Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-12-11

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

Friday, December 11, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Kurd critical after self-immolation

[02] Miller: working for an acceptable missile deal

[03] Annan renews Unficyp mandate, warns of growing militarisation

[04] Water boss pleads guilty to abuse of authority

[05] House corruption report put back to the new year

[06] Paneuropean negotiations in `final stage'

[07] Finance Minister warns House it must back tax package

[08] Murder suspect spotted in Limassol

[09] Mystery surrounds destruction of Honduras charity clothes

[10] Romanian woman burns herself in row with husband

[11] Cyprair to double holiday capacity

[12] Deputies approve revised version of citizenship law

[01] Kurd critical after self-immolation

A KURDISH man was in a critical condition last night after setting himself ablaze during a protest outside the French embassy in Nicosia.

Jehad Shecko, 30, was listed in a critical condition with second and third degree burns to 80 per cent of his body.

The incident occurred as around 100 Kurds were attending a peaceful protest against attempts by a French judge to link PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) leader Abdullah Ocalan with an alleged extortion scheme in France.

At around 10.45 am, bystanders heard a woman scream, and then saw Shecko douse himself with a flammable liquid, believed to be petrol.

Shecko produced a lighter, but police managed to wrestle him to the ground and seize it from him.

They began to remove his petrol-soaked clothes, but the Kurd shook them off saying he would remove the clothes, and the "Long Live Kurdistan" banner he was wearing, himself.

But as he turned away to do so, the man produced a second lighter and set fire to his trouser leg, instantly going up in flames.

The incident took place before the eyes of Shecko's wife and five-year-old son.

The fire brigade, police and other Kurds managed to smother the flames, hauling Shecko to his feet.

To the surprise of onlookers, he managed to get up and flashed a 'V' for victory sign before being rushed to the Makarios Hospital.

Two of those who helped put out the flames were also injured, but a police spokesman said their injuries were less serious.

Shecko, however, sustained second and third degree burns to 80 per cent of his body.

Nucan Derya, the Cyprus representative of the ERNK, the Liberation Front of Kurdistan - civilian arm of the PKK - told the Cyprus Mail that Shecko's was an act of desperation:

"Despite strict instructions from the President (Ocalan) to stop such actions, civilians who can't go to war psychologically feel that this is the only way they can show their commitment."

Several Kurds across the world have set themselves on fire since the November 12 arrest of Ocalan in Rome, prompting the appeal to stop from the Kurdish leader. Italy has refused to extradite Ocalan to Turkey.

At an earlier protest outside the French embassy on Tuesday, another Kurd, Ebu Amad, had threatened to torch himself. Fellow demonstrators had thwarted him by taking his can of petrol away from him.

Derya said Amad had again tried - in vain - to set himself on fire twice yesterday.

Amad was identified as one of the two slightly injured in stepping in to save Shecko.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[02] Miller: working for an acceptable missile deal

U.S. STATE Department Special Cyprus Co-ordinator Thomas Miller arrived on the island yesterday talking of a possible Cyprus- American agreement on the deployment of the controversial Russian S-300 missiles.

"Clearly, the S-300s is an issue we are concerned about... We are working with the Cyprus government on this issue to find a solution that I think is mutually satisfactory," Miller said, adding that the issue was going to be a topic of his consultations in Cyprus.

Speaking on arrival at Larnaca Airport at the start of his 24-hour visit, Miller said if such an agreement were reached it could open the way forward for an overall settlement of the Cyprus problem.

"A mutually satisfactory solution to this issue could lead to new opportunities to get focused back on what is my job, our objective," Miller said.

"The objective is, has been and will be a solution to the Cyprus problem. It is important to stay focused on that."

Miller is on the island for talks today with Unficyp Chief of Mission Dame Ann Hercus, who recently began shuttle talks with the island's two leaders with the aim of reducing tensions and persuading Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to return to the negotiating table.

Denktash pulled out of talks last year when the EU announced it would open accession negotiations with Cyprus. The controversial missile deal has further complicated efforts to find a solution.

The government has said it would only consider not deploying the S- 300s if there was progress in talks for a settlement or for demilitarisation.

A suggestion - believed to have come from the Americans - that the missiles be deployed on the Greek island of Crete - has recently caused a rift between Nicosia and Athens, which supports the face-saving idea.

Miller said if the future of the missiles was agreed he could go to Turkey and possibly receive a positive answer from Ankara before next April's elections there.

But Miller warned there was no possibility of substantive efforts on any front before the Turkish elections.

Judith Baroody, Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy and Director of the American Centre, told the Cyprus News Agency earlier yesterday that Miller's visit was "part of a general trip to the region."

"Miller's consultations with Dame Ann underscore the strong US support for the Hercus shuttle talks and the US' continuing close co-ordination with the UN in its efforts to achieve a reduction of tension on Cyprus and progress towards a lasting settlement," she added.

After he leaves the island later today Miller will join US

Presidential Emissary on Cyprus Richard Holbrooke in Istanbul to take part in a meeting of the bi-communal Brussels business group on Sunday and Monday.

Holbrooke and Miller will then travel to Athens on December 14 to meet with senior Greek officials. Holbrooke will return to the US on December 15.

"Ambassador Holbrooke has no plans to travel to Cyprus," Baroody said in response to conflicting reports that the top US trouble-shooter might be due here next week.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[03] Annan renews Unficyp mandate, warns of growing militarisation

In his latest report on the UN operation in Cyprus, Annan said the presence of the force remained indispensable to maintain the cease-fire between the two sides.

Annan said the continual upgrading of arms on both sides of the line was a cause for concern, as was the proposed deployment by the government of the Russian S-300 missiles.

He also said the UN had protested several military incursions into the buffer zone by both sides in the past six months. Unficyp also protested air violations by both sides.

The report said that on October 25, four Greek fighters participating in the joint Cyprus-Greece Nikiforos-Toxotis exercises flew over the buffer zone in the area of occupied Louroudjina. There had also been a number of helicopter overflights of the buffer zone during the past six months, Annan's report added.

Annan also said that on June 13, Turkish Air Force F-16s crossed both cease- fire lines and entered the south of the island by approximately 300 metres.

But the placing side by side of Greek and Turkish air violations yesterday drew an angry response from Defence Minister Yiannakis Omirou.

"We are trying to organise our defence against a heavily over-armed Turkey with a population of 100 million," Omirou said. "So with all due respect to the role of the UN they should direct their attention elsewhere. We have faith in the UN, but many times the equating of victim and aggressor, between the legal Republic of Cyprus and the occupation regime, comes as a painful surprise."

Annan's report also criticises the National Guard over a large new military construction, "despite strong protests by Unficyp".

"This construction involves anti-tank ditches and other defensive fortifications on the cease-fire line east and south east of Nicosia, as well as a network of bunkers with connecting trenches east of the Old City of Nicosia, and constitutes a significant change in the status quo," the report said, adding that in some instances the National Guard personnel restricted Unficyp movements at checkpoints at the edge of the buffer zone.

There was also an increase in crossings of the Maritime Security Line, the seaward extension of the buffer zone on the island's east coast.

"Incidents have occurred when Greek Cypriot fishing or tourist boats deliberately cross the maritime security line," the report said.

Annan concludes that the presence of Unficyp on the island remains indispensable, and recommends the six-monthly mandate be renewed until June 30 1999.

The UN force in Cyprus numbers 1,230 military personnel and 33 civilian police from nine countries. The cost of maintaining the force during the new mandate period will be $22.6 million.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[04] Water boss pleads guilty to abuse of authority

Christodoulou is on trial before the Nicosia District court on a total of 29 charges of abuse of authority, deceit and attempting to interfere with a police investigation.

The top civil servant was charged following a police investigation launched after employees and machinery belonging to his department were found on the building site of his out-of-town mansion during a police raid on May 20.

He had originally pleaded not guilty to all 29 charges.

But Christodoulou's lawyer, Efstathios Efstathiou, told the court yesterday his client now wanted to plead guilty to the 11 charges relating to abuse of authority.

During the first trial hearing last week, senior WDD technician Sofoklis Nicolaou, who took the stand as a witness for the prosecution, told the court his boss considered getting his subordinates to moonlight for him to be one of the perks of his job. Nicolaou stated Christodoulou had repeatedly asked him to provide departmental employees to work on his home near the new GSP stadium outside Nicosia.

The trial continues on Thursday.

Christodoulou has been suspended from his duties pending the outcome of the trial.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[05] House corruption report put back to the new year

Akel, Diko and Edek asked for more time to consider their final position on the Michaelides affair during yesterday's meeting, which took place behind closed doors.

The parties had been expected to give their final say on the committee's report to be sent to the House plenum for discussion.

Now the report will not be completed until the three parties give their view on Michaelides' conduct as a minister when the committee reconvenes on January 14.

However, details of the draft report, which comes down hard on the absent minister, were made available to the press yesterday.

According to the draft report, the committee describes the minister's behaviour as "politically unacceptable" and contrary to the principles which guide those in public office.

It says that those holding high office must avoid using such position to promote their own interests or give the impression that they might be doing so.

Michaelides' conduct is also blamed for damaging the public's trust in the government and the democratic process in general.

Committee chairman Christos Pourgourides has long argued that Michaelides' own admission that he purchased luxury flats from major developers on the cheap and received a huge bank loan without a mortgage were sufficient grounds for his resignation.

It seems likely that the parties will unanimously agree to adopt the critical stance of the minister's conduct.

The stumbling block appears to be over whether the committee should go further and censure President Clerides personally over his handling of the corruption fiasco.

Akel and Diko may want to go as far as making Clerides himself responsible for his failure to sack the minister after a criminal investigation was announced.

The committee has made clear its dissatisfaction over Clerides' initial decision to ask the Auditor-general to probe the allegations.

The Auditor-general's probe was criticised for having no investigatory powers.

Governing Disy and Edek are understandably reluctant to sanction potentially damaging criticism of Clerides.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[06] Paneuropean negotiations in `final stage'

GREECE'S Interamerican Group is seeking to buy a majority stake in Nicos Shacolas' Paneuropean Insurance in takeover negotiations which have entered their "final stage".

In an announcement made to the Cyprus Stock Exchange yesterday, Shacolas said the Greek conglomerate planned to make a public offer for the 55 per cent stake it sought.

Shacolas and his family are widely believed to own anywhere between 30 and 40 per cent of Paneuropean, the parent company of Interamerican Insurance and Philiki Insurance.

The three titles rose in yesterday's trade on the back of the Shacolas announcement, helping the official all-share index to rise by 0.39 per cent to close at 90.32. Traded value stood at £2.02 million.

Trade on the three Shacolas titles was worth £787,316, or nearly 35 per cent of the market's entire traded value. The insurance sub-index recorded the highest rise among the market's seven sectors, 1.33 per cent, to close at 69.67.

Paneuropean rose by two cents to close at £1.24, while Interamerican rose by 1.5 cents and Philiki by three cents to close at £1.15 and £1.06 respectively.

News of the planned takeover of the Paneuropean Group first surfaced about seven weeks ago, triggering a wave of interest in the three titles.

But long spells of silence on whether the negotiations were making progress have on occasion dampened market interest and led prices to fall.

Earlier this week, Shacolas wrote to the Cyprus Stock Exchange saying that the negotiations to sell Paneuropean had made definite progress.

A takeover of the local insurance giant by Greece's Interamerican would be the second takeover of a major Cypriot concern by a Greek company. Earlier this year, Greece's Alpha Credit Bank bought a controlling share of Lombard NatWest Bank and renamed it Alpha Bank Limited for what was reported at the time to be around £30 million.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[07] Finance Minister warns House it must back tax package

FAILURE to cut the public debt and deficit could jeopardise Cyprus' EU accession course, Finance Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou warned during his 1999 budget speech to the House plenum yesterday evening, hinting that deputies would be ill-advised again to reject his biting tax package.

"I consider it my duty to point out that continuing high public deficits will adversely effect not only the course of the economy but our accession course too," Christodoulou told the plenum at the end of his half-hour speech.

"If appropriate measures are not taken to reinforce public income, these indicators will continue to diverge from the desired directions," Christodoulou warned.

The minister is soon to make a second attempt to get a tax hike package approved by the House, after having his last proposal thrown out in May.

Christodoulou said the economy as a whole was "basically healthy" and prospects for 1999 "encouraging" but the same could not be said for the public deficit or the public debt.

"During 1999, the public deficit is predicted to reach 5.8 per cent of GDP and the public debt to exceed 60 per cent of GDP, diverging for the first time from the relevant Maastricht criteria."

Under the Maastricht Treaty, the ceiling for the public deficit is three per cent, while that for the public debt is 60 per cent.

The tax package rejected by the House in May would have brought the treasury nearly £150 million annually. That package included a four percentage point increase in VAT to 12 per cent.

Christodoulou's new proposal is expected to follow similar lines.

The good news, the minister told his audience of deputies and six fellow ministers, was that growth was expected to reach four per cent in 1999. Unemployment was set to drop to three per cent, inflation to hover around 2.5 per cent and the balance of payments was to improve, he added.

The 1999 budget provides for a deficit of £580.8 million, five per cent more than in 1998. Expenditure is set at £1.68 billion and revenues are projected at £1.1 billion.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[08] Murder suspect spotted in Limassol

Police said yesterday the net was closing in on Bu Hua Cheng, 22, and believe his arrest is likely to be a matter of hours rather than days.

The bodies of Chinese couple Lou Jian Hui, 23, and Jiang Ming Xia, 23, were found at the bottom of a ravine near Trooditissa last week. They had been subjected to torture and sexual abuse with various objects before being strangled to death, forensic evidence found.

Police arrested Wang Yang, 21, in connection with the murders last week. Wang named Bu as his accomplice.

The week-long murder hunt was given a much needed boost yesterday, when several eye-witnesses positively identified the suspect in various parts of Limassol.

It had been feared that Bu may have fled the country (Interpol were contacted on Tuesday) or absconded to the occupied areas.

At around 3am yesterday, Bu visited one of his fellow Chinese students at a flat in Limassol, pleading for food and clothing. He was turned away by the student, who then informed police.

It is understood that several people among the island's 600-strong Chinese community (most of them students) have actively helped police during the investigation.

Later in the day, the suspect was seen at a kiosk, asking to make a phone call near Limassol town centre.

Hundreds of officers have combed the island over the past week to try and find murder suspect Bu.

Police have searched abandoned property, boats and farms in a concerted effort to apprehend the suspect.

Bu is described by police as extremely dangerous and still scarred over his right eye from his tussle with the victims. The public have been warned not to tackle him alone.

Both Wang and Bu were students at the same private Limassol college attended by the victims.

Wang has apparently confessed to the crime, naming Bu as the one who planned the murders in an attempt to rob the couple of around $3,000.

He and Bu planned to leave the island by boat after committing the murders, Wang is said to have told police.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[09] Mystery surrounds destruction of Honduras charity clothes

MYSTERY surrounds what was really in - and what became of the contents of - ten 40-foot containers allegedly "full" of some 390,000 items of new clothing, which Cypriots had expected to be shipped to Honduras along with other hurricane-relief donations.

Carrie Hutton of Nicosia said the Honduran relief effort she was helping to organise had been donated the 10 containers of "new clothing" by an anonymous merchant. So when she left for Honduras on November 27, to join the relief effort there, she was hopeful others in Cyprus C.A.R.E. (Central American Relief Effort) would help with shipping the containers to storm- ravaged Honduras.

But when she returned to Cyprus on Wednesday, she learned that, instead of having been shipped to Honduras, the 10 containers' contents had been destroyed on the donor's orders under Customs Department supervision.

"I was really shocked, very upset," Hutton told the Cyprus Mail. She said she got various stories as to why the "clothing" had been destroyed, including that the containers really held only "rags".

Hutton said Erecleos Economides, of Cyprian Seaways Agency shippers, had told her, "it was a good thing that the stuff didn't go (to Honduras), because it was in such tatters."

"He said out of 100 boxes, maybe two or three could have been used. I think perhaps we have to cut our losses on that, but the point is that all the containers should have been opened... and sorted through." They were not, she said she was told.

Hutton said she was now asking local medicine manufacturers if they were willing to fill the other half of the 40-foot container that C.A.R.E. has been packing with collected clothing and food, "because we've got 20 feet full" and a big hole in the group's relief plans with the clothing's destruction.

Economides also told the Cyprus Mail the containers held "mostly rubbish... not worth sending. They had to be destroyed. The goods came here in transit from Pakistan, I think. It was rags. It was rags. It was a front. It was a front," he said.

But he dismissed suggestions the "rags" were "a front" for smuggling drugs. "No, I don't think so. Maybe the people wanted to get rid of these garments from their country to get some rebates they give for exports, something like this."

Demetris Panayiotou, of D&amp;K Panayiotou Clearing and Forwarding company of Limassol, told the Cyprus Mail two different stories as to what the containers held: "It was ready-made garments. T-shirts, shirts, trousers."

"It was brand new clothes... It was good stuff. Yes. It was good stuff, and the (Vati dump) people who destroyed (it) took some pieces. They took around 10 to 15 pieces, each one. It was good stuff," he said early yesterday.

Then last night Panayiotou changed his story, insisting "in each container, we found there are only two cartons of T-shirts... and the rest of the cartons were textiles (rags), not ready-made garments."

"They took them to Vati (dump) outside Limassol, and they cut... the T- shirts with scissors," he said, adding: "And I said 'It's a shame to throw them away' and they cut them one by one."

"There were some people in the dump looking for some good things to wear, and I asked the Customs agents if they could have a T-Shirt, and the Customs refused to give them any," he said.

"And I asked them why they did not call Nicosia for permission to deliver even these two cartons (of good clothes) to poor people, and they said they cannot. Only with the permission of Customs could they do so."

Demetris Hadjicostis, chief investigative officer for the Customs Department assured the Cyprus Mail: "I will investigate the matter definitely... I want to look personally into the issue... We'll fully investigate it."

Friday, December 11, 1998

[10] Romanian woman burns herself in row with husband

Four-month pregnant Tinita Stan, 28, was rushed to Paphos hospital yesterday morning suffering second degree burns to her face, neck and hands.

"While at home with her husband, she doused herself with pure alcohol because she discovered he was having an extra-marital affair," a Paphos police spokesman said.

The incident took place at about 10am yesterday morning, when Tinita confronted husband Minas Minaris with her "other woman" suspicions.

She is being treated at Paphos General hospital. Her condition is not life threatening, and neither is her baby at risk.

Paphos CID have ruled out foul play.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[11] Cyprair to double holiday capacity

The UK-based company has added two more hotels to its destination list and now expects to bring 50,000 tourists to Cyprus from Britain in 1999, double its current capacity, according to reports from London.

Tailor-made packages for groups of 20 or more include bird-watching tours, trekking and cycling, for around £600 sterling for May.

Cyprair is wholly owned by CY, and last year the company managed substantially to increase its turnover from £5.5 million in 1996 to £7.1 million in 1997.

This was due to an increase in passengers carried by CY and to the strengthening of Sterling against the Cyprus pound.

The company recorded a profit before taxation of £480,000 last year compared to £13,000 in 1996.

Friday, December 11, 1998

[12] Deputies approve revised version of citizenship law

THE HOUSE of Representatives yesterday made a second attempt to end sexual discrimination over waiting periods for Cypriot citizenship.

Earlier this week, President Clerides sent back to the House an amendment approved on November 19 which equalised at two years the period both foreign men and women married to Cypriots have to wait before becoming eligible for citizenship. Before this law change, foreign men married to Cypriots had to wait five years before becoming eligible for citizenship, whereas foreign women only had to wait one year.

Deputies yesterday approved a revised version of the amendment that its proposer, Akel deputy Andreas Philippou, believes will be accepted by the President.

Philippou told the Cyprus Mail earlier this week that Clerides had sent the bill back because he was concerned foreigners married to Cypriots but living on the island illegally might be able to take advantage of the law change to secure citizenship.

He said the bill would be revised to close any possible loopholes for illegal residents.

The bill in its revised form was passed unanimously and without debate.

Philippou tabled the bill some 19 months ago, arguing that the old law was unjust to women.

The new law will affect about 3,000 foreign men married to Cypriot women and still waiting for citizenship eligibility under the old five-year rule. There are about 8,000 mixed marriages in Cyprus.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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