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Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-12-07
Thursday, December 7, 2000
CONTENTS
[01] Minister's vote of confidence for beef
[02] Reassurance over dangerous insecticide
[03] Teachers suspend strike threat
[04] Karas hits back in chopper row
[05] Turkish Embassy refuses visas for Istanbul visit
[06] Youth `beats up elderly neighbours'
[07] Denktash walk-out would have to be referred to Security Council
[08] Mobile at the wheel will cost you £100
[09] Ministers agree to tighten up on foreign workers
[10] Cyprus below average on maths and science tests
[01] Minister's vote of confidence for beef
AGRICULTURE Minister Costas Themistocleous yesterday banqueted on beef in a
bid to boost sales badly hit by mad cow disease scares while also
announcing details of the latest anti-BSE measures. Themistocleous chaired
a morning meeting on how to implement Tuesday's decision to follow the EU
lead and ban the use of meat and bonemeal as animal feed for six months
from January 1. The minister then headed straight for Aradippou, where he
was guest of honour at a beef banquet organised by the area's cattle
farmers in a bid to push home the `beef is safe' message. The spread of BSE,
or mad cow disease, in Europe, blamed on meat and bonemeal feed, has
slashed local beef sales by a third over the past two months, despite
official assurances that Cyprus cows are free of bovine spongiform
encephalopathy. Themistocleous yesterday said the BSE scare had actually
boosted exports of Cyprus beef to Europe and suggested Cypriots should show
the same confidence in local produce. "In foreign countries there has been
an increase of demand for Cypriot beef and I believe the trust shown by
foreigners should be shown by local consumers too," he said. "All necessary
measures have been implemented and so the dangers of BSE appearing on the
island are non-existent. I believe we have taken not just preventative
measures by super-preventative measures," the Minister said. At the beef
banquet, the chairman of the cattle breeders association, Savvas Evangelou,
insisted local cows were "completely safe" and threatened legal action
against anyone suggesting otherwise. He said no live cattle had been
imported for 25 years and farmers had stopped feeding their cows meat and
bone meal 25 years ago. Themistocleous yesterday quoted a figure of 10
years for both these earlier precautionary measures. The island's decision
to follow suit in the latest precautionary action - the banning of meat and
bone meal for pigs, poultry and fish as well cows - was set to cost animal
farmers dear, Themistocleous warned. Alternatives to meat and bone meal,
such as soya or corn, would have to be found and these were expensive, the
minister said. But he promised the state would do its utmost to help the
sector cope. "The Government will make every effort to see that our animal
farming is not hit, we will see how we can continue to support the sector
under the new conditions," he said. Themistocleous said supporting animal
farmers and paying compensation for any stocks to confiscated and destroyed
when the ban comes into effect would dig into state coffers. Cyprus is
therefore to ask the EU for financial help in implementing the ban on meat
and bone meal agreed by the block in Brussels on Monday. "The Brussels
decision does not provide for this (aid) and I must clarify that these
measures are not obligatory for Cyprus, we are taking them as an additional
protection of consumers' health and of our animal rearing industry in
general. But, because we are going to have some cost we will make a special
application to the EU. for support," he said. It was decided at yesterday's
meeting that all cow entrails produced at local slaughter houses would be
"disposed of in a safe manner" and no longer turned into meat meal by the
island's one production unit. The cow entrails are to be boiled and buried.
On Monday, just hours before the EU ban was decided, the Cyprus Consumers
Association pleaded with the government to ban the use of slaughterhouse
leftovers in meat meal "before it is too late". The one local meat and bone
meal production factory is to be allowed to continue producing for export,
Themistocleous said yesterday. Imports of meat and bonemeal will be banned
from January 1 and all stocks left in warehouses or shops after that date
are to be destroyed. The minister also warned that the ban would drive beef
prices up, as the substitute feeds were pricey and would probably become
more so as demand rose across Europe. "The cost of feeding animals will go
up and so the retail price will go up too," he said. The mad cow crisis
resurfaced two months ago when with an increase in cases in France. Things
were made worse by the appearance of the first cases in Germany and Spain,
suggesting existing containment measures - such as a ban on feed containing
animal protein for cattle - were inadequate. At the heart of the scandal is
the fear that mad cow disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, can spread
to humans through the brain-wasting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Two people
in France and 80 in Britain have died from the human form of the disease.
[02] Reassurance over dangerous insecticide
THE AGRICULTURE Ministry says diazinon, a highly popular U.S insecticide,
which America has just announced is being phased out in homes and gardens
because of the high risks associated with it, are not available for
domestic use on the island. The organophosphate can produce symptoms of
nausea, headaches, diarrhoea and general weakness and experts say children
are particularly vulnerable because their systems are developing. "People
in Cyprus have nothing to fear, because we only use diazinon to protect
vegetables from white fly, caterpillars and other insects - and even then
it is in very small quantities," Andreas Patsias, an Agricultural Officer,
told the Cyprus Mail. "As far as I am aware it is not used in products
that are for the home or garden," he added, pointing out that it was not as
effective as other products on the market. Patsias said the department
would consider withdrawing the dangerous substance altogether in the future
if the EU approved such a move, but until that time they would continue to
allow its use on crops only. However, George Perdikis of the Green Party
says Cyprus is still extremely lax over the control of pesticides and
insecticides, and that far stricter measures should be in place. "We are
the fourth worst in Europe in this respect and I would like to see a system
where these substances are supplied in the same way that doctors write
prescriptions. At the moment anyone can get whatever they want over the
counter and some of the products on the market are capable of killing both
animals and humans - it is a very unsatisfactory set-up."
[03] Teachers suspend strike threat
TEACHERS yesterday agreed to call of a strike that would have shut down
primary and nursery schools today, and secondary school teachers will today
consider calling off planned protests of their own. It appeared yesterday
that a marathon meeting between Education minister Ouranios Ioannides, the
House Education Committee, primary and nursery school teachers' union POED
and OELMEK, the secondary school teachers' union, had paid off. "It seems
that we are not far from breaking the deadlock," Ioannides told reporters
as he came out of the four-hour meeting yesterday. The Committee had
stepped in to act as a mediator in the schools crisis, by bringing all
factions to the table in a bid to avoid disruptive strike action. Primary
and nursery school teachers were until yesterday threatening to continue
strike action begun last month with all-day strikes today, on Tuesday and
Wednesday next week and on December 20. POED wants primary and nursery
school teachers to get the same pay as their secondary school colleagues.
Yesterday's meeting decided that a ministerial committee on the issue would
by today submit a final proposal concerning the pay rise issue. At the same
time, POED agreed to suspend its strike threat. "But the proposal does not
address the issue of equal treatment of primary and secondary school
teachers," Ioannides noted. OELMEK have been complaining that POED and the
Ministry had shut it out of pay discussions they said concerned them too.
In protest, they decided earlier this week to boycott extra-curricular
school activities, refusing to produce end-of-term reports and planning a
two-hour work stoppage for Monday. But the union agreed yesterday to
consider an Education Committee plea to call off its protest. "Our Council
will convene on Thursday and if we decide to call off our protest, we will
start talks, to last until Sunday, with the ministerial committee to deal
with some of our problems," OELMEK chief Andreas Stavrou said. POED and
OELMEK earlier this week accused each other of trying to undermine the
other, and of acting in a "non-unionist" manner. Parents' associations have
pleaded with everyone involved in the growing crisis to "cool it" in order
to minimise disruption to lessons.
[04] Karas hits back in chopper row
DISY deputy Antonis Karas yesterday challenged all those who had disputed
the tender procedures for the procurement of helicopters for the National
Guard to substantiate their claims. Aiming mainly at opposition AKEL, who
have vowed not to approve the funds needed for the purchase, Karas said
that if it were proved that due process had not been followed, then his
party would follow suit and refuse funding. Ruling DISY is alone in
supporting the purchase of four Bell 412EP helicopters, while AKEL, DIKO,
and KISOS disagree. The main reason for their opposition is that the
helicopters under consideration are not the military version of the type
(the US bars arms sales to Cyprus). On Tuesday, AKEL deputy Doros
Christodoulides said his party believed different specifications had been
sought in the beginning, then been changed to fit the Bell option.
Yesterday, Karas told the Cyprus Mail that the House Defence Committee
had been discussing the helicopter issue since June and no one had ever
raised any objections about the procedures. "They came up with all this now,
" Karas said. He said such issues should have been discussed during
committee sessions and not in public. Karas added AKEL deputies on the
House Defence Committee had tabled the option of the Russian-made Mil MI-17
helicopter while the committee was discussing approval of the funds for the
Bell. This was unacceptable, Karas said, but added his party had not kicked
up a fuss about it. "We credit them with having good intentions, that they
were trying to get a better offer," Karas said. But in such procedures
there will always be something better and cheaper, he added. The DISY
deputy said the procedures to acquire the four transport helicopters had
started five years ago and that they were almost over bar the funding
approval before the fracas broke out. At that time, Karas said, everyone
agreed with the procedures and types chosen, but now AKEL said there was a
cheaper and better helicopter. "I agree," Karas said. "But if we cancel the
current bid and invite tenders again, we will need another five years. "At
the end of the five years, we will probably find something better and
cheaper again, and I am sure there will be. "By searching for the best of
the best we lose the better ones," Karas said. The Mil Mi option, although
heavily armed and able to carry 32 troops compared to Bell's 13 is
considered a bulky helicopter good for long range missions. The Bell, on
the other hand, is lighter and more versatile and can fly closer to the
ground, between trees and buildings, and land anywhere.
[05] Turkish Embassy refuses visas for Istanbul visit
THE TURKISH Embassy in Athens has refused permission for a group of 40
Greek Cypriots to spend Christmas in Istanbul, despite earlier indications
that visas could be granted. Travel agent Christodoulos Tsangaris was
informed of the decision on Tuesday. He said it was standard practice not
to explain why permission was refused, but was told the reason was
"political". "I told the clients, but they insist we should go. I will try
again to find a way of going," Tsangaris told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
He now intends to meet the Turkish Ambassador in Greece to discuss the
matter in depth as soon as possible. "I telephoned yesterday and I will try
again today. If they set a time and a date, then I'll go," he confirmed.
Meanwhile, his clients are disappointed, but not deterred. They have all
had their money returned. The proposed trip to Istanbul, scheduled for
later this month, courted considerable media attention and a government
warning. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming that Cypriot
passport holders were barred from entering Turkey on a tourist visa.
Without a Cyprus Embassy in Ankara, they argued that Cypriots could be left
stranded in case of accident or emergency. Tsangaris branded the
intervention as tantamount to an attempt to restrict the movement of free
citizens. None of his 40 travellers pulled out of the holiday. Tsangaris
made five visits to the Turkish Embassy to process all the arrangements. He
was told the visas could only be granted after the holiday had been fully
booked. The Embassy confirmed to the Cyprus Mail that Cypriots were
eligible to visit Turkey on a tourist visa. Interest was so strong that
Tsangaris proposed a second visit for spring 2000, if all went according to
plan first time round. The vacation would have been the first organised
Greek Cypriot holiday in Turkey since the 1974 invasion.
[06] Youth `beats up elderly neighbours'
By a Staff Reporter A LIMASSOL youth allegedly beat up his neighbours - a
68-year-old man and his 65-year-old wife - because they had complained
about his dog barking.
According to police, the alleged assault took place at Erimi, outside
Limassol on Tuesday afternoon. The 17-year-old first shouted insults at
Andreas and Loula Polycaprou as he walked past their garden, 68-year-old
Andreas told police. When the couple demanded to know why the youth was
hurling abuse at them, he allegedly began hitting them. The old couple to
be treated at the Limassol hospital for minor injuries following the
incident. Andreas told police that the youth had attacked him and his wife
because they had complained about his dog barking. The 17-year-old was
yesterday charged with assault before being released to appear before court
at a later date.
[07] Denktash walk-out would have to be referred to Security Council
PRESIDENT Glafcos Clerides said yesterday that if the Turkish Cypriot side
did not respond to UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan's invitation to take
part in the next round of proximity talks in Geneva, the issue would have
to go before the Security Council. Speaking on his departure for Nice to
attend the EU summit there, Clerides said Ankara's backing of Turkish
Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash's refusal to go to Geneva would mean Turkey
was not complying with its partnership agreement with the EU. "Bu it is not
yet so certain that Turkey has backed Mr Denktash," Clerides told reporters
at Larnaca Airport. He said the fact remained that the Cyprus question was
an important part of Turkey's short-term obligations and that, every six
months, Turkey's stance would be assessed at the EU summit. "It appears
that Mr Denktash has decided he does not want to participate in proximity
talks," Clerides said. "If Mr. Denktash sticks to his position and does not
attend talks, then the issue must be raised at the Security Council so that
it is informed and takes decisions." He added that he expected the UN to
take issue with Denktash for not co-operating with the Secretary-general's
good offices mission. Clerides did not say whether or not he believed
Denktash would show up in Geneva. "But if no progress on the Cyprus issue
is achieved and Mr Denktash does not participate in talks, then it will be
considered as a lack of good will on his part," he said. The UN-led
proximity talks, which began a year ago in New York, are due to resume in
late January. Since his return from the latest round last month in Geneva,
Denktash has been saying that as far as the Turkish Cypriot side is
concerned the talks are over, but has not said outright he will not be
attending the next round. He wants the talks to take place on a state-to-
state basis and wants discussion on confederation rather than a bizonal
bicommunal federation. But UN special envoy for Cyprus Alvaro de Soto said
on Tuesday there would be no change in the parameters laid down last year
for the talks. De Soto left the island yesterday, but hopes to return in
early January to prepare the ground for the resumption of talks. Clerides
said the Greek Cypriot side was satisfied with Annan's six-monthly report
on Cyprus issued late on Tuesday. Annan recommended the Security Council
renew the six-monthly mandate for the UN peacekeeping force UNFICYP.
[08] Mobile at the wheel will cost you £100
THE GOVERNMENT says the public's reluctance to stop using their mobile
phones while driving has prompted it to double on-the-spot fines for
offenders from £50 to £100. While raising the penalty earlier this year
from £30 to £50 proved successful in reducing the number of people both
speeding and failing to wear a seat belt, it has had less influence on
phone users.
"Unfortunately, the only language the Cypriots understand is financial
punishment - it's the one way we can get the message through. More
motorists are now adhering to the law generally, but not enough people are
investing in hands free sets," said Averoff Neophytou, the Minister of
Communications and Works. He explained that officers frequently struggled
to spot a driver using a mobile while driving and that this was an area
police were determined to target. Similarly it is an offence to eat or
drink while behind the wheel of a car and this year alone more than 11,500
people have been convicted of the "free hands" crime. The number caught
speeding stands at almost 70,000 and nearly 19,000 were fined for not
wearing a seat belt. Committing any motoring offence in the Sovereign Base
Areas automatically guarantees a fine if detected, but outside the SBA it
seems a number of those stopped manage to get away without paying up. A
government official, who wished to remain anonymous, confessed to the
Cyprus Mail that this was largely due to the fact that the island was so small: "Everyone knows everyone else and often an officer finds he has stopped a friend or relative and is too embarrassed to fine them." Certainly the lax enforcement in the laws
is reflected in the road fatality rates for Cyprus, which are amongst the highest in Europe, with more than 100 people killed on the roads each year. However, Neophytou denied the claim that not enough was being done to police the island: "The only way w
e could put an end to people committing motoring offences would be to have one officer following every motorist, which is of course completely impractical." A new points system, similar to that which is employed in the UK is also being introduced from Jan
uary 1. It will be operated alongside speed cameras that will photograph the number plates of vehicles exceeding the limit, providing the House of Representatives approve the initiative. The new £100 fine has yet to be approved by parliament, but Neophyto
u said he hoped it would be in place early in the New Year.
[09] Ministers agree to tighten up on foreign workers
THE MINISTERIAL Committee on foreign workers yesterday announced that even
employees who had filed complaints against their bosses would have to leave
the island once their contracts has ended, returning only for court
appearances. Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou made the
announcement yesterday after a meeting with Justice Minister Nicos Koshis,
Commerce Minister Nicos Rolandis, Labour Minister Andreas Moushiouttas and
senior Immigration Service officials. "It has unfortunately been noted
recently that some people in the legal world cause additional problems by
representing foreigners who have lodged complaints against their employers
for violating their rights. We have reason to believe that many of these
cases are false and fabricated in order to keep the foreign person in
Cyprus after their four-year contract has ended," Christodoulou said. He
added that, from now on, the foreign workers would be able to stay for only
15 days over their contract, during which time it would be decided whether
they had a genuine case against their employers. "If there is, they will go
overseas and be allowed to return if and when the case reaches the courts."
Christodoulou, who on Monday had blamed lenient officials and foreign
support groups for giving the impression Cyprus was soft touch for bogus
asylum seekers, insisted he was not saying that all legal advisors were
abettors to scams: "I am just saying that it is easy for some to create
this category of foreign worker who should leave but begin to create
difficulties with alleged problems with their employers and this process
can take one to two years before the courts," keeping the worker in Cyprus
for the duration. The Committee yesterday also decided to maintain the
moratorium halting the entry of most categories of foreign workers,
limiting contracts to a maximum of four years for the majority and stricter
criteria for changing employers. "The Committee has decided to extend the
moratorium because conditions have not changed enough to rule it out yet,"
Christodoulou said. Introduced over a year ago, the moratorium was adopted
following pressure from unions charging that foreign workers were depriving
Cypriots of jobs. Christodoulou said a few exceptions would be made in
cases where specialist industries requiring high-technology expertise could
not be provided with local personnel. "We also discussed the issue of the
length of employment contracts and were all of the opinion that the four
year structure should remain in place with only specific cases, where
Cypriots are not readily available such as cattle and pig tending and
manual labour, for their to be a fifth year added." He added the moratorium
would be reviewed during each Ministerial Committee meeting, "At the moment
there has been a small fall in unemployment over the 11 months of 2000 with
the average reaching 3.5 per cent compared to 3.6 per cent in 1999, while
in November it fell to 3.3 per cent compared to 3.8 per cent in November
1999." It was also decided, the Minister continued, that foreign workers
should not be allowed to change employers without serious cause. "Some
foreign workers change employers at the slightest thing and this creates
huge problems for our Services, which have trouble keeping tabs on frequent
moves."
[10] Cyprus below average on maths and science tests
By A Staff Reporter THE EDUCATION Ministry yesterday distanced itself from
international test scores that put Cyprus in the "below average category"
for science and maths in the 12-14 age group. A total of 38 nations took
part in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-
R). The results ranked Cyprus 15th from bottom in maths and 12th from
bottom in science. The international average was 487 for maths and 488 for
science. Cyprus scored 476 and 460 respectively. Moldova, Macedonia and
Romania were Cyprus's nearest neighbours in the table. Turkey was the only
European Union candidate country with a worse average than Cyprus.
Nonetheless the performance is up on past years, when Cyprus was down in
the bottom 10. "There are black lies in statistics. So when you're
confronted with research you must look into it very carefully to explain
and interpret the results," chief education officer Frixos Demetriades told
the Cyprus Mail. Cyprus has one of the highest proportions of university
graduates per population in the world. TIMSS-R statisticians also warned
that the rankings were far from absolute, because not every single student
in each country was tested. Old fashioned textbooks, a huge curriculum and
rote learning have been blamed for the miserable performance in the past,
despite a strong homework tradition and smaller class sizes than elsewhere.
In recent years, less than 40 per cent of high-school pupils aged 12 to 14
took the tests. They tested ability in mathematics, algebra, geometry,
biology, physics and other subjects. Chile, the Philippines, Morocco and
South Africa were at the bottom of the table in both subjects. Top scorers
were Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Hungary and Japan.
Cyprus Mail 2000
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