Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-03-29

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

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

Sunday, March 29, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] English School 'volcano ready to erupt'

[02] EU killed the talks, says Denktash

[03] EU accession talks an 'historic moment'

[04] Cyprus Airways pilots drop strike threats

[05] BA stewardess knocked down

[06] Full recovery expected for meningitis girl

[07] Titanic torpedoed by Turkish Tempo TV pirates

[08] Women talk peace in London

[09] Trend-setters flock to designer sale

[01] English School 'volcano ready to erupt'

TEACHERS at Nicosia's English School, a standard-bearer for academic achievement on the island, are threatening mutiny if their headmaster is not given his marching orders.

One senior English School source yesterday called the current situation the "greatest educational scandal I've seen in decades of education".

He was referring to claims that headmaster Thomas Thomas allegedly 'rigged' the promotion of a female member of staff to a top teaching post.

Staff at the school have already sent the Board of Management a letter expressing a vote of no confidence in Thomas, and are demanding action.

"There are strong feelings at the school, but this doesn't mean they are necessarily correct," Board chairman Ioannis Hadjiantonas told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.

Although Hadjiantonas said that no specific charge had been made by the staff, he was not prepared to sweep the matter under the carpet.

"I believe that at the end of the day some form of investigation should be carried out to see what merit these complaints have."

Hadjiantonas' proposal for an investigation will be put to the board at a meeting on Tuesday. But he was quick to stress yesterday that any in-house probe would not be a face-saving exercise.

"If complaints are well founded there is the possibility of sacking the head, but so far there are no grounds (to do so)," he said.

Teachers are said to be furious with what they see as the headmaster's "hostile" approach to staff and his alleged acts of "favouritism" concerning promotions.

"There is a suspicion among the teachers that there was favouritism in the appointment of a person to the vacant Senior Master's post," said one school source yesterday.

A member of the 60-strong Staff Association told the Cyprus Mail: "The promotion was just the tip of the iceberg and a symptom of his (Thomas') antagonistic attitude towards staff."

With feelings now running at fever pitch, teachers are threatening to ostracise Thomas and openly disobey his orders, if he is allowed to stay.

"The English School is like a volcano ready to erupt. I know many female members of staff who have been reduced to tears by his (the headmaster's) behaviour," said one insider.

But some board members, who did not wish to be named, accused teachers of making groundless claims and behaving like a lynch mob.

When contacted by the Cyprus Mail yesterday and asked to comment, Thomas said: "I don't know a great deal about what's going on - I've been in hospital for a hernia operation."

With staff morale low, some parents are worried that their children's education will suffer in the long run.

"There is a situation, but I feel somewhat hopeful we can deal with it in an intelligent manner," Hadjiantonas said yesterday.

[02] EU killed the talks, says Denktash

THE European Union has "killed" the intercommunal talks, Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said in Switzerland yesterday, adding that there can be "no settlement" until his regime is recognised as an official state.

Speaking in Geneva after a one-hour meeting with United Nations Secretary- general Kofi Annan, Denktash said that thanks to the EU accession talks, "the game has been completely destroyed". As such, he added, there can be no proper EU application until the Cyprus problem is solved because "Greek Cypriots cannot represent Turkish Cypriots".

If intercommunal talks are to restart, it must be on an "inter-state" basis, he repeated.

Denktash also said that he had asked Annan to take his demands before the UN Security Council, but added that Annan's "hands were tied" over the matter.

On his part, Annan expressed great disappointment over the deadlock, and called for a resumption of the intercommunal talks, pointing out that they were "the only framework within which the two communities in Cyprus are treated on the basis of full equality".

Also in Geneva yesterday, a high-ranking Russian diplomat said that the S- 300 missile deal would go ahead as planned.

Envoy Vladimir Chizbov, in Geneva for consultations with UN Cyprus mediator Diego Cordovez, said: "There have been no changes in the implementation of the deal. The missiles will be shipped in the second half of the year as it was envisioned initially."

[03] EU accession talks an 'historic moment'

THE GOVERNMENT is prepared for any Turkish reaction to the start of the European Union accession talks, Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides said yesterday.

Speaking at Larnaca airport before flying to Brussels for the EU negotiations opening ceremony, Cassoulides called the start of the talks an "historic moment" for Cyprus. It would bring new impetus to the search for a solution to the Cyprus problem, he said.

Commenting on the forthcoming visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem to the occupied areas, Cassoulides said the visit was "illegal", but expressed the hope that "at least this time, Mr Cem will realise that it is in the interest of Turkey to persuade Rauf Denktash to change his intransigent policy".

Cem's visit tomorrow has been reported in the Turkish press as being to thrash out "a series of measures" to be taken in retaliation to the start of the EU accession talks.

Cassoulides' statements yesterday echoed those by Government Spokesman Christos Stylianides, who also described the start of negotiations as historic and called for political unity on the island during the talks. Stylianides added that the government was keeping a close eye on the Turks and any possible retaliatory measures they might take, and said that Cyprus would have the constant support of the Greek government throughout the process.

The EU accession delegation is to be headed by Leopold Maurer of Austria, and the process will formally begin at a ministerial meeting tomorrow. Cyprus is among the six countries most favoured for accession, and as such will meet throughout April with EU officials for "instructive" meetings. A further series of meetings will be held in September to identify any problem areas in the countries' respective accession bids.

American reaction to the imminent start of negotiations has been positive, with State Department spokesman James Foley saying it can act as "a catalyst" for a Cyprus settlement.

He warned, however, that finding a solution "will take some time and must proceed through a process of negotiations".

Describing the Turkish Cypriot stance as unfortunate, Foley added that he hoped there could still be an effort on all sides to co-operate, as "one could envisage a possibility of a joint delegation of some kind that can be agreed on and can participate in the EU accession talks".

Foley's comments came as US congresswoman Carolyn Maloney tabled a resolution urging President Bill Clinton to "seize the opportunity" presented by the new Cypriot presidential term and the opening of accession negotiations to launch an initiative to resolve the Cyprus situation.

But a negative perspective on the EU accession prospects came yesterday in a report from the occupied areas by the French news agency AFP, which concluded that Turkish Cypriots feared domination by the Greek side more than poverty, and would rather maintain the status quo than enjoy the benefits of EU accession.

The report, which consisted of interviews with several Turkish Cypriot "men in the street" quoted one as saying that EU accession would "take away our security, our protection by Turkey".

Another was reported as saying the Greek Cypriots "do not want peace, they just want more".

[04] Cyprus Airways pilots drop strike threats

CYPRUS Airways pilots have decided to drop their strike threats and talk to management over the issue of sharing flights with Eurocypria.

The CY pilots' union Pasipy and cabin crew union Synika have agreed to resolve their problems at the negotiating table and discuss the company's future.

Staff fear that they will lose their job security if the company continues to take away traditional Cyprus Airways routes and gives them to its charter sister Eurocypria.

These fears are being raised despite the management saying there is no conflict of interest and there is enough work to go round.

"We consider that both airlines are fully occupied, both crew and aircraft, " CY spokesman Tassos Angelis said yesterday.

He believes there is now goodwill on both sides to help resolve the issue. But CY pilots are demanding the Manchester, Gatwick and Birmingham routes back.

It is understood the company has made clear that there are no double standards because there is no capacity to give back routes to the airline from Eurocypria.

"We are unhappy but we agreed to negotiate and we want the government involved at the highest level," said Pasipy chairman Andreas Constantinides.

Eurocypria pilots believe their Cyprus Airways counterparts are trying to take their promotions and put them out of business.

This suspicion was given credence yesterday when Constantinides said: "We want one company with a charter division, a single operation."

"Making Eurocypria bigger at our expense... we don't want this to happen," he said.

CY management concede they are caught in the crossfire but deny they would take any decision which would be detrimental to either airline.

Pasipy will hold a general assembly on Tuesday to decide what steps to take if negotiations stall.

"We will give the situation a month but I can't see anything happening at this stage," said Constantinides.

[05] BA stewardess knocked down

Flora Louise Wright was crossing the road near the Palm Beach Hotel in Larnaca at around 3.45am yesterday when she was hit by a vehicle driven by Despina Theodorou, 32, from Larnaca.

Wright was using a pedestrian crossing, but had reportedly not waited for the green man 'cross now' sign.

She was taken to Larnaca General Hospital, before being transferred to Nicosia General Hospital for further treatment.

[06] Full recovery expected for meningitis girl

They added that once she was back at school, there would be no risk to the health of fellow pupils.

The unnamed girl from Troulli village was taken to hospital in Larnaca with bacterial meningitis on March 11.

Reports yesterday claimed the girl said she saw a vision of a saint while in hospital, and knew then that she would get better.

[07] Titanic torpedoed by Turkish Tempo TV pirates

JAMES Cameron's phenomenally successful film Titanic got an early TV premiere on Friday night, when a pirated print was broadcast illegally in the occupied areas by Tempo TV.

Titanic, which garnered 11 Academy Awards last week and is packing in the audiences on both sides of the divide in Cyprus, is being shown at the Galleria cinema in the north. According to reports in yesterday's Turkish Cypriot press, the cinema's unnamed owner plans to take the TV station to 'court' over the broadcast.

He was quoted as saying Tempo TV's action "denounced the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the world as a haven for pirated films".

Tempo can be received in some parts of the free areas, where Titanic has so far enjoyed a 10-week run in cinemas and broken all Cyprus box office records.

[08] Women talk peace in London

The meeting, the second of its kind, was attended by 25 Greek Cypriot women and 14 Turkish Cypriots.

The Turkish Cypriot regime prevented four women from attending, however, as part of its clampdown on bi-communal activities.

Among those attending from the Greek Cypriot side is Disy MP Kate Clerides. The meeting ends today.

[09] Trend-setters flock to designer sale

The sale at a shop on Stassicratous Street, parallel to the capital's trendy Makarios Avenue, included such popular brand names as Fossil, Swatch, Benetton, Camel and Diesel, all de rigueur with the Cyprus cafe set.

Bulkier items such as satellite dishes and shoe storage cabinets were also available at knock-down prices.

Marina Theocratou, who queued for two hours in the hope of getting her hands on a pair of Benetton sunglasses, said: "It's nice to get these things cheaply for a change. Usually they cost so much."

The sale continues today and will open again on Wednesday, which is a national holiday.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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