Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-11-09

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cyprus-mail.com/>

Thursday, November 9, 2000

CONTENTS

[01] Minister approves five-year work permits

[02] The storms aren't coming here

[03] Market up on BoC opening

[04] Annan meets Clerides and Denktash in Geneva

[05] Prescriptions needed for 'suspect' drugs

[06] Why does AKEL celebrate the Bolshevik revolution?

[07] Formalising the defence dogma

[08] Race authorities set to probe spate of doping cases

[09] Bi-communal drug rehab centre plan

[10] Software pirates damaging Cyprus reputation

[01] Minister approves five-year work permits

"The regulations have now been approved," Costas Hadjipavlou, a senior Immigration official at the Interior Ministry, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday. The new rules are designed to enable EU nationals and all non- Cypriots working in certain chosen sectors to meet the requirements of a recent law change making it harder for foreign workers to have their spouses with them.

The amendment, approved by parliament in late July, stipulates that foreigners must be "in possession of a working permit of a total duration of five years" before their loved ones can join them on the island. The sectors favoured under the Ministry's new five-year permit rule are: offshore workers, reporters, foreign correspondents, accountants with big firms, lecturers, teachers and those who have invested more than £100,000 in local businesses.

Introduction of the new rules - drawn up in late September - was held up last month when Minister Christodoulou asked for clarifications on which foreigners were to be favoured. Hadjipavlou yesterday said the Minister had given the five-year permits plan the nod, and the regulations -- which take the form of binding instructions for Immigration officials -- were now in effect.

This does not mean EU nationals and the other chosen workers will automatically secure five-year work permits, Hadjipavlou pointed out. But it does mean favoured foreigners will be given long enough permits to ensure they can have their families with them on the island.

The July law change means foreigners must either have a five-year work permit or have worked on the island for five years or have some combination of worked time and work permit extension totalling at least five years. Hadjipavlou said the regulations approved by Christodoulou meant no one from a EU country or employed in a chosen sector would be deprived of the company of their spouse.

New arrivals will get five-year-permits while those renewing permits will be given extensions long enough to allow them to meet the 'five years in total' clause. The introduction of the new law for spouses caused an outcry from foreign worker groups, as no alien had even been known to secure a five-year permit and many aliens working on short permits seemed destined to be forced to wave goodbye to their loved ones.

But the Attorney-general's office then said that the law change had prompted the Interior Ministry to begin drawing up criteria for granting five-year permits for EU nationals and anyone employed in certain chosen sectors.

This was good news for some, but the thousands of mostly Asian and Arab foreigners working on the island as farmhands, labourers, domestic helps or entertainers are still barred from having their families with them. The government say both the new law and the new regulations are in line with EU norms.

[02] The storms aren't coming here

THE CATASTROPHIC freak weather hitting Britain and Europe over the past 11 days is not about to arrive in Cyprus, the Meteorological Service assured yesterday.

At least twelve people have been killed in Britain as a series of deep depressions have swept in from the Atlantic, bringing with them torrential rains and gale force winds.

Dozens of homes have been destroyed in Britain, which has been the worst hit. The severe weather - which scientist blame on global warming -- has also brought death and destruction in Italy and Spain.

While the depressions causing the freak weather are travelling westwards towards Cyprus, they will "peter out" long before they reach our shores, local meteorologists said yesterday.

"The outlook for the next few days remains fine, though there might be some instability on Sunday," weatherman Loisos Stephanou told the Cyprus Mail.

[03] Market up on BoC opening

Trading here opened on a confident note, up on Tuesday's year low, but dropped sharply in the first 20 minutes before recovering slightly to close at 291 points.

Volume was higher than earlier in the week but still remained low at £17.2 million. When the session closed, brokers were confident BoC would manage to maintain its successful debut on the ASE, which closed some two hours later local time.

BoC shares closed two cents up at £5.33 on the CSE on a volume of £1.6 million, while in Athens the stock managed to gain 0.32 per cent as the ASE banking sector fell 2.14 per cent and the overall Greek index dropped 1.54 per cent.

Opening at 3,150 drachmas (£5.27), the share hit an intra day low of 3,090 before closing at 3,110 with almost 630,000 shares traded, making it one of the most active on the ASE yesterday. "It was an excellent opening for BoC in spite of the drop in the overall index," said broker Demos Stavrides. "It's also the beginning for the return of investors` trust in the bank's stocks."

He said however the fact the share would be trading on the CSE and the ASE with no up/down limit for the first three days would have to be taken into account. "We still have to wait and see a little. I think tomorrow (today) will be a crucial day," he added. Stavrides said because (psychologically) the BoC Athens listing was so important to Cypriot investors its effects were bound to be felt on the CSE.

"Because of the importance we attached to it," he said. BoC's Athens success yesterday was reflected through out the banking sector, which gained 0.4 per cent. Laiki also benefited, adding four cents to close at £6.93. Apart from the interest in banking stocks on the CSE yesterday, the only other share, which grabbed the attention of Cypriot investors was GlobalSoft, the most actively traded of the day, accounting for almost 50 per cent of total volume.

The share jumped ten cents to close at £5.97 on a volume worth £8 million. Over 1.3 million shares were traded. Another winner in the IT sector was Logicom, which added 16 cents to close at £4.42. Heavy trading in Tsokkos Hotels stock also continued with 1.26 million shares changing hands, adding nearly one cent to the stock, which ended at 41 cents.

Yesterday's newcomer to the floor, Andreas Petsas also felt the more benevolent mood of investors. The share debuted at 46 cents; hit an intra day high of 60 cents before closing at 57, making it the most successful IPO this week.

[04] Annan meets Clerides and Denktash in Geneva

U.N. Secretary-general Kofi Annan held separate meetings in Geneva yesterday with President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash as part of the latest round of proximity talks.

Annan said he has given each sides his assessment of the talks and that he expects the two parties to study his report before the next round of talks in January.

He added that the proximity talks held with Special Adviser on Cyprus Alvaro de Soto have got into the 'substance' and that the parties have made "good progress".

"I have shared with them my assessment, where they stand, together with some thoughts on where they should go from here," Annan said. "I have given them some general observations on some issues of procedure and substance."

He announced he has asked de Soto to travel to Athens, Ankara and Cyprus later in November. "I hope that they will understand my words as an effort to take further steps in the direction of a comprehensive approach to a settlement", he said.

"The UN is seeking to facilitate the parties' efforts to reach that goal and my observations are offered to them in this constructive spirit", he concluded.

Clerides made no comments after his meeting with Annan. Meanwhile Denktash said "we are leaving very satisfied" and that he and Annan had "a very good exchange of views". Replying to questions, Denktash said he had not received anything from the UN chief, apart from "good will".

[05] Prescriptions needed for 'suspect' drugs

COLD cures containing a substance linked to strokes in hundreds of young American women will only be available with a prescription, the Drug Council ruled yesterday.

The Drug Council met yesterday to discuss the sale of over-the-counter drugs sold in Cyprus containing the compound phenylpropanolamine, which are used to help unblock congestion associated with colds, flu and allergies.

The council will today publish the names of nine over-the-counter remedies that are currently available on the island. "We are identifying the drugs and in a few days we will ban their purchase without a doctor's prescription," Symeon Matsis, member of the Drug Council told the Cyprus Mail.

But Matsis played down fears about the medicines posing a threat to health saying: "There is not much to worry about because the nine drugs are suspected of causing stroke to people taking them in combination with other medicines or in double doses to lose weight.

In Cyprus they are not known to be used for that. If they are taken for the right reasons at the correct dose and if a doctor decides it is all right for a particular patient to take them then they should not pose a threat to health."

The move by the Drug Council is a u-turn on a decision taken last month when a unanimous vote was taken not to halt the pharmacy sale of the drugs. Cold cures containing the compound include Day Nurse, Benylin Day & Night, Contac 400 and Vicks Coldcure.

Matsis said the Council would wait for the response of other medical associations in Europe and America to decide on further action, such as to withdraw the drugs from the market. Drug safety experts in the UK met yesterday to discuss whether the cold remedies should be withdrawn from sale. But the Committee on Safety of Medicines may delay its decision until it has had more time to look at the evidence.

[06] Why does AKEL celebrate the Bolshevik revolution?

With the collapse of the Soviet Union and its satellites, communist parties across the world rushed to ditch labels and principles deemed unelectable. AKEL, however, kept its name and symbols, and is one of the few communist parties in the world to have the backing of such a large percentage of the electorate -- over 30 per cent.

But one political analyst yesterday questioned AKEL's dedication to Communism, describing it as a Social Democratic party disguised as a movement with communist ideology to maintain its popularity among the working class.

"There is no point in commemorating the Bolshevik Revolution since Communism was universally denounced after it died." AKEL, however, says it insists on the ideas of social equality and justice, but has denounced Communism as a political system. The party celebrated the 83rd anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution on Tuesday, expressing the hope that the days to come would do justice to socialist ideas, which were widely abandoned after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

AKEL political bureau member Yiannis Kolokasides told the Cyprus Mail his party no longer supported the communist authoritarian model of the former Soviet Union, but was backing the ideals and principles on which it was based.

"In our 1990 Conference, we positioned ourselves in favour of a socialist, parliamentary democratic system and a partly free market. But we insist on the importance of a centralised economy, which will ensure social equality. There is no other alternative to capitalism, which reinforces injustice."

AKEL parliamentary spokesman Andreas Christou, addressing the party's event to commemorate the Revolution, said that: "Communism might have failed to bring about the results which people were expecting, but the efforts to abolish social injustice and impose equality and the classless society will never be abandoned with Akel continuing to fight in their name. Socialism has yet to develop and be realised." Christou nevertheless admitted that horrible crimes had been committed under communist rule.

[07] Formalising the defence dogma

DEFENCE Minister Socrates Hasikos said yesterday the Joint Defence Dogma between Greece and Cyprus was now anchored with a new memorandum that would not be affected by changing governments.

The Dogma, agreed in principle in 1993, provides for land, sea and air cover for Cyprus in the event of a fresh Turkish offensive against the island, with Cyprus also providing aid to Greece if it was attacked.

Opposition party AKEL had consistently expressed its concern that there was no formal guarantee to the spoken agreement between the two sides. Hasikos said yesterday that the Council of Ministers and Greece's State Foreign and Defence Council had approved the document, which formalised the Dogma.

"It is now a bi-governmental agreement between the two countries, Greece and Cyprus." While Hasikos said he had no doubt either side would have failed to live up to the agreement as it stood, he conceded:

"It is much better, instead of being dependent on situations and time, for there to be a written agreement consented by both countries and which will stipulate what forces are to be employed and rules of engagement followed, so that if there is a crisis, (what will be done) will already have been decided on by both countries."

"This is a bond between the two countries," he continued. "Independently of who comes into power in Cyprus or Greece, either PASOK or New Democracy or AKEL or DISY, the agreement will stand."

[08] Race authorities set to probe spate of doping cases

Police are also yet to launch any investigation of their own. Senior police headquarters officer Stelios Neophytou yesterday denied widespread reports that police were already looking at the case: "We are not carrying out any investigation at this time, but I understand that the Race Course authorities themselves are looking into the matter."

Reports had said that CID officers went to the Racecourse on Tuesday to collect information on the latest outbreaks of suspected horse doping. Thirteen horses have tested positive in the last eight meets.

Their samples have now been sent for a second confirmation test. Racecourse Authority president Akis Petris yesterday told the Cyprus Mail this meant 15 per cent of competing horses were thought to have been using performance- enhancing drugs.

Overseas figures are estimated at only one per cent. According to Racecourse rules, the horses' trainers are held responsible whenever an animal is found to be drugged. Petris said trainers were not happy about the situation, but added the Authority had no choice: "Who are we supposed to punish, the horses?" He said the Authority had not yet launched an investigation as they were still awaiting test results: "It all depends on them." Winning horses always have their urine tested to examine whether they have been doped.

[09] Bi-communal drug rehab centre plan

There are an estimated 1,000 hard drug users in the free areas of Cyprus, of which 60 to 70 are in desperate need of in-house treatment. The only facility on the island that is currently able to offer this type of service is in the Machairas mountains, but it does not have the capacity to cater for the rising demand.

Now Kenthea, a Larnaca based education and treatment centre, is seeking funding for the project, which it says is long overdue. "We needed this new centre yesterday - we have a very big drugs problem here in Cyprus and the number is rising daily," said Dr. Kyriacos Veresies, a neurologist psychologist and the Director of Kenthea.

He pointed out that the latest statistics revealed five per cent of young people were using drugs. The results were gathered through interviews with 1,500 people, of whom 75 per cent were aged between 15 and 35 years. Of these, one per cent are hard drug users, and only a small proportion are approaching medical professionals for help.

The statistics for school age children are also shocking, revealing that children as young as 11 are experimenting with drugs. For the first time ever, Eastern Sovereign Base Area police are working alongside Kenthea to combat the problem.

Previously, SBA officers concentrated on prosecuting users, but they have now altered their approach after studying statistics that show imprisonment does not help people overcome their addiction. "We must now be proactive rather than just reactive," said Sergeant Evagoras Limistiras from the Support Department.

Now whenever they find an addict they will be pass them on to Kenthea for treatment. Statistics show that out of every 1,000 users just three to five are ever truly rehabilitated. This, Limistiras said, was evidence the traditional approach was failing badly. "We are taking this issue very seriously, and together with the drug centre we are looking for a site for a new complex accessible to people from both the occupied and the free areas," he added. Pergamos was originally considered as a possible location, but it was decided it would be inappropriate because of political sensitivities.

Now all sides are reconsidering and have asked British Forces in Cyprus for permission to use an area of British retained land elsewhere within the buffer zone. The exact site has yet to be revealed, but a senior MoD official has confirmed that they have received an application from Kenthea, proposing the establishment of a drug rehabilitation centre.

He said the MoD was considering this proposal but that as yet no decisions had been taken. Limistiras said once a site had been chosen they would have to consider various other factors, such as electricity and water supplies, sewerage facilities and the degree of political intervention.

They must also guarantee long-term funding for the project - one source has been identified, but they are still awaiting confirmation that this will be guaranteed. He envisages an ambitious future project, with the new facility consisting of a small community. "I would like to see a tennis court, basketball court and football pitch, such as can be found in parts of Europe and the United States.

If we can use British retained land, that will allow us to invest all the funding we receive directly into services." Kenthea's Veresies is meanwhile confident that a 'Closed Therapy Unit' will soon be established at the old leper hospital in Larnaca, with the help of a £50,000 donation from Bishop Chrysostomos of Kiti, the Chairman of Kenthea.

This will be used to hep treat serious addicts, while those less at risk can benefit from 'Open Therapeutic Groups'. A liaison meeting, to discuss further proposals is being held near Dhekelia next Friday. Local head teachers, community leaders, pharmacists and chairmen of school parents committees will attend the event, to talk about the creation of additional support groups.

[10] Software pirates damaging Cyprus reputation

Cyprus currently ranks second in piracy rates, beaten only by Greece, out of 17 western European countries. Speaking to reporters in the wake of a widely publicised police raid against several compact disc pirates, Business Software Alliance (BSA) representative Achilleas Demetriades said it was estimated that illegal software copying on the island last year cost legitimate software manufacturers £14 million.

He added: "Another serious consequence is that the reputation of Cyprus is tarnished as a result of this unlawful activity." Over the weekend, police arrested four people suspected of piracy, and confiscated thousands of music and game CDs, and videotapes thought to be illegal copies.

Demetriades praised the police for their successful campaign against pirated and unauthorised software and their determination to fight this scourge. "With the latest raids on shops selling pirated software, compact discs, video-games, and video cassettes, police sent a clear message that piracy will no longer be tolerated, and computer shops should make sure they do not sell pirated software," he said.

Police told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the force would continue its campaign until the phenomenon was wiped out, adding they would clamp down on piracy concerning all kinds of intellectual property. A spokesman said police were in the process of building a case against the four suspects, adding it was a time-consuming and cumbersome procedure because they had to go through around 10,000 tapes and CDs confiscated during the weekend raid.

Demetriades said the raids had been preceded by intensive training of officers on ways of identifying unauthorised copies and on the legal framework of software piracy. Original application products must be sold with original discs and manuals, licence agreements and packaging which carries certain security features.

"A licence is required for each product installed on a computer," Demetriades said. He added: "the aim is to educate the public that in the workplace there must be licences for operating and application systems."

There were cases of computer companies which charged customers for authentic software and installed pirate copies instead, he said. "The public is still ignorant concerning such issues. They should demand a licence for any product bought," Demetriades added.

"The problem is not prosecuting people. The problem is to make people realise this practice is wrong. "It is always cheaper to steal something than buying it. If you adhere to this principal then fine," Demetriades said.

If convicted, a pirate faces a fine of up to £1,500 and/or two years behind bars. For a second offence, the fine is up to £2,000 and/or up to three years in prison. In addition, offenders could face civil action, which could award a hefty compensation .

Cyprus Mail 2000

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