Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-10-03

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

Saturday, October 03, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Defence minister confirms Greek jets will come to Cyprus

[02] Government seeks clarifications on UN initiative

[03] Cyprus protests changes to UN statement

[04] Jabs decimate Paralimni school

[05] British and Argentine defence ministers to meet in Cyprus

[06] Stranded passengers spend night on hotel chairs

[07] A tribute to India

[08] Children find grenades

[01] Defence minister confirms Greek jets will come to Cyprus

GREEK Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos yesterday confirmed that Greek warplanes would be taking apart in the forthcoming Nikiforos military exercises in Cyprus.

He also welcomed US intentions to conduct a survey of American-made weaponry deployed on the island.

Speaking at Larnaca airport before returning to Greece, Tsohatzopoulos said his talks with his Cypriot counterpart Yiannakis Omirou had covered the exercises as well as the broader question of the joint Cyprus-Greece defence pact, which would be "reaffirmed" by the exercises.

"This co-operation is not devoid of content. It is based on specific deeds and actions," he said.

Referring to the American weaponry on Cyprus, the minister said 90 per cent of the weapons maintained in the occupied areas by Turkey were American- made. The Greek contingent in Cyprus maintained a very limited percentage of US-made weapons, he added, and could "give explanations for any type of weapon it has."

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash on Thursday reacted angrily to the Congress plan, saying it was the work of Greek lobbyists in Congress.

Denktash told journalists in New York that the idea showed signs of enmity towards Turkey and was not becoming of Congress.

Tsohatzopoulos meanwhile dismissed reports that Turkish aircraft had violated Cyprus' air space on Wednesday and Thursday, saying they had been in the region photographing locations, but had remained outside the island's air space. He nevertheless described the event as "disturbing".

Government spokesman Christos Stylianides said yesterday the government had information that the planes had violated Cyprus airspace, but added this would be further investigated in light of Tsohatzopoulos' comments.

He added, however, that the flights showed yet again how much respect Turkey has for international law.

Tsohatzopoulos was visiting Cyprus for three days on the occasion of the island's Independence Day celebrations, and was present at the military parade in Nicosia on Thursday.

In his parting comments, he also referred to Cyprus' EU accession bid, saying the completion of the process would "upgrade the special role" Cyprus plays in its immediate geopolitical region.

Saturday, October 03, 1998

[02] Government seeks clarifications on UN initiative

THE GREEK Cypriot side expects clarifications about a planned UN process designed to reduce tensions, government spokesman Christos Stylianides said yesterday.

"As far as the reduction in tensions is concerned, we stick to UN resolutions whose basis is the bicommunal, bizonal federation in line with the very important statement by the permanent members of the UN Security Council," Stylianides said.

Annan proposed in a statement on Wednesday after separate meetings with President Clerides and Denktash that his special envoy for Cyprus, Dame Ann Hercus, develop a process "for on-island contacts with both parties, with the aim of reducing tensions and promoting progress towards a just and lasting settlement".

Stylianides said it was important to clarify which issues these contacts would include, and added that "matters referred to in UN resolutions 1178 and 1179 should be on the agenda."

These resolutions call on the parties to avoid any actions that might increase tensions, for a reduction in foreign troops as a first step towards the withdrawal of foreign forces, and stress the importance of eventual demilitarisation.

"We do not consider that talks on the reduction of tension and security should deal exclusively with the ongoing military dialogue," the spokesman said.

According to the UN statement, both leaders expressed their support for such a process and have promised to co-operate with it "in a constructive and flexible manner".

According to yesterday's Turkish Cypriot press, Rauf Denktash told the Anatolia News Agency in New York that it was impossible to return to the idea of a federation and that his confederation proposal was the product of the Greek Cypriot side's application to join the EU.

Denktash met Annan in New York on Wednesday, but declined to comment after the meeting.

Saturday, October 03, 1998

[03] Cyprus protests changes to UN statement

And government spokesman Christos Stylianides said yesterday Cyprus had already made representations to the UN about the changes in the text.

A UN spokesman in New York said the reference to Clerides as 'President' had been changed in line with the Secretary-general's good office mission on the island.

But according to sources in New York, the change was made after a complaint from the Turkish permanent representative to the UN.

The initial statement, issued on Wednesday and attributable to the Secretary-general's spokesman, read: "The Secretary-general met on September 25 with the President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides and today with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Rauf Denktash".

But an amended statement issued a few hours later read: "Following this meeting with his excellency Mr Glafcos Clerides on 25 September, the Secretary-general met today with his excellency Mr Rauf Denktash".

Asked why a second statement was issued, UN Associate spokesman Hero Ueki said: "the original text had some errors and inaccuracies".

Asked to elaborate, he said: "The changes were "self-evident" if the two texts were compared.

"The statement was issued in the context of the good offices mission of the Secretary-general that treats both leaders equally," Ueki said.

Stylianides said there was no doubt that the UN fully recognised the Cyprus Republic and its President, "who addressed the General Assembly according to UN protocol".

"This is telling proof that the UN fully recognises the Cyprus Republic and Mr Clerides as its President," he said.

President Clerides met Secretary-general Kofi Annan after his address to the UN General Assembly last Friday.

Saturday, October 03, 1998

[04] Jabs decimate Paralimni school

A NEW batch of pupils from the Paralimni Gymnasium were rushed to hospital yesterday, suffering side effects from tetanus inoculations given at the school earlier this week.

More than 30 pupils, all aged between 13 and 14, were taken to Paralimni hospital after they started complaining of dizziness, nausea and headaches. Some also experienced very rapid heartbeat.

Because of the sheer number of cases, the hospital had neither enough ambulances nor beds to cope: some pupils were driven to hospital by teachers, and when they arrived had to share beds.

More than 35 pupils from the same school were taken to hospital suffering from similar symptoms on Wednesday.

Yesterday's batch of victims included both pupils who had already been taken ill on Wednesday and previously unaffected children.

Overall, 40 students out of the 140 inoculated have now received hospital treatment.

The Education Ministry says tests have been carried out on the batch of inoculate used at the school, which has now been withdrawn.

The results are not yet known.

Chrystalla Hadjianastasiou of the Ministry of Health said the new cases had been unexpected, as the side effects usually manifested themselves within 48 hours of the administration of the vaccine. But she added that in very rare cases, side effects could last for up to three days.

The side effects were not serious, she reassured parents, and would not leave permanent damage.

Hadjianastasiou added that the ministry was not overly concerned by the events, but that she understood how unpleasant it was for the children and their parents.

Whether or not all 140 would eventually be affected, she added, was not yet known, as different people reacted in different ways.

Many parents have complained that there has been nowhere near the level of official interest in the events that there should have been.

But in her statements on CyBC radio, Hadjianastasiou defended the ministry and said she would visit Paralimni Hospital and to talk to parents of affected children.

The school's headmistress, Elpida Hailou, also expressed regret over the mass outbreak, saying it was "unfortunate" that so many pupils had been affected.

She said the events had badly affected the school's functioning, as so many teachers had had to go to hospital with the pupils and had stayed there stayed with them.

"We are waiting for the medical services of the Ministry of Education to tell us why so many children were so affected by an ordinary inoculation." she said.

The inoculations were administered on Tuesday, and are given to school pupils in this age group every year.

The first outbreak occurred while the traditional October 1 messages were being read out at school.

Saturday, October 03, 1998

[05] British and Argentine defence ministers to meet in Cyprus

THE DEFENCE Ministers of Britain and Argentina will meet in Cyprus next week when they inspect their respective battalions that are serving in Unficyp.

"They will receive a joint guard of honour together and then see their respective battalions together," Unficyp spokesman Waldemar Rokoszewski told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.

The spokesman said that the two ministers, British defence secretary George Robertson and his Argentine counterpart Jorge Dominguez, would visit UN HQ in Nicosia on Tuesday.

To underline the normalisation of relations since the 1982 Falklands war, Robertson and Dominguez will have breakfast together at the British High Commission on Tuesday morning.

During their visit, they will meet Unficyp units in which Argentine and British troops serve together and observe a mine clearing exercise, Rokoszewski said.

"It's no coincidence that they will be here together and it signifies the great co-operation between the Argentinean and British troops in Unficyp."

However, High Commission spokesman Piers Cazalet said there had been no deliberate effort by the Argentine and British governments to have their ministers on the island at the same time.

"It's coincidental that they will be here together," Cazalet told the Cyprus Mail.

Rokoszewski said it was the first time that two ministers would be present at the same time to inspect Unficyp peacekeepers.

Robertson, who will be arriving at the British base of Akrotiri on Monday evening, is also expected to meet President Clerides during his stay.

Both Argentina and Britain contribute around 400 troops each to Unficyp's 1, 200-strong force, which is the oldest UN peacekeeping mission in the world.

Britain has contributed to Unficyp since its inception in 1964 and Argentinean troops have been deployed on the island since 1993.

"There are many units in Unficyp in which the Argentineans and British work together and there have been no incidents between them. Frankly there's been very good co-operation," said Rokoszewski.

Even Argentina's highly charged World Cup victory over England and the controversial David Beckham sending off failed to spark any animosity between the rival sets of UN soldiers who watched the game together in Cyprus.

Saturday, October 03, 1998

[06] Stranded passengers spend night on hotel chairs

Cypriot and foreign passengers complained of being unreasonably inconvenienced and kept in the dark as they sat out the 12-hour delay until a new flight was arranged for 6.30 am yesterday.

It is understood the CY aircraft was grounded due to a "technical problem". The situation was then made worse when a second plane was pulled from the fleet because it had a cracked window - leaving no replacement available.

And efforts by CY to lease an aircraft were scuppered when objections were raised by the British Civil Aviation Authority.

Many of the passengers who had to spend Thursday night trying to find comfortable hotel furniture after they had been taken there to be fed, said they were demanding compensations from the company.

And it seems the airline is ready to put its hand in its pocket after being unable to meet its schedule.

"If we unduly inconvenienced passengers because of such a long delay then we will pay the penalty," Cyprus Airways spokesman Tassos Angeli told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.

Saturday, October 03, 1998

[07] A tribute to India

The first of these events will be the broadcast of The Making of a Nation, a documentary prepared by top Indian directors and launched in tribute to the 50th anniversary of the country.

The series of 10 half-hour documentaries will be broadcast every Sunday at 3.30 pm, on CyBC-2, starting tomorrow.

A historical overview of the country as an ancient civilisation as well as a contemporary nation, the documentary presents a rich historical and social analysis of a nation that makes up a sixth of the whole world.

Interviews of people from various classes enhance the insight into a country embedded in a very rich cultural tradition. A very professional, educating yet at the same time entertaining piece of work, the documentary projects a fascinating picture of the country and its inhabitants.

The series of events organised by the High Commission also includes a special presentation of the epic indian movie The Making of the Mahatma, on Wednesday October 21, at the Intercollege Auditorium, and a photographic exhibition on India, entitled India: Towards the New Millennium, opening at the Melina Melina Mercouri Hall in Nicosia, next Friday until October 16.

Saturday, October 03, 1998

[08] Children find grenades

Police said the grenades were in a usable condition and could have gone off if tampered with, causing serious if not fatal injuries.

The children were playing near an old abandoned vehicle in the Nicosia suburb of Aglanjia at around 4.30 p.m., and after curiosity got the better of them they started rummaging around in the car's boot.

Finding a plastic bag, they opened it and found four grenades inside.

The police, sniffer dogs and explosives experts were then called in to investigate and the area was closed off.

No further explosives or grenades were discovered.

Nicosia CID are investigating.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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