Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 99-06-12

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

Saturday, June 12, 1999

CONTENTS

[01] UN concern at rise in Green Line incidents

[02] Turkey says G8 Cyprus talks proposal no help

[03] Health ministry names dioxin suspected brands

[04] Kyprianou anger at US embassy comments

[05] Shipping officials defiant in face of lawsuit

[06] Artists row over works for the third millennium

[07] Two more held over tarmac scam

[01] UN concern at rise in Green Line incidents

THE BEHAVIOUR of soldiers on both sides of the Green Line has become an issue of serious concern to the UN, which fears it might trigger a serious incident, Secretary-general Kofi Annan has said in his latest report on Cyprus.

The report, which recommends that the UN Security Council extend Unficyp's mandate for another six months, said that since December there had been an increasing number of provocative acts along the buffer zone.

At its narrowest, the buffer zone is only 3.3 metres across. At its widest it's as much as seven kilometres.

Hundreds of minor incidents are reported each year.

In the report, Annan expressed his concern at the "pointing and cocking of weapons, shouting of insults, throwing of objects, obscene gestures and shining of searchlights at the other side's positions, particularly in Nicosia where the lines are in close proximity."

"This has become a matter of serious concern, since such acts could trigger a serious incident," Annan said.

He said the incidents were mostly minor. "But the increasing practice by members of the opposing forces of engaging in provocative behaviour along the line, heightens the risk of more serious incidents and thus gives cause for concern," the report said.

Annan said Unficyp continued to use its best efforts to keep the ceasefire by maintaining the buffer zone and responding quickly to incidents.

The incidents also included overflights of the buffer zone by both sides and some military construction along the buffer zone by the National Guard.

Annan also said the replacement of buoys by the Turkish side along the Maritime Security Line (MSL) caused outrage on the Greek Cypriot side, which led to increased tensions.

"The United Nations acts on the premise that both sides wish to prevent incidents," Annan said. "This is best achieved by enforcing strict discipline along the ceasefire lines and co-operating effectively with Unficyp on the basis of long-standing principles and practices."

Annan called on both sides to implement the UN's package of measures to reduce tension along the buffer zone.

Talks to discuss the measures collapsed within a year of their inception. The measures included a code of conduct for soldiers, unmanning in certain areas, and the prohibition of loaded weapons.

"The adoption of the Unficyp package of measures... would further contribute to stabilising the situation," Annan said.

He also called for the resumption of bicommunal contacts, banned by the Turkish Cypriot side in December 1997 in retaliation for the EU's decision to press ahead with Cyprus' accession talks.

"More direct contact between Greek and Turkish Cypriots on the island would also influence the atmosphere positively," Annan said.

Yesterday, deputy government spokesman Spyros Arotis said the Greek Cypriot side avoided any measures that could increase tensions on the island, and expressed the government's readiness to enter negotiations on the Cyprus problem without preconditions.

Arotis was speaking in reference to the G8's urging that talks should resume, which he said was welcomed by the government.

Saturday, June 12, 1999

[02] Turkey says G8 Cyprus talks proposal no help

Turkish minister Sukru Sina Gurel told reporters at occupied Tymbou airport that progress could only be made if the breakaway Turkish Cypriot administration he was visiting was recognised as a sovereign state.

"I suggest the path to be taken if everyone desires a final solution to the Cyprus issue is that those directly and indirectly involved must take into account the political equality and the sovereignty of the two entities that exist on the island," Gurel said.

UN-sponsored talks between the two sides are stalled, with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash refusing to restart the process until his administration is recognised as a state.

The G8 on Thursday issued a statement urging "the UN secretary-general to invite the leaders of both parties to enter into comprehensive negotiations without pre-conditions".

Gurel said he was against the proposal.

"Unconditional negotiations will bring no benefit," he said. "Saying unconditional talks should take place is not enough... The sovereignty of the government formed by the Turkish Cypriot people should be recognised."

Saturday, June 12, 1999

[03] Health ministry names dioxin suspected brands

THE HEALTH Ministry yesterday published the brand-names of 104 supermarket food items and four kinds of animal feed from Belgium suspected of possible contamination with dioxin, a highly toxic chemical compound that causes cancer.

The list was released after Health Minister Christos Solomis consulted Attorney-general Alecos Markides about the risk of a defamation lawsuit for publishing the list, Markides said yesterday.

Markides declined to say what advice he had given Solomis, on grounds that communication was "between the minister and myself." He merely said: "Having spoken to me, the minister will go ahead" with the list's publication.

The list's release came amid reports that some importers of Belgian food products had threatened to sue the government for libel if it published the names of any of the brands in their client lists.

Solomis was said to have released the list after deciding the public good outweighed any risk of litigation.

"It is not prohibited for the government to issue a list (of the suspect brand-names)," Markides told a news conference. "My task is to predict from the facts... the risk (of a lawsuit for defamation) and give an opinion."

But he added that "the government should have asked me before taking the decision or before announcing their decision (to publish a list), because... they should have had my opinion in order to weigh it with all other data in order to reach an informed political decision."

Health Minister Christos Solomis said on Thursday, before consulting with Markides, that he would publish such a list in response to consumer complaints that none was available to make it easier for consumers to root out suspect food products in home pantries and avoid them in supermarkets.

Asked if the Republic was immune from a damages lawsuit for publishing brand-names of suspect food, in light of an EU directive barring their sale or transfer, Markides said: "I cannot answer that question for the time being."

He would only say that, "Any action by anybody against the Republic for damages for a serious wrong will be tried in accordance with the law in force in Cyprus today, and at the time of the trial."

Cyprus has banned the import of all Belgian-produced animal feeds, raw food and processed food products, and impounded tons of feed and food products already imported from Belgium. Stores failing to withdraw banned items face their confiscation and fines.

The Cyprus ban followed an EU ban on the sale of all Belgian eggs or egg products; all live chickens, cattle and pigs, dressed poultry, beef and pork, and meat products made from them; powdered milk and baby food containing milk; butter, cheeses, other dairy products; chocolates, mayonnaise, sauces and mozzarella cheese.

Prices of the suspect foods are plummeting throughout Europe, as consumers refuse to buy them in the wake of the worst food crisis since the "mad-cow disease" scare forced Britain to slaughter tens of thousands of beef cattle.

The cost to Europe's food industry, from the farms to the corner groceries, is well over $150 million and rising. Confidence in Belgian and EU foodstuffs is at an all-time low.

The crisis erupted last week when it became known that the Verkest fats and oils company, of Ghent, Belgium, supplied dioxin-tainted fats to at least 10 animal feed producers in Belgium, one in Holland and one in France. These feed companies, in turn, supplied the feed to poultry, pig and cattle farms in their countries and Germany.

South Africa has suspended imports of Belgian meat and dairy products, and the United States has imposed wider bans on all poultry and pork from EU countries.

China and South Korea have banned the sale of many dairy and meat products from Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. Saudi Arabia has also banned many Belgian products, and Congo, Sierra Leone and other West African states are barring selected food from Europe.

The Health Ministry said the food and feed impounded in Cyprus stores and warehouses would be held until it could be tested, and that tainted items will be destroyed.

Dioxin, a herbicide production by-product, can kill some species of newborn mammals and fish at levels of 5 parts per trillion (or one ounce in 6 million tons).

With a half-life of 12 years, dioxin builds up in the body and can be passed down to human offspring, causing grotesque birth deformities. Children are especially vulnerable, as dioxin can be transmitted in human breast milk and cow's milk.

Saturday, June 12, 1999

[04] Kyprianou anger at US embassy comments

HOUSE President Spyros Kyprianou yesterday called on the government to issue a reprimand to the US embassy in a row over its alleged attitude to Diko and Akel.

Kyprianou was commenting on press reports on Thursday that a US embassy spokesman had remarks made concerning the anti-Nato attitude of centre- right Diko and communist Akel.

Both parties have been outspoken and active in their opposition to the bombing of Yugoslavia by Nato.

Diko replied in a statement that the US embassy had no right to pass comment on statements made by local political parties.

Yesterday, Kyprianou said the embassy had refused to confirm or deny that the statements in Politisnewspaper had come from there. He said he might ask for a meeting with the US ambassador and also called on the government to intervene.

"If something like this has indeed happened, there is a huge responsibility on the government," he said.

"The government cannot allow interference in the democratic political life of a country and to allow a foreign country to define what the political leadership should do."

A US embassy spokesman said yesterday that the embassy did not comment on speculative press reports.

"We would note, however, that members of Akel and Diko have not accepted invitations to embassy-sponsored events in recent weeks," the spokesman said. "Our impression is that Akel and Diko members have only come to the embassy recently to demonstrate against Nato's efforts to stop the Serbian regime's criminal actions in Kosovo."

Saturday, June 12, 1999

[05] Shipping officials defiant in face of lawsuit

CYPRUS was defiant yesterday in the face of a £5 million lawsuit by a major ship management company claiming defamation in a recent row over allegedly inadequate vessel classifications.

Transmed Shipping, an Athens-based company, whose entire 21-strong fleet of cargo ships is registered under the Cyprus flag, has lodged the defamation suit with the Limassol district court.

It claims the company has been damaged by "false and malicious" statements allegedly made by senior officials at the Department of Merchant Shipping (DMS) during its dispute with the classification society ClassNK.

The DMS, in an unprecedented move, publicly complained that, in several cases, ClassNK surveyors had carried out inadequate inspections on Cyprus- flagged ships, leading to the detention of several allegedly substandard vessels at foreign ports.

Transmed was the manager of one of the ships, Polmar, whose apparent condition led to the complaint. Another Transmed vessel, Cathy, was later named by the DMS in a list of six ships it claimed were prompted to withdraw from the Cyprus registry because of pressure over their alleged condition.

Transmed has named the Cyprus Republic, DMS Director Serghios Serghiou, senior surveyor Andreas Constantinou and another shipping official in its suit.

Constantinou told the Cyprus Mailthat the DMS had submitted its position to the Minister of Communications and Works at a meeting yesterday.

"I personally and the Department were acting according to the policy of the government, and the legal suit does not in any way affect the policy of the government of Cyprus to upgrade the safety standards of the Cypriot fleet," he said.

"And as far as I am concerned, whether I am a responsible officer or not is well known in this country and abroad."

Transmed is headed by Cypriot Charalambos Mylonas, who is also the president of the Cypriot Shipowners Association.

According to shipping newspaper Lloyds List, Mylonas is quoted in court documentation as saying the Cyprus registry never contacted the owners or registered a complaint before last April, when the Cathywas sold for demolition as part of a usual fleet renewal programme.

In a separate statement, the paper said, Mylonas alleged that the DMS deliberately tried to discredit Transmed and the "gold plated" classification of NKK.

The statement also claims a Cypriot surveyor had been invited to attend the US coastguard's inspection of the Polmar's arrival at Hampton Roads, but declined because he was "preparing for his holidays".

But Lloydsalso reports that senior officials at the classification society in question appeared to concede that the Cypriot officials had grounds for their criticism.

In the case of the Polmar, ClassNK noted that its survey was carried out by agreement with the Romanian Register of Shipping, but it "duly recognised" its relation to the structural deficiencies identified by the US coastguard in detaining the vessel, Lloydssaid.

It said, however, that the owners attributed the Polmar's problems to bad weather on the way to Virginia.

Saturday, June 12, 1999

[06] Artists row over works for the third millennium

CYPRIOT artists yesterday expressed intense concern that a unique project leading to the overseas exposure of their work was not the most effective way of representing Cyprus art abroad.

The Zampelas family yesterday announced that they would be publishing a luxurious volume featuring the works of painters living in Cyprus, both Cypriot and foreign, and Cypriot painters living overseas.

Speaking to a gathering of artists and reporters yesterday, Michaelis Zampelas said that the volume would be entitled Cypriot painters of the third millennium, and that the subjects of work included "must be pertinent to the forthcoming millennium."

Several artists attending the briefing wondered whether the works represented should not be extended to those of great Cypriot artists who were no longer living.

Zampelas countered that the tome was entitled Cypriot painters of the third millenniumand that the undertaking was already considerable enough, just including living contemporary artists.

Artists also criticised the fact that one piece of the submitted work would be selected by acclaimed art critics from an auction house such as Sotherbys and Christies as the most representative for the next millennium. The artist of this piece is to be awarded £15,000.

Some artists said that this would put the book on the level of a competition, while others argued that any judging board should include Cypriot experts if the work was to be properly understood.

In addition, artists criticised the government for not taking a more active role in promoting the arts and wondered why a private company had been left to take the initiative.

Further complaints arose from artists who did not want their better known work included in a publication which included younger artists. This position was shot down almost immediately by others, who said that art professionals should not be judged by their length of time in the profession but by the merit of their work.

Artists also wondered why only painted artwork would be included.

Zampelas said that the family would continue to support the arts as much as they and their company were able and that this volume was merely a preliminary effort. He also noted that the book's substantial expenses were to be completely financed by Zampelas Art Ltd.

On its completion, the volume will be distributed to artists, art museums, galleries and libraries in Cyprus and abroad and put on public display in Nicosia. The volume will also be available for sale.

All painters wishing to be included in the volume may contribute up to two pieces. Each work will be accompanied by the artist's photograph, a biographical note and two paragraph on the theme of the work.

The paintings included will be purchased in advance by Zampelas Art Ltd at a specially reduced price with a written agreement between each painter and the company. The co-ordinator for this purpose will be journalist George Eliades.

The works will also be displayed in an art gallery, founded specifically for the purpose and open to the public for as long as necessary, Zampelas said, adding that the paintings would remain the company's property.

Zampelas said that a number of artists, already known to the company, would shortly be receiving invitations to contribute to the volume. But he added that those not receiving special notice were also invited to take part.

The deadline for submitting works is March 31, 2000.

Selection will be made at the discretion of Eliades and Zampelas Art Ltd, although only completely unsuitable pieces are to be rejected, because as Zampelas said, "it is our ambition and objective to familiarise art lovers with various forms of art... the various art techniques, and more importantly, the vision of each artist." He said the volume would also be preparing the ground for "the development and recognition of the art of painting both in Cyprus and abroad."

Interested artists can contact Zampelas Art Ltd at 02-555112.

Saturday, June 12, 1999

[07] Two more held over tarmac scam

Nicosia district court remanded businessman Loizos Klatsias, 21, and civil engineer Kyprianos Kyprianou, 27, for eight days.

The two were arrested on Thursday afternoon.

Two Nicosia civil servants were also remanded for eight days in connection with the same charges on June 9.

Lefkios Christodoulou, 51, and Stavros Papanicolaou, 41, along with Klatsias and Kyprianou, were allegedly involved in a scam concerning the supply of tarmac for a road network for Kokkinotrimithia village just outside Nicosia.

Christodoulou is a Senior Nicosia District Office technician and Papanicolaou an inspector at the same office.

During Christodoulou and Papanicolaou's remand hearing on Wednesday, the court heard that the two men had issued a total of 41 false documents concerning quantities of tarmac supplied for the road-building. The scam cost the state a total of £11,600.

After their Tuesday arrest, Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou said a probe might be conducted to discover if there had been similar misuse of state fund in other road-building projects in the Nicosia area.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999

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