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Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-12-19
Tuesday, December 19, 2000
CONTENTS
[01] The end of an era
[02] Pressure eases at the pump
[03] Meaty issues
[04] Blue-chip stocks take a beating
[05] Pope hopes for solution
[06] Accusations fly as chopper battle drags on
[07] Watchdog eyes fakes exhibition
[08] Deportation of immigrants `defies international law'
[09] New measures to curb sport violence
[10] Baby scam
[11] Car troubles
[01] The end of an era
By Jean Christou JOHN WOOD, manager of the Le Meridien Spa and Resort in
Limassol is leaving Cyprus after 30 years of involvement in the island's
tourist industry. Wood told the Cyprus Mail yesterday he is transferring
to Le Meridien's Middle East/West Asia division but has not yet been given
his precise destination. "I got an opportunity to work internationally and
get little bit more experience in other country in a part of the world I've
not seen," he said. "It's a fabulous opportunity." Wood's career in the
Cyprus hotel industry began in April 1970 when he came to the island to
manage the Asperia Towers hotel in Famagusta. In 1971 he moved on to the
Salamina Towers, which closed on July 22, 1974 shortly before it was bombed
by Turkish troops during the invasion. In 1974, Wood went back to the UK
for a year. "I didn't enjoy it much but I managed to get Holiday Inns to
transfer me to the Caribbean where I spent four and a half years before we
got itchy feet and wanted to come back to Cyprus," he said. But before he
returned to the island finally, Wood spent another 16-18 months in the
Middle East and arrived back in Cyprus in March 1981 to open the Sunrise
Beach Hotel in Protaras. In August 1987 he travelled on to Paphos to open
the Alexander the Great Hotel which he left October 1995. From there he
went on to Le Meridien, his current posting. "I've been here five years and
one month," he said. He was also president of the Hotel Managers
Association for four years relinquishing the post in 1999. During his term
as president of the association Wood was out always outspoken and direct on
the issues of Cyprus tourism and promoting the motto "the customer is
king". Wood will return to Cyprus one day, he said. "My home is here. I'm
just looking to gain some experience and see a bit of the world." He
suggested that other Cypriot hotel managers should also widen their
experience in other countries. "I think they need to do that. Right now
they go and study and come back immediately, one: due to work permit
problems abroad and second: mum wants them to come home," he said. "This is
the reality of life and what happens is they come back to Cyprus with only
one year experience and start working under managers who did the same thing
as them six or seven years ago and there's noting to pass on." Wood will be
replaced by his current deputy general manager Andreas Christodoulides who
has been at Le Meriden for seven years. "He knows the hotel inside out and
he knows the way I think so I don't foresee any massive changes," Wood
said.
[02] Pressure eases at the pump
By a Staff Reporter PETROL PRICES are set to drop by 1 or 2 cents per litre
just after the new year, according to an announcement by Finance Ministry
officials yesterday. Ministry representative Michael Stavrou told the
Finance Committee that: "We are seriously considering a reduction of fuel
prices by January 2, 2001." Petrol pump prices are reset every six months
based on oil's international trading price. Current prices have oil in the
$26 (£17) per barrel range and adjustments are expected after the market
was flooded following a shortage scare in autumn. The House Committee
welcomed the government's plan to decrease fuel prices and is expected to
vote in favour of the bill. The Finance ministry is also planning to
increase subsidises offered to petrol importers to help them cover the
losses they suffered earlier this year during the shortage scare that saw
fuel prices soar to $35 per barrel. "Importers are expected to receive a
total of £4 million to cover losses they suffered in October and November.
The government's annual budget for subsidising fuel importers is coming up
to £33 million," Kyprianou said. Rising international oil prices and the
weakness of the Cyprus pound dramatically raised the cost of importing
petrol last summer. The course of events put the government in a tight spot,
with the House of Representatives refusing to approve petrol pump price
rises and oil importing companies threatening not to bring in any more
crude unless their income was boosted in some way. The government in return
was reluctant to continue subsidising oil imports to the tune of £5 million
a month.
[03] Meaty issues
By a Staff Reporter THE VETERINARY Services yesterday asked the public to
be especially vigilant in their meat buying over the coming holidays.
Following a meeting with the police and the Interior Minister yesterday,
the Veterinary Services said that any purchases should be checked for their
stamp and any meat not branded by the Services to be reported to the
authorities. The police will be on the lookout for animal and meat
smuggling into the Republic from the occupied areas where health standards
are not rigid. The outcome of the meeting also included an announcement
that the number of the island's slaughterhouses would be reduced from the
current 41 to 15 to bring Cyprus in line with EU guidelines.
[04] Blue-chip stocks take a beating
By a Staff Reporter THE CYPRUS stock market yesterday continued the
downward trend it set last week, shedding 6.73 points off the all-share
index to close at 245.89 points. The general price index was down 2.74 per
cent, but the FTSE 20 index was down by 3.46 per cent, indicating that blue
chip shares were losing ground. Bank of Cyprus shares lost 11 cents to
close at £3.52. Laiki Bank shares lost 14 cents to close at £3.40. Louis
Cruise Line shares were down four cents to close at 48 cents, while
Globalsoft shares shed seven cents to close at £5.16. The Cyprus Airways
(CY) share bucked the trend among blue-chip shares, gaining one cent to
close at 50 cents. The CY share was heavily traded amid reports that the
national airline was to lodge a major bid for Olympic Airways shares. An
announcement on participation in the Olympic Airways IPO is expected today.
The CY stock leapt up by 20 per cent but heavy trading then forced it down
to close at 2.24 per cent up, with 824,335 shares traded. The Louis share
attracted more interest - 1,024,972 shares were traded - but lost 7.69 per
cent. EXEL shares posted the highest gains, growing by 7.33 per cent, while
PSD shares came in second, gaining 5.76 per cent. The market opened at 252
points, dipped slightly and then continued in a downward spiral, continuing
a trend set on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week. Overall,
the number of shares loosing ground outstripped those making gains by
almost five to one. Every single sector was down. The market, which has
lost well-over half its value since the turn of the year, thus continued to
dent the minor recovery it staged earlier in the month after its relocation
to the IMC building outside Nicosia. "This is the time of year when we are
all supposed to give. However, the market is being quite selfish and has
decided that it isn't giving anything," a web market analyst commented
yesterday. "The volume was even lower that Friday and the lowest it has
been in a long time," the analyst added. Total traded value reached just £9,
127,787.38. Today, analysts expect that an announcement by Cyprus Airways
concerning the Olympic Airways share issue and the entry of the Petrolina
share onto the market to possibly boost trading.
[05] Pope hopes for solution
By a Staff Reporter IN A rare papal reference to the Cyprus problem, Pope
John Paul II yesterday expressed confidence that Cypriots' traditional
dedication to the "values of the bible" would lead to a settlement for the
divided island. Speaking at a Vatican ceremony during which he accepted the
credentials of the new Ambassador of Cyprus to the Holy See, Christos
Psilogenis, the Pope said the Cyprus problem was deeply rooted and a
solution would not be easy to find. But Pope John Paul II said this was no
reason to loose hope: "This must not make us feel distressed, because the
roots of the solution are deeply rooted in the culture of the people of
Cyprus, who have been enlightened from the dawn of Christianity with the
values of the Bible." The Pontiff's comment's referred to the religious
beliefs of the Greek Cypriot majority on the island. Psilogenis praised
the values of Christianity and added: "The people of Cyprus have been
fulfilling their Christian duties from the dawn of history, are still
carrying their cross of suffering." The Pope said the majority of the
people of Cyprus were tired of the division on the island and had a genuine
desire for peace. He reaffirmed the Holy See's support for efforts "to
construct bridges of cooperation" in Cyprus. He stressed the need for
dialogue, saying this was the only way to achieve justice and security not
just in Cyprus but in whole world. The sixth round of UN-led Cyprus
settlement talks hangs in the balance because of Turkish Cypriot leader
Rauf Denktash's threats not to take part.
[06] Accusations fly as chopper battle drags on
By George Psyllides DEFENCE Minister Socratis Hasikos yesterday rejected
opposition claims the helicopters that carried out a demonstration flight
were not fuelled to capacity to be able to carry more troops. On Friday two
Bell helicopters used by police were filled to capacity with President
Glafkos Clerides and armed special forces troops in one, and reporters in
the other to prove that they could carry the 13 troops plus two crew
specified by the manufacturer. The helicopter's capabilities were
vigorously contested by main opposition party AKEL, which vowed not to
approve the £22 million necessary for their procurement. AKEL said the Bell-
412EP was not a military craft and was not fitted with the essential
equipment normally carried by such helicopters. The US maintains a military
embargo on Cyprus, so would only provide civilian versions of the Bell,
which would then be kitted for military use in a third country. Yesterday,
Hasikos said the extra equipment - armour, electronic counter measures -
could be fitted in Cyprus at a cost of around $60,000 per helicopter. But
AKEL argues that it was unacceptable to pay so much money to acquire the
helicopters and then pay extra to equip them. AKEL deputy Doros
Christodoulides, who claims the helicopters could not carry the necessary
troops and equipment yesterday charged that the police helicopters' fuel
tanks had not been filled to capacity to be able to carry the troops. This
was promptly rejected by Hasikos. DISY deputy Antonis Karas echoed the
minister, adding that Christodoulides' claims were a "joke". The
helicopters on Friday flew from Nicosia to the Paphos air base and back,
without refuelling. "If the President had not been on board the helicopter
the opposition would have accused the government of putting troops on
helicopters with no fuel to get them killed," Karas said. But
Christodoulides said he would look into the possibility of a "conspiracy"
involving National Guard officers who were persuaded to support the Bell
option. Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou yesterday said the flight
proved that the opposition's claims were totally unfounded. The flight
proved that the lied in an effort to mislead the public, Papapetrou said.
"I wonder who these politicians are, who want to cast experts and
procedures aside, and pose as experts," he said. "What the National Guard
needs is decided by experts and not politicians," Papaperou added. The
spokesman dismissed attacks against the president's decision to participate
in the flight as efforts to mislead people from the essence of the issue.
The Defence Minister warned that if the House did not approve the funds it
would be undermining institutions and blatantly disregarding laws it had
passed. "Everything was done according to procedures," he said. Gone are
the days were the minister went to the companies and bought equipment
without asking anyone, he added. He suggested that the whole issue was
blown out of proportion because of upcoming general elections. "I find it
hard to believe that issues concerning the army are used in parties'
election campaigns," Hasikos said. He suggested there was considerable
backstage horse-trading between parties and the helicopters were used as a
bargaining chip by opposition parties.
[07] Watchdog eyes fakes exhibition
By Athena Karsera THE CYPRUS Chamber of Fine Arts (EKATE) has expressed
concern that a recent exhibition of copies of international masterpieces
deliberately misled the public into buying pieces they believed to be of
higher value. Professor Daniele Ermes Donde, director of Switzerland's
Donde's Musée Imaginaire, won a legal battle in 1984 decriminalising high-
quality replicas of the masters' works, organised the exhibition in Nicosia
earlier this month. An EKATE announcement by the association's president
Andreas Pharmakas said: "People who have purchased these copies have
contacted EKATE asking if the paintings they bought would have any future
value and if their purchase was a wise investment." Pharmakas continued
that there had not been adequate information about the original paintings
or who had made the copies and whether the process of reproduction took
place in front of the original or a reprint. The announcement also
questioned whether it would have been more correct for each copy to be
numbered so that the buyer would know its value as a common piece of work
would be less valuable than a unique one. "It is only right that the
consumer knows how many thousand copies have been made of a particular
work." Visitors to the exhibition saw that all the paintings were
accompanied by certification from the Academy of Belle Arti of Brera in
Milan citing that they were faithful copies and, like the originals, had a
continually rising value in their own right. During a press conference
before the exhibition and in flyers at the show itself it was clearly
stated that Donde had 14 experts working for him, each studying their
particular master in depth in order to create the most faithful of
replicas. A large number of high-profile Cypriots, including three
government Ministers, attended the exhibition's opening on December 5, many
of whom expressed interest in works. Buyers joined the ranks of satisfied
customers such as the Pope, Prince Albert of Monaco, Frank Sinatra, Sophia
Loren, Roger Moore, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ivana Trump. The exhibition
also included original work from Donde himself with prices starting at £920
for the Italian School's Surreal and Degas' Dancer going up to £1,780
for Donde's Portrait of a woman. Klimt's The Kiss would have set you
back £1,780 with Van Gogh's Self portrait with bandaged ear for £1,250
and Sunflowers yellow background at £1,500.
[08] Deportation of immigrants `defies international law'
By a Staff Reporter
THIRTY-FOUR Syrians and Kurds were deported to Syria last week, despite
pending applications for political asylum, a direct breach of human rights
and international law. Although the Immigration Department were yesterday
unable to comment on the matter, the evidence suggests that all 34 were
shipped back to Lebanon on the ill-fated Royal Prince. Deportation
without trial for political asylum seekers, contravenes international
treaties signed by Cyprus, including the European Convention of Human
Rights. The Royal Prince left for Beirut on early Tuesday morning, after
a delegation from the Syrian government arrived in Cyprus on Monday. Cyprus
operates two bi-lateral treaties with Syria and Lebanon for the return of
all illegal immigrants, caught and deported from Cyprus. The UNHCR sent a
letter to the government on Tuesday - the same day that the immigrants were
deported -- warning them of the 34 pending cases. But by Wednesday morning,
the 34 had left Wing 10, Nicosia Prison. President of the Immigrant
Support Action Group (ISAG) Doros Polycarpou yesterday accused the
government of perpetrating racism, and violating agreements signed by the
Attorney-General Alecos Markides at Strasbourg to cooperate with racism and
battle against discrimination. "The Interior Ministry is acting in exactly
the opposite way. Government statements make the population feel really
threatened. We only have 100 political refugees and they're telling us
we're not in a position to accept any more," said Polycarpou. Interior
Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou tightened the screws on asylum seekers
in a series of speeches this month. He claimed many immigrants were bogus
asylum seekers, who made false claims just to stay in Cyprus. Two weeks ago
he announced that foreign workers who have pending court cases against
their employers will be forced to return to their home countries until
their case reached the courts. "The government is not respecting their own
law or the international conventions. We are asking for a public discussion
about these issues, but they are refusing to discuss it," said Polycarpou.
The ISAG also criticised the UNHCR for not standing up against the
government in public over violations of the law. The Syrians arrived in
Cyprus on November 17. On November 23, some of the party confirmed their
intention to seek political asylum. On November 28, representatives of the
UNHCR visited them in prison to take their details and apply for their
release. Earlier this month a Sudanese man was extradited 36 hours before
his case was due to be heard in the Supreme Court. He was extradited
without trial, despite allegations that he faced persecution and torture in
Sudan. His lawyer Nicolas Angelides said the government's gross violation
of human rights jeopardises the country's international reputation and
ridicules plans for EU membership. Angelides was told on the highest
authority that government policy permitted the immediate deportation of any
illegal aliens as soon as they were caught. Cyprus adopted the Refugee Act
on 31 January 2000. The government has still failed to establish a national
body to review political asylum cases - a further breach in the European
Convention of Human Rights. The UNHCR said the number of applications for
political asylum had jumped in recent years. In 1997 there were just 10 to
20, the figure for this year is nearer to 300.
[09] New measures to curb sport violence
By Melina Demetriou IN THE wake of violence during last week's football
matches, the government is considering cutting down on subsidies offered to
sport associations whose members are linked to hooliganism. But the Cyprus
Sports Organisation (CSO), the state body responsible for allocating funds,
strongly opposed the plan, whaich was tabled yesterday at the House Finance
Committee meeting. "Reducing subsidies is a strong deterrent to hooligans.
I think it will pay off," Committee Chairman Marcos Kyprianou said
yesterday. The CSO's general manager Costas Papacostas complained "cutting
down on subsidies would have a direct impact on the training of young
athletes. It would be unfair to minors who are in no way connected to the
violence." Papacostas cited the rising figures for participation in sports
and stressed the need to maintain funding levels. There are currently 72,
000 athletes and members of sport associations while there were only 12.000
in 1985. "Academies' programmes are administered by us. When we allocate an
amount of money to an association we keep a close eye on them to make sure
the money is used for the right purposes," Papacostas said, adding that
academies programmes are based "on fair training." The state budget for
sports' associations is around £60 million a year. The CSO is said to have
asked associations to employ security people to keep hooligans away from
games but it was reported that associations have refused to do so. Violent
incidents were reported in the Omonia - Anorthosis football match on
Saturday and in APOEL -Enosis Paralimniou match last Wednesday.
[10] Baby scam
By a Staff Reporter A CHOULOU man has been given a three-day remand for his
alleged part in scamming a childless couple out of £8,000 to allegedly
speed up their adoption of a Romanian child. Paphos district court remanded
Andreas Chrysostomou, 48, on Sunday following a short man-hunt when the
couple went to the police with their story. The police yesterday said that
the couple would not be named at this stage and that Chrysostomou was
married to a Rumanian national. He was not a government official, the
police said and seemed to have allegedly offered to help the couple for
payment because of his connections to the country.
[11] Car troubles
By a Staff Reporter THREE people were killed and 29 seriously injured in
119 traffic accidents during the week between December 3 and 10, police
said yesterday. A further 36 people suffered minor injuries. In the same
period police reported 2,633 traffic code violations, of which 1,368
concerned speeding. Courts tried 747 cases and 48 people lost their licence
or the right to carry one. Fines imposed during the week amounted to £43,
389. Sixty-seven drivers were booked for not wearing their seat belt, while
a further 154 were using their mobile phone while driving. Sixty motorcycle
and moped riders were reported for not wearing a crash helmet, and three
drivers were booked for excessive emissions of their vehicle. Police
breathalysed 258 drivers 18 of whom were found to be driving under the
influence.
Cyprus Mail 2000
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