Britain slammed over military base abduction

Cyprus has criticised Britain's efforts for the release of a Greek Cypriot abducted from within a British military base and imprisoned in the Turkish-occupied north of the island.

"We expect more from Britain for the release of Panikos Tsiakourmas," Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides said. "While we were previously satisfied with Britain's efforts, we no longer are."

Members of Tsiakourmas family have been demonstrating in the British base of Dhekelia in south Cyprus and in the capital, Nicosia, every day since his abduction on December 2.

Mr Tsiakourmas' wife, Niki, said she is planning to fly to London later in the week to join a similar demonstration outside Parliament.

Mr Tsiakourmas, 39, a building contractor, was abducted while he was driving through the Dhekelia base. Police of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state announced later that day that they had arrested him for possession of 3.3 pounds of cannabis.

He was remanded in custody by Turkish Cypriot court for trial in mid-February on drug trafficking charges.

The British base authorities have said that according to their investigation Mr Tsiakourmas was abducted from his car while inside the base and that "there was no evidence that he was in possession of an illegal substance".

They pointed out that only base police have the right to arrest people within the bases, which include several Cypriot villages.

Britain joined Cyprus last month in demanding Mr Tsiakourmas' release. The Cyprus government has complained to the UN, the EU and the Council of Europe, claiming that Mr Tsiakourmas' abduction was a blatant bid to force the release of a Turkish Cypriot who was caught in a drug smuggling sting earlier that day.

Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou has declared that such an exchange was "out of the question".