Akrotiri and Dhekelia are two UK administered areas on the island of Cyprus that comprise the Sovereign Base Areas Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. The bases
were retained by the UK following the transition of Cyprus' status from a colony in the
British Empire to an independent Commonwealth
republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. The United Kingdom retained
the bases because of the strategic location of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.
The bases are split into Akrotiri (Greek: Ακρωτήρι; Turkish: Agrotur, along with Episkopi Garrison, is part of an area known as the Western Sovereign Base
Area or WSBA) and Dhekelia (Greek: Δεκέλεια; Turkish: Dikelya, along with Ayios
Nikolaos, is part of the Eastern Sovereign Base Area or ESBA).
History
The Sovereign Base Areas were created in 1960 by the Treaty of
Establishment, when Cyprus, a colony within the British Empire, was granted
independence. The United Kingdom wished to retain sovereignty over these areas, as this guaranteed the use of UK military bases
in Cyprus, including RAF Akrotiri, and a garrison of the British Army. The importance of the bases to the British is based on the strategic location of Cyprus, at
the eastern edge of the Mediterranean, close to the Suez Canal and the Middle East; the ability to use the RAF base as staging post for military aircraft; and for general training
purposes.
In 1974, Turkey invaded the North of Cyprus, leading to the establishment of the internationally unrecognised
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. However, this did not affect the status of the
bases, and the British were not involved in the fighting. Greek Cypriots fleeing from the
Turks were permitted to travel through the Dhekelia base, and were given humanitarian aid. The
Turkish advance halted when it reached the edge of the base area, rather than risk war with Britain. The Ayia Napa area was thus preserved in Greek hands.
Dispute with Cyprus
Cyprus has occasionally demanded the return of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, citing that the bases take up a large amount of
territory that could be used for civilian development. For four years after Cypriot independence in 1960, the British government
supported the Republic of Cyprus financially. After the intercommunal conflict of 1963-64
they stopped, claiming there was no guarantee that both communities would benefit equally from that money. The Cypriot government
is still claiming money for the years from 1964 to now although to date has taken no international legal action to test the
validity of their claim. Estimates for the claimed debt range from several hundred thousand to over one billion Euros.
The
Red Arrows flying over the RAF Base at Akrotiri
In July 2001, violent protests were held at the bases by local Cypriots, angry at British plans
to construct radio masts at the bases, as part of an upgrade of British military communication posts around the world. Locals had
claimed the masts would endanger local lives and cause cancer, as well as have a negative impact on wildlife in the area. The
British government denied these claims.
The UK has shown no intention of surrendering the bases, although it has offered to surrender 117 square kilometres (68 sq
miles) of farmland as part of the rejected Annan Plan for Cyprus. Today, around
3,000 troops of British Forces Cyprus are based at Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
Ayios Nikolaos, in the ESBA, is believed to be a listening station of the
intelligence network ECHELON.
Constitution and governance
The SBAs were retained in 1960 as military bases under British sovereignty, [1] not as ordinary colonial territories.
This is the basic philosophy of their administration as declared by Her Majesty's
Government in 'Appendix O' to the 1960 treaty with Cyprus, which provided that the British government intended:
- Not to develop the Sovereign Base Areas for other than military purposes.
- Not to set up and administer "colonies".
- Not to create customs posts or other frontier barriers between the Sovereign Base Areas and the Republic.
- Not to set up or permit the establishment of civilian commercial or industrial enterprises except insofar as these are
connected with military requirements, and not otherwise to impair the economic commercial or industrial unity and life of the
Island.
- Not to establish commercial or civilian seaports or airports.
- Not to allow new settlement of people in the Sovereign Base Areas other than for temporary purposes.
- Not to expropriate private property within the Sovereign Base Areas except for military purposes on payment of fair
compensation. [2]
The bases have their own legal system, distinct from the UK and Cyprus. This consists of the laws of the Colony of Cyprus as
at August 1960, amended as necessary. The laws of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are kept, as far as possible, the same as the laws of
Cyprus.
The Court of the Sovereign Base Areas is concerned with non-military offences committed by any person within Akrotiri and
Dhekelia, and law and order is maintained by the Sovereign Base Areas
Police, while military law is upheld by the Cyprus Joint Police Unit.
Politics
According to the Ministry of Defence, "Because the SBAs are primarily required as military bases and not ordinary dependent
territories, the Administration reports to the Ministry of Defence in London. It has no formal connection with the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office or the British High Commission in Nicosia, although there are close informal links with both offices on
policy matters." [3]
The bases are administered by the Administrator of the Sovereign Base Areas, who is the Commander British Forces Cyprus (from 2006 Air Vice-Marshal R Lacey).
The Administrator is officially appointed by the British monarch, on the advice of the
Ministry of Defence. The Administrator has all the executive and
legislative authority of a Governor of an overseas territory. A Chief
Officer is appointed, and is responsible to the Administrator for the day-to-day running of the civil government. No elections
are held in the Bases, although British citizens are normally entitled to vote in United Kingdom elections (as British Forces or
overseas electors).
Geography
Map of Akrotiri (Western) SBA
Map of Dhekelia (Eastern) SBA
Akrotiri and Dhekelia cover 3% of the land area of Cyprus, a total of 98 square miles (47.5 at Akrotiri and 50.5 at Dhekelia).
60% of the land is privately owned, either by British or Cypriot citizens. The other 40% is owned by the Ministry of Defence, or
is classed as Crown land. In addition to Akrotiri and Dhekelia themselves, the Treaty
of Establishment also provides for the continued use by the British Government of certain facilities within Cyprus, known as
Retained Sites.
Akrotiri is located in the south of the island, near the city of Limassol (or
Lemesos). Dhekelia is in the southeast, near Larnaca. Both of
these areas include military bases, as well as farmland and some residential land. Akrotiri is surrounded by territory controlled
by the Republic of Cyprus, but Dhekelia also borders on the United Nations (UN) buffer zone and the Turkish-occupied part of the
island.
Ayia Napa lies to the East of Dhekelia. The villages of Xylotymvou and Ormidhia, also in the Republic of Cyprus, are enclaves surrounded by Dhekelia SBA. The Dhekelia Power Station,
divided by a British road into two parts, also belongs to Cyprus. The northern part is an enclave, like the two villages, whereas
the southern part is located by the sea, and therefore not an enclave, though it has no territorial waters of its own.
Demographics
When the bases were being established, the boundaries were drawn up to avoid centres of population. However, around 14,000
people live in the bases. Around 7,000 native Cypriots live in the bases, who either work in the bases themselves, or on farmland
within the boundaries of the bases. The British military and their families make up the rest of the population.
There is no specific citizenship available for the bases, although some people may be able to claim British Overseas Territories citizenship (BOTC) status. Unlike all other British
territories, BOTCs connected solely with the Sovereign Base Areas do not have any entitlement to full British citizenship.
Under the terms of the 1960 agreement with Cyprus establishing the Sovereign Base Areas, the United Kingdom is committed not
to use the Areas for civilian purposes. This was stated in 2002 as the primary reason for the exclusion of the Areas from the
scope of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002.
Economy
There are no economic statistics gathered for Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The main economic activities are the provision of
services to the military, as well as limited agriculture. In 2008, Akrotiri and Dhekelia will adopt the Euro along with the rest of Cyprus.
References
- Vassilis K. Fouskas. 2003. Zones of Conflict: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Balkans and the
Greater Middle East. Pluto Press. ISBN 0-7453-2030-9. Pp. 93, 111
Footnotes
- ^ Official SBA website
- ^ Official SBA website
- ^ Official SBA website
See also
External links
Coordinates:
34°35′N,
32°59′Efrp:Akrotiri et Dhekèliabpy:ধেকেলিয়াlij:Akrotiri e Dhekelia
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