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Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 99-07-04
July 04, 1999
CONTENTS
[01] Club owner remanded after attackA NICOSIA cabaret owner was remanded
in custody yesterday in connection with a club and hammer attack on one of
his customers.Police were yesterday still looking for three other men --
including the cabaret owner's son -- in connection with an assault on 25-
year-old builder Savvas Antoniou in the early hours of Friday
morning.Nicosia District court heard that Kyriacos Kamouyiaros, 54, the
owner of the Crazy Horse cabaret, had attacked Antoniou in his club at
about 3am on Friday. Kamouyiaros' son, Ioannis, and two other men allegedly
joined in on the attack, striking Antoniou on the head with a club and
hammers, police told the court.Antoniou, from Paleometocho outside Nicosia,
was saved by a friend of his who was at the club with him. Antoniou's
friend rushed him to hospital, where he was treated for a fractured skull
and head injuries.The court heard that Kamouyiaros had admitted to police
that he had been involved in an attack on Antoniou, but had produced
certain explanations for this which were being investigated.Kamouyiaros,
from the Strovolos suburb of Nicosia, was remanded in custody for eight
days on suspicion of assault and causing grievous bodily harm.
[02] Rantzau ‘gave the wrong impression’By Jean ChristouFOREIGN Minister
Yiannakis Cassoulides said yesterday that Germany's Cyprus envoy had given
the wrong impression in comments he made about President Clerides' stance
on the Turkish Cypriot side's status.On Friday envoy Detlev Graf zu Rantzau
told reporters in Nicosia his impression was that Clerides was willing to
discuss all issues on the negotiating table at the proposed UN-sponsored
talks initiated by the G8. The talks are slated for New York in
October."When Clerides said there are a number of central issues and he is
ready to discuss all of them, my impression is that amongst those 6-7
issues is also the question of status," Rantzau said.His comments prompted
the local press to assume that the Greek Cypriot side was ready to discuss
the issue of recognition of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot regime in the
north.Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has said he will not attend the
New York talks unless they are held on a state to state basis.At a hastily
convened news conference yesterday morning Cassoulides speedily disposed of
the idea that the Greek Cypriot side would consider the possibility."The
opposite of the impression created concerning the government's policy
towards Mr Denktash's demands is true," Cassoulides said."The plea from the
G8 and the Security Council is that we go to New York to discuss a solution
to the Cyprus problem, and not to discuss anything that implies a non
solution of the Cyprus problem or what would happen if the Cyprus problem
was not solved."Cassoulides said documents to be put before the National
Council tomorrow "will prove what I say -- that President Clerides'
position is the exact opposite".He said if Denktash put forward his demand
for a confederation in Cyprus he would be informed that such a proposal is
not in the framework of the UN resolutions on Cyprus.Rantzau on Friday also
hinted that proximity talks for Greek and Turkish Cypriots could be a
distinct possibility in New York if direct negotiations fail to materialise
between the two sides.He said that although Denktash has not said he is
ready for proximity talks, the envoy's impression was that he had left the
door open for the possibility.
[03] Left leapfrogs right, poll showsBy Martin HellicarA POLL published
yesterday suggests main opposition party Akel is slightly ahead of
governing Disy in the popularity stakes.But the survey -- conducted by Amer
research for Politisnewspaper -- shows a narrowing of the gap between the
two main parties. It also indicates that Diko is regaining some of the
ground it lost after the February 1998 Presidential elections.Disy won 20
of the 56 seats in the House of Representatives in the last parliamentary
elections in 1996, one more than Akel. The party then successfully backed
President Clerides' re-election campaign in 1998. But since then, the S-300
missiles fiasco and a string of corruption scandals have hit the
government's image hard, affecting the ruling party's standing.In a similar
poll carried out by Amer in February, only two months after the government
gave in and redirected the S-300 missiles to Crete, right-wing Disy were
three percentage points behind communist Akel.Yesterday's poll, in which
864 people over 18 were questioned, suggested Akel would secure 34.9 per
cent and Disy 32.2 per cent of the vote should voting for a new parliament
take place today.Diko would garner 13.3 per cent of the vote, a significant
improvement on their showing in the February Amer survey, the poll
showed.Spyros Kyprianou's centre-right party won a respectable ten seats in
1996, but has been doing badly ever since. The ill-fated decision to
abandon a coalition with Disy in order to join Akel in backing challenger
George Iacovou in the 1998 presidential elections and a series of high-
profile defections have done Diko no favours.Socialist Edek would get 11.3
per cent of the vote and George Vassiliou's United Democrats 3.2 per cent,
the poll suggested.
[04] Fuel fiasco nothing new, says ex-minister OmirouBy Martin HellicarTHE
T-80 tank fuel fiasco is nothing new, former Defence Minister Yiannakis
Omirou said yesterday -- questioning his successor's grasp of the facts.In
a press statement, Omirou said the matter had surfaced during his stint as
Minister and had been thoroughly investigated, both by the Attorney-general
and the National Guard Command.On Friday, and following embarrassing press
reports, Omirou's successor, Yiannakis Chrysostomis, admitted that the
army's Russian-made main battle tanks had been disabled because the wrong
fuel was used for three years by the National Guard. Chrysostomis blamed
army officials for the mistake, which also effected BMP-3 armoured vehicles,
and said there would be an investigation.But Omirou, who abandoned the
ministerial post at the turn of the year in protest at the government's
decision not to bring the S-300 missiles, said the issue had already been
investigated."The issue was brought up by Russian technicians during my
tenure at the ministry," Omirou said yesterday."I immediately asked for an
in-depth investigation by the then National Guard chief and at the same
time asked for an investigation by the Attorney-general."Attorney-general
Alecos Markides concluded at the time that there were no grounds for
bringing charges against anyone, Omirou said."At the same time additional
measures were taken for control of fuel quality," he added."It is therefore
self-evident that all necessary measures were taken without any delay,"
Omirou said, keen to defend his actions as minister.Chrysostomis insisted
there had been no lasting damage to the tanks, which he said were now
working "wonderfully well". The former judge also speculated that the
damage to the T-80s and BMP-3s may not have been down to dodgy fuel at all,
but rather just normal "wear and tear".Russian T-80s are the army's top
battle tanks and make up nearly half of its arsenal of 200 main fighting
tanks, the rest of which are French-made AMX-30B2s.
[05] Defence Ministry told to pay damages to gay manBy Jean ChristouTHE
DEFENCE Ministry has been ordered by the Council of Europe to pay damages
to a Greek Cypriot homosexual whose rights were violated by a law which has
since been amended.A letter dated June 24 from the Council of Europe
Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers to Stavros Marangos, the gay man
who sued the government in 1996 over the then antiquated law, says the
Defence Ministry has three months to pay up.Marangos has been awarded non-
pecuniary damages of £1,000 plus £1,134 in legal costs for the violation of
his human rights because of the anti-gay law.If the Ministry doesn't pay in
the time allotted the issue will be taken up again by the Council, and the
government will be forced to pay interest on a monthly basis.The law
outlawing homosexuality between consenting male adults was amended in May
1998 after five years of stalling and several ultimatums from the Council
of Europe in the wake of the successful Modinos case. Gay architect Alecos
Modinos was the first to take Cyprus to the European Court of Human Rights
in an effort to have the law changed. He succeeded in 1993.His application
was followed by a similar one by Marangos who included a claim for
compensation on several issues relating to the alleged treatment he
received from the Cyprus government because of his homosexuality.Marangos
said yesterday he has not yet contacted the defence ministry regarding the
compensation, but he believes the government will pay up in the allotted
time.He said he was slightly disappointed with the results of his case
considering the treatment he believes he suffered for being gay and
"considering they accepted the accusations involved," he said.But the
European Commission of Human Rights only declared admissible Marangos'
complaint that being a practising homosexual was a criminal offence which
interfered with his right to respect for his private life. The other issues
were declared inadmissible.Marangos, who lived in Greece for many years,
had claimed he was treated badly on his return to Cyprus by government
agencies relating to army service.As a rule the Defence Ministry attempts
to find ways not to have to admit homosexuals to the ranks. In one specific
case, the army release papers of a homosexual man, obtained by The Sunday
Mail,state the candidate is unsuitable because he is "suffering from sexual
perversion, homosexual (submissive homosexuality)".In Marangos' case he was
initially exempted from military service because of his ties abroad but
this was later reversed and he was told he would have to do military
service.A confidential letter to the Attorney-general in 1993 from the
Defence Ministry said: "The applicant is a homosexual and as you know,
homosexuals in Cyprus are exempted from military service once their
`sickness' is certified... as a result it is up to the applicant to invoke,
if he so wishes, his homosexuality".Marangos was told to report for duty in
June 1993 but failed to show up and later he informed the Ministry he had
no intention of doing so. Since then he has received call-up papers every
six months and has consistently refused to report for duty. He has never
been taken to court or prosecuted.Marangos said that when the police come
to find out why he has not reported for duty he tells them it's because the
National Guard is an illegal body under the Cyprus constitution."It states
that the National Guard should comprise 2,000 men made up of 60 per cent
Greek Cypriots and 40 per cent Turkish Cypriots," he said. "I write this
down for them and they say `thank you' and leave."He believes the
government has never prosecuted him because he would raise the
constitutionality issue of the National Guard at court.
[06] Tourism bounces back with bookings boomBy Jean ChristouCYPRUS is
emerging as the ‘in’ place for tourists in 1999 as Europeans who dithered
during the Kosovo crisis have finally decided to take a break.A bookings
crisis in May left the island's hopes of a bumper tourism year in limbo but
since events in Yugoslavia have taken a back seat on the international
stage, leisure is once again on the agenda and Cyprus is turning out to be
this year's hot spot.Among those queuing up to come here are the Dutch,
Irish, Greeks, Israelis, Poles, ,Arabs and the British.The Cyprus Tourism
Organisation (CTO) is particularly pleased with the performance of the
traditionally strong British market this year.According to figures they
have obtained from the UK, overall bookings on the British market are down
two per cent -- but despite that, Cyprus is pulling in a substantial 14 per
cent increase in summer bookings from Britain.The UK market accounts for
almost half the island's two million-plus tourists each year.In the first
five months of this year tourism from Britain has jumped by 15 per cent
over the same period last year.The CTO is also pleased with the performance
of the Irish market which went into a slump over the past 4-5 years. This
year, though, it is showing a healthy 27 per cent increase. The demand has
resulted in an extra charter flight per week to Dublin.The biggest movers
and shakers this year are the Poles who traditionally holiday in Italy. The
CTO, referring to Poland as its "star performer", anticipates more Poles
will come to Cyprus than will go to Italy this year.Since the tourism
organisation opened an office in Poland last year, tourism from there has
risen a whopping 67 per cent.The government said there was never in any
doubt that the Cyprus would survive the Kosovo crisis, and according to
Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Nicos Rolandis close to 2.4 million
tourists will visit the island this year.He said the target increase of
seven per cent is likely to be achieved, but he would not speculate on
whether it would be surpassed. The first five months of the year are
already up nine and a half per cent.Hoteliers say they are "optimistic" but
are remaining cautious.
[07] Hoteliers protest against arrestsTHE Hoteliers' Association is up in
arms over the arrest of three Pakistanis at their hotel workplaces,
reportedly on front of residents.The three were arrested at separate hotels
in Ayia Napa and Paralimni last week, on suspicion of working illegally.
Hoteliers insist the three were not illegals, but were completing the work
experience part of their hotel management courses.The Association is
calling for the three to be released from holding cells and for an
investigation into who was responsible for the police action.The Hoteliers
stress that the manner of the arrests was damaging to the image of the
hotels concerned and the island in general. They are threatening court
action should there be no positive response from police.
[08] Biker killed in collisionA 19-year-old motorcyclist was killed in an
accident on the Ayia Napa-Protaras road early yesterday.Louis Demou Costa,
from Paleometocho village outside Nicosia, was driving on the road at
around 3am when he hit a car ahead of him and then lost control of his
machine. The teenager, who worked at a local hotel, then hit a palm tree on
the roadside, police said.He was thrown from the bike and killed instantly.
Police said Costa had been wearing his helmet slung on his back. The four
occupants of the car the victim hit, all teenagers from Paleometocho, were
questioned by police after the accident.
[01] Club owner remanded after attackA NICOSIA cabaret owner was remanded
in custody yesterday in connection with a club and hammer attack on one of
his customers.Police were yesterday still looking for three other men --
including the cabaret owner's son -- in connection with an assault on 25-
year-old builder Savvas Antoniou in the early hours of Friday
morning.Nicosia District court heard that Kyriacos Kamouyiaros, 54, the
owner of the Crazy Horse cabaret, had attacked Antoniou in his club at
about 3am on Friday. Kamouyiaros' son, Ioannis, and two other men allegedly
joined in on the attack, striking Antoniou on the head with a club and
hammers, police told the court.Antoniou, from Paleometocho outside Nicosia,
was saved by a friend of his who was at the club with him. Antoniou's
friend rushed him to hospital, where he was treated for a fractured skull
and head injuries.The court heard that Kamouyiaros had admitted to police
that he had been involved in an attack on Antoniou, but had produced
certain explanations for this which were being investigated.Kamouyiaros,
from the Strovolos suburb of Nicosia, was remanded in custody for eight
days on suspicion of assault and causing grievous bodily harm.
July 04, 1999
[02] Rantzau ‘gave the wrong impression’By Jean ChristouFOREIGN Minister
Yiannakis Cassoulides said yesterday that Germany's Cyprus envoy had given
the wrong impression in comments he made about President Clerides' stance
on the Turkish Cypriot side's status.On Friday envoy Detlev Graf zu Rantzau
told reporters in Nicosia his impression was that Clerides was willing to
discuss all issues on the negotiating table at the proposed UN-sponsored
talks initiated by the G8. The talks are slated for New York in
October."When Clerides said there are a number of central issues and he is
ready to discuss all of them, my impression is that amongst those 6-7
issues is also the question of status," Rantzau said.His comments prompted
the local press to assume that the Greek Cypriot side was ready to discuss
the issue of recognition of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot regime in the
north.Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has said he will not attend the
New York talks unless they are held on a state to state basis.At a hastily
convened news conference yesterday morning Cassoulides speedily disposed of
the idea that the Greek Cypriot side would consider the possibility."The
opposite of the impression created concerning the government's policy
towards Mr Denktash's demands is true," Cassoulides said."The plea from the
G8 and the Security Council is that we go to New York to discuss a solution
to the Cyprus problem, and not to discuss anything that implies a non
solution of the Cyprus problem or what would happen if the Cyprus problem
was not solved."Cassoulides said documents to be put before the National
Council tomorrow "will prove what I say -- that President Clerides'
position is the exact opposite".He said if Denktash put forward his demand
for a confederation in Cyprus he would be informed that such a proposal is
not in the framework of the UN resolutions on Cyprus.Rantzau on Friday also
hinted that proximity talks for Greek and Turkish Cypriots could be a
distinct possibility in New York if direct negotiations fail to materialise
between the two sides.He said that although Denktash has not said he is
ready for proximity talks, the envoy's impression was that he had left the
door open for the possibility.
July 04, 1999
[03] Left leapfrogs right, poll showsBy Martin HellicarA POLL published
yesterday suggests main opposition party Akel is slightly ahead of
governing Disy in the popularity stakes.But the survey -- conducted by Amer
research for Politisnewspaper -- shows a narrowing of the gap between the
two main parties. It also indicates that Diko is regaining some of the
ground it lost after the February 1998 Presidential elections.Disy won 20
of the 56 seats in the House of Representatives in the last parliamentary
elections in 1996, one more than Akel. The party then successfully backed
President Clerides' re-election campaign in 1998. But since then, the S-300
missiles fiasco and a string of corruption scandals have hit the
government's image hard, affecting the ruling party's standing.In a similar
poll carried out by Amer in February, only two months after the government
gave in and redirected the S-300 missiles to Crete, right-wing Disy were
three percentage points behind communist Akel.Yesterday's poll, in which
864 people over 18 were questioned, suggested Akel would secure 34.9 per
cent and Disy 32.2 per cent of the vote should voting for a new parliament
take place today.Diko would garner 13.3 per cent of the vote, a significant
improvement on their showing in the February Amer survey, the poll
showed.Spyros Kyprianou's centre-right party won a respectable ten seats in
1996, but has been doing badly ever since. The ill-fated decision to
abandon a coalition with Disy in order to join Akel in backing challenger
George Iacovou in the 1998 presidential elections and a series of high-
profile defections have done Diko no favours.Socialist Edek would get 11.3
per cent of the vote and George Vassiliou's United Democrats 3.2 per cent,
the poll suggested.
July 04, 1999
[04] Fuel fiasco nothing new, says ex-minister OmirouBy Martin HellicarTHE
T-80 tank fuel fiasco is nothing new, former Defence Minister Yiannakis
Omirou said yesterday -- questioning his successor's grasp of the facts.In
a press statement, Omirou said the matter had surfaced during his stint as
Minister and had been thoroughly investigated, both by the Attorney-general
and the National Guard Command.On Friday, and following embarrassing press
reports, Omirou's successor, Yiannakis Chrysostomis, admitted that the
army's Russian-made main battle tanks had been disabled because the wrong
fuel was used for three years by the National Guard. Chrysostomis blamed
army officials for the mistake, which also effected BMP-3 armoured vehicles,
and said there would be an investigation.But Omirou, who abandoned the
ministerial post at the turn of the year in protest at the government's
decision not to bring the S-300 missiles, said the issue had already been
investigated."The issue was brought up by Russian technicians during my
tenure at the ministry," Omirou said yesterday."I immediately asked for an
in-depth investigation by the then National Guard chief and at the same
time asked for an investigation by the Attorney-general."Attorney-general
Alecos Markides concluded at the time that there were no grounds for
bringing charges against anyone, Omirou said."At the same time additional
measures were taken for control of fuel quality," he added."It is therefore
self-evident that all necessary measures were taken without any delay,"
Omirou said, keen to defend his actions as minister.Chrysostomis insisted
there had been no lasting damage to the tanks, which he said were now
working "wonderfully well". The former judge also speculated that the
damage to the T-80s and BMP-3s may not have been down to dodgy fuel at all,
but rather just normal "wear and tear".Russian T-80s are the army's top
battle tanks and make up nearly half of its arsenal of 200 main fighting
tanks, the rest of which are French-made AMX-30B2s.
July 04, 1999
[05] Defence Ministry told to pay damages to gay manBy Jean ChristouTHE
DEFENCE Ministry has been ordered by the Council of Europe to pay damages
to a Greek Cypriot homosexual whose rights were violated by a law which has
since been amended.A letter dated June 24 from the Council of Europe
Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers to Stavros Marangos, the gay man
who sued the government in 1996 over the then antiquated law, says the
Defence Ministry has three months to pay up.Marangos has been awarded non-
pecuniary damages of £1,000 plus £1,134 in legal costs for the violation of
his human rights because of the anti-gay law.If the Ministry doesn't pay in
the time allotted the issue will be taken up again by the Council, and the
government will be forced to pay interest on a monthly basis.The law
outlawing homosexuality between consenting male adults was amended in May
1998 after five years of stalling and several ultimatums from the Council
of Europe in the wake of the successful Modinos case. Gay architect Alecos
Modinos was the first to take Cyprus to the European Court of Human Rights
in an effort to have the law changed. He succeeded in 1993.His application
was followed by a similar one by Marangos who included a claim for
compensation on several issues relating to the alleged treatment he
received from the Cyprus government because of his homosexuality.Marangos
said yesterday he has not yet contacted the defence ministry regarding the
compensation, but he believes the government will pay up in the allotted
time.He said he was slightly disappointed with the results of his case
considering the treatment he believes he suffered for being gay and
"considering they accepted the accusations involved," he said.But the
European Commission of Human Rights only declared admissible Marangos'
complaint that being a practising homosexual was a criminal offence which
interfered with his right to respect for his private life. The other issues
were declared inadmissible.Marangos, who lived in Greece for many years,
had claimed he was treated badly on his return to Cyprus by government
agencies relating to army service.As a rule the Defence Ministry attempts
to find ways not to have to admit homosexuals to the ranks. In one specific
case, the army release papers of a homosexual man, obtained by The Sunday
Mail,state the candidate is unsuitable because he is "suffering from
sexual perversion, homosexual (submissive homosexuality)".In Marangos' case
he was initially exempted from military service because of his ties abroad
but this was later reversed and he was told he would have to do military
service.A confidential letter to the Attorney-general in 1993 from the
Defence Ministry said: "The applicant is a homosexual and as you know,
homosexuals in Cyprus are exempted from military service once their
`sickness' is certified... as a result it is up to the applicant to invoke,
if he so wishes, his homosexuality".Marangos was told to report for duty in
June 1993 but failed to show up and later he informed the Ministry he had
no intention of doing so. Since then he has received call-up papers every
six months and has consistently refused to report for duty. He has never
been taken to court or prosecuted.Marangos said that when the police come
to find out why he has not reported for duty he tells them it's because the
National Guard is an illegal body under the Cyprus constitution."It states
that the National Guard should comprise 2,000 men made up of 60 per cent
Greek Cypriots and 40 per cent Turkish Cypriots," he said. "I write this
down for them and they say `thank you' and leave."He believes the
government has never prosecuted him because he would raise the
constitutionality issue of the National Guard at court.
July 04, 1999
[06] Tourism bounces back with bookings boomBy Jean ChristouCYPRUS is
emerging as the ‘in’ place for tourists in 1999 as Europeans who dithered
during the Kosovo crisis have finally decided to take a break.A bookings
crisis in May left the island's hopes of a bumper tourism year in limbo but
since events in Yugoslavia have taken a back seat on the international
stage, leisure is once again on the agenda and Cyprus is turning out to be
this year's hot spot.Among those queuing up to come here are the Dutch,
Irish, Greeks, Israelis, Poles, ,Arabs and the British.The Cyprus Tourism
Organisation (CTO) is particularly pleased with the performance of the
traditionally strong British market this year.According to figures they
have obtained from the UK, overall bookings on the British market are down
two per cent -- but despite that, Cyprus is pulling in a substantial 14 per
cent increase in summer bookings from Britain.The UK market accounts for
almost half the island's two million-plus tourists each year.In the first
five months of this year tourism from Britain has jumped by 15 per cent
over the same period last year.The CTO is also pleased with the performance
of the Irish market which went into a slump over the past 4-5 years. This
year, though, it is showing a healthy 27 per cent increase. The demand has
resulted in an extra charter flight per week to Dublin.The biggest movers
and shakers this year are the Poles who traditionally holiday in Italy. The
CTO, referring to Poland as its "star performer", anticipates more Poles
will come to Cyprus than will go to Italy this year.Since the tourism
organisation opened an office in Poland last year, tourism from there has
risen a whopping 67 per cent.The government said there was never in any
doubt that the Cyprus would survive the Kosovo crisis, and according to
Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Nicos Rolandis close to 2.4 million
tourists will visit the island this year.He said the target increase of
seven per cent is likely to be achieved, but he would not speculate on
whether it would be surpassed. The first five months of the year are
already up nine and a half per cent.Hoteliers say they are "optimistic" but
are remaining cautious.
July 04, 1999
[07] Hoteliers protest against arrestsTHE Hoteliers' Association is up in
arms over the arrest of three Pakistanis at their hotel workplaces,
reportedly on front of residents.The three were arrested at separate hotels
in Ayia Napa and Paralimni last week, on suspicion of working illegally.
Hoteliers insist the three were not illegals, but were completing the work
experience part of their hotel management courses.The Association is
calling for the three to be released from holding cells and for an
investigation into who was responsible for the police action.The Hoteliers
stress that the manner of the arrests was damaging to the image of the
hotels concerned and the island in general. They are threatening court
action should there be no positive response from police.
July 04, 1999
[08] Biker killed in collisionA 19-year-old motorcyclist was killed in an
accident on the Ayia Napa-Protaras road early yesterday.Louis Demou Costa,
from Paleometocho village outside Nicosia, was driving on the road at
around 3am when he hit a car ahead of him and then lost control of his
machine. The teenager, who worked at a local hotel, then hit a palm tree on
the roadside, police said.He was thrown from the bike and killed instantly.
Police said Costa had been wearing his helmet slung on his back. The four
occupants of the car the victim hit, all teenagers from Paleometocho, were
questioned by police after the accident.
© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999
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