Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-04-11

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

Wednesday, April 11, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Companies who failed to reimburse investors face court action

[02] Tsiakourmas defence claims witnesses intimidated by Turkish Cypriot 'police'

[03] Pittokopitis: I'm being singled out over co-op overdraft

[04] Michaelides under fire with new sleaze claim

[05] Deputies seek to force through jet ski bill against government opposition

[06] Youth 'bought 450 firecrackers from Pyla'

[07] Turkey 'willing to look into theft of icons'

[08] Egypt denies oil talks claim

[09] Extra help called in to clear overflowing recycling bins

[10] Paphos seafront wine factory up for sale

[01] Companies who failed to reimburse investors face court action

LEGAL steps have been taken to target companies who failed to return investors' cash last year, Attorney-general Alecos Markides said yesterday.

Markides told journalists he had recently had a meeting with the Investors' Association and was waiting further information in the coming days.

"They are gong to send me a report on where the illegalities took place and which articles of the law were violated and I'm waiting for this eagerly, " Markides said.

"I would like to add that criminal charges will be pressed again these companies and it has already begun and suits are being filed."

Companies who were awaiting a stock exchange listing late last year were obliged to return money to those investors who asked for it by the end of November, but many did not comply with the new law.

The law, passed by the House last October, said investors who gave money to companies via irrevocable applications and had not received their shares had until November 30 to claim their money back plus 6 per cent interest calculated from the day of collection, if their shares had not been issued before October 18.

Most companies reimbursed investors who asked, but many were reluctant. Others tried to get around the October deadline by sending share titles by hand to meet the deadline.

Others allegedly resorted to 'dirty tricks' to get around the law and several simply refused to hand back the money, leaving investors with no option but to take their case to court.

"People who broke the law have to return the money and should keep in mind that these cases are heading towards the courts," Markides warned yesterday.

Companies who refuse to return investors' cash plus interest will be subject to up two years' imprisonment or a cash fine of up to £50,000 or both.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Tsiakourmas defence claims witnesses intimidated by Turkish Cypriot 'police'

THE DEFENCE in the trial of Panicos Tsiakourmas yesterday told a 'court' in the occupied areas that Turkish Cypriot witnesses had been intimidated into not showing up to testify.

Sources told the Cyprus Mail that during the previous hearing last Thursday, several Turkish Cypriots were in 'court' waiting to testify, but yesterday none were present.

The defence told the 'court' that the Turkish Cypriot witnesses had been summoned to the 'police' station and told that if they did not show up, they would be arrested,

"There were several there last Thursday but none showed up yesterday," the source said. "The court then asked the defence to produce affidavits as to what had transpired if they wished to pursue this aspect."

Tsiakourmas, 39, was abducted on December 13 last year on the Pyla-Pergamos road within British bases territory, taken to the north and accused of possessing two kilos of cannabis. His car was found abandoned with the doors open and the lights on early in the morning.

Yesterday a British bases dog handler from Dhekelia testified that they had found no trace of Tsiakourmas in the area where he was allegedly arrested by Turkish Cypriot 'police'. The trial continues today.

Last week the European parliament passed a resolution condemning the kidnapping of Tsiakourmas and demanded his immediate release.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Pittokopitis: I'm being singled out over co-op overdraft

NICOS Pittokopitis -- the DIKO vice-president being investigated for improperly overdrawing from the Paphos co-op bank he is chairman of -- yesterday complained that the government was singling him out.

The Paphos deputy also said he had paid back the excess overdraft in full and was at liberty to take out a new loan from the Paphos co-op if he so wished. But Commerce Minister Nicos Rolandis questioned this claim.

On Monday, Rolandis named 12 co-ops where officials had been guilty of improperly exceeding their overdrafts by a total of over £1.1 million. Rolandis said the officials in question had till the end of May to pay up or face the sack.

The Paphos co-op was not included in the Minister's 'list of shame' because, as Rolandis explained, the Pittokopitis case was still being investigated by a cabinet-appointed committee.

But Pittokopitis yesterday reacted to the way Rolandis was dealing with officials at the 12 named co-ops, saying he was being singled out for tough treatment.

He insisted he had paid back all the cash he owed, inviting anyone who so wished to check for themselves: "I am Nicos Pittokopitis; my ID number is 05-72-74; there is a central system recording the co-op accounts and anyone giving their name and ID number can check their account," the DIKO deputy stated. "I have paid off my dues and have plenty of leeway, according to the rules, to take out a loan if I so wish," he added. "I am being investigated and therefore cannot make any statement, so I leave the rest to the Cypriot people to decide," he said.

DIKO general secretary Andreas Angelides said Pittokopitis was being singled out because the government wanted to put opposition party DIKO down ahead of the May parliamentary elections.

But Minister Rolandis put a rather different slant on things: "I followed a very mild approach in this case (of Pittokopitis). I said that as no one had been sacked (for improperly exceeding overdrafts) in the past there would be no sackings in this case either, especially as it had been made clear that the money had been paid back."

"Then, information came to the Ministry that the money had not been paid off as we had been assured and the issue took another form. I was at a Cabinet meeting when I heard and I had a duty to inform fellow Ministers. Under the circumstances, the Cabinet judged it was right to appoint an investigative committee," Rolandis said.

"It was not that we wanted to follow a different tactic in the case of the Paphos co-op," he insisted.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Michaelides under fire with new sleaze claim

FRESH sleaze allegations were levelled against former Interior Minister and current ADIK President Dinos Michaelides before the House Watchdog Committee yesterday.

AKEL deputy Kikis Yiangou told the Committee he had evidence that, while a minister, Michaelides, who resigned in the wake of corruption scandals two years ago, had gone against a Town Planning decision, and ordered the appropriation of a restaurant in Limassol in order to serve private interests. The appropriation cost the state £300,000.

The director of the Town Planning Department, Yiannis Papadopoulos, admitted he was aware of the case and that he would collect evidence and submit it to the Committee in its next meeting.

"It happened when the government under DISY decided to construct a four- lane beach road in Limassol. The road would pass around the small restaurant, which was in front of Le Meridien hotel. The Town Planning Department had heard that there was no need to demolish it, but the former Interior Minister, who thought it blocked the hotel's view, decided that the restaurant had to be appropriated," Yiangou charged.

Deputies asked Yiangou to name the minister in question, but Committee chairman Christos Pourgourides of DISY was quick to respond: "There is only one former minister who could have done something like that and we all know who that is. I have no doubt that what Yiangou says is true."

Pourgourides spearheaded the sleaze campaign against Michaelides that led to his resignation.

Pourgourides said yesterday he would ask the Attorney-general to look into the allegations.

"We will get to the bottom of this," he pledged.

Town Planning chief Papadopoulos said: " I'd better not say anything right now. I will collect all the evidence and submit it to you."

"Michaelides has wasted taxpayers' money to serve his own interests," Yiangou insisted, "and because of him, the restaurant's employees were made redundant."

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Deputies seek to force through jet ski bill against government opposition

THE HOUSE plenum will vote on a proposal to allow jet skis to operate without interruption from 10am to 7pm on April 19, its last session before it dissolves ahead of the May 27 elections.

But Communications Minister Averoff Neophytou, hoteliers and representatives of the Cyprus Tourist Organisation (CTO) oppose the plan, citing security reasons at a meeting of the House Communications Committee yesterday.

Almost two years ago, the Plenum passed a law limiting the use of jet skis to the hours between 10am and 1pm and 4pm and 7pm.

The Communications Committee last year proposed to lift the restrictions on the use of the pleasure craft, but the call fell on deaf government ears.

But in a bid to satisfy the demands of jet ski importers and tourists, the Committee last week re-tabled its proposal before Neophytou, who dismissed it as catastrophic.

The proposal has been put forward by four deputies: AKEL's Christos Mavrokordatos, Takis Hadjidemetriou of Kisos, Zacharias Koullias of DIKO and DISY's Antonis Karas.

Although most deputies on the Committee back their colleagues' plan, some are said to be sceptical.

The proposal provides that jet skis would operate outside designated bathing areas, between 500 and 700 metres off the coast.

According to a recent study conducted by a private company, the noise produced by a jet ski does not exceed 75 decibels, the noise pollution limit set by the government.

"I don't see how we could set buoys half a kilometre off the coast. How would we stabilise them? We don't want any more accidents. Three people died in jet ski accidents in the last three years. And what if something happens to a jet skier? The lifeguard will be too far to get to him in time, " Minister Neophytou argued.

Paralimni Mayor Nicos Vlittis said his municipality wanted to hire an expert to conduct a study on the plan.

"We were against the idea until we heard that jet skis didn't actually make that much noise. We are still sceptical about it though, that's why we want to consult an expert," he said.

Zacharias Ioannides, speaking on behalf of hoteliers' union PASYXE suggested to divide beaches into jet skiing and jet ski free areas.

Monica Liati of the CTO warned that there was no watchdog mechanism to make sure that jet skis would stay out of swimmers' way.

"Anyhow, we receive much fewer complains about noise pollution now than before the restrictions were imposed. And the report on noise pollution refers to the production of noise by one or two crafts. That's not the same as having 20 or 30 of them operating at the same time," she argued.

But jet ski retailers present at the meeting claimed tourists complained about the restrictions on the use of the high powered craft.

Koullias, the acting chairman of the Committee, said the proposal could pass through Parliament without the government's consent and that the House plenum would decide on April 19.

A year ago, dozens of jet ski owners and importers came in to Nicosia to protest against the Communications Ministry's refusal to endorse deputies' pleas to lift restrictions on their use.

The protestors argued that the lack of marinas on the island encouraged sea sports entrepreneurs to choose jet skis over other craft as their smaller size made them easier to transport and launch from the beach.

About 700,000 tourists use jet skis every year along with thousands of Cypriots.

But a spate of serious accidents in recent years prompted the government to act to restrict their operation.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] Youth 'bought 450 firecrackers from Pyla'

POLICE found more than they expected when they stopped a teenage motorcyclist on the road from Pyla to Larnaca for traffic violations.

The 16-year-old electrician was carrying a plastic bag with 450 firecrackers in it and told police he bought it at a shop in the buffer zone village of Pyla for £17.

Police also discovered he was driving without a licence, insurance, crash helmet or permission from the motorcycle's owner to use it.

The suspect was taken into custody on Monday and released yesterday morning. Oroklini police are investigating.

The authorities have clamped down hard on fireworks this year in an effort to prevent the rash of injuries from explosives that in years past has peaked in the week before Easter.

This season, the first injury from fireworks came last Thursday, when 17- year-old Andreas Hadjimichael, a Larnaca high school student, lit off a triangular firecracker that exploded in his hands.

The blast seriously injured his left eye.

"He was in the hospital for four days and was discharged this morning. he is doing very well as far as the injury is concerned," Titos Christofides, an ophthalmologist at Larnaca's New Hospital, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.

While the youngster's eye has made good progress, Dr. Christofides considers him extremely lucky.

Every year sees youths losing fingers, getting blinded or suffering burns when explosives blow up in their faces.

Last week, police said they had warned pharmacists and shops selling fertilisers or other potentially explosive materials to keep an eye out for young customers who would be interested in suspicious supplies. The sale of such materials is prohibited to anyone under 18.

The authorities have also launched a campaign with bomb experts going to schools and communities and talking to young people about the potential dangers of explosives.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Turkey 'willing to look into theft of icons'

TURKEY has said it would be willing to look into the theft of icons and artefacts from the occupied areas if Cyprus provided a list of such items.

According to Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou, this is the first time Turkey has publicly said it was prepared to examine the issue.

Christodoulou told journalists of the development on his return from the fifth meeting of European ministers responsible for cultural heritage, which took place in Slovenia. He said it was an extremely important development and that the government would seriously consider taking up the offer.

"For the first time, a senior Turkish government official has said formally and in public that Ankara would be ready to respond to calls from the government of Cyprus, if we supply Turkey with a list of stolen icons and objects from the occupied areas," the Minister said.

During the meeting, attended by some 200 representatives from 60 countries, Christodoulou and Turkey's deputy minister of culture initially exchanged barbs words over the situation.

The Turkish official told delegates in his speech that Ankara believed objects belonging to a country's cultural heritage should remain with their owners, adding that his government supported the preservation of cultural heritage.

Reacting angrily to the speech, Christodoulou said he was surprised at the Turkish official's stance and told delegates details of the destruction of non-Turkish cultural heritage in the north.

He said that 520 Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches in the occupied areas had been pillaged and 13,000 religious icons stolen from various monasteries and churches.

Christodoulou also referred to the case of Turkish art smuggler Aydin Dikman, arrested in Germany after police found icons stolen from 46 churches in the north in his Munich apartment.

The Turkish official then accused Christodoulou of exploiting the forum for political purposes, but added Turkey was prepared to respond if Ankara was provided with a list of stolen icons and artefacts.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] Egypt denies oil talks claim

EGYPT yesterday denied reports in Simerini that Cyprus and Egypt had agreed to share responsibility for a multi-million pound project to exploit deposits of natural gas found halfway between the two countries under the Mediterranean.

The paper led with allegations that Egypt was ready to fork out millions of pounds to share the commercial prospects of the oil with Cyprus.

But in an interview with the Cyprus Mail, Egyptian Ambassador Omar Metwally said that no bi-lateral discussions had taken place between Cyprus and Egypt on this issue, and there was nothing new to report.

He denied Simerini's claims that he discussed the oil issue during an audience with President Glafcos Clerides on Monday.

"I told them (Simerini) quite frankly that we did not discuss it. There are no discussions. There is nothing new," said Metwally.

He said his meeting had been confined to the President's travel plans for his forthcoming Easter cruise down the Nile.

Asked whether Clerides would discuss the issue with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during his holiday, Metwally said it was impossible for him to comment about what the two men would talk about next week.

Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou also said yesterday that he was unaware of the issues to be discussed by Clerides and Mubarak.

Nevertheless, he confirmed that the presidential meeting between Cyprus and Egypt would be the first for many years, intended to enhance the already good bilateral relations between the two countries.

Commerce Minister Nicos Rolandis yesterday refused to comment about the Simerini reports or answer any questions about the oil issue.

The Mediterranean north of Egypt contains deposits of natural gas right up to the 200-mile territorial boundary north of the country's coastline.

The Cyprus government first became aware of the possibility of hydrocarbon deposits in its waters a decade ago, but it is still not known how big the reserves in home territory are.

Experts have called on the government to commission oil companies to make exploratory drillings before deciding whether it is commercially viable to go ahead with a solo mining operation.

If the deposits only extend a short way into Cyprus waters, then it would be more appropriate for Cyprus to negotiate a deal with Egypt to share the profits of a combined enterprise.

Former President George Vassiliou raised the fear in February that the International Sea Convention, to which Cyprus is a signatory, might not be sufficient to guarantee Nicosia rights to everything found within her waters.

Doubts about the legal framework have led experts to say that Cyprus will have to negotiate with Egypt to set out her own concession areas.

Asked whether Simerini was correct to report that Cairo has already enlisted the help of Shell in her oil mining efforts, Metwally merely affirmed that there was nothing new to report.

He said the only international oil project agreed by Egypt so far was the four-nation project to build a pipeline from Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon to supply oil from the huge deposits in Egyptian waters.

The government has been tight-lipped on the question of oil, insisting that it is an issue best tackled away from the media spotlight.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[09] Extra help called in to clear overflowing recycling bins

AN overwhelming response to a pilot recycling scheme has forced Ayios Dhometios municipality to hire extra help to empty overflowing waste paper collection bins.

The Nicosia suburb was one of five municipalities across the island to sign up to an EU-backed scheme launched earlier this month. Large plastic bins for paper, aluminium, plastic and clear and coloured glass have been placed in nine recycling 'islands', four of them in Ayios Dhometios and one each at Latsia outside Nicosia, Limassol, the Limassol suburb of Mesa Yeitonia and Polis Chrysochou.

But, as the Ayios Dhometios recycling officer, Demetris Kriftis, explained, the public's response has been so strong that the bins, and the paper bins in particular, have been filling up faster than the municipality can get round to emptying them. This led to paper being piled up outside the bins, creating an unsightly mess the municipality feared would backfire on the test recycling scheme.

"Because we could not keep up and we did not want to have the paper accumulating outside, making a mess, we found a company and struck a deal to pay them a sum to go round the bins every two or three days," Kriftis said yesterday.

The private collectors will then deposit the paper, cans, plastic and bottles at the municipality's central collection depot. "The new system will begin today and I believe we will now have no problems," Kriftis said.

The recycling officer said that the strong response would allow Ayios Dhometios to recoup some of the cost of running the recycling scheme by selling raw material to local recycling firms. "We have agreements struck through the House environment committee to sell to recyclers at set prices. This will give us some income and though we will by no means make a profit we will be able to offset some of our costs," he said.

The government hopes eventually to expand the pilot recycling programme so as to meet recycling targets set by the EU. To meet these targets, Cyprus has to recycle 30 per cent of its packaging waste by 2002 and 65 per cent of such waste by 2005.

Cyprus has one of the highest per capita trash production rates in the world, some 500 kilos a year. Most all of this rubbish currently ends up in landfill dumps, many of them poorly managed.

Your nearest recycling island

Ayios Dhometios, Nicosia

Primary School B - Kentavrou Street

Primary School C - Junction of Pentelikou and Promitheos Streets

Ayios Dhometios Gymnasium - Junction of Ayios Pavlos Avenue and Demokratias Street.

Latsia, Nicosia

Mesa Yeitonia, Limassol

Limassol

Polis Chrysochou

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[10] Paphos seafront wine factory up for sale

The Vine Products Co-operative Marketing Union (SODAP) will today be publishing notices for tenders to purchase the property after on Sunday deciding to tear down the wine factory and use money from the sale to build two new ones elsewhere.

Situated on Poseidonos Avenue between the luxury Amathus Beach and Alexander the Great hotels, the SODAP factory was built in 1961 and overlooks a 500 metre public beach. The 23 donums of land surrounding the factory have over the years turned into a car park for beach goers.

SODAP committee president Sophocles Pittokopitis yesterday told the Cyprus Mail: "The decision was taken at a special general meeting on Sunday. We will be publishing details in the press tomorrow."

Pittokopitis said that the majority of the 8,000 members and shareholders had taken the decision. "Our goal is to protect the interests of all our members," he said.

SODAP plans to use the money from the sale to pay off outstanding debts and to build two small wineries in the Paphos district villages of Polemi and Pachna. Longer-term plans include building another two in Kathikas and in the mountains around Limassol.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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