Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 97-12-30

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

Tuesday, December 30, 1997

CONTENTS

[01] Georgiou release bid boosted by victim's comments

[02] Torrential rains do little to ease drought

[03] Mixed fortunes over sluggish Christmas sales

[04] Denktash under fire for suspending bi-communal contacts

[05] Mobile mania clogging the network

[06] Woman barred from visiting fiancé held by Turks

[07] Diko plays down talk of dissent

[08] Clerides calls for unity to face 1998 'developments'

[09] Man jailed for bouncing cheques

[10] Nicosia club blaze

[11] One road death over Christmas

[12] 'Cyprus would rout Ireland in war'

[01] Georgiou release bid boosted by victim's comments

CONVICTED Aids fisherman Pavlos Georgiou's plea for an early release was boosted after a public show of forgiveness by the British lover he infected.

Georgiou's lawyer Tassos Economou yesterday welcomed comments by Janette Pink, that she saw no reason for the fisherman's imprisonment to continue.

Pink, 45, who was infected with the Aids virus during an affair with Georgiou, told the British tabloid The Daily Mail: "I think justice was served when he was found guilty and sent to prison, but it doesn't bother me if he is released sooner."

"I think it would be nice for his children," she added.

On July 31 this year, Georgiou was sentenced to 15 months in jail for negligently infecting Pink with the deadly virus.

Three months ago, Georgiou, 40, appealed for a presidential pardon on the grounds that incarceration had seriously affected his health and was denying his four children their father.

Georgiou's wife died of Aids-related diseases in August 1994 and his five- year-old son is also HIV-positive.

"What's most important is that she (Pink) is satisfied that justice has been done and she doesn't object to him (Georgiou) being released early," said Economou.

Economou is hoping that Georgiou will be among those prisoners traditionally released with a pardon in the New Year.

According to official sources, Georgiou could be out as early as next week.

Under normal circumstances, Georgiou could not hope to be released before next May.

During the trial this summer Pink was a gaunt and frail figure who was given a life-expectancy of less than two years.

But now Pink is almost unrecognisable and attributes her "stunning improvement" to the combination therapy of Aids drugs and a more positive attitude.

"I don't make long-term plans. I know I could catch a cold and die of pneumonia next week. But I am enjoying life to the full at the moment," said Pink in the article.

[02] Torrential rains do little to ease drought

TORRENTIAL rains between Sunday evening and yesterday morning caused flooding and destruction in some areas but reservoir levels remained dangerously low.

In the Nicosia district village of Yerakies the children of the village priest had a lucky escape when the rains brought their bedroom roof crashing down around them. The youngsters escaped unharmed.

A country road between the Dhali industrial estate and Potamia village was swept away as the Alikos stream burst its banks. Local cow farmers complained the same section of track had been swept away in floods four years ago and had obviously not been repaired properly.

The fire brigade was called out to deal with dozens of flooded properties in low-lying areas in the Larnaca and Nicosia districts - which were the worst hit by the thunderstorms.

In the Larnaca district village of Athienou alone, where 55mm of rain fell overnight, 10 homes and a bakery were flooded. The buffer-zone village was also without power for many hours - a fate which also befell Mazotos and Kofinou villages in the same district.

Nicosia town got 32mm of rain overnight and flooding caused problems in the district villages of Lythrodontas, Ayia Varvara and Latsia.

In the Paphos district, rainfall was generally lower and no flooding or accidents were reported, but rock-falls caused problems on the old Limassol to Paphos road by the Aphrodite's rock beauty spot. Polemi village was without power from 6pm on Sunday to 6am yesterday.

Steady but less destructive rain fell in the Limassol and Famagusta districts. The higher peaks of the Troodos mountains experienced snow and sleet overnight and till about 7am yesterday.

However, the director of the Water Development Department, Lakis Christodoulou, warned against complacency.

"These rains should not lead us to the conclusion that the drought is over, " he said.

"Unfortunately, the news is not as good as we might at first have thought because over the last six rainy days we have only had 1 million cubic metres of water reaching the dams," Christodoulou said. "This means that for the whole of December so far we got 3.7 million cubic metres of water entering reservoirs, which is only slightly more that the 3.4 million cubic metres we got during the same period last year, which was a bad drought year," the director said.

The best flows were into the Kouris and Dypotamos reservoirs, but overall the island's reservoirs remain well below the half-full mark.

The director of the Meteorological service, Cleanthis Philaniotis, noted that, averaged for the whole country, rainfall was 22mm, which he described as "not exceptional".

"We have had 88mm of rain since December 1, and the average for the month is 106mm, so we have only had 83 per cent of the expected rainfall so far this month," he said.

Philaniotis said the storms were the result of a combination of unstable atmospheric conditions and the arrival of a cold air-mass from the West.

He said the outlook was for more localised storms today.

[03] Mixed fortunes over sluggish Christmas sales

WHILE small retailers bemoaned the lack of Christmas purchasing power, supermarkets said they did better than expected.

It was a question of ups and downs for the retail market during the traditionally busy festive period.

With the government proclaiming the green shoots of recovery, retailers braced themselves for a much needed boost in profits, believing consumers had rediscovered the feel-good factor.

According to preliminary indications, the crowds did flock to the high street, but apparently thought twice before putting their hands in their pockets.

"The market was busy, but small retailers reported in general a 15 per cent drop on last year's sales," Shopkeepers union (Povek) general-secretary Melios Georgiou told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.

Georgiou said shopkeepers were satisfied with the number of people seeking gifts, although they noticed that fewer than expected actually reached out for the wallets.

"There were more people going to the shops this year, but less of them were prepared to spend a lot."

Although there are no official figures for the volume of sales over Christmas, Georgiou believes increased competition from new shops and supermarkets affected the market share of small independent traders.

However, Georgiou conceded that Christmas could not have come soon enough for small retailers who are still counting the cost of a sluggish start to the year.

Meanwhile the Supermarket Association says it has yet to review sales figures for the period but its chairman, Christos Orphanides, said his stores did a brisk trade.

"We've done extremely well and performed well beyond expectations," Orphanides told the Mail.

Orphanides' own figures seek to indicate that supermarkets have excelled at the expense of the small retailers.

"In Limassol, sales were up 23 per cent and in Larnaca they were up 12 per cent on last year."

But Orphanides was quick to point out that trade in the market was generally slow and businesses should be "grateful" if they reached last year's figures.

"There are difficulties in the retail trade, for instance, the Larnaca store four years ago showed a 32 per cent increase now it's 12 per cent, which is still good."

Orphanides, along with Povek, is not totally convinced that the feel-good factor has arrived.

"There is money around, but I think people are more cautious and very careful on what they spend it on."

Orphanides puts his success down to an aggressive promotional campaign and introducing a wider variety of goods.

[04] Denktash under fire for suspending bi-communal contacts

Reports in yesterday's Turkish Cypriot Press quoted opposition Republican Turkish Party leader Mehmet Ali Talat as calling the decision "illogical". Talat has called on the Denktash regime to give up the suspension as it "isolates Turkish Cypriots from the world".

United States Ambassador Kenneth Brill has also been critical of the decision, describing the contacts as vital to the continuation of democracy.

"Those who attend inter-communal activities will be the heroes of the future," he said. "These people represent all political views and their numbers are quite high."

Meanwhile, in a statement to the Turkish Cypriot press, 'Foreign Minister' Tanner Etkin said on Saturday that the suspension would cover activities organised by embassies, trade unions, students and other groups.

'Deputy Prime Minister' Serdar Denktash clarified that only those activities held at the Ledra palace would be affected. Contacts in either the government-controlled areas or the occupied areas would be allowed to continue.

The suspension is in order to allow the regime to "evaluate" the situation. It came into force on Saturday.

[05] Mobile mania clogging the network

THE STEADY increase in the number mobile phone used on the island is clogging the network of the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta), requiring new stations to be built.

This was the message issued yesterday by Aristos Riris, head of Cyta mobile telecommunications services.

He said there was a "steady increase" of new subscribers at the rate of about 2,300 to 2,500 a month, bringing the numbers of subscribers to almost 80,000. This meant one in seven Cypriots owned a mobile phone, said Riris.

The numbers of subscribers tended to go up during the Christmas season and the State Fair, he added, saying the effects on telephone "traffic" were noticeable, with particular "congestion" during the 12 to 2pm rush hour.

Nicosia had been particularly affected by this, said Riris, making it impossible for current transmission stations to connect callers during peak hours. "We are trying to eliminate this problem with new stations," said Riris, "although this is not as easy to do as when we installed stations on our own premises".

He was swift to point out, however, that this was "not an excuse", and said that despite problems with the electricity supply, "final touches" were being put on four new stations in Nicosia.

These would divert traffic away from Nicosia, he said, adding that smaller stations which were easier to install were also on the cards.

Asked to what he attributed the increase in mobile phone owners, Riris cited the high standard of living and the very low cost of the device.

The steady growth in mobile phone subscription since Cyta began the service two-and-a-half years ago was expected to continue, said Riris, adding that "we haven't seen any sign of a decrease". In the future, up to nine in ten Cypriots could own mobile phones, he said.

[06] Woman barred from visiting fiancé held by Turks

Krepoyianni had previously been given permission to cross through the Ledra palace Checkpoint to visit Spyros Lilles, 24. However, when she arrived there at around 3pm yesterday, occupation forces refused to allow her across.

Krepoyianni told the Cyprus Mail she was worried about Lilles. She had, she added, seen him twice since his arrest; he had confirmed to her that he was too drunk to realise where he was when he strayed into the occupied areas.

Krepoyianni was accompanied yesterday by Lilles' Turkish Cypriot Lawyer, Gursel Kudri, who said Lilles would probably be charged on Monday or Tuesday. The delay is apparently due to the end of year holidays.

Lilles, a drinks salesman from Larissa in Northern Greece, will be held until charges are brought. His parents are expected to arrive in Cyprus today.

[07] Diko plays down talk of dissent

The decision to back Akel favourite Iacovou has been openly questioned by a number of Diko grandees, with party vice-chairman Dinos Michaelides and former Labour Minister Andreas Moushiouttas prominent among the critics. But the official Diko line yesterday was that unity and single-mindedness prevailed within the party.

The party faithful converged at the Diko central offices in Nicosia yesterday evening to hear election speeches by party leader Spyros Kyprianou and by Iacovou himself.

Earlier in the day, Iacovou that promised the text of the agreement that Diko had forged with Akel to back his candidacy would be made public "soon".

United Democrats' leader George Vassiliou, also a presidential candidate, added his voice to those calling for details of the Akel-Diko pact to be made public. He said voters should be told on what basis the two parties - which are "known" to disagree on foreign policy issues - had forged a deal.

Iacovou also called on other parties to join Akel and Diko in backing his campaign and slammed President Clerides, his main rival for the highest office, for making "concessions" and being "weak-kneed" on the national issue.

Meanwhile, veteran Edek leader Vassos Lyssarides defended his party's decision to go it alone by backing his candidacy for February. He claimed the elections would go to a second round and Edek would play the "decisive" role in this round.

[08] Clerides calls for unity to face 1998 'developments'

Speaking in Larnaca, Clerides said the coming months would bring "difficult and complex" developments in the Cyprus problem. These, he added, had been brought about mainly as a result of the "dynamic, daring and responsible policy" espoused by his government.

He also referred to the island's relationship with Greece in his speech, saying that it was through the two countries' "close and productive" relationship that Cyprus' European Union Accession talks had come about.

The joint defence pact, he emphasised, was another plus, as it reinforced Cyprus' "security and negotiating capabilities."

But he warned that Cyprus did not "have the luxury to experiment and make mistakes because we will then have to pay a high price".

[09] Man jailed for bouncing cheques

Larnaca District Court heard that 36-year-old Wissum Farouk had visited the shops in August, accompanied by Cypriot Panayiotis Zachariou. Zachariou presented Farouk to the shop owners as a millionaire and persuaded them to part with thousands of pounds worth of valuables in exchange for cheques, the court heard.

The proprietors later found the checks were worthless and complained to police, the court heard. Farouk was arrested and later returned all but £2, 400 worth of the valuables.

The court noted Farouk's repentance, but presiding judge Nicos Santis said the offence was still serious. Farouk was fined £650 as well as being imprisoned.

[10] Nicosia club blaze

The door of the Agora-Base was found to have been broken in, and flammable material was found inside. The fire caused extensive damage to the club.

Meanwhile, the house of a 62-year-old Limassol resident, Menelaos Ioannou, caught fire at 10.15pm on Sunday night.

The bedroom of the house on Kononos Street in Limassol was completely burnt down and the rest of the house suffered minor damage. The total damage has yet to be estimated.

Police suspect arson after preliminary investigations indicated that the protective bars of an aluminium window were missing and traces of a liquid, possibly petroleum, were detected.

The house is owned by Dinos Augousti, who rents it out to Ioannou. The occupants were absent at the time of the blaze.

[11] One road death over Christmas

The victim this year was Kyriakou Paraskeva, 54, from Liopetri, who was knocked down by a car at about 6.40 pm on Saturday, while waiting to cross the main Liopetri to Avgorou road. She died of her injuries while being rushed to Paralimni hospital.

The driver of the car, Andreas Charalambous, 46, from Sotira and his four- year-old passenger son were unhurt. Charalambous was later arrested during the course of Xylophaghou police investigations into the cause of the accident. He has since been charged and released pending trial.

Paraskeva's husband and daughter were also killed in a road accident which occurred in Sotira seven years ago.

[12] 'Cyprus would rout Ireland in war'

According to a report in the Sunday Times newspaper, Cyprus comes 76th out of the 156 countries ranked in the study. Ireland, meanwhile came in at 82.

Ironically, Irish troops are among the United Nations peacekeepers stationed on the island.

The poll, carried out by the British Royal United Services Institute - a Whitehall military think-tank - and entitled The Order of Martial Potency, is designed to measure each country's abilities to affect events beyond its borders.

Factors taken into account included defence spending, military manpower, willingness to deploy forces, conflict history and type of government.

Top of the list, predictably, is the United States, followed by China and Russia. Antigua and Barbuda came bottom.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1997

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article