Britain cuts 166 in Cyprus military staff

NICOSIA, Cyprus, March 18 (UPI) -- The British military is slated to cut 166 military and civilian jobs at two of its bases in Cyprus because of budgetary constraints, officials said.

Spokesman Stuart Bardsley told the Cyprus Times the jobs would be eliminated by the end of the year, mainly in the engineering and logistics sectors.

"In order to create efficiency and remain within our allocated budget, we have to do things differently and as with any other business, the majority of our budget is spent on salaries," Bardsley said.

The cuts come on the heels of other military spending rollbacks on cleaning, house maintenance and school transport, the newspaper said.

The island is politically divided between Turks and Greeks and some 3,500 international troops are stationed there to maintain peace between the factions.

Various NATO member countries also use the bases on the Mediterranean island as a "decompression" site for troops returning home after tours in Afghanistan.