Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-01-20

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

Thursday, January 20, 2000

CONTENTS

[01] Clerides: Swiss model is not on the table

[02] Kyprianou op to go ahead despite lung weakness

[03] Russia says it had restoration idea first

[04] Water project in the goodwill pipeline

[05] Bigamy suspect ‘wanted to rescue artiste’

[06] Police warn hard drugs are on the rise

[07] Iranian family held on drug swallowing suspicion

[08] ‘I may be a burglar and gun thief, but I’m no drug runner’

[09] House set to approve advertising standards bill

[10] Medicine list to protect consumers from rip-off prices

[11] Speculators run out of steam as market edges down

[01] Clerides: Swiss model is not on the table

PRESIDENT Clerides said yesterday the controversial ‘Swiss model’ was not even being considered as a basis for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

Clerides was commenting on the latest furore that was sparked by a passing comment from Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous on the Swiss model being used for Cyprus.

Asked by reporters to comment on the issue, Clerides said: "I think the press and the television channels are discussing various issues which were never tabled and have nothing to do with what we are discussing now."

He added that reporters' observations that the comments were made by a member of his cabinet did not hold water, because the Minister had not raised the issue, but was merely responding to questions.

A year ago, Clerides issued a strongly worded written statement expressing his objections to a comment by British envoy Sir David Hannay.

Hannay's comment was seen as a suggestion that Cyprus follow the Swiss model, which Clerides at the time said mirrored the Turkish stance.

Earlier this week, the government said the fact the Greek Cypriot side was ready to discuss the Swiss model chapter by chapter did not constitute an about-turn on policy.

The government also commented yesterday on Greek Foreign Minster George Papandreou’s upcoming trip to Ankara. It will be the first such official visit in 38 years.

The Cyprus problem is understood not to be on the agenda, but other goodwill measures discussed by Athens and Nicosia will.

"We are not expecting too much from the visit," said government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou, declining to comment on whether the political issue would be discussed.

"I don't want to create exaggerated expectations, but we hope that this visit will be within the real essence of the Helsinki agreement and set Greco-Turkish relations on a new footing, which will allow Turkish policy on the Cyprus problem to change," Papapetrou said.

He said Nicosia and Athens had exchanged views on the visit, but that he could not speak for Papandreou and what he would discuss in Ankara.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

[02] Kyprianou op to go ahead despite lung weakness

HOUSE President and Diko leader Spyros Kyprianou is today expected to undergo heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, USA.

The operation is to go ahead despite concerns about the strength of the 67- year-old former President's lungs.

Kyprianou has undergone a series of further tests as an outpatient at the Ohio clinic over the past two days in preparation for an operation on a defective mitral heart valve.

Diko spokesman Andreas Constantinou said yesterday that the tests had shown up lung weakness.

"After more tests yesterday, it was shown that Mr Kyprianou can be operated on but with increased risk," Constantinou said.

"But the doctors also say that due to their experience and specialisation in such operations they will succeed."

Doctors in Cyprus recommended heart surgery after tests carried out following a serious asthma attack which hospitalised the former president late last year.

Kyprianou was admitted to the world-renowned Cleveland clinic on Tuesday night. The surgeon leading the operating team is Dr Delos Cosgrove.

The poor state of Kyprianou’s health has not prevented him from unleashing a bitter attack on President Clerides and the Greek government.

In a press conference before his departure for Ohio on Friday, Kyprianou raised the heckles in Athens and Nicosia by labelling the two government's Cyprus problem policy "dangerous." He called on Clerides to resign.

Despite terse reactions from both Clerides and Athens (Clerides went as far as to question Kyprianou's state of mind), Kyprianou has stuck to his guns, issuing more statements defending his line in the run-up to today's operation.

Yesterday, Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou sought to leave all the confrontation behind, wishing Kyprianou all the best for the operation.

"The only thing I have to say concerning Mr Kyprianou is that our only thought is for all to go well. I repeat once again the desire of all in Cyprus... that he return healthy," Papapetrou told his daily press briefing.

Arguments over politics could wait till after the House president's recovery, the spokesman said.

"We have all the time in the world to discuss our political differences and anything else that divides or unites us."

The state foots the bill for medical treatment abroad for government officials.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

[03] Russia says it had restoration idea first

RUSSIA yesterday accused the US and the UN of stealing its ideas on possible bi-communal projects.

The accusation came from outgoing Russian ambassador Georgi Muratov, who paid a farewell visit to President Clerides yesterday.

He was referring to the announcement by the UN on Monday that the first phase of a project to restore the Apostolos Andreas Monastery in occupied Karpasia and the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque on Larnaca's Salt Lake was under way.

The project is being financed by the US, under the direction of the UN.

"We have given many examples that we had proposals and ideas concerning the basic principle of the Cyprus problem and we know plenty of these ideas are used by the UN," Muratov said.

"We have recently heard about the repairs of the Apostolos Andreas Monastery and the Hala Sultan Tekke. This idea was proposed by Russia last year and now it’s promoted by the UN secretary general".

Muratov said Russia was always at the disposal of the Cyprus government with ideas that may be useful in helping achieve a solution to the Cyprus problem.

Two years ago, the Americans announced that they had been trying to put together a bi-communal water project designed to combat the island’s drought problem. Days later, the Russians said it had originally been their idea.

UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan announced late on Monday that the first phase of restoration of the two shrines was now under way.

The project's implementation will be entrusted to the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which will assign the work to private Greek and Turkish Cypriot companies.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

[04] Water project in the goodwill pipeline

CYPRUS would consider a Turkish offer of water supplied from the mainland if it did not involve recognition of the Denktash regime in the north.

No such offer has yet been made, though reports in the international press suggest a massive pipeline project from mainland Turkey to the occupied areas could be included in current goodwill measures surrounding the Cyprus peace talks.

Turkey is currently involved in several regional water projects, including an underwater pipeline to Cyprus that it views as a "peace water project."

Turkey has floated the pipeline-to-Cyprus idea in the past, and ultimately discarded it along with a scheme to haul river water in giant polyethylene balloons to Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.

But now an international consortium led by the Istanbul-based company Alsim- Alarko will begin building the underwater pipeline sometime after June 30.

"We are planning to start construction in six months," Ishak Alaton, chairman of Alsim-Alarko, said, adding his company had been awarded the project in 1998 by a Turkish cabinet decree.

Alaton said the "peace water project" had won US approval because of its potential to promote peace between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in the current climate of rapprochement.

The 78-kilometre pipeline would have an annual throughput capacity of 75 million cubic metres of Turkish water, much more than is needed by the Turkish-occupied north. The surplus could be offered to the Republic.

However, no such official offer has been made to the Republic, either by Turkey or by the northern Cyprus occupation regime, Cyprus Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said yesterday.

"There has been no mention to us of this possibility. All we have seen is what we have seen in the press, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is trying to check the information," he told the Cyprus Mail.

"Anyway, I think the question is more or less hypothetical. And should any proposal be put to us, it would be considered within the general framework within which the government is facing any proposals for confidence-building measures," he said.

"That is to say: we are positive, provided there is not direct or indirect recognition of the pseudo-state," he added.

The pipeline project would involve building two dams, one in Turkey, the other in the occupied north to store the water from the Dragon River. The dams would take four years to build, the pipeline, two, said Oktay Varlier, Alsim Alarko board vice-chairman.

Alsim-Alarko estimates the cost of the water would stand at 34 cents per cubic meter. This compares with the 54 cents the Republic now pays the Dhekelia desalination plant per cubic metre of water.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

[05] Bigamy suspect ‘wanted to rescue artiste’

A MAN accused of bigamy told Larnaca court yesterday he had married a Romanian artiste to rescue her from exploitation -- even though he was still legally married to his wife of almost 30 years.Andreas Vassiliou, 49, from Larnaca, was remanded in custody for four days while police investigate charges of bigamy.He was arrested on Tuesday night on his return from Romania, where he had been travelling with his second ‘wife’, Vasilika Niattiou.Vassiliou had been reported to police by his legal wife, Niki Symeou. She told them that her husband had remarried before his first marriage – to her -- had been dissolved.The court heard that Vassiliou married Symeou in Lysi on July 2, 1972, and they had two sons.In 1995 he left his wife, but they never obtained a divorce.The court heard that on November 20 last year, Vassiliou had gone to Larnaca court registrar and falsely testified that he had never been married or engaged. He then used the affidavit obtained from the registrar for a civil wedding with artiste Niattiou.Asked if he had anything to say in his defence, he told the court yesterday: "I have been estranged from my wife since 1993. I heard that after five years of separation you can get a divorce easier, and I only did this to rescue this woman from exploitation."

Thursday, January 20, 2000

[06] Police warn hard drugs are on the rise

Georgian Gioma Gianitse, 29, was found dead in his appartment on Sunday night.

Coroner Dr. Sophocles Sophocleous diagnosed heart failure as the primary cause of death.

Paphos police sources said his death had been provoked by a heroin overdose. However, Drug Squad chief Christakis Katsikides said the death was being blamed on alcohol abuse, though he admitted the victim may have also taken heroin.

"It appears things are getting worse concerning hard drugs – heroin an cocaine – particularly among young people," he told the Cyprus Mail.

"More kids are now jumping from hashish to the hard drugs."

Friends went to look for Gaganitse after he failed to show up at a party on Sunday night. When he failed to answer the door of his flat near the Paphos District Court, they broke it down and found him dead.

Gaganitse’s friends immediately called police after finding a syringe at the scene.

A Paphos police source told the Cyprus Mail that the heroin used by the Georgian had been adulterated, and that they were investigating from where he had obtained it.

His friends also said he was often drunk, a fact confirmed by his landlady: "He frequently behaved like a drunkard," she said.

Gaganitse had been living with his brother, who was not home last week.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

[07] Iranian family held on drug swallowing suspicion

According to police, an Iranian man arriving at Larnaca airport with his wife and baby aroused the suspicions of police because of his "awkward" walk.

The airport officers kept a close eye on the 26-year-old as he walked towards passport control with his 19-year-old wife and 18-month-old son after arriving on the 8.15 am Iran Air flight from Teheran.

When the suspect went to an airport lavatory, the drug squad officers pounced. An egg-sized plastic bag, containing what is believed to be cannabis resin, was found on the floor of the toilet cubicle the Iranian had used, police said.

The man was arrested and both he and his family were taken to Larnaca hospital where X-ray tests were carried out on the man and his wife to determine if they had swallowed more illegal narcotics.

Soon after their arrival at the hospital, both parents passed packages thought to contain drugs, police reported. Police then decided the child should also be X-rayed, to see if it had been "fed" drugs. The Welfare department was also called in to see to the toddler.

Husband and wife are expected to appear before the Larnaca District court today.

Yesterday, the court convened at the hospital to remand another suspected drug-swallowing pusher.

Limassol taxi driver Evripides Panayides, 30, has been in the hospital ever since his arrest on arrival at Larnaca airport from Beirut on Sunday. The taxi driver was arrested after police received a tip-off he was carrying drugs in his stomach.

The court heard yesterday that Panayides had so far egested 15 small plastic bags, containing a total of 25 grams of cocaine and cannabis.

The court remanded Panayides for a further eight days.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

[08] ‘I may be a burglar and gun thief, but I’m no drug runner’

"What would I want with drugs? Burglaries, thefts and gun thefts, yes, but not drugs," Christakis Anthias told the Larnaca District court.

"I was in Moldova and my mum rang me to say that I was wanted for a drugs case. I came to Cyprus to clear things up. I have nothing to do with what Christina Harpa and Constantina Ioakim testified against me."

Anthias, 28 from Meneou outside Larnaca, was up in court on suspicion of supplying Harpa with 100 grams of heroin in Athens. He was arrested on arrival at Larnaca airport from Moldova on Tuesday night.

Harpa was arrested at Meneou on January 13 with 27 grams of heroin allegedly in her possession. Her mother, Constantina Ioakim, was arrested at the same time - as her daughter's suspected accomplice. Both have been remanded in custody.

Case investigator Vassos Ttantis told the court yesterday that Harpa had named Anthias as the leader of a smuggling ring bringing heroin into Cyprus from Greece.

Anthias insisted before the court that this was not true.

Ttantis said Harpa had stayed in an Athens hotel with Anthias for three days earlier this month. Anthias had given her 100 grams of heroin to bring back with her to Cyprus, the investigator told the court.

Ttantis asked for an eight-day remand for Anthias.

The unemployed suspect counter-proposed that one or two days were sufficient time for police to put together a case against him, if there was one.

Judge Elena Ephraim remanded Anthias for three days.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

[09] House set to approve advertising standards bill

THE HOUSE of Representatives plenum is this afternoon expected to approve legislation cracking down on misleading advertising.

The new law would empower the Commerce Ministry's Consumer Protection service to seek a court injunction banning misleading adverts.

As things stand, the service can do nothing more than admonish companies or individuals guilty of misleading advertising. Such "ticking offs" rarely have any effect, the head of the service, George Mitides, has said.

The new legislation would grant the same power of court appeal to individuals and organisations.

The House EU affairs committee has already given the thumbs-up to the bill and it is not expected to face any serious opposition in the plenum today.

The bill aims to bring local advertising law into line with that in the EU.

Approval of the relevant bill could be bad news for the Orphanides supermarket chain, as Mitides has received a number of complaints from the public about the chain's television advert offering half-price detergent.

Many superstore customers have been "caught out" by the advert, claiming it fails to make clear that the special offer is only valid provided you spend at least £19 on other goods.

A message across the bottom of the screen during the advert says only that further information is available at stores. The corresponding newspaper ad is explicit about the terms of the detergent offer.

"We have had many complaints (about the Orphanides advert) and it is one of the first things we will look at come Friday morning (if the bill is passed)," Mitides has told the Cyprus Mail. "This new legislation will allow us to really stick the boot in," Mitides said.

There has been no comment from Orphanides.

[10] Medicine list to protect consumers from rip-off prices

Speaking at a news conference, Savvides stressed the aim of the list was to limit and if possible eliminate medicine overpricing.

The decision to draw up an official price list was taken after reports in October that importers were grossly overcharging.

In the past, Savvides said, importers were able to set a high price on a medicine and sell it on to chemists, who then added their own profit, ending up with outrageous prices for consumers.

In some cases, the minister said, "the same medicine had two prices because importers claimed the new batches of the same drug had cost more."

Savvides said cases of importers who had overpriced medicines were now before the courts.

Pharmacies are now obliged to sell medicines at the prices set by the pharmaceutical services. The list enables consumers to check the prices and report any discrepancies to the Health Ministry.

The medicine prices listed are valid for at least six months. They can be consulted at pharmacies or obtained from the Health Ministry.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

[11] Speculators run out of steam as market edges down

THE CYPRUS Stock Exchange headed lower for the second session running yesterday as speculative buying ran out of steam on thin volume and transactions.

Trading was lower across the board with the exception of insurance companies, which surged 4.12 per cent solely on buys in Universal Life, the firm that broker powerhouse Severis and Athienitis Financial Services is interested in buying.

The most active stock was Louis Cruise Lines. Volumes hit almost 900,000 shares as the stock closed four cents lower to £2.80.

The bourse opened more than 10 points weaker than Tuesday's trade, but recovered somewhat with its all-share index closing 7 points lower, or 1.2 per cent, off.

With trading volumes more than £10 million lower from Tuesday at £19.4 million, investors were being choosy with their buys, said analysts.

"We are not seeing a rise across the board or a decline. Trading is mixed and that suggests that investors are being slightly more selective," one trader said.

But others cautioned that the trend of the bourse could not be gauged in one single session.

"One cannot draw conclusions on the future course of the market just from the volume of transactions," brokers union chairman Christodoulos Ellinas said.

He described the drop in prices as marginal.

All three major banks retreated, pulling the sub-index down 1.46 per cent. Trading in Hellenic, although heavier than the other two banks, was lower than Tuesday's 1.3 million shares with a turnover of 516,019.

Speculative buying in the stock sparked by renewed talk of a takeover appeared to fizzle out as the stock fell 36 cents to £4.85.

Talk in the market that Popular was targeting the stock to pre-empt a takeover by a third institution have been dismissed by bank officials, dampening speculative buys.

Bank of Cyprus shares fell 9 cents to £9.89 on a turnover of 222,161 shares, while 15 cents was skimmed from Popular, ending the day at £13.25 on a volume of 96,278 shares.

Declines were more pronounced among smaller-capitalised stocks. Investment shares led decliners with a 2.17 per cent drop, followed by industry shares, which were 1.8 per cent weaker.

Insurance firms put in a strong performance to end 4.12 per cent higher. Universal Life climbed £3.43 to £22.43, a year high and on a volume of 21, 910 shares.

* Twenty-three companies are in the queue to list their shares on the Cyprus Stock Exchange, the bourse announced yesterday.

They are: Alkioni Fish Farm Ltd., Avax Investments Ltd., Aiantas Investments Ltd., CAC Papantoniou Ltd., Chris Cash and Carry Ltd., Constantinou Bros. Hotels Ltd., Demetra Investment Ltd., Drake Investments Ltd., Europrofit Capital Investments Ltd., Exelixis Investments Ltd., Ishis Investment, Jumbo Investments Ltd., Cosmos Insurance Company Ltd., Kyknos Investment Portfolio Ltd., Pharmakas Quarries, LK Global Soft.Com Ltd., Multichoice (Cyprus) Ltd., New Marathon Tours Ltd., Pandora Investments Ltd., Pierides G. Electrical Ltd., Palinex Trading Ltd., PHC Franchised Restaurants Ltd., and Telia Aqua Marine Ltd.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 2000

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