Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 99-12-25

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

Saturday, December 25, 1999

CONTENTS

[01] Cyprus UN talks: ‘More progress than ever before’

[02] US says Cyprus not under threat from millennium terrorists

[03] Two hurt in Eleftheria Square stabbing

[04] Briton stabbed in Paphos

[05] Four remanded for kiosk thefts

[06] School starting age to be raised to six

[01] Cyprus UN talks: ‘More progress than ever before’

PRESIDENT Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash both came close to walking out of the recent proximity talks in New York, diplomats have revealed. But they say that more progress was made during December’s first round of talks than at any time in the past.

"They both had their various strops and walked off, but we slapped them back into place and told them to get on with it," said one Nicosia-based diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous.

"There were a few crises; sometimes Clerides was angry and sometimes it was Denktash, about different things, but in the end the Secretary-general did a good job and convinced them to stay," said a second diplomat. "Initially the situation was very bad and the positions very far apart, so the fact that the talks took place at all was a big success."

He said the biggest success was to get Denktash to discuss all the issues and not just his status, which the Turkish Cypriot leader insisted was the main reason why he was attending the talks.

Earlier, Denktash had also threatened that he would resign if anyone put pressure on him, but diplomats say he has come a long way since then. "It was the influence of all of us which kept him at the talks," the second diplomat said. "He sits there and says ‘I’m a sovereign state’ but we know he isn’t and he knows he isn’t but he is allowed to say it," said the first diplomat.

According to the diplomats, the political cost of walking out of the talks would now be "huge" for either side, especially for the Greek Cypriots, who are under more pressure for concessions. "Denktash can hold out longer, but Turkey and the US are on his head and this is actually the best negotiating position he has ever been in."

Both diplomats also said Denktash was aware that his demands for recognition and confederation were simply not on the cards. "The confederation proposal cannot materialise," said one. "It is out of the question and there will be no recognition -- neither tomorrow, nor the day after."

"Denktash knows in his heart of hearts that the best he can hope for is a loose federation with a joint sovereignty," said the second diplomat.

Echoing the words of Britain’s special envoy Sir David Hannay on Thursday, that labels such as confederation or federation didn’t matter greatly as long as the power of the executive was agreed by the parties involved, the diplomat said: "The bicommunal, bizonal federation could be disposed of. They are poisoned labels. A final Cyprus will not be what either side thinks."

He said the price would be a clearly defined constitution; if either side pulled out of the deal, the other would keep the sovereignty. "The hardest part is whether Clerides can sell the fact that the refugees can’t go back; and Denktash has to ask himself where will he be in five years, if Cyprus joins the EU," the diplomat said.

The new parameters that have emerged since the European Union’s Helsinki invitation to Turkey appear to have made a huge difference in the current effort to resolve the Cyprus issue. Earlier this week the government spoke optimistically of a "decisive third round", even before the second round in Geneva on January 27 has begun. But real progress is not expected until after the Turkish Cypriot ‘presidential’ elections in April.

"There is a more serious movement than in the past when it tended to be the two sides face to face denying everything the other one said. There is a better commitment now from both sides. The UN has not allowed them to say sovereignty, sovereignty, sovereignty, territory, territory, territory. We proved to them how serious we were."

But while things are looking good, the international community cannot guarantee there will be a solution to the Cyprus problem in 2000. "Let’s take first things first, one step after another," said the second diplomat. "I would not be too optimistic in Cyprus for 2000. There could be something to spoil the whole process, but I’m not too pessimistic either."

"I would hate to say yes for a solution in 2000, but more progress has been made than ever before," the first diplomat said.

Saturday, December 25, 1999

[02] US says Cyprus not under threat from millennium terrorists

CYPRUS, with its friendly ties to most of the Middle East, is not a likely "target country" for terrorism aimed at US nationals over the Christmas and millennium celebrations, US Embassy sources in Nicosia suggested yesterday.

The US State Department earlier this week issued a worldwide caution to Americans living or travelling overseas, warning that "terrorists may be planning to conduct attacks, including against official and non-official Americans, in and around the New Year period - from now through mid-January 2000."

"As far as we know, there is nothing directed at all at Cyprus," one US Embassy source said. But US policy now is "we'd rather err on the side of telling too many people, than too few. There is nothing specific about Cyprus," the source said.

Reminded of the large numbers of nationals in Cyprus from throughout the Middle East - some from countries hostile to America, the Embassy source said tersely: "We're aware of that," then added: "We don't have anything specific indicating any threat to Cyprus" from any of those Middle Eastern nationals.

The Embassy source said the free-beer bash being sponsored by the government on New Year's Eve in Eleftheria Square was relatively 'safe', as "it's not the kind of thing they would expect to find Americans at."

"While we included Cyprus (in the State Department caution) because we included the whole world... our primary concerns are going to be places where there will be or there will be a perception that large numbers of Americans will be gathered."

"And since Cyprus is not considered to be a tourist spot for Americans - although it is for most of the rest of the world, we're sort of off people's scope here.

"I'm not going to tell you one thing or another about Eleftheria Square," the Embassy source said, "but I wouldn't go to Jordan for the millennium, for example."

Despite Jordan's arrests this month of 11 of its nationals, an Iraqi and an Algerian who were planning "terrorist" attacks in the kingdom... "we cannot rule out the possibility that attacks may still be planned for this and other parts of the world," an official US State Department notice said.

"I don't want to comment on what the Jordanian government did," one US Embassy source said in Nicosia, but added: "Jordan is a place where we have great focus right now."

Jordan announced the 13 arrests the day after the US said about a dozen followers of Saudi Islamic radical Osama bin Laden, who were planning to attack Americans this month, had been arrested in the Middle East.

Jordan's official news agency, Petra, said the group had been arrested in the early stages of planning 'terrorist' attacks. It said those held had been trained on explosives and weapons.

The State Department on Monday said it was boosting security at US diplomatic sites at home and abroad, and setting up evacuation teams to deal with any terrorism or other emergencies at the start of the year.

Cyprus, since most of its high-tech infrastructure is nearly 100 per cent Y2K compliant, will serve as a communications hub and evacuation centre for the Middle East region, should unrest erupt there, one US Embassy source in Nicosia said.

"Global terrorism concerns have required all of our overseas posts to maintain a high state of alertness," said David Carpenter, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security.

The United States has been buttoning up its border security since the Tuesday arrest of an Algerian man accused of trying to cross over from Canada with the ingredients for a powerful bomb.

All overseas US diplomatic posts will have emergency communications capabilities, generators and emergency fuel supplies to cope with any infrastructure breakdowns caused by Y2K, the department said.

Saturday, December 25, 1999

[03] Two hurt in Eleftheria Square stabbing

Nadem Hussein, 38, was arrested after allegedly stabbing compatriot Ali Kazim, 38, and police officer Athanasios Athanasiou on Thursday night on Eleftheria Square in central Nicosia.

According to police reports, the two Iraqis had been arguing when Hussein pulled out a knife and stabbed Kazim twice -- on the eyebrow and lower right back.

Athanasiou, who was in plain clothes, tried to disarm Hussein, but was stabbed on the right arm.

Hussein was eventually disarmed and arrested by police and civilians who had rushed to the scene.

Kazim was rushed to Nicosia General Hospital where he was kept in for treatment.

His condition is serious, but not life threatening, police said.

Athanasiou received treatment and was then released from hospital.

Saturday, December 25, 1999

[04] Briton stabbed in Paphos

According to a police report, a British tourist knocked on Yiannakis Charalambous’s door at 4am asking him to call an ambulance. He was taken to Paphos hospital with nine slight stab wounds to various parts of his body.

Subsequent investigations yesterday uncovered that the wounds had been inflicted in an open space near Charalambous' home, approximately 500 meters from the tourist area.

Police yesterday said that the Briton had undergone surgery and had not yet regained consciousness to tell them what had happened. He was reported to be out of danger.

Paphos police are continuing their investigations.

Saturday, December 25, 1999

[05] Four remanded for kiosk thefts

Igor Guiourjiev, 20, Maxim Myirni, 23, and 23-year-old Spyridon Triantafyllides, alias Garig, were held in Paphos where they had been arrested last week in connection with a series of robberies and burglaries.

Police say the three admitted while in custody that they had robbed two kiosks in Larnaca in November.

The suspects' were therefore yesterday transferred to Larnaca District Court for their remand hearing.

In both cases, the kiosk employees were held at knifepoint and the perpetrators got away in a stolen car.

The suspects were arrested in Paphos on December 16.

Police say that while in custody Guiourjiev confessed to robbing the kiosks in Larnaca, and named the other two as being his accomplices.

The court heard that the other two suspects had confessed too, while police has matched fingerprints found at the crime scenes with Triantafyllides and Guiourjiev.

But the defence lawyers claimed that their clients had been abused while in custody in Paphos, and alleged the confessions were extracted by force.

Saturday, December 25, 1999

[06] School starting age to be raised to six

The Council of Ministers has already approved the Education Ministry request. The starting age for the 2000-2001 academic year will remain at this year's levels.

The current starting age stands at five years and eight months.

From the 2001-2002 school year, the age will be raised to five years and 10 months, reaching six by 2002-2003.

The president of the primary school teachers’ union (Poed) Sophocles Sophocleous said that the union had agreed with the change as long as it did not negatively affect class sizes and provided enough pre-primary classes were created to cater for the children who's move to `big' school would be delayed.

Education Minister Ouranios Ioannides is understood to have assured Poed that their terms would be met.

The decision comes in order for Cyprus to harmonise with the EU's school starting ages.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999

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