Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-12-29

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

CONTENTS

[01] Crying icon found near Limassol

[02] CY hopes to sell A310s to Iran

[03] Tsiakourmas spends night in hospital

[04] Blue chips take the market down

[05] Boost for hotel development

[06] Government lab workers may strike

[07] Dead men were known to police

[08] Petrol prices to drop next week

[09] One dead in army crash

[01] Crying icon found near Limassol

A PRICELESS eighth century icon of the Virgin Mary has apparently begun to cry at a church in the small Limassol district mountain village of Arakapas. Village priest, father Dimitrios Panayiotou, said he first noticed the tears on Christmas Day while preparing for the morning service. "They must have started the night before but nobody saw them but then at 6.30am when I was cleaning the icon the tear marks showed clearly," he said. Panayiotou continued that the tears began to fall again in his presence during an afternoon service, "There were a lot of tears. They were very clear at that time. You could see them coming out of the eyes, growing bigger and then falling." The apparent crying continued on Boxing Day and yesterday when Limassol Bishop Athanassios visited the site saying, "I am not in a position to comment on this phenomenon. I saw what you saw and we must just pray that it all means something good." The bishop continued that since God loved mankind He was not likely to do something that would scare His creations. On his part Panayiotou said that he could not explain what was happening, "There is not explanation. Whatever God wants will happen. We must always be ready. No explanation is necessary." An elderly patron of the Church meanwhile, said that the icon had helped create many miracles during his own youth and that these included making a childless woman conceive "just the other day," he said.

[02] CY hopes to sell A310s to Iran

CYPRUS AIRWAYS are preparing to send representatives for a visit to Iran in the New Year to try and negotiate a price for their four A310s. Iranian Airways have invited representatives to continue discussions on the possible purchase of the planes, which are being sold to make room for a more modern fleet. The sale process is making slow progress as the prospective buyers are fighting for the lowest possible price. "Of course they want the best deal they can get for the planes, just as we want the best price for us - it is only natural," Tassos Angelis, a spokesman for Cyprus Airways told the Cyprus Mail. He added they are not entirely dependent on the company to finalise the deal and that if needs be they will consider other bids. "It was Iranian Airways who contacted us and not the other way around," said Angelis, "but we know they are also holding talks with other airlines." Another obstacle to overcome before a deal can be signed is the US embargo to Iran, as the engines of the A310s are manufactured in America. Cyprus Airways believes there is a way around this dilemma but added the regulations are complex and time must be taken to make sure the stipulations are not violated. Earlier this year a technical delegation from Iranian Airways visited Cyprus to inspect the planes and two months ago the chairman, along with a number of board members paid a visit. At least three of the A310s are over 16 years old, and although they still have a long service life left, their age means their maintenance costs are rising every year. Cyprus Airways are currently considering purchasing up to four large planes from Airbus or Boeing, both of whom have visited the island to promote their designs. "The whole process is very complicated and our decision is not an easy one," Angelis emphasised. "We expect to have reached a decision by the end of January, but at this stage it is impossible to say what the outcome is likely to be." He pointed out that they have not yet made up their minds about the number of larger planes they will buy or lease. The airline is also looking to buy or lease two or three smaller planes, with 100 to 120 seats. Cyprus Airways are also looking to expand in other ways and they have confirmed they are still looking to take over at least part of the ailing state carrier Olympic Airways, which is seeking to sell sections of their airline. "We have expressed an interest in making an offer and are currently studying their prospectus," confirmed Angelis.

[03] Tsiakourmas spends night in hospital

DIABETIC Panicos Tsiakourmas was returned to prison yesterday after spending the night in hospital in occupied Nicosia to undergo blood sugar tests. UNFICYP Senior Advisor Wlodek Cibor told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said the `authorities' in the north informed UNFICYP that Tsiakourmas, 39, had been taken to hospital for a regular check-up. "The tests were not a result of any deterioration of his health condition," he said. Cibor said that after a request by Tsiakourmas' wife Niki through the UN she and the couple's four-year-old daughter Maria and the detained man's two brothers were allowed to cross to the north yesterday. He said a UN doctor had not visited Tsiakourmas but added that if his wife requested it the UN would try to arrange it. Cibor also said permission was still pending for UN police officers to visit Tsiakourmas who was abducted from his car within the British Sovereign Base (SBA) of Dhekelia close to the occupied areas. He is being held in the north pending trial on February 25 for alleged possession of 1.5 kilos of cannabis. He was taken in retaliation over the arrest of Omer Tekoglu, a Turkish Cypriot from the mixed village of Pyla allegedly for possessing two kilos of heroin following an undercover sting operation. Police say he was arrested outside the UN-controlled buffer zone village but the Turkish side say he was illegally arrested inside the town. When Tsiakourmas' wife returned from the north before midday yesterday she appeared upset over her husband's condition. "His blood sugar was very high," she said. "He was taken to a hospital on Wednesday and was seen by Turkish Cypriot doctors but they couldn't speak a word of Greek or English and it was difficult to communicate." She said his health was deteriorating due to the diabetes and his depressed frame of mind. "He just wants to come home to his family," she said. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement yesterday calling Tsiakourmas` adduction a "terrorist attack". Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides gave instructions for representations to be made to all EU member-states and the United States.

[04] Blue chips take the market down

BLUE CHIP stocks dragged the all-share index down 1.15 per cent yesterday to close at 249.9 points, as investors appeared to switch to other sectors. The FTSE/CySE top 20 index fell 2.45 per cent to 1,048 with banking stock again bearing the brunt. That sector lost 2.27 per cent with Bank of Cyprus (BoC) shedding 11 cents to close at £3.25 pounds and Laiki losing five cents to end at 2.14 pounds. Volume reached £23.6 million as losers outpaced gainers by 100 to 68 with 44 stocks remaining unchanged. Other blue chips which suffered yesterday included GlobalSoft, dropping 11 cents to £5.22 and Sharelink Financial Services which slid five cents to £1.38 in the wake of the company recalling its bid for Kyknos, suspended from the floor on Wednesday. Top performer yesterday was Europrofit, which gained 12 cents to £1.87 on a volume of £3.2 million. Pharmakas Quarries also gained 12 cents, finishing at £1.47 on a volume of £1.5 million pounds. Heavy trading in CLR investments saw its stock drop two cents with over four million shares changing hands. "The major factor in today's decline was the performance of the two banks," said Nicosia broker Demos Stavrides. "They were the major players in the drop." Stavrides said the drop was not something to worry about. "The last few days have been like a war," he said referring to the Kyknos saga but added that it seemed to have boosted interest in investment companies. He said today's session should prove interesting as it is the last day of the financial year and the last day of trading before the New Year. "It will be interesting to see whose prices will go up and to what extent," Stavrides said. A CSE analyst said the increased volume indicated fresh money on the market. "Of course we need to see the volume to be sustained at higher levels than near the £20 million but we are confident that we have new players in the game," he said. "We can conclude that all these people who had Kyknos shares and could not sell them for almost a year found the chance to give them away and invest their money somewhere else. Finally investing selectively is gaining new fans."

[05] Boost for hotel development

THE cabinet has lifted the moratorium on bank lending for hotel developments in a move designed to spark construction to house an anticipated explosion of tourist arrivals. "Those who secure or have secured a permit from the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) to build hotel complexes will now be able to take out loans freely whereas till today there were restrictions," Tourism Minister Nicos Rolandis said after yesterday's cabinet meeting. Rolandis said the incentives for tourism development were necessary because the number of tourists heading for Cyprus was expected to rise to 4 million by 2010. A record 2.7 million tourists are estimated to have came to the island this year, injecting a massive £1.2 billion into the economy. The Minister said tourist arrivals had gone up by 29 per cent over the past three years, with income from tourism jumping by 38 per cent in the same time. Rolandis said building more hotels was the only way to maintain economic growth: "A large part of our economic growth is down to tourism, if we do not let tourism grow, we will not have growth, or at least not as much growth as the average EU country enjoys." He promised hotel developments would be sanctioned with "environmental planning" in mind.

[06] Government lab workers may strike

A SMALL number of laboratory staff at the government hospitals are considering strike action in protest to what they say are outdated working conditions but are yet to notify their union about their plans. DIKO deputy and former state coroner Marios Matsakis said hospital laboratories required a general and more intensive overhaul. An article in Phileleftheros newspaper yesterday said that lab technicians were complaining of having to work in conditions reminiscent of the 1950s and were planning a walkout if the government did not provide them with more up to date equipment. Public servants' union PASIDY's laboratory technician's sector president Zoe Sidera, however, yesterday told the Cyprus Mail, "We have no idea about any strike being planned. The protestors are a small group of individuals and anything we do is through PASIDY." A senior Health Ministry official said the Ministry would not comment on an unofficial demand, "If they are unhappy then they should make their demands though the proper channels and not a newspaper." Matsakis said he could sympathise with the laboratory workers, "There is a serious problem. Some of the equipment is new of course but a lot of it is old. The main thing, though, is that the laboratories lack proper structure." Matsakis continued that none of the state hospitals' laboratories had medical doctors at their helm and that staff with high school diplomas or doctorates were treated in the same manner, "This is an old issue." He said the Health Ministry seemed unwilling to put things right and that, "A past strike had consequences in terms of costs and medical care. When tests were made a taxi had to be called to take the sample to a private laboratory. This all took time." Quality control was another problem because samples had to be sent to different private labs, "I am sure there were doctors who thought about the whole process and decided against ordering tests they might ordinarily have done."

[07] Dead men were known to police

JUSTICE Minister Nicos Koshis yesterday suggested Wednesday's shooting of two men on a Nicosia street signaled the end, rather than the beginning, of an underworld feud. The Minister also revealed that he had known one of Wednesday's victims and had often tried to advise him to stop "going off the rails". Police were yesterday still searching for the killer or killers who shot 29-year-old Andros Savvas Emiliou and 27-year-old Christos Tziakouris outside the Ayios Omologites Youth Club on Spyros Lambrou Street at about 5.30am on Wednesday. A number of people were questioned in connection with the murders yesterday, but no arrests were announced. State pathologist Sofoklis Sofokleous carried out autopsies on both victims' bodies yesterday. He said Emiliou, who died on the scene, had been hit by six bullets while Tziakouris, who died in hospital shortly after the attack, had been hit by five. Sofokleous said the bullets had been fired from a Czech-made assault rifle and a pistol, and not from the Kalashnikov automatic found on the scene of the crime. Koshis said he did not wish to comment on the course of the investigation into the shocking double murder, but he was quick to deny suggestions that Nicosia was wresting the unwanted title of `crime capital of Cyprus' from Limassol. A recent spate of arson and bomb attacks, coupled with Wednesday's killings, has the government worried. But Koshis was yesterday keen to look on what bright side there was: "I do not expect a continuation of the feud," he said. He said Wednesday's murders were clearly down to warring between rival underworld factions, adding that both Emiliou and Tziakouris had "many enemies". Both men were known to police. Tziakouris had often been arrested in connection with bomb attacks and, at the time of his death, was awaiting trial as an alleged accomplice to the murder of special constable Photis Petrakides. Emiliou had been jailed at the age of 17 for the murder of his uncle, getting out four years later. Emiliou was not only well known to police but to Koshis as well, the Minister said yesterday. "I had many meetings with Emiliou to try to stop him getting involved with gangs," Koshis said. The last time he saw Emiliou alive was at the Nicosia races the Sunday before last, Koshis said. He had told the 29-year-old to be careful, he added. Koshis said it was his way to try to look out for people he thought might get into trouble: "The aim is to try to save lives," he said. Turning to the overall situation, the Minister said the rise in Nicosia bomb and arson attacks, mostly on cars, over the last two months was not an indication of an increase in organised crime but rather down to "differences" between individuals. He said the government was very worried about the upsurge in attacks but described the spate of arsons and bombings as "seasonal" and predicted it would "die down just as it has done in Limassol." Limassol has an unwanted reputation for gangland warring. Over a dozen suspected underworld figures have been killed in the town over the past six years. But, as Koshis pointed out yesterday, Limassol has been enjoying relative peace over the past year.

[08] Petrol prices to drop next week

PETROL prices are set to drop by 2.2 cents per litre this Tuesday, Commerce minister Nicos Rolandis announced yesterday, while further price reductions were expected by February. The reduction of fuel prices on January 2 follows a significant decrease of oil's international trading price, the basis for petrol pump prices, which are reset every six months. Current prices had oil in the $22 (£14) per barrel range, said the minister, and adjustments were expected after the market was flooded following a shortage scare in autumn. "The international trading price has decreased significantly. I get the impression that it is going to keep dropping, meaning further price reductions by February," said Rolandis. Both the unleaded super and leaded petrol are currently sold at 46.2 cents a litre, while diesel and heating oil average at 19.3 cents a litre. Importers are expected to receive a total of £4 million to cover losses suffered in October and November. The government's annual budget for subsidising fuel importers is coming up to £33 million. 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 lost income was remunerated in some way. The government in return was reluctant to continue subsidising oil imports to the tune of £5 million a month.

[09] One dead in army crash

Thirty-year-old Pavlos Papasotiropoulos, a Captain with the Greek army contingent in Cyprus (ELDYK), was killed when an army jeep overturned on the Palechori to Nicosia road yesterday. Three other soldiers, who, like Papasotiropoulos, were members of the ELDYK military police, were seriously injured in the crash and were in hospital last night. According to police, the army jeep overturned after overtaking a truck on a hill at speed and skidded along the road surface up side down for about 150 metres before colliding head-on with an oncoming single-cabin pick-up truck. The accident happened near the Ergates industrial estate at around 11am. The driver of the army jeep was apparently trying to catch up with a National Guard convoy at the time. The accident is being investigated by police and the National Guard command.

Cyprus Mail 2000

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