Clerides Laid to Rest

People lined the road leading to the church, applauding and shouting "axios"(worthy) and "immortal" as the gun carriage carrying Clerides' casket rolled by slowly, flanked by military police officers.

Military policmen carried the casket, draped in the flags of Cyprus and Greece, inside the church as a military guard of honour presented arms and a band played the national anthem.

In his eulogy, President Nicos Anastasiades said he was a politician who was sought by history and not one of those who persistently sought a place in history.

Anastasiades said it would constitute unforgivable ingratitude if he did not express in public everything he owed the deceased, calling Clerides, his political father.

Clerides will be laid to rest at the Constantinou and Elenis cemetery next to his wife Lilla who died in 2007.

Earlier, Clerides was honoured by parliament during an extraordinary session.