Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-12-18

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

Friday, December 18, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Aeroporos killing: policeman remanded

[02] A catalogue of killings

[03] Archbishop says Paphos allegations are lies

[04] Sordid sex claims part of broader battle

[05] Tourism bosses 'not worried' by air strikes

[06] Ambiguous response to US raids on Iraq

[07] Bases on alert and ready to assist in Gulf

[08] Lanitis named Popular Bank's managing director

[09] Don't jail top official, he'll lose his pension

[10] Cyprus willing to take 'concrete decisions' on missiles

[11] Helicopter rescues crash victim

[01] Aeroporos killing: policeman remanded

A POLICEMAN WAS one of three suspects in the Hambis Aeroporos gangland murder remanded for eight days by a Limassol district court yesterday.

A second policeman - Special Constable Savvas Ioannou - was arrested later after being questioned at Limassol police HQ in connection with the killing.

Ioannou, 33, is deployed at Larnaca in the police's airport division.

The three remanded suspects are police officer Christos Symianos, 35, nightclub owner Sotiris Athinis, 43, and his sister Zoe Alexandrou, a 51- year-old hospital cleaner.

Athinis survived a bomb attack outside his 'Le Panache' cabaret in August. His brother Melios, thought to have been a rival of the Aeroporos clan, was shot dead by gunmen in November 1995.

Symianos, from Limassol, is stationed at Nicosia's airborne-wing and is said to be a close family friend of Sotiris Athinis.

Police said all four suspects have been linked to Wednesday's killing by a mobile phone belonging to Alexandrou, which the gunmen left behind in their car.

Alexandrou says her phone was stolen before the murder on that same day.

Investigating officer George Aristidou told the court that a call was made from the mobile phone to the home of the police officer, and later a relative of Symianos called the mobile asking for him.

Shortly after the shooting, Sotiris Athinis also made a call to his sister's phone, which is the last entry in the mobile's memory.

The other numbers are also logged in the phone's memory, Aristidou said.

Police said yesterday the three suspects all had alibis for the time of Wednesday's shooting.

Symianos' parents corroborated his statement that he was at home with his family at the time of the incident, police said.

Athinis was at home at the time under police guard, which he has enjoyed ever since the bomb attack against him. This alibi was confirmed by the investigating officer.

Hambis Aeroporos, 35, was mowed down by three masked gunmen after he rammed his car into theirs on the Limassol-Ypsonas road on Wednesday morning.

Passenger Charalambos Onisiforou told police Hambis had noticed he was being followed by armed men in a rented car. As the car tried to draw up alongside Hambis, one of the passengers leant out of the window and opened fire. The cars collided and veered off the road into a ditch.

Hambis stepped out and was cut down in a hail of automatic fire. He died instantly from wounds to the head and neck. The hit men got away on foot.

Police now fear a new round of mafia wars in Limassol. Hambis' murder comes only five months after his younger brother Andros was the victim of a gangland hit outside a cabaret in the town.

Police found two Kalashnikovs in a field on Wednesday near the scene of the crime. In the rented car they found a third automatic weapon, a Czech-made M58, as well as the mobile phone, a police walkie-talkie and a jerry-can of petrol.

The attackers' rented car had been stolen from Larnaca airport last month.

Onisiforou was able to give police a description of the attackers, and a name which he overheard one of them shout.

Onisiforou's father, Foris, was killed by a unknown sniper outside his Limassol gambling club in October 1995.

Panicos Aeroporos, 25, left the island for London after his brother Andros was murdered.

Hambis, Andros and Panicos were acquitted earlier this year of the attempted murder of Larnaca club owner Antonis Fanieros.

Wednesday's suspected gangland hit is thought to be part of a long-running underworld feud between Larnaca and Limassol gangs vying for control of lucrative gambling, narcotics and prostitution rackets.

Friday, December 18, 1998

[02] A catalogue of killings

Since 1995, there have been 11 suspected gangland killings - mostly unsolved - in the vicious turf war between Larnaca and Limassol clans fighting for control of drugs, gambling and prostitution rackets.

During the three-year round of bloodletting, the Aeroporos family has paid a heavy price.

(* Denotes victims' Aeroporos connection in the clan's bloody feud with rival underworld factions.)

1995

June 17: Hambis Aeroporos* narrowly survived a murder attempt when he was gunned down in Limassol opposite the Le Panache night club.

July 25: Taxi driver Michalis Hadjicostas (aka Michalos)*, 45, was the target of a botched bomb attack, which he claimed was connected to his close ties with the Aeroporos brothers, and Michalis in particular. On August 10, he died in a car crash - his relatives claimed it was no accident.

August 28: Taxi driver Andreas Hadjivassilis (aka Kikas)*, 32, was shot dead outside the Monte Caputo cabaret near Moni; he was a close friend of Hambis Aeroporos.

September 2: Melios Athinis survived a bomb blast outside his Le Panache cabaret.

October 16: Onisiforos Charalambous "Foris"*, 50, was murdered by a sniper outside his gambling club in Heroes' Square, Limassol. He was the brother of Pepas Aeroporos, the mother of Hambis. Foris was known as the "godfather" of the local underworld.

November 9: Melios Athinis, 48, was shot dead in his car by gunmen who fired over 50 shots. Melios was described as the main rival to the Aeroporos clan.

November 15: Sotiris Nicolaou, 29, was gunned down in his garage in Flassou village. Police believe the murder was linked to the Limassol underworld.

November 16: police found a moped rigged with three kilos of explosives, thought to have been destined for a revenge attack against Larnaca club owner Antonis Fanieros. Foris' son, Charalambos Onisiforou, and the son of Hadjicostas were both arrested. The explosives were found near the flat of Petros Yiannakis. They were released when their trial collapsed for lack of evidence.

November 20: suspected gang member Andreas Kalopsiotis, 25, died in an explosion in a Larnaca apartment while preparing a bomb. Apparently a gangland hit list was found in his pocket with the Aeroporos among them.

November 27: Renos Poumbouris, the brother of Andreas, was shot dead outside a Strovolos coffeeshop in front of witnesses.

September 13: pub owner Petros Yiannakis, 30, was killed by a booby-trap car bomb attack at his Paralimni home. He had been arrested by police for possession of explosives in the Kalopsiotis murder inquiry but later released. Yiannakis owned the flat where the explosion killed his friend Kalopsiotis.

October 21: Charalambos Onisiforou* was seriously injured when a bomb was denoted as soon as he entered his Limassol flat.

May 29: attempted murder of Antonis Fanieros, 57, who was seriously injured after being shot several times inside his Larnaca gambling club.

The Aeroporos brothers, Hambis, Andros and Panicos, were charged with the attempted murder but were acquitted by a criminal court on June 6 this year.

July 31: Andros Aeroporos*, 32, was gunned down by two hitmen in his car after a leaving Limassol's Show Palace cabaret.

August 8: Loucas Fanieros, 31, son of Antonis, was shot at in Larnaca but escaped unhurt in a suspected reprisal attack for the death of Andros.

August 17: pub owner Charalambos Neoptolemou (aka Lemis) was seriously injured when a bomb was denoted outside his bar. Police linked the incident to the on-going gangland feud.

August 22: Evangelos Christodoulou (aka Angelis) was shot outside his Brazil cabaret in Heroes Square but survived. Christakis Petrou "Patataris" is being detained in connection with the attempted murder.

August 28: Sotiris Athinis, 44, sustained minor injuries after a bomb attack on his Le Panache cabaret in Limassol. He is the brother of Melios who was gunned down three years earlier. Sotiris is a police suspect in the Hambis Aeroporos murder inquiry.

September 16: unemployed bouncer Marios Panayides*, 30, died after being shot six times at a Limassol petrol station. He was a close friend of the Aeroporos family and had vowed to find the killers of Andros. Police believe a rival gang had decided to eliminate him while the remaining Aeroporos brothers were out of the country at the time. Three people are on trial for Panayides' murder.

October 16: attempted murder of Aradippou councillor Andreas Xiourouppas*, seriously injured after being shot outside his home. He is the father of George, a suspect in the attempted murder of Loucas Fanieros. Police believe the two cases are linked.

December 16: Hambis Aeroporos*, 35, shot dead by three masked gunmen in Limassol. Passenger Charalambos Onisiforou escaped with minor injuries, but said he could identify one of the attackers.

Friday, December 18, 1998

[03] Archbishop says Paphos allegations are lies

BISHOP Chrysostomos' allegations that a Mount Athos monk had "molested" Paphos nuns were officially labelled lies by the Church yesterday.

An announcement from the Archbishopric blamed a defrocked Greek nun for the sordid allegations, stating she had "deceived" the Paphos Bishop into making the claims.

This official vindication prompted the elder's monastery, Vatopedhi, to hang back on its threatened libel suit against Bishop Chrysostomos.

The Archbishopric statement was issued yesterday afternoon after Archbishop Chrysostomos had separate meetings with his namesake from Paphos and with Archimandrite Efrem, the abbot of Vatopedhi - the Mount Athos monastery whose elder, Iosif, was the target for the Paphos Bishop's lurid tirade.

Efrem arrived on the island late on Wednesday to consult with top local lawyers on a libel suit his monastery is bringing against Bishop Chrysostomos, following his allegations that Iosif, 80, was a "pervert" who had "sexually molested" nuns and young girls when he was in Paphos 17 years ago.

According to the Archbishopric statement, Efrem told the Archbishop a disgraced former nun named Christofora had fed the Paphos Bishop with false allegations against elder Iosif. Efrem presented the Archbishop with a copy of a decision of the Holy Synod of the Greek Church condemning the nun for "violating her monastic vows and spreading seditious lies," the Archbishopric stated.

"It would therefore appear that all the things the aforementioned former nun, Christofora, mentioned to Chrysostomos Bishop of Paphos concerning elder Iosif, and which the Paphos Bishop was deceived into publicising, have no basis in fact," the Archbishopric concluded.

Efrem commented that he was "satisfied" by the Archbishop's response.

One of the lawyers acting for Vatopedhi, Christos Clerides, later said he would remain in close contact with Efrem on the issue but that no libel suit would be taken out for the time being.

"Following the Archbishopric announcement it is now clear the allegations against elder Iosif were malicious lies," he said. The Bishop did not comment on the Church announcement.

On Wednesday, after being lent on by the Archbishop, he offered an apology for the sordid detail of his allegations against Iosif, while still insisting his claims were true.

Bishop Chrysostomos has also levelled undefined "immorality" allegations at Abbot Athanasios of Machairas, an associate of elder Iosif's and former Mount Athos monk who is running for Limassol Bishop in next month's elections.

The Bishop has consistently denied his allegations have anything to do with his opposition to Athanasios's candidacy for Bishop.

Bishop Chrysostomos's claims have outraged priests and further damaged the reputation of a Church already reeling from the recent fraud allegations which forced Bishop Chrysanthos of Limassol to resign.

Friday, December 18, 1998

[04] Sordid sex claims part of broader battle

BISHOP Chrysostomos's shocking sex allegations against a Mount Athos elder are the desperate actions of a man fighting to hang on to his slice of power within the Church, a religious affairs analyst said yesterday.

Educationalist Costis Kyriakides said the Paphos Bishop could feel his position as Archbishop Chrysostomos's "favourite" being taken away by monks from Greece's Vatopedhi monastery.

"It is all about who has power in the Church," Kyriakides said.

"Until recently, the Paphos Bishop felt that because he was the Archbishop's number one favourite, he had the biggest slice of the pie. But recently the Archbishop has been increasingly influenced by a Mount Athos monk of Cypriot Descent, named Efrem."

"The dynamic has changed. For the Archbishop, Vatopedhi is now very significant, putting the Paphos Bishop in the position of second class favourite," Kyriakides said.

"The Paphos Bishop has publicly stated he could never accept being a 'second class' favourite."

Archimandrite Efrem, abbot of Vatopedhi and also brother of New Horizons leader Nicos Koutsou, is currently visiting the island in a bid to defend his monastery's reputation in the face of Bishop Chrysostomos's allegations. Bishop Chrysostomos has alleged that an 80-year-old Vatopedhi elder named Iosif "molested" Paphos nuns and young girls while he was in Cyprus 17 years ago.

Kyriakides said the sordid claims only surfaced after the Archbishop indicated he favoured a Vatopedhi man to succeed the disgraced former Bishop of Limassol, Chrysanthos, in upcoming elections.

"Now that we have elections, the Paphos Bishop considered that Yeorgios Papachrisostomou - his right-hand man in the Paphos Metropolis - would get in with the Archbishop's support."

But instead, Kyriakides said, the Archbishop has indicated he supports the candidacy of the abbot of Machairas, father Athanasios, a former Vatopedhi monk.

"This made Bishop Chrysostomos's long resentment (for Vatopedhi monks) spill over into the allegations we have heard over the past week," Kyriakides said.

"So he launched a head-on attack, he had nothing on Athanasios, so he accused someone who is the spiritual 'father' of Athanasios, Iosif, hoping that Athanasios will become guilty by association."

Bishop Chrysostomos has consistently denied his claims aim at undermining abbot Athanasios - though he has accused him too of moral impropriety.

Kyriakides said the Church's standing was being damaged by the sordid allegations, but not in a "long-term or irreversible" manner.

"This sort of thing has gone on throughout the history of the Church," he said.

"The Church leadership, because they are men and not angels, are always squabbling, but when the storm passes the Church heals itself.

"The Church will overcome."

Friday, December 18, 1998

[05] Tourism bosses 'not worried' by air strikes

TOURISM bosses held an emergency meeting yesterday in the wake of the air strikes against Iraq, but are optimistic Cyprus will suffer no ill effects.

Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) spokesman George Georgiou said they had met early yesterday to review the situation.

"We contacted those who were able to inform us on a technical and military level," he said. "And we think we can be optimistic." These included the Defence Ministry and all CTO managers abroad.

During the 1991 Gulf War, Cypriot tourism fell by 50 per cent overnight.

To lure back tourists, hotels were forced to reduce prices, which brought a record two million visitors in 1992, but has since left pricing at the mercy of the large British operators.

"We are not worried this time because the strikes are centred on Baghdad," Georgiou said. "The only connection between Cyprus and the Gulf is the British Bases."

He added that there had been no reaction from abroad so far and no queries from travellers planning to visit Cyprus.

The British High Commission confirmed that no travel advisory had been issued for Cyprus, and no worried calls had been received from would-be visitors or Britons living on the island.

Britons have however been advised not to travel to Israel. Tour giants Thomson have already put into action a plan to evacuate British clients from the southern Israeli resort of Eilat.

A spokesman for Louis Cruises told the Cyprus Mail that they had a ship full of tourists, including Britons, in Israel yesterday. It was due to leave for Egypt last night before returning to Cyprus.

"We were a bit worried, but we spoke with all our agents in Israel," said Louis General Sales Manager Takis Polydorou. He said the excursions to Jerusalem and Bethlehem had gone ahead as planned. There were no plans to cancel the cruises, he added and the company had not received any cancellations from clients.

Cyprus Airways will not be altering its schedule in any way either. "War is not expected," an airline spokesman said.

The Foreign Ministry said yesterday it was still attempting to track down any Cypriot nationals in the Gulf.

An official said that if it was necessary to bring Cypriots back from the region, the government would ask for the help of Greek and British embassies in the area.

Friday, December 18, 1998

[06] Ambiguous response to US raids on Iraq

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday hedged its stance on the joint US-British attack on Iraq, apparently reluctant to upset American plans to defuse Cyprus' own missile crisis.

The ambiguity of the government's position was slammed by the Green Party, while left-wing Akel and the United Democrats of former president and current EU chief negotiator George Vassiliou condemned the attack outright.

Government spokesman Christos Stylianides told his daily press briefing yesterday that the position "we hold is completely against the manufacture and use of weapons of mass destruction, and we support the need to conform to UN resolutions.

"We have established according to the UN report that in relation to weapons of mass destruction Iraq was not conforming with UN resolutions," Stylianides added.

He said the Cyprus government was waiting for further decisions of the UN Security Council on the issue.

"We hope there will be peace and stability in the area for the benefit of the Iraqi people," Stylianides said.

It is thought the government's non-committal stance is directly linked to current movement on the Cyprus problem and tension over the Russian S-300 missiles, which the Americans have a plan to defuse.

The Cyprus government is refusing to back down directly on the deployment of the missiles on the island but appears willing to accept a solution through the back door to save face.

Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides said on Wednesday that the National Council would be prepared to meet even on Christmas Day to reverse its decision to deploy the missiles if a deal was favourable.

The Americans are thought to have a package ready, which would halt the deployment of the missiles and see the resumption of political negotiations between the two sides, as well as some measures to reduce tension.

"At this time, there are intense negotiations with the Security Council and in other international areas, and the government feels it is wise to react to the bombing in this manner," government sources said on condition of anonymity.

But the Green Party called on the government to review its stance.

In a written statement, the party called the attack illegal. "We seem to be subservient to the US and Britain, which does not serve the Cypriot public, " the statement said.

Akel and the United Democrats also condemned the operation against Iraq. "The two countries present themselves as fighters for freedom and democracy but have proved yet again their real face," Akel said.

The United Democrats said the actions of the US and the UK were endangering world peace by a thoughtless operation outside the remit of UN resolutions.

Friday, December 18, 1998

[07] Bases on alert and ready to assist in Gulf

THE BRITISH bases are on alert and ready to offer assistance in the allied operation against Iraq, which began on Wednesday night.

"As you know, we don't discuss our alert status but sensible precautions have been taken," bases spokesman Rob Need told the Cyprus Mail.

"We are not worried, but we would be negligent if we did not take sensible precautions."

Need, however, made it clear that these precautions did not include the evacuation of bases personnel and their families, which together total some 10,000 people on the two bases.

"We are not evacuating staff, and indeed at the moment there has been no increase in activities at Akrotiri," Need said. "That may change of course..."

RAF Akrotiri, the largest Royal Air Force bases outside the UK, was used in the 1991 Gulf conflict as a staging post.

The air base is normally used for flights to and from the UK.

The Americans also have a detachment at Akrotiri used on humanitarian flights to carry supplies to the US embassy in Beirut.

A second bases spokesman, Captain John Brown, said that the bases were in a position to support the joint operation with the US if instructed to do so by the British Defence Ministry.

In London, a Defence Ministry spokesman later confirmed that the bases had not so far been used. "The bases in Cyprus, although in (a state of) emergency, have not been used until now, even for transit purposes as they have been used before."

"We can support, we would do if told but at the moment we haven't," he said, adding that so far the US had not asked permission to use the bases.

"There is no increase in our normal air traffic that is directly or indirectly related to the Gulf," Brown said.

"In terms of other nations using Akrotiri, if they request use of it, we will look into it. On this occasion, the US has not asked for it."

Government spokesman Christos Stylianides said the Cyprus authorities were in touch with the British and the Americans on the issue of the use of the bases if necessary, but he confirmed that neither had asked for permission. Stylianides said the government would take decisions based on the best interests of the Cypriot people.

Friday, December 18, 1998

[08] Lanitis named Popular Bank's managing director

THE POPULAR Bank said yesterday that its chairman, Kikis Lazarides, had been relieved of the day-to-day running of the group so he could instead concentrate on strategy and expansion.

Marios Lanitis, an executive director and a member of the bank's founding family and biggest shareholder, replaced Lazarides as the group's managing director, according to a bank announcement.

"The appointment of Lanitis relieves Lazarides of the daily management to such an extent that he will be able to devote more time to pressing issues of strategy and expansion of the group, a need made more pressing by the globalisation of the economy and which is dictated by Cyprus' (EU) accession course," said the announcement.

Lazarides retains his job as the group's executive chairman, the institution's top job.

The appointment of the 45-year-old Lanitis and the curtailing of Lazarides' scope of responsibilities were proposed by the latter and approved by the group's board of directors, according to the announcement.

Lazarides has kept the group's two most senior jobs - executive chairman and managing director - since Lanitis' father, Evagoras, died about three years ago. The late Lanitis was the group's non-executive chairman, while Lazarides was managing director and chief executive officer.

Reportedly enjoying the support of HSBC Holdings UK Limited, which owns a 20 per cent stake in the Cyprus Popular Bank, Lazarides added the chairmanship of the group to his job as managing director.

That move had reportedly angered members of the Lanitis family, who saw the post of chairman to be the traditional and exclusive domain of the family that founded the bank and currently owns 30 per cent of it.

"It is very possible that Lazarides had come under pressure to give up the chairmanship," said an industry source who did not want to be named.

"You can read the changes either way," said another source. "One way is that Lazarides lost some authority and the other is that he remains the top dog with less of the grinding daily work to do so as to focus more on the big picture."

The Popular Bank is the island's second-largest financial institution after the Bank of Cyprus, with a rapidly growing presence in Greece and the UK.

Lanitis, who received an engineering degree from Britain's Sussex University 20 years ago, has been a director of the Popular Bank since 1992. He became executive director four years later.

Until the end of last month, he was the managing director of Cybarco, the island's construction giant that is part of the Lanitis Group. He joined Cybarco in 1979 as a site engineer and became managing director five years later.

Friday, December 18, 1998

[09] Don't jail top official, he'll lose his pension

Water Development Department (WDD) director Lakis Christodoulou will be sentenced on December 29.

Christodoulou faces charges of abuse of authority, deceit and attempting to interfere with a police investigation.

He pleaded guilty to 11 counts last Thursday, after a further 18 of the original charges had been dropped. He had originally pleaded not guilty to all 29 charges.

Christodoulou's lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou yesterday asked the court not to give Christodoulou a prison sentence.

Efstathiou cited Christodoulou's age and ill health, as well as the fact that if he is imprisoned, he will lose his position at the WDD and his civil servant's pension worth thousands of pounds.

Efstathiou further justified his request by saying that Christodoulou had already been condemned by the mass media and the public at large.

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

He was charged after WDD employees and machinery were found on the building site of his mansion on the outskirts of Nicosia during a May 20 police raid.

Senior WDD technician Sofoclis Nicolaou took the stand during the first trial hearing two weeks ago. He told the court his boss considered getting his subordinates to work for him as one of his job's bonuses.

Nicolaou said Christodoulou had often asked him to provide departmental employees to work on his home near the new GSP stadium.

Friday, December 18, 1998

[10] Cyprus willing to take 'concrete decisions' on missiles

THE GOVERNMENT is prepared to take "concrete decisions" if resolutions expected to be approved by the UN Security Council this month address the island's security concerns.

Government Spokesman Christos Stylianides yesterday told his daily press briefing that the Greek Cypriot side was ready to assess any developments.

"The Cyprus government is ready to take concrete decisions on whatever the international community decides, if it addresses and seriously takes into account the insecurity the people of the island feel," the spokesman said. He did not elaborate.

The Security Council is expected to discuss Cyprus next week.

Stylianides' comments came after President Glafcos Clerides briefed party leaders on latest developments over the S-300 missiles and prospects at the UN Security Council.

Stylianides said the National Council would be summoned once it was thought necessary, and that any Security Council decision would be discussed with Athens.

Cyprus has come under intense international pressure to scrap its contentious order for long-range Russian anti-aircraft missiles. Even ally Greece has appeared to back a compromise deployment in Crete.

Stylianides confirmed that "intense consultations" were taking place over the Cyprus problem, but refrained from elaborating.

But he denied that there were any splits in the coalition, stressing that the government spoke with one voice on the national issue.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides made an upbeat statement saying there had been progress on the Cyprus problem. Edek leader Vassos Lyssarides, however, said no progress had been made.

Clerides met separately with each of the political leaders yesterday.

The majority of the political leaders expressed their satisfaction with Clerides' stance on the missiles.

The leaders spoke profusely with reporters as they left the Presidential Palace, commenting at length on the UN Secretary-general's Tuesday letter to the President of the Security Council.

In his letter, Annan spoke of progress with the leaders of the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities through the contacts with UN permanent representative to Cyprus Dame Ann Hercus. He commended both leaders for their commitment to the shuttle talks, and urged the two sides to avoid any action that might increase tension in the area.

But Diko leader Spyros Kyprianou was not impressed with Annan's letter, saying it was "without serious content".

He was echoed by Edek leader Lyssarides who said the letter was "unsatisfying and insulting".

Kyprianou said the UN was backing down over Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash's insistence on recognition for his breakaway state, and condemned the international "pressure and blackmail" for Cyprus to cancel the missile deployment.

He said Clerides had called yesterday's meetings to brief party leaders on "the current negotiations on a second UN resolution on issues that are related to the so called tension and the issue of military equipment and troops."

Both Kyprianou and Eurodemocratic Renewal Party president Alexis Galanos said Clerides had assured them there was no change, or reason for change, in the existing National Council decision to deploy the missiles.

Galanos said Clerides would remain constant in his decisions regarding the missiles and that the party leaders would expect an explanation if there was any change in current policy.

Friday, December 18, 1998

[11] Helicopter rescues crash victim

At around 9.45am, Grigoris Aspris, 36, was driving along a dirt road between the villages of Asgatas and Kalavasos, having been cutting down carob trees with 22-year-old Christakis Nicolaou, also from Ayia Fila.

The road surface was loose and slippery and he lost control of the truck, which then plummeted 300 metres down the ravine at the side of the road. Luckily for Aspris, he was thrown clear as the truck rolled down the mountainside. Nicolaou ran to see what had happened and alerted emergency services, but it soon became apparent that because of Aspris' position on the cliffside, he could not be rescued by land.

A police helicopter was used to winch him up from the wreckage and he was then airlifted to Larnaca General Hospital. Doctors said he had sustained injuries to his spine and ribs, as well as internal injuries.

Police are investigating the exact cause of the accident.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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