Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-06-07

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

Thursday, June 7, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Kyprianou bids adieu

[02] DNA tests identify another 36 'missing'

[03] Turkish Cypriots agree on new coalition

[04] A childhood in the north

[05] Today's waste is tomorrow's fuel

[06] If you live in Nicosia, you pay more for water than anyone else

[07] Clerides calls expanded National Council for June 18

[08] Acropole wins court battle over censored film

[09] Rape allegations denied

[01] Kyprianou bids adieu

OUTGOING House President Spyros Kyprianou yesterday gave a farewell reception to parliamentary correspondents, one day before the election of his replacement.

In an emotionally charged atmosphere in the House, Kyprianou officially ended his over 30-year-old career in politics with an address to the media, with whom he has always co-operated closely.

Kyprianou has been House President for the last five years and served as Foreign Minister to Makarios, taking over as President of the Republic after the Archbishop's death before being elected for two consecutive terms between 1980 and 1990. He founded DIKO in 1976 and chaired it for 34 years.

Today, the newly elected Parliament will elect its next president and he is almost certainly going to be AKEL leader Demetris Christofias who has secured the support of DIKO and KISOS.

"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the co-operation we had in the last five years. I think it was a good co-operation both ways. Thank you for offering your important services to the people. I am sorry if I ever caused any misunderstanding or bitterness between us. I want you to know it was not intentional," Kyprianou told reporters.

"I left politics of my own accord. But I know that you don't have to be a politician to serve your country. Cyprus will go through testing times. The next few years will be hugely critical with the EU accession process coming to an end. We must all be on guard at all times." he warned.

On behalf of reporters, Sotiris Baroudis of CyBC thanked Kyprianou for the "good work in the House."

"I know there might have been problems from time to time caused by the nature of our work but your door was always open for the media. We wish you all health and happiness," Baroudis told Kyprianou.

"Forget about hard feelings," the outgoing House President replied, clearly moved before the camera lights went off.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] DNA tests identify another 36 'missing'

DNA TESTING of exhumed remains has confirmed the identity of another 36 people killed before or during the 1974 Turkish invasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday.

Of the 36, 10 identified remains belong to people listed as missing and 26 to soldiers killed during the war.

They included two people, known to have been injured during the military coup that directly preceded the 1974 invasion, who later died in Nicosia General Hospital, and a civilian killed during the Turkish landings.

These latest finds bring the total number of identified bodies to 108, since the exhumation process started in two years ago.

All families have been informed and scientists are currently clarifying the details of their findings.

To assist future DNA identifications, the government yesterday renewed its appeal, urging relatives of the missing to volunteer blood donations.

The exploration of two Nicosia cemeteries has continued despite strenuous objections raised by the authorities in north Cyprus to an agreement they reached with President Glafcos Clerides in July 1997 to exchange information on the location of mass graves, exhuming and returning remains to the next of kin for a proper re-burial.

Since then, of the 108 identified remains, 26 were listed as missing people, 76 members of the military and six civilians killed during the troubles.

Clerides yesterday sent his deepest condolences to the families concerned and promised that his administration would continue to support their plight.

The identification process has been carried out by the Nobel peace prize- winning organisation, Physicians for Human Rights, led by William Haglund and a team of experts from the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics under the aegis of Marios Kariolou.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Turkish Cypriots agree on new coalition

TURKISH Cypriot politicians yesterday signed a coalition protocol for a new 'government' after a week of intense talks following the collapse of the preceding administration last month.

The National Unity Party and Democratic Party agreed to work together on Monday evening and signed the protocol yesterday morning.

They spent the rest of the morning locked in discussions about sharing out their future responsibilities.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the NUP, headed by 'prime minister' Dervis Eroglu, will control the 'ministries' of foreign affairs and defence, finance, agriculture, internal affairs, transport and works and education and culture.

The DP, lead by new 'deputy prime minister' Salih Coshar, will be responsible for the economy, labour, youth and sports, health and social security and tourism and environment 'ministries'.

The economic plight of the north has been cited as one of the main reasons for the collapse of the previous NUP-TKP (Communal Liberation Party) coalition.

Eroglu told a news conference on Monday evening that the economic problems would be addressed as soon as possible, adding that a visit to Turkey would be on the agenda soon after the new administration starts work.

The former coalition also disagreed over approaches to the Cyprus problem. TKP leader Mustafa Akinci yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that he was opposed to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash's abandonment of the UN sponsored proximity talks, whereas the NUP said they supported the Turkish Cypriot withdrawal.

The new 'cabinet' will be made up of six NUP and four DP members. The details will be presented to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash today.

The 'Assembly' is expected to give the new coalition a vote of confident on Friday.

The NUP occupies 23 seats in the 50-seat Turkish Cypriot 'Assembly' and the DP 12.

Otherwise, seven seats belong to the Communal Liberation Party, six to the Republican Turkish Party, one to the Nationalist Justice Party and one is held by an independent.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] A childhood in the north

ENCLAVED Greek Cypriot children yesterday spoke of an apparently blissful existence in the north, unconcerned by the fear and isolation blighting the lives of their parents.

In an exclusive interview with the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC), three primary school girls spun an innocent picture of outings to the sea, trips to local beauty spots and friendships with Turks.

The UN has consistently condemned the Denktash regime for its restrictions on the enclaved, a view backed up by last month's judgment from the European Court of Human Rights that held Turkey responsible for mass violations of their human rights.

The Strasbourg court ruled that Greek Cypriots living in the north were denied freedom of expression, rights to education, free thought, conscience and religion, peaceful enjoyment of their property, a private, family life and home, plus right to effective remedy for such inhumane and degrading treatment.

But on a trip south with 27 other enclaved children, Androulla Elia, Angeliki Zacharia and Erato Koukoutsikou gave the impression they couldn't be happier in Rizokarpaso - the most remote village on the Karpas peninsula.

"I want to say that at Rizokarpaso we all love each other. Greeks and Turks go to all lengths to be friendly. They don't do anything to us," said Angeliki.

Asked what life was like, Androulla said: "it's very nice, we have a very good time. We go to the sea, we go to the churches, which are now not well, because the Turks knocked them down when they came."

Angeliki was delighted with her special status that meant she could go to places no one else could.

"I have a great time in Rizokarpaso. We go on trips with the whole school. We go to Kyrenia and to Morphou and to all the areas that the Turks are holding and other people can't go and visit."

"The occupied areas are deserted. Sometimes when we go to a place we feel it comes alive and that it's glad to see us," said Erato.

But, she made it clear that she never felt threatened by the Turks, who she said were their friends.

"We feel good.we're safe. Even with the Turks holding us we're fine. We're friendly with [them]. We play with some little Turkish children, they come to our house, we play; they teach us Turkish. Sometimes they talk Turkish and we talk Turkish. Sometimes we teach them Greek and they talk to us in Greek."

But Erato did end with one slightly baffling comment that cast a shadow on their otherwise carefree experiences: "Some Grannies and Grandpas," she said, "as soon as they see us, they die."

And despite their apparently happy early years, the children face separation from their families when they reach secondary school, being forced to come south as there are no teachers in the occupied areas.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Today's waste is tomorrow's fuel

A NEW plan is under way to use recycled landfill material to power the Vassiliko cement factory near Limassol, a project that aims to tackle the island's growing solid waste problem by turning it into a clean-burning fuel.

The Cyprus-based company, Resource, markets the processed landfill material as 'green coal' and touts it as a way to exploit municipal, commercial and agricultural waste to produce recycled fuel.

Waste disposal is an increasingly important issue as landfills cover more of the island by the day and incineration costs mount, largely because of the measures taken to minimise the toxins released from burning waste products.

"Today's waste is tomorrow's fuel. In a place like Cyprus, where fuel costs are rising every year, this will drastically cut down petroleum imports," says Peter Hood, technical director of the project.

EU directives will ban all landfills for all organic waste by 2005. When organic materials break down, they produce ozone depleting methane and leachate, a by-product that seeps through the ground and can contaminate the water table.

Hood maintains that 'green coal' will prove more efficient than conventional fuels because of its low sulphur content. In fact, he claims that burning the material would not produce any toxins at all.

The Vassiliko plant has been accused of spewing smoke and dust into the air and this project would help to improve its environmental reputation.

According to statistics supplied by Resource, it would be possible to process 600,000 tonnes of the municipal, commercial, industrial and agricultural waste produced in Cyprus every year.

The green coal resulting after this waste is processed would generate 40 to 50 megawatts of electricity per year, says the company.

According to Resource, only 10 per cent of the original material would be left over after the process of converting waste into Green Coal. Without green coal, he maintains, only 15 per cent of the material could be recycled.

Hood reports that the project has received a great deal of support from the Agriculture Ministry.

He said that the same technology had been employed in India to turn banana waste into organic fertiliser. A contract for the same green coal product employed at the Vassiliko plant may be signed in India soon.

When asked about the viability of green coal at the plant, Christos Theophiou, a Chemical Engineer in charge of cement production and environmental management at Vassiliko, said: "as far as the product is concerned, it is excellent." He believes that with the recycled material, it will be possible to replace up to 60 per cent of the conventional fuel used by the plant.

Now eleven months along, Hood estimates that the project will be fully operational approximately 15 months from the moment the plant secured all the government permits to start the new programme. He was not able to venture a guess as to when all the papers would be in order.

If the project gets up and running, the Vassiliko plant could serve as the central processing centre for the household waste from all over the island.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] If you live in Nicosia, you pay more for water than anyone else

THE government's decision to introduce a flat rate for water across the country has highlighted the huge discrepancies in charges between one town and another.

So residents in Nicosia pay 30 cents per cubic metre for the first 20 consumed while those in the Famagusta area get the first 15 cubic metres free and those in Limassol pay just 6 cents a cubic metre for the first 40 used.

Not surprisingly, with the cheapest water in Cyprus, households in Ayia Napa and Paralimni in the Famagusta district have been fingered as those whose consumption has shot up the most since the end of water rationing earlier this year.

Nicosia residents have the lowest standing charge in the country, but then pay the most per cubic metre: the fixed charge stands at £2.40 for every two-month billing period, and households then pay 30 cents per cubic metre for the first 20, then 45 cents up to 40 cubic metres, 70 cents between 41 and 50m3, 90 cents a cubic metre for 51-60m3 and £1.10 per cubic metre thereafter.

Those in the Larnaca district pay according to the same brackets as those in Nicosia. They start off with a higher standing charge, £3,50 every two months, but then pay half as much as Nicosians with 15 cents a cubic metre for the first 20, then 35c, 55c, 75c and 90c per cubic metre for each bracket as consumption goes up.

Famagusta district bills come only once every three months. The standing rate is a bit higher -- £5 - but consumers pay nothing for the first 15 cubic metres used. The rate is 45 cents a cubic metre for 16-30m3, 55c between 31 and 45m3, 60 cents from there to 60 cubic metres, 75 up to 75m3 and 90 cents a cubic metre thereafter.

In Paphos, the district with the richest water reserves of its own, residents also pay a £5 standing charge every three months. Water rates are a mere five cents per cubic metre for the first 30 consumed, rising to 22 cents between 31 and 60 cubic metres, 55 cents a cubic metre for the next 15, 79 cents from 76-90 m3, and 94 cents per cubic metre after that.

Limassol bills come every four months with a standing charge of £6. The first 40 cubic metres of water are charged at just six cents per cubic metre, the next 40 only rise to 11 cents a cubic metre, then to 22 cents between 81 and 120m3, 40 cents from 121-160m3 and 56 cents a cubic metre for 161 m3 and above.

Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous said on Tuesday such discrepancies had to end.

"It is an age-old situation and we want to introduce one price for the whole of Cyprus," he said.

The minister said the key to changing the water pricing system was to pass a law setting up an umbrella Water Agency for the whole country. Each district currently has its own water board, setting its own rates.

The idea of merging the Water Boards and the Water Development Department to form a single body has been around for decades, but Themistocleous seemed confident the new parliament, which convenes today, would finally approve the relevant bill.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Clerides calls expanded National Council for June 18

PRESIDENT Glafcos Clerides yesterday called a meeting of the National Council for June 18, which will for the first time convene in its new composition with representatives of all eight parties elected to Parliament in the May 27 elections.

Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou yesterday announced that the President's top advisory body on the Cyprus issue would discuss developments in the effort to reach a settlement on the island as well as the Republic's course for European Union accession.

The parliamentary party leaders will also examine issues relating to how the National Council operates, in view of the increase in the number of its members.

There are worries that the room where the meetings of the National Council have been held so far will be too small to host the meetings of the new 16- member body.

Each party represented in the House participates in the National Council with its leader and another member, usually its parliamentary representative.

Left-wing AKEL, right-wing DISY, centre-right DIKO, the Social Democrats and the United Democrats were the only parties represented in the National Council until now. However, New Horizons, ADIK, and the Greens managed to secure one seat each at the elections, giving them the right to take part in the Council's deliberations.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] Acropole wins court battle over censored film

The Nicosia District Court upheld the Acropole's claim that its screening of the film had been for members of its film club only, and was therefore not a violation of the Cyprus censorship board's ban on public screenings of the controversial film.

On September 15 last year, police raided the cinema during the fifteenth showing of the film at the Nicosia cinema and confiscated the film reel. State prosecutors argued in court that the screenings of the banned film were in effect open to the public as it was possible for anyone to pay to become a member of the Acropole film club at the box office just before the flick started.

District judge Haris Poyadjis rejected the state prosecution line and ordered police to return the confiscated film to Acropole management.

Acropole yesterday said they planned to run the film again, for club members only, in the near future.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[09] Rape allegations denied

A 20-YEAR-OLD Yugoslav man has denied allegations of rape lodged by an 18- year old compatriot, living permanently in Limassol with her family.

Reporting the alleged incident to Limassol CID on Monday, the young woman claimed her alleged attacker was part of her group of friends, and someone she had trusted.

She claimed to have gone back to his house tipsy from drinking alcohol, where he took advantage of her state and raped her.

Asked why she didn't report the rape the same day, the girl replied that she didn't want to say anything to her parents, fearful of her father's reaction.

But burdened with her horrible secret, she told her family, who persuaded her to go to the police.

The suspect is reported to have waved aside the allegations, claiming they were a 'surprise' to him.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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