Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-12-25

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

Friday, December 25, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Clerides to go to Athens for final missile talks

[02] Cyprus Airways lays on extra holiday flights

[03] US pharmaceuticals protest price discrimination

[04] Ram raiders make off with fur coats

[05] Fire destroys chapel

[06] Save your cans for Christmas

[07] Water flows for Christmas

[08] Christofias pneumonia keeps him away from National Council

[01] Clerides to go to Athens for final missile talks

PRESIDENT Clerides will go to Athens on Monday to convey the National Council's final position on whether the controversial S-300 missiles should come to Cyprus or not.

The all-party National Council convened for an extraordinary session just after 9.30am yesterday to discuss the issue amid growing speculation the deployment was to be called off.

No decision was announced at the end of a marathon five-hour session and party leaders did not make any comments.

But Government spokesman Christos Stylianides made it clear the foreign policy advisory body had arrived at a final decision: "There will be no new meeting of the National Council after Clerides's return (from Athens) as the discussion has been exhausted and all opinions have been tabled."

Political sources indicated the National Council was tending towards adopting temporary storage of the S-300s in Crete as a compromise solution.

"It is not a 'yes' or a 'no' but it looks like we are heading for Crete," a political leader who declined to be identified told the Reuters news agency.

"There is a lot more concern among the politicians now about deploying the missiles on Cyprus than there ever was before," he added.

A government source said: "This story will be over by next week."

Stylianides issued a brief statement after yesterday's meeting of the National Council.

"It has been agreed by all sides that the President will go to Athens on Monday and have a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister (Costas Simitis) on Tuesday where the opinions of all of Cyprus' political leadership will be passed on and there will be co-ordination with Athens," he said.

The spokesman said this procedure was in keeping with what had been agreed when Clerides met Simitis in Athens for missile talks late last month. Stylianides declined to make any further comments.

Edek leader Vassos Lyssarides has confirmed that military alliance partners Greece and Cyprus have disagreed on the S-300 issue. Government sources have revealed that Athens favours temporary storage of the ground-to-air missiles in Crete in an effort to pacify international objections to the deal.

But Simitis made clear at last month's meeting that the final decision on the fate of the missiles rested with Nicosia.

Turkey has threatened to use force to stop deployment of the S-300s, while the US, the EU and the UN have all made it plain they don't want the missiles to arrive, fearing they would dangerously escalate tensions on the island. The National Council has previously postponed delivery of the missiles, originally due in August, till the end of the year.

Failure to deploy the missiles could spark a government crisis as junior government partner Edek has made it clear it will jump ship if Clerides does not deliver on his pre-election promise to bring the S-300s.

Yesterday's Christmas Eve meeting was called on Wednesday after Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides indicated the pre-conditions the government had set for non-deployment of the S-300s were being met.

Two Cyprus resolutions passed by the UN Security Council on Tuesday and pledges from both US President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to work for their implementation presented an opportunity that had to be taken, Cassoulides said.

He declined to say whether the government would now call off the missile deployment - saying this was for the National Council to decide - but did say "various factors" relating to the S-300s were now "coming together".

The government has set significant progress towards a settlement or a demilitarisation deal as pre-conditions for cancelling deployment of the £200 million Russian-made missiles.

Cassoulides said the resolutions "create hope of the prospect for efforts to open the road on the essence of the Cyprus problem but especially to open the road for the reduction in all armaments with the aim of demilitarisation."

The resolutions called on UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan to intensify his efforts to achieve specific objectives aimed at reducing tensions and armaments on the island and promoting a settlement. The Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides were called upon by the Security Council to comply with the resolutions - a provision considered significant by Cassoulides.

Athens welcomed the resolutions as "evidence of the international community's strong interest in Cyprus."

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash slammed the resolutions for failing to recognise his break-away state. Turkey backed him.

Comments made by party leaders as they arrived at the Presidential Palace for yesterday's crucial meeting made it clear there was no unanimity on the missile issue.

"The UN resolutions do not change the situation or necessitate a modification of the S-300 decision," Lyssarides said.

Diko leader Spyros Kyprianou, who has expressed scepticism over the UN resolutions and Clinton's pledge, stressed the need for decisions to be taken jointly with Athens.

New Horizons leader Nicos Koutsou claimed the resolutions were providing the government with the get-out clause it had long been seeking.

"We think that some people are looking for an excuse," he said.

But unconfirmed reports suggested the two biggest parties, governing Disy and opposition Akel, had both come out in favour of non-deployment during the National Council session.

Mainland Greek papers yesterday suggested the decision to store the missiles in Crete had already been taken.

Stylianides was evidently perturbed by the barrage of questions thrown at him by reporters outside the Presidential Palace at the end of yesterday's session.

"You're all talking together and I didn't catch any one question," he said at one point. Conscious that his statements were being shown live on television, he pleaded with the gaggle of reporters: "Come on guys, hold on a minute, people are watching us and I think we must be seen to be serious and proper."

Friday, December 25, 1998

[02] Cyprus Airways lays on extra holiday flights

This holiday season, between mid-December and January 15, more than 90,000 people will fly with Cyprus Airways.

Seventy-three extra flights have been added to CA's usual timetable, including 31 to Athens, 15 to Salonica, seven to London and Paris respectively, and six to Zurich.

According to Cyprus Airways, most of the passengers are Cypriot students studying in Greece and Great Britain, followed by incoming tourists, and Cypriots spending their Christmas overseas.

Planes have been decked with festive decorations and Christmas music rings throughout the cabins. Special complimentary Christmas and New Year menus have also been prepared for all flights.

Meanwhile, CA's charter subsidiary Eurocypria has big plans for the New Year.

Thirty-two European destinations will be introduced, including to Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland and Russia. Flights to Great Britain will land in London, Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow and Belfast.

Destinations in Germany include Munich, Cologne and Hanover.

Friday, December 25, 1998

[03] US pharmaceuticals protest price discrimination

CYPRUS has the best new patent legislation in the region, but still discriminates against foreign pharmaceutical companies, American manufacturers say.

According to the latest report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the new patent law passed by parliament in April this year represents a "refreshing breakthrough" for intellectual property rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.

But pricing laws on the island are still unfair, PhRMA said.

Its report said Cyprus had so far refused to sign the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Government Procurement Amendment (GPA) allowing the island to maintain a protectionist public sector procurement policy.

"This allows local companies an unfair pricing advantage over foreign suppliers," PhRMA said.

The policy enables local suppliers to enjoy a discriminatory 20 per cent price advantage over imported goods when competing for government business.

"This clear discrimination clearly violates WTO international standards for national treatment and its provisions," PhRMA said.

The provision was introduced to protect local pharmaceutical companies during the 1991 Gulf War, when Cypriot manufacturers were in serious danger of losing their lucrative Middle East markets. It has never been rescinded.

"The US government has urged Cyprus to sign the GPA, while the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry associations (EFPIA) has raised the issue to EU authorities as an obstacle to EU accession.

"To date, the industry is not aware of any government plans to change the existing legislation or sign the GPA," PhRMA said.

Other criticisms centre on outstanding issues related to the patent law on the publication of new enabling regulations which were due in the summer, and the Health Ministry's cancellation of existing generic copy product marketing registrations for products under valid patent.

"For reasons that are not clear, the publication of the regulations has been delayed, and this has led to some confusion among companies seeking guidance on certain procedures," PhRMA said. It suggested the US embassy should follow up on the matter.

PhRMA said the US embassy in Nicosia had played a pivotal role in securing the new patent legislation and co-ordinating a multilateral effort with European diplomatic missions, which had been a "model for co-ordinated action".

PhRMA, however, praised the government of Cyprus for overcoming local industry demands and passing the new patent law.

"The passage of the new patent law represents a major step forward and should enhance prospects for greater US pharmaceutical exports to Cyprus," PhRMA said.

US drug firms estimate they lose nine billion dollars a year in revenue worldwide due to intellectual property theft.

Friday, December 25, 1998

[04] Ram raiders make off with fur coats

Three unidentified men got away with six fur coats from the 'Orstias' fur shop at around 3.15am yesterday, police said.

The stolen Colt saloon used in the raid was abandoned at the scene, the robbers making their get-away in another vehicle which had been waiting for them nearby, police said.

The shop is insured against theft.

Friday, December 25, 1998

[05] Fire destroys chapel

The main church building also suffered considerable smoke damage.

Police said that the fire at the church of Panayia Chrysospiliotissas in Deftera village, Nicosia, was caused by an electrical fault.

The cost of the damage has not yet been calculated.

The church is built into a cliff-face and reached by steps.

Nicosia police are continuing their investigations into the exact cause of the fire.

Friday, December 25, 1998

THE HEAD of Cytanet's Value-added Services, Rois Issaias, yesterday reassured subscribers that only three or four of the almost 2,000 messages passing through the system on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday had actually been lost.

Reports yesterday suggested that a technical glitch had wiped all incoming mail for good.

"We have apologised to those subscribers," said Issaias, adding that while computers often let people down, Cytanet's aim was to ensure vital information was not lost when this happened.

The problem was caused when the e-mail headers were erased. Headers allow the e-mail program to identify the messages and pass them on to the subscriber.

The majority of the messages themselves remained intact and could be read as normal once the headers had been 'cleaned'.

Friday, December 25, 1998

[06] Save your cans for Christmas

Funds raised by the charity have been used for, among other things, to provide Nicosia's Makarios Hospital with several silicone resuscitators.

The money came from proceeds from the recycling of aluminium cans as part of the Cans For Kids schools' programme.

Cans collected can be taken to collection trolleys at Nicosia's Makarios Hospital, the D'Avila Moat car park, Kaimakli 'C', Agios Andreas and Agios Kassianos primary schools.

There are currently no permanent collection facilities in other towns.

Friday, December 25, 1998

[07] Water flows for Christmas

This good news comes just in time for frantic house cleaning in anticipation for an influx of Christmas and New Year visitors.

This was the reason cited by the Head of the Water Supply Service, Nicos Tsiourtis, for the decision to suspend the rationing. From Monday morning, cuts will return to normal.

The recent rains have allowed the taps to be turned on two hours earlier on days when water is supplied.

Friday, December 25, 1998

[08] Christofias pneumonia keeps him away from National Council

Christofias was admitted to hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia on Tuesday night.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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