Cyprus-Forum.com

[insan]

It was during a secret meeting in Paris this September that Canada realized there was little room for a compromise that would enable its Afghanistan-bound troops to keep using a covert military base near Dubai.

The Canadian government is now preparing to relocate forces from the United Arab Emirates to somewhere such as Cyprus rather than give in to what it considers unreasonable demands from the host country.

The prospect of a time-consuming move to a potentially costlier and more distant staging location has Defence officials angry and frustrated. The Forces are already engrossed in complicated logistical preparations to withdraw from Afghanistan next year.

In a remarkably blunt diplomatic gambit, the UAE has been threatening to evict Canada from Camp Mirage if the Harper government doesn’t grant its two commercial airlines lucrative additional landing rights at airports in Toronto and other cities, sources familiar with the negotiations say.

Trouble has been brewing for months, and contingency plans were already in the works when officials from the Canadian government – including the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade – met with UAE officials in Paris last month.

Canada’s goal at the behind-the-scenes-talks was to explore the idea of a compromise, to see whether the UAE could be persuaded to put some water in its wine. International air negotiations are usually made public, but these discussions were not.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... cmpid=rss1

[Oracle]

Why don't they go to Turkey?

[BOF]

Canadian troops have been coming through Cyprus for some time...
www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/canadian-tro ... ./20100408

www.cypwww.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/canad ... ./20100212

[Cap]

Its true.
They use Cyprus for decompression after their duties are complete in Afghanistan.
We've had some mentally unstable ones causing trouble in Paphos.

Unfortunately.

[Free Spirit]

Canadian troops were in Cyprus in the 60s when I was stationed there keeping the 'Get Real' Bozos of the time in check.

[Oracle]

Canadian troops?

Aren't they all a bit ...

[repulsewarrior]

...maybe, they love their beer, and they're friendly (being well trained), but check your history, i would not be so unkind to those who gave their lives toward our service, who are sadly missed because their soldiers are brave.