Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-05-20

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

Wednesday, May 20, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] British couple survive 'Titanic-type' ordeal

[02] Government to announce deficit measures next month

[03] No one wants a package deal

[04] Omirou steps up missile talk

[05] Turkish soldier detained outside Athienou

[06] Turks release three Gypsies

[07] English School dispute a matter of 'national importance'

[08] Cyprus Airways anger at pilots' demands

[09] Two charged over killer crash

[10] Union concern over CyBC cutback plan

[11] Spidernet slams CyTA 'incompetence'

[12] Telecoms liberalisation gathers support

[13] Raising awareness as well as funds

[01] British couple survive 'Titanic-type' ordeal

TWO BRITISH tourists were rescued by a Cyprus police helicopter yesterday after spending the night in a cave when their speed-boat was wrecked on the rocky Akamas coast.

Glyn Carpenter, 35, has been hailed a hero by local police for saving his student girlfriend Cassandra Kennel, 19, before the boat went down.

The British couple are from Hastings where Carpenter is a builder and Kennel a computer student.

Their planned cruise around the remote Akamas peninsula turned into a nightmare on Monday when their boat ran out of fuel and was driven against the rocks by choppy seas.

"We were very scared but I managed to get my girlfriend to shore, then the boat split in two and I went into the water," Carpenter told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.

"The waves spun me around and somehow I ended up on the shore."

But he said at one point he thought the couple would not survive.

"I didn't think we were going to make it because the waves came crashing down.

"At one stage I just kept thinking of the Titanic because I couldn't save the boat and the sea was very rough."

Paphos police launched a search on Monday when the couple failed to return to shore after renting a speed-boat at lunchtime.

A safe rescue was possible only because the couple never gave up and stayed alert even though stranded in a desolate area, said the police.

"Because the boat had no fuel and was out of control it ran aground on the rocks. Later, after continued efforts by the English holidaymakers, they were located and rescued by police helicopter Akritas," said a police announcement yesterday.

Carpenter and Kennel were rescued at 6.20am yesterday after spending most of the night in a cave miles from the nearest village.

"We were very cold and suffering from shock," said Carpenter.

A police helicopter located the couple after Carpenter tied a life jacket to an oar and waved for help, in the Yeronissos area, north of Lara bay.

They were ferried to Paphos General Hospital for treatment, but were found to be unhurt and released.

The initial police sea-and-air search had failed to locate them by midnight on Monday.

The tourists, staying at the small Paphos village of Lysos, had rented a boat from nearby Latchi and the owner raised the alarm when they did not return by 7pm on Monday.

[02] Government to announce deficit measures next month

THE GOVERNMENT, bound by an election pledge not to raise taxes, will announce its plans to narrow the fiscal deficit next month, Finance Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou said yesterday.

He said the economy has been on a "course of stable recovery" since last July, but pointed out that the fiscal deficit was increasing as a result of what he called a policy of expansive public spending.

He also warned of the negative impact on the economy of persistent local media speculation about a possible "military incident" if the Russian-made S-300 missiles are deployed this summer.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the House's Education Committee, Christodoulou said: "It is our duty and responsibility to rationalise our spending and to see how we can increase our income.

"We are still thinking and studying the issue and we shall come to a decision at the start of June."

Christodoulou gave no hint of where or how the government planned to cut expenditure, but economists have said that introducing or raising charges on some government services and better tax collection were among the measures being considered.

A freeze on hiring for the public sector, wage curbs and an increase in the defence levy were also being looked at, they said.

Christodoulou said a rise in the defence levy was necessary to help plug a three per cent deficit caused by arms purchases.

He added that revenues lost as a result of Cyprus's compliance with the EU customs union agreement would cost the treasury £127 million in 1998.

Cyprus registered a fiscal shortfall of 3.4 per cent of GDP in 1996. This rose to 5.1 per cent last year and is expected to remain unchanged in 1998. Christodoulou, however, warned last month that the deficit might exceed seven per cent.

Turning to the much-publicised issue of the Russian missiles, the minister said: "I regret to make this observation, but if we continue to make an issue of the missiles... there will be consequences on how the economy behaves."

Urging the media to exercise caution in its coverage of the issue, he said: "We should not create unnecessary tension that will have an impact on our economy -- the base of our struggle."

In a separate development, share prices were sharply down yesterday for the second successive day. The official all-share index closed down 1.98 per cent. The fall did not spare the blue-chips of the banking sector, where Bank of Cyprus closed down six cents and Popular Bank by as much as 10 cents.

The index closed down 1.27 per cent on Monday, but on a thin volume of just over £600,000. Yesterday's volume was £1.33 million.

Share prices have shed more than six per cent of their value since the start of May, ending a four-month bull run which saw them rise by as much as 20 per cent.

[03] No one wants a package deal

BRITAIN, Greece and Cyprus yesterday rejected US President Bill Clinton's call for a 'package deal' to resolve the Cyprus problem together with broader Greco-Turkish differences.

Clinton told a press conference in London on Monday that the problems could not be solved in isolation and said: "we will have to proceed on many fronts at once."

"President Clinton's statements were expected and are in the framework of the declared positions of US policy," government spokesman Christos Stylianides said.

He said the government considered the comment as part of US policy that regional issues should be progressing in parallel.

But the Cyprus government does not believe there should be a give-and-take on these issues just to facilitate US policy, and that, although there is a link, the two issues are independent of each other.

"Any positive developments in Greco-Turkish relations will inevitably facilitate the climate of procedures in the Cyprus problem and vice versa," Stylianides said.

"If this linkage moves in a positive manner this will be helpful in efforts to solve these regional issues."

Britain also believes the two issue are separate.

Following a meeting yesterday with President Clerides, David Reddaway, head of the Foreign Office's Southern European Affairs Department said there was no formal package on the Cyprus problem and Greco-Turkish relations.

"They are separate issues in our analysis. It may be that one issue has an influence on another but there isn't a package approach," Reddaway said.

He expressed the hope that this week's visit to Turkey by British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook would help EU-Turkey relations on a positive path. "But I think talk of a package in our terms is possibly a bit misleading," Reddaway said.

In Athens, Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos also rejected Clinton's comments.

"I don't exactly know what Mr Clinton meant. We repeat we don't accept a package deal," Pangalos said.

He said the division of Cyprus was an international problem dealt with by the United Nations, while Greek-Turkish territorial differences were another matter.

"We listen to the US positions with much interest, but (Clinton's) suggestions about what Europe should do or what Greece should do is another matter," Pangalos said.

"This can't be accepted by Europe or by Greece," he explained. "Would the United States want a country in the state Turkey is currently in as a 51st state? Why should Europe want it as a 16th or a 20th member?"

[04] Omirou steps up missile talk

He said the "orchestrated" effort by Turkey to convince the world that the Cyprus problem started with the Russian S-300 missile issue smacked of double standards.

"Turkish troops in occupied Cyprus are heavily armed and Turkey spends billions of dollars every year on offensive weapons," Omiriou said during a speech in Salonica.

The minister pointed out that the adverse international response to the government's missile deal ignored the continuous violation of Cyprus air space by Turkish military planes over the last 24 years.

Omirou also talked tough about Ankara's threats to strike the missiles if they are deployed on the island.

"The National Guard, the people of Cyprus, as well as Greece will respond if Ankara chooses to act irresponsibly against the S-300 missiles."

According to the Russian manufacturers, the missiles are due to arrive in August.

"Our message to all who express concern about a possible conflict in Cyprus is to turn to Turkey, to convince it to agree to a solution based on international law and a steady demilitarisation programme," said Omirou.

While Omirou is visiting Greece, Turkey's top general Ismail Karadayi is in Moscow putting pressure on the Russians to halt the deal.

Karadayi is a five-day visit which could see a deal secured for Russian military helicopters.

The Turkish general is expected to meet Russian defence minister Igor Sergeyev today.

[05] Turkish soldier detained outside Athienou

The soldier, who has been named as Yassin Bozatli, was detained by National Guardsmen on the Athienou to Larnaca road at around 2.00am.

He was in uniform but unarmed and was being questioned by police yesterday.

[06] Turks release three Gypsies

The three -- Costas Demetriou, 35, Georgios Charalambous, 35 and Georgos Alexiou, 26, all said to be Gypsies resident in Limassol -- were released late on Monday, police said yesterday.

A police spokesman said they were in good health.

He also said the UN was trying to get the Turkish Cypriot authorities to return the car the three men had been travelling in.

Some possessions of theirs, including their passports, were in the vehicle.

The three were reported missing to Limassol police a week ago and it was later confirmed they had been arrested in the occupied areas near Strovilia at around 7.30pm on May 11.

[07] English School dispute a matter of 'national importance'

ENGLISH School teachers claim their row with the headmaster is not just a workplace disagreement, but an issue of educational and national importance.

This was stated by the president of the English School Staff Association (ESSA), Antonis Antoniou, when the matter came before the House Education Committee yesterday.

And despite statements by Disy deputy Kate Clerides that a workplace quarrel was not a matter for the House, the headmaster versus staff issue was nevertheless debated at some length.

The ongoing standoff revolves around the specific circumstances surrounding the promotion of a female member of staff, and broader claims of an autocratic style of management.

ESSA claims the headmaster showed favouritism to the teacher concerned, and Antoniou went on yesterday to blame Thomas for the "tense climate" that prevailed at the school due to his "completely unacceptable management style".

He also repeated claims by teachers that the headmaster had threatened them with sacking, insulted them and generally demoralised them.

Antoniou characterised Thomas' management style as "autocratic", which prompted the committee chairman, Sophocles Hadjiyiannis, to joke that perhaps it was "left over" from colonial days.

Antoniou finished off by saying the headmaster was not solely responsible for the current crisis and attributed equal blame to the school board for protecting Thomas.

School board member Nicos Saveriades, who issued a written statement on Monday disagreeing with the board's position, was very vocal in his condemnation of the headmaster and the board. In a clearly agitated state, he accused Thomas of corruption and of destroying the English School.

The teachers' association believes an independent ad-hoc committee should be established to examine the matter as the best way out of the standoff. But Board president John Hadjiantonas told the Cyprus Mail that a permanent joint consultative committee, bringing together representatives of the board and the teachers' association, already existed, and the matter could be resolved there.

Eighteen teachers are threatening to resign if the board does not take "decisive action" to resolve to issue.

Further developments are expected today.

[08] Cyprus Airways anger at pilots' demands

After its general meeting on Monday, pilots union Pasipy sent a letter to management outlining its four main demands and threatening to strike if they were not met.

Pilots and management are in the process of thrashing out a new collective agreement.

"We don't understand why they did this," a company spokesman said. "We are in the middle of a dialogue and this letter is against the spirit of that dialogue."

The main demand of the union centres on CY pilots' demand to pull rank on their counterparts in Eurocypria when it comes to promotions in the national carrier's charter firm.

The other three demands relate to medical and other benefits, including a demand for reduced fares after retirement.

Pasipy said that as a gesture of goodwill the union had decided not to make any demands for a pay rise.

The CY spokesman said management would be sending a strong response to Pasipy over the content and timing of the letter.

"We have had meetings, and even though it is slow we were achieving something," he said. "Three out of the four demands have been agreed to."

The spokesman said the last meeting between the two sides had been on May 7 and that other meetings had been planned.

"And instead of fixing a date for another meeting we get this letter," he said. "We do not consider that there is an impasse of any sort in the talks for the renewal of the collective agreement."

[09] Two charged over killer crash

Thirty-two-year-old Nicos Zougros from Larnaca, the driver of the oil tanker that collided with the taxi, was remanded for three days, while the man thought to have caused the accident, Matheos Anastasiou, 30, was released and will be summoned at a later stage.

Anastasiou faces charges of causing the accident and leaving the scene without offering help to the injured.

Officer Andreas Foudros told the court that Anastasiou had failed to stop when the trailer he was driving joined the road, cutting off the oil tanker's course. Police say an eyewitness called after Anastasiou telling him to stop because he had caused an accident, but he failed to do so.

He was not remanded as police have enough evidence to proceed with a prosecution. He will be summoned when the case reappears before court.

Four of the service taxi's passengers, a National Guardsman, two British tourists and the dead Finnish tourist's fiancé remain in a serious condition at Limassol General Hospital. Another passenger, 50-year-old Elizabeth Ioannou, is still in a critical condition at Nicosia General Hospital.

[10] Union concern over CyBC cutback plan

The union was responding to a leaked report in Alithia newspaper on Monday saying that the Interior Ministry was considering whether to rid the CyBC of one TV and radio channel in order to cut the corporation's overspending.

The ministry is pondering the unthinkable in an effort to reduce the corporation's £1 million plus deficit.

The suggestion to chop the TV and radio channels, or the alternative of restricting programme transmissions, has been put before a ministerial committee.

CyBC's 1998 budget, which has been submitted to the Council of Ministers, forecasts various scenarios with a deficit hovering between one and two million pounds, a figure the government is not prepared to accept.

It is understood that CyBC has been told to balance its books or face painful cost-cutting.

The managers' union has directed a public appeal to the government, the House of Representatives and all political parties "to support the corporation and to assist in the attempt to reduce CyBC's expenses and reorganise the corporation in order to maintain its dynamic presence within the political, social and cultural life of Cyprus."

[11] Spidernet slams CyTA 'incompetence'

Spidernet's international connection was due to be moved to a new exchange at around 9.30 am yesterday, a process Christodoulou said should have taken around five minutes. However, after problems were encountered, the international connection remained inaccessible until around 1pm.

This resulted in Spidernet subscribers not being able to access internet sites located outside the island or receive e-mail from abroad. Christodoulou said CyTA had still not told him what the specific problem had been.

All Spidernet subscribers were informed of the situation via an e-mail sent by the service provider, stating that it was "ironic" for Cyta to claim "high technological know-how" for their rival Cytanet connection service, when they "cannot even switch a single circuit".

Cyta spokeswoman Rita Karoja told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the corporation had not been aware of Spidernet's e-mail of complaint, and would therefore only comment on the situation today.

[12] Telecoms liberalisation gathers support

In an announcement yesterday, Setil stated liberalisation of the sector would bring "significant reductions in telecommunications costs, significant improvements in the services offered and new investment opportunities."

On Saturday, Ierodiakonou trumpeted the cause of "gradual" telecommunications liberalisation, saying it would bring Cyprus in line with the EU and US.

Unions and opposition parties have traditionally opposed such liberalisation, saying it would affect jobs in the state-owned Telecommunications Authority (Cyta), and mean higher bills for customers.

Setil disagreed. "Our country, due to it's geographical location, is capable of playing a significant role in telecommunications developments in the region. This will be made possible with the full liberalisation of telecommunications," the association stated.

"We call on the government to proceed without delay with the abolition of the state monopoly of telecommunications," Setil stated.

[13] Raising awareness as well as funds

Telethon 98 will be the fourth such event on the island, and is organised by the Institute of Neurology and Genetics, the Cyprus Lions Club, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC), the Hellenic bank and Keo breweries. Last year's effort raised £355,000 for muscular dystrophy research and support of sufferers and their families.

The head of the Telethon 98 committee, Roula Matsi, said yesterday the event aimed to raise awareness about muscular dystrophy and other hereditary diseases as well as funds.

Telethon is an international event long-established in America and Europe, she added.

The three-day fund-raising effort will include walks, film shows, football matches, concerts, basket ball competitions, mini cruises and street collections. It will culminate in a television fund-raising extravaganza on CyBC.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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