Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-04-24

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

Tuesday, April 24, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Denktash: Tsiakourmas will be allowed to visit dying mother

[02] Larnaca officials boycott desalination ceremony

[03] Peres: Cyprus could host Mideast talks

[04] Haji-Ioannou boasts Britain's fastest growing fortune

[05] Teachers targeted by Molotov cocktail

[06] EAC pleads for switch to energy-saving bulbs

[07] Small quake shakes Pissouri area

[08] Flock of sheep returned north after straying into buffer zone

[01] Denktash: Tsiakourmas will be allowed to visit dying mother

Denktash, on a visit to the mixed buffer-zone village of Pyla yesterday, told Greek Cypriot journalists that if Tsiakourmas was acquitted, then he could go where he wished, but added that if he was convicted by the 'court', he would be "given permission" to visit his mother.

Doctors said yesterday that Eleni Tsiakourmas, 78, who is diabetic like her 39-year old son, had slipped into unconsciousness and was not responding to treatment.

She was admitted to hospital last Thursday after suffering a stroke that doctors say was brought on because of her son's detention.

She had been campaigning and protesting with the rest of the Tsiakourmas family over Easter but collapsed at 4.30pm last Thursday and was rushed to Larnaca hospital.

"Her condition is worsening," Dr Ioannis Markou told the Cyprus Mail yesterday. "She is very critical."

Markou said she had developed pneumonia and was suffering from an uncontrolled infection and continued high blood pressure.

"She is not responding and she could go at any time," Markou said. "This was all brought on by the stress of what happened to her son."

Panicos Tsiakourmas was abducted on December 13 last year from 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.

The British High Commission has lodged several high-level protests with the Turkish Cypriot side but to no avail. A spokesman there yesterday refused to comment on what was being done to have Tsiakourmas released.

UNFICYP said an official request had been made through them for Tsiakourmas to be allowed to visit his mother but that they had not yet received a response from the Turkish Cypriot side. They expected an official answer today.

Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said yesterday the government would make every effort to bring Tsiakourmas back to visit his mother.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Larnaca officials boycott desalination ceremony

"I didn't attend and it was a matter of principle. And it's with a great deal of satisfaction that I can say that other elected representatives of Larnaca, deputies and local leaders did not go either. All except for the district officer, who is a government employee," Lycourgos told the Cyprus Mail.

But it is doubtful whether the absence of municipal officers blighted the occasion. The guest of honour was Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, introduced by Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous as "one of the most well-known personalities of our days, a fighter for peace".

The opening, first scheduled for mid-December, has been heralded as the answer to the nation's crippling water problems.

In his inaugural address, President Glafcos Clerides spoke of "a new era for Cyprus" in which "water-cuts are a thing of the past".

Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous said the plant was "environmentally friendly" and fulfilled the government promise that by 2001 every household would have a continuous supply of water.

The plant is expected to pump out 52,000 cubic metres of water a day to the Nicosia, Larnaca and Famagusta districts.

But Lycourgos was vehemently opposed to the plans to develop the desalination plan, claiming it would ruin the natural habitat of the neighbouring salt lake.

After lengthy court disputes, the Supreme Court ruled in the government's favour last June and work to build the plant went ahead.

Nevertheless, the municipality still harbours intense grievances against the government.

"The message we want to send, especially today, is that the government must not ignore the local authorities. Everything they decide must be decided in partnership with us," Lycourgos said.

The plant cost the Israeli contractors £20 million. The government will buy the water they produce. After 10 years, ownership will automatically be transferred to the government at no extra cost, unless they wish to buy out the contractors before then.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Peres: Cyprus could host Mideast talks

Peres, who is in Cyprus on a two-day visit, was speaking after a meeting with President Glafcos Clerides.

"We see Cyprus may eventually become a sort of Switzerland, a place where hostile forces can meet, where trade can be done, where gatherings can take place," Peres said.

"We have had some peace meetings here, and in the future we shall use the hospitality of Cyprus for further meetings."

Cyprus has hosted a number of meetings between the Israeli and Palestinian sides in the past, but mainly low-level gatherings.

"Cyprus and Israel are interested in Europeanising the Middle East instead of terrorising Europe," Peres said.

He also said bilateral relations between the two countries were "in extremely good shape" before taking part in an official ceremony to inaugurate the new desalination plant in Larnaca, which was built by an Israeli contractor.

Speaking later after official talks with Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides, Peres urged Cypriots not to lose hope or patience in the search for peace, even at the most difficult times.

He said "Europeanising" the Middle East would first bring about peace and freedom in the region and "help show how political conflicts are solved through the economic framework," which he said was a very attractive prospect.

Peres said everything of importance was achieved around the negotiating table and everything that was damaging took place on the battlefield, but stressed his determination to act "ceaselessly to bring the parties together in a meeting of minds once the shooting and the bombing stops."

"My aim is to discover a new path to peace and shall act in this direction ceaselessly," he added.

Asked to comment on Turkish threats against Cyprus if it joined the EU ahead of a solution, Peres pointed out that Turkey also wanted to join the EU.

"You will meet in Europe in an agreement, you will agree to be members of Europe and you will Europeanise your differences," he said.

"It's like a tango. You have to be careful not to step on the shoes of the other party," he said, adding that the Palestinians had missed an opportunity at Camp David and Taba when they rejected Israeli proposals.

"Do not lose hope and patience even under the most difficult circumstances when you think every door is closed, there are still openings that you have to discover," he said.

Cassoulides said that joining the EU created many opportunities for the Middle East region as a whole, and insisted Cyprus intended to join with or without a solution.

He also expressed Cyprus' readiness to make whatever small contribution it could towards establishing peace in the region.

Peres was to give a lecture on "Process for the Future: Challenges and

Opportunities" organised by the Institute for Eurodemocracy later last night before returning to Israel.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Haji-Ioannou boasts Britain's fastest growing fortune

According to The Sunday Times' rich list, 34-year-old Haji-Ioannou's fortune has grown at an average annual rate of £145.5 million since its start up in 1995 - head and shoulders above second contender, businessman Mark Dixon whose services empire grew at an average rate of £116.7 million a year.

Haji-Ioannou and family added £373 million to their wealth last year - the 12th largest increase on the rich list - and with a transport and Internet empire worth £873 million fortune - he is now the 26th richest man in Britain.

The son of Greek shipping magnate, Loucas Haji-Ioannou, Stelios launched his budget airline in 1995, on the back of a £5 million loan from his father.

In six years, easyJet has transformed air travel in Britain and Europe. Thanks to soaring share prices on the Footsie, the Sunday Times calculates the easyJet holding is now worth £748 million.

Haji-Ioannou's chain of Internet cafés, easyEverything, was valued at £100 million in 1999. A separate flotation is imminent.

His other franchises easyRentacar, (also being groomed for the stock market) the online bank easyMoney, the free e-mail service easy.com and easyValue, which sells CDs, books and insurance over the Internet, are worth £50 million.

The survey did not include the family's shipping interests in its calculations.

Speaking about his drive to succeed, he said: "Nobody wants to be known as. the stupid idiot, spoilt brat from Greece who's spending his father's money playing with aeroplanes. Making money is what you should be doing."

Otherwise the Cypriot-born Joseph brothers, also made the list, but down at number 562.

Costas, 61, and Chris, 65, built up a £70 million fortune from property and hotel investments in Britain and Cyprus, after emigrating to the UK in the 1960s.

They own the Palm Beach hotel in Larnaca Bay, worth £25 million. Their London-based Desilu Group has net assets of £25 million. Other wealth adds an extra £10 million.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Teachers targeted by Molotov cocktail

Police believe students were to blame.

If the firebomb attack was indeed down to students, then this would be the latest in a long line of incidents of youth delinquency on the island this year.

Justice Minister Nicos Koshis yesterday spoke of a worrying increase in juvenile crime, but Education Minister Ouranios Ioannides said it would be a mistake to blame all recent attacks on students alone.

The firebomb caused only minor structural damage to the home on Mantinias Street and no injuries. The husband and wife targeted in the 3.15am attack, both of them maths teachers, said they knew of no one who might want to harm them. But police suspect the attack might have been carried out by students angered by poor grades.

The incident was still being investigated by police yesterday.

The Molotov cocktail attack came just two days after Education Minister Ouranios Ioannides ordered an investigation into reports that secondary school students from Cyprus had gone on the rampage - wrecking hotel rooms and getting into fights - while on a school trip to Corfu.

Reports of teenage delinquency have been on the up in recent months, prompting teachers and parents to demand greater security at schools.

Earlier this month, teenagers scuffled with police in the Ayios Kasianos area of Nicosia after officers tried to stop them building an Easter bonfire in the area. In Limassol, last month, two students aged 17 and 14 were arrested after a pipe bomb exploded in the lavatories of a secondary school in the town. A few days before that, three 18-year-olds were arrested for attacking police during a brawl between students from Limassol and Paphos schools in the Pissouri area.

"We need to concern ourselves as a government and a society, and especially those of us who are teachers or parents, over how we can face this growing problem," Justice Minister Koshis yesterday. He expressed sorrow at juvenile crime, saying arresting students was a "thankless task" for police. But Education Minister Ioannides suggested reports of student crime were exaggerated, saying it would be a mistake to blame all recent incidents on school children.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] EAC pleads for switch to energy-saving bulbs

The low-energy bulbs are available at cut price at all EAC offices and a second bulb is being thrown in for free for every one bought. What's more, homeowners who managed to reduce their power consumption over the winter period compared to the previous winter are being rewarded with compact fluorescent bulbs for free.

The EAC campaign aims at reducing electricity consumption and thus cutting power station emissions.

Compact fluorescent bulbs use between a quarter and a fifth of the power used by normal light bulbs. The new bulbs also last up to ten times as long as regular bulbs.

The special offer prices for the compact fluorescent bulbs, which are available with either bayonet or screw-in fittings, are:

- 18W fluorescent (equivalent to a regular 100W bulb): £3.50 plus a second one free.

- 16W fluorescent (Equivalent to a regular 75W bulb): £5.00 plus a second one free.

- 6W fluorescent (equivalent to a regular 25W bulb): £3.50 plus a second one free.

The offer lasts till stock run out and a total of 60,000 bulbs are available.

Consumers who succeeded in cutting their bills this winter will find their allocation of free compact fluorescent light bulbs written on their bills for the winter period.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Small quake shakes Pissouri area

No damage has been reported.

"This was a weak quake and from such earthquakes we don't expect any damage, " Kyriacos Solomi, head of the Geological Survey Department's Seismology Section told the Cyprus Mail.

Solomi estimates that each month, an average of 50 quakes strike on or around Cyprus, although the vast majority of them only register 1.5 to 2.4 on the Richter scale and are too small to be felt by humans.

In an unrelated event, President Clerides attended the first service at Ayios Giorgos Church in Stroumbi near Paphos since the 1996 earthquake that caused massive damage there.

Accompanying the head of state for the service, which coincided with the feast of Saint George, were Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou and Communications Minister Averoff Neophytou.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] Flock of sheep returned north after straying into buffer zone

"A UN officer went to check the sheep yesterday and determined that they were not infected," a spokesman said yesterday. He said that the sheep belonged to a Turkish Cypriot shepherd and had been sent back to the north.

A row erupted on Sunday when it could not be established whom the sheep belonged to as none of them were marked or tagged. UNFICYP was forced to pen the flock within the buffer zone until the owner could be found.

The green party yesterday criticised the government for failing to implement the law on marking and tagging animals and exposing consumers to possibly infected meat. The non-marking of animals makes it harder to crackdown on animal smuggling from the north, a statement said.

The Veterinary Department was not available for comment yesterday.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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