of Barak anti-aircraft missiles, with their long range radar reaching as far as Cabul.

THE ANNA ARISTOTELOUS NON-APPOINTMENT

Despite topping the Director General examinations with her performance and being officially placed in the position, Anna Aristotelous was not appointed to any ministry. The competent authority, in this case the Cabinet, decided to appeal to the Public Service Commission asking for her suspension, until such time the case on which she is charged goes through court. It involves classified documents found in the possession of a prison guard when she was Central Prisons warden.

It is yet unclear how long the case will take, but until such time it is concluded, Aristotelous will be paid half her wages. Director Generals of Ministries are on the A17 wage scale, slightly over the A16, the civil service hghest, which stands at 79 thousand euro annually, around 8 thousand per month.

Depending on the outcome of the case, Aristotelous may well be fully reinstated or if all goes against her, she will be removed from her position. But half the wages it is until a verdict is reached.

WHY DEFENCE MINISTRY DIRECTOR GENERAL CALLED IT QUITS

Emmanuela Lamprianidou quit her new post as Defence Ministry Director General with certain circles arguing that her decision actually sparked the latest government reshuffle. The President's little parrots might be putting out the message that Christodoulides is copying the Clerides and Papandreou tactics when it comes to reshuffling techniques, namely that no one had any idea of what was coming, but a source in a position to be well informed, is disputing this truth.

So the same source argues that initially, reshuffling was postponed for next June, post-presidency, but following the resignation of Emmanuela Lamprianidou Mousioutta, bells rang out-not in a Christmasy sort of way-as the quite extensive Mousiouttas family and its honourable clientele, send clear messages of displeasure and distress to both Aglantzia and Kaimakli. This subsequently led to deafening bells ringing out at the Garoyian office and a number of Presidency desks too.

There are those who argue that the Hill was forced to bring the reshuffling forward and the appointment of Marinos Mousiouttas restored certain balances. All this transpired because Deputy Minister to the President Eirini Piki wanted to appoint her husband as Director General of the Culture Deputy Ministry.

So why did Emanuella Lamprianidou quit? As was well known, she was moved from the Culture Deputy Ministry to Defence following a Cabinet decision last Monday. Mr.Papageorgiou, Piki's husband, subsequently took Lambrianidou's place.

Lambrianidou, who was retiring in a year and a half, obviously took offence at the fact that she was being moved so late to a new ministry and what's more, defence. She was meant to report to the ministry on December 1st but according to our reports, she asked minister Palmas for a few days to reflect and decide.

On December 4th she submitted her resignation to the Public Service Commission, citing personal reasons, with Palmas left without a Director General for a second time in a row. The defence ministry has been DGless for months now, as previous deputy DG Anna Aristotelous was suspended pending the criminal investigation on the Central Prisons classified documents.

THOUKIS

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