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A8 U.S. NEWSORLD NEWS
Saturday 23 december 2017

UK’s May hails military personnel in Cyprus in IS fight

By M. HADJICOSTIS “It is you who take down our tarmac with a pair of war-
Associated Press enemies and stand by our planes as a backdrop.
AKROTIRI, Cyprus (AP) — allies when the going gets May said RAF Akrotiri also
British Prime Minister The- tough,” May told around supports more than 1,450
resa May praised military 200 men and women serv- personnel working with al-
personnel at a U.K. air base ing at the RAF Akrotiri, one lies and partners in Iraq and
on Cyprus for helping to of two sovereign bases that Jordan to fight IS and pre-
beat back the Islamic State Britain has maintained on vent it’s re-emergence.
group with more than 1,600 this east Mediterranean But the British prime minis-
air strikes in Iraq and Syria. island since its indepen- ter said the U.K.’s security
May said Friday that RAF dence from British colonial and that of other nations
Akrotiri is at the epicenter rule in 1960. also depends on their work
of Britain’s contribution to “Today, thanks in very to prevent IS from finding
the fight against IS and that large part to your efforts, new ungoverned areas to
the work of military person- the so-called Caliphate launch attacks.
nel there to train the forces has been crushed and no “So it is vital that we sup- British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks with troops serving
of neighboring countries is longer holds significant ter- port the stability of our at RAF Akrotiri, one of two military bases Britain maintains on
vital to maintaining stability ritory in Iraq or Syria,” she partners across the Middle the east Mediterranean island of Cyprus. May stopped off at
in the volatile region. told troops against on the East,” said May. That sup- RAF Akrotiri to deliver good wishes to service personnel for the
upcoming holidays on her way back to the UK after a visit to
Poland. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, Pool)
port extends to the training after the country’s exit
of 60,000 Iraqi security forc- from the European Union
es and in the expansion of in March 2019 will continue
a quick-reaction force in to honor its responsibilities
Jordan. as a U.N. Security Council
She said a “global Britain” member.q
India and China hold talks on

long-running border dispute

By ASHOK SHARMA External Affairs Ministry said
Associated Press at the end of daylong talks.
NEW DELHI (AP) — India The Indian side was led by
and China on Friday dis- National Security Adviser
cussed ways to prevent a Ajit Doval and the Chinese
repeat of a recent face-off delegation by Special Rep-
between their armed forc- resentative Yang Jiechi.
es at a Himalayan plateau The two had met in Bei-
where their borders meet jing in July on the sidelines
and agreed that resolving of a meeting of the Brazil-
their boundary disagree- Russia-India-China-South
ments served the interests Africa (BRICS) summit. “The
of both countries. Relations talks were positive and fo-
between the two Asian cused on bringing out the
giants have often been full potential of the closer
strained, partly due to an developmental partnership
undemarcated border. between the two coun-
They fought a monthlong tries,” the statement said.
border war in 1962 and “They re-emphasized their
have been trying to settle commitment to achieve a
the boundary since the fair, reasonable and mutu-
1980s. The two sides agreed ally acceptable solution to
Friday that pending the fi- the India-China boundary
nal resolution of the bound- question at an early date.”
ary issue, it was necessary The latest confrontation
to maintain peace and took place where India
tranquility in the border ar- and China’s border meets
eas, a statement by India’s that of Bhutan.q