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Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-12-20
CONTENTS
[01] Eerie calm pervades Pyla
[02] Tourism looking up for festive season
[03] Napa heads north for Christmas
[04] Soldier arrested on assault charges
[05] Kyknos hits the big time
[06] CY set sights on Olympic
[07] Fire yesterday
[08] Road death
[09] Cheque Stealing and Forging
[01] Eerie calm pervades Pyla
By Athena Karsera AT LEAST two Greek Cypriot employers yesterday picked up
their Turkish Cypriot labourers, ending their part in a weeklong protest
against the detention of their colleague Panicos Tsiakourmas. Tsiakourmas,
39 and a diabetic, was abducted from the Sovereign Base Area nine days ago
after he had gone to pick up some Turkish Cypriot workers near Pyrgamos. He
was accused by `authorities' in the north of drug smuggling. His abduction
followed a Turkish Cypriot's recent arrest just outside Pyla on charges of
drug trafficking when two kilos of heroin were found on him. A British
bases police officer yesterday confirmed that at least two Greek Cypriots
had taken their Turkish Cypriot employees to work in the free areas.
Employers had stopped fetching the Turkish Cypriots since Tsiakourmas'
apprehension. Meanwhile, an eerie calm pervaded the area yesterday with
visits by KISOS president Vassos Lyssarides who said, "My conviction seems
that there is no tension in the village today." Lyssarides also met with
Pyla's Turkish Cypriot `muktar' Ahmed Sakkalis and chief of the Turkish
Cypriot Republican Party Mehmet Ali Talat and Pyla Community Council
president Christakis Antoniou. Talat said it was important for tension in
Pyla to be reduced and his party was working towards peace throughout the
island, "We call on the two sides to act responsibly and free the two
captors so that there is peace in this area." Sakkalis was also supposed
to have met President Clerides earlier yesterday but missed the meeting, he
said, because he had other obligations at the British Bases but said he
hoped for another meeting. "Whenever President Clerides calls us I will be
very happy to go to Nicosia," he said. Sakkalis also said that he would be
meeting with Antoniou later in the week for improvement plans on the
village to be discussed, "We have £1 million at our disposal from the
United Nations and the EU to carry out these works." Clerides yesterday met
with Tsiakourmas' wife Niki, who visited her husband on Monday. Speaking
after the meeting, she said, "The President assured us about (British High
Commissioner) Edward Clay's meeting with Rauf Denktash and said coordinated
efforts for (my husband's) release have been made all round." She continued,
"The President had a very positive attitude. He understands that my husband
should be home with his children for the holidays and is doing everything
he can. He is spending all day working on this." Government spokesman
Michalis Papapetrou said Turkish troops' work at the village seemed to have
come to a stop as a result of the government's steps and efforts with
UNFICYP. He maintained the government still demanded that the work already
done be dismantled. On the government's efforts for Tsiakourmas' release,
Papapetrou said, "I can not speak publicly about the efforts being made on
the matter but they are taking place." The morning Tsiakourmas disappeared
his car was found with the engine running, the doors open and the lights on
some 400 meters away from the occupied areas but inside the bases. Evidence
is mounting that his car was stopped on the road and that he was dragged
violently from the vehicle before being bundled into another vehicle. He
was then sped into the occupied areas where he was arrested on charges of
possessing 1.5 kilos of cannabis. Clay on Monday said if it were proved
Tsiakourmas was abducted from bases territory it would create a troubling
legal and humanitarian issue for the occupied north.
[02] Tourism looking up for festive season
By Jenny Curtis THE CYPRUS Hotel Association is predicting record bookings
this Christmas and New Year and says the government's winter incentive
package is largely responsible. The official statistics for November have
yet to be released, but Nicos Rolandis, the Minister for Commerce, Industry
and Tourism, says they are between 10 and 15 per cent up on last year. "We
had an excellent month and it appears our new measures to attract visitors
at this time of year are working very well. We have yet to establish the
proportions of which nationality visited us last month, but certainly the
UK must be included." According to the Association of British Travel Agents
(ABTA), more than one million Britons are set to travel abroad for the
festivities, many of whom are desperate to escape the heavy rains. It says
Cyprus is the ninth most popular destination for a winter getaway and that
53 per cent of those polled said the awful weather was the main motivating
factor. The government has given regional authorities £250,000 to
subsidise entertainment and cultural events, as part of the Commerce
Ministry's commitment to boost tourism. To date this year bookings from the
UK are up by at least 23 per cent and the overall aim is to raise winter
tourism from 20 per cent of the year's total to 30. In addition Cyprus
Airways has axed the £7 airport tax and offered a £20 reduction for every
extra passenger from Germany and the UK. As well, every eleventh hotel room
will be complementary and there are other financial incentives to help
boost numbers. "This is a very generous package and I think we're now
seeing the positive results of our efforts," a satisfied Rolandis told the
Mail. "I know we don't have the figures for December yet, but I am
confident they will be significantly higher than last year." "I think the
situation's looking very promising and the new programme has made the
prospect of enjoying the Christmas and New Year celebrations in Cyprus a
very tantalising proposition," said Zacharias Ionnides, the Director
General of the Cyprus Hotel Association. Rolandis pointed out that it is
too early to say exactly, but the booking situation for this winter is more
than 10 per cent higher than last year. He added that the tour operators
themselves have been eager to get confirmation from the Cyprus government
that the current package of incentives will still be in place next year.
Ten days ago it was able to give them this guarantee. "We are expecting
even more encouraging results, because in the New Year, details of these
incentives will be incorporated in the second edition of brochures. This
means everyone will be able to see how competitive our packages of holidays
are." Speaking last month to the Cyprus Mail, Avgerinos Nikitas said: "We
must make sure everyone goes home happy and to do this we have to develop
as a quality winter destination." He stressed the need to "enrich the
product" through entertainment and sporting facilities because the Cyprus
sun and sea lose their appeal when compared to tropical climates during the
cooler winter months.
[03] Napa heads north for Christmas
By Jenny Curtis A CYPRIOT radio station is heading for Finland this year to
broadcast a series of shows from Turku, the official international
Christmas City where Santa Claus delivers his annual message of peace.
Nathan Morley, the Programme Controller for Radio Napa, is presenting live
oldies show on Christmas Eve and a chat show on Christmas day - both events
will last three hours. "Every year we try and do something very special
and as Santa Claus is making his annual message of peace from Turku, we
thought it would be appropriate to pay the city a visit," he told the
Cyprus Mail. He says the shows should help those people unable to get away
from the island feel more Christmassy. "Finland is perfect - it has the
snow, the atmosphere and I hear the booze is pretty good as well."
Commenting on the broadcast, producer Chris Yearley said, "It all started
as a silly idea, but after the success of our Radio One broadcasts to the
UK in the summer we decided to go for it." Radio Napa will rely on
technical support from the Finnish radio station RHR, and will broadcast
the station via an ISDN line, which will produce a one second delay. In
addition there will be a satellite back up. The station hopes British and
English speaking tourists visiting the island will particularly appreciate
the shows.
[04] Soldier arrested on assault charges
By George Psyllides A BRITISH soldier serving in the Dekelia Garrison was
yesterday charged with killing a chicken and causing grievous bodily harm
to its owner. He had been arrested on Monday night. Thirty-year-old
serviceman Antony Hill was returning home in Oroklini at around seven on
Monday night when he reportedly entered Simos Andreou's yard and killed the
bird. Reports said that Hill had been drunk at the time of the attack.
Police said the soldier entered the yard grabbed the chicken throttled it.
The owner, who witnessed the whole scene from the window, rushed outside to
rescue his chicken but in the ensuing struggle, Hill caused grievous bodily
harm to Andreou, police said. A Sovereign Base Area spokesman said he did
not know anything about the particular incident. He added: "Of course we
treat any abuse to animals very seriously and will welcome any information
from Cyprus police to enable us to investigate this case as well." Hill was
released until his trial on January 12.
[05] Kyknos hits the big time
By Martin Hellicar IT WAS a quiet day on the Cyprus stock market yesterday,
with a marginal loss of 0.56 per cent on the all-share index serving to
slow a slide that began last week. The general price index closed at 244.51
points, 1.38 points lower than Monday's close, but a one-third increase in
the volume of transactions, which reached £12,5779,025 yesterday, provided
encouragement for investors. "With this volume, it is clear the market has
an element of dynamism," said one market analyst. Blue-chip shares had a
bit of a hard time for the second day running, with the FTSE 20 index again
performing worse than the general index, shedding 0.76 per cent. Laiki Bank
shares lost 2.05 per cent to close at £3.33, with £606,261.63 worth of
shares traded. Bank of Cyprus shares shed 1.13 per cent to close at £3.48,
with the traded volume reaching £572,910.83. Louis Cruise Line bucked the
blue-chip trend by gaining a modest 1.04 per cent to close at 48.5 cents,
with £707,308.96 worth of shares changing hands. This reversed the downward
spiral the Louis share had been trapped in during recent sessions. But
analysts suggested the `season of good will' would have a beneficial effect
on the market and offset the dipping bank shares. "If we take the two
banks as the basis for comment, we would predict that, in the next couple
of weeks, the market may sink as low as 220 or even 212. But, the Christmas
factor is now coming into play and, for psychological reasons, there won't
be big declines," one observer suggested. "Thursday and Friday will be
better sessions," he predicted. Away from blue-chip territory, the Kyknos
share put in an impressive performance yesterday, gaining 12.69 per cent to
close at 69 cents, with £2,588,619. Rumours of big investment companies
sinking funds into Kyknos shares did the share no harm. Petrolina had its
debut on the floor yesterday, but it was a sobering experience for the new
share. It closed at 20 cents, while its IPO price was 70 cents. Overall,
the market began very weakly, opening at 240 points before recovering to
reach a more respectable 246. The insurance companies sector was the
hardest hit, losing 3.53 per cent. The hotels sector shed 1.57 per cent.
Things were rosier for the approved investment companies, tourism companies
and other companies sectors, which posted gains of 1.29, 1.43 and 0.80 per
cent respectively. The approved investment companies sector also attracted
the most investor interest, with £3,204,828 worth of shares changing hands.
The market has lost well over half its value since the turn of the year,
[06] CY set sights on Olympic
By Athena Karsera CYPRUS AIRWAYS said yesterday it would begin proceedings
to head a consortium of investors tendering for the privatisation of Greek
national carrier Olympic Airways. Making the announcement yesterday Cyprus
Airways (CY) chairman Charis Loizides said the decision had followed a
board meeting earlier in the day but that the choice was not binding.
"Cyprus Airways' intention is for its participation to take place within
the framework of a consortium made up of other interested investors. I
would like to make it clear that this expression of interest does not, at
this stage, signify any commitment or obligation on Cyprus Airways' part."
Loizides continued that the next step would be for the company hired to
oversee the privatisation process, Credit Suisse First Boston, to select
the expressions of interest considered to be most significant and send the
relevant parties Olympic Airways' prospectuses. "The investors that pass
through this process will then have to make a non-binding proposal if they
are still interested, and some may not be after receiving the prospectus,
by January 31, 2001." Loizides did not reveal which other companies would
be making up the Cyprus Airways consortium, "There are Cypriot, Greek and
foreign companies." A limited number of selected parties will then be
invited to submit binding proposals, "These will basically be business
plans for the next five or ten years on what each party proposes for the
section of the company they are interested in." Loizides continued that the
consortiums would not be bidding for Olympic Airways (OA) as a whole but
for parts of it, "For example if they are not interested in the route to
Australia they will not want to purchase the planes that take this route."
Loizides said that CY would, depending on the asking price, be interested
in 15 to 12 per cent of the OA sections it was interested in, "because we
will be heading a consortium we have to have a high enough percentage to be
able to have our say." The company's role is important, as one of the
privatisation's specifications is that any consortium must include an
airline. Even if his company reached the final stages, Loizides continued,
any purchase would also depend heavily on the asking price, "If we can't
afford it or it is not in the best interests of the company and its
dependents we wont make the purchase...We do not intend to drag the company
through an adventure." He said that CY, a CSE listed company, had savings
from a recent run of successful years and could also raise money in other
ways. The entire process should be completed by April 1 2001, Loizides said,
to coincide with the opening of Sparta Airport, "It is a very short time
period for something like this but the airport is an added pressure." The
Greek government on December 8 launched an official tender process to sell
a majority stake in its struggling airline. It wants to sell at least 51
per cent of the airline while the entire process had been dealt a severe
blow earlier in the year when British Airways turned down an option to
acquire 20 per cent of the company. Olympic Airways, which has only once
made a profit in the past two decades, is saddled with debts of more than
Dr40 billion (approximately £66.7 million) and is expected to lose at least
half of that amount again this year. European Union rules prevent the Greek
government from recapitalising the company.
[07] Fire yesterday
By a Staff Reporter A FIRE yesterday gutted the living quarters of 14
artistes who work for Mirage cabaret in Yermasoyia. The 2pm blaze in the
flats, which are on top of the cabaret, started, according to the fire
department, when one of the residents left a towel on an electric heater.
The fire destroyed two rooms along with the women's personal effects and
money.
[08] Road death
By a Staff Reporter A 47-OLD-MAN was killed yesterday and a student's leg
was severed on Monday night in two road accidents in the Nicosia district.
Theofanis Kazakeos from Strovolos died in a five-car collision on the Akaki
to Nicosia road at 8am. Police said Kazakeos slammed into the car in front
of him, which in turn hit another two cars. Kazakeos' pick-up then veered
into the other side of the road where it crashed into a parked van In the
same accident a woman suffered head injuries and was kept in hospital for
treatment. Meanwhile, college student Erini Sykopetritou, 19, from Palehori
lost her leg when a car, driven by 24-year-old Andreas Andreou also from
Palehori slammed into a crash barricade. Sykopetritou was in the
passenger's seat next to the driver.
[09] Cheque Stealing and Forging
By a Staff Reporter TWO Limassol women were yesterday remanded in custody
for eight days suspected of stealing and forging government cheques worth
£2,000. Nitsa Mourmouri, 53, and 35-year-old Yiolanda Panayiotou were
caught while trying to shop in a supermarket using a forged cheque. The
court heard Mourmouri denied being involved in the case while Panayiotou
allegedly admitted to stealing and forging at least two government cheques.
Police however claimed they had testimony linking Mourmouri to the case as
well. Investigators told the court that Mourmouri even went as far as
breaking into a post box to steal the cheque sent by the state to a
quadriplegic child.
Cyprus Mail 2000
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