Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-09-30

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Sunday, September 30, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Tekogul affair 'will stop Greek Cypriot plots', says Denktash

[02] Youth groups declare 'Cyprus Day of Peace'

[03] Turkish Cypriot can take government to European rights court

[04] Experts to discuss the future of Nicosia

[05] Limassol man killed in crash

[01] Tekogul affair 'will stop Greek Cypriot plots', says Denktash

TURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has welcomed Friday's release of convicted heroin smuggler Omer Tekogul, saying he believed the Greek Cypriot side would not "hatch'such plots in the future.

"They (the Greek Cypriot side) did a very good thing by releasing Tekogul, "Denktash was quoted as saying. "His release was not hard but delayed."

Denktash added that he believed the Greek Cypriots "would no longer hatch such plots against the Turkish Cypriots".

Tekogul. 42, a resident of the mixed buffer-zone village of Pyla, was jailed for ten years last March after being found guilty of smuggling heroin from the occupied areas. He served only six months of his sentence.

He was released after a presidential pardon on Friday on the orders of President Clerides who said yesterday he has exercised his constitutional rights to grant the pardon in the public interest.

Immediately after his release Tekogul returned to Pyla where he publicly thanked Denktash for helping to have him released. He said his release proved that the accusations made by Greek Cypriot police were false.

The Turkish Cypriot side claimed Tekogul was the victim of entrapment by the police after he sold two kilos of heroin to undercover officers, and that he had been illegally arrested outside the UN-controlled village.

Two weeks after Tekogul's arrest last December, the Turkish Cypriot side abducted Greek Cypriot contractor Panicos Tsiakourmas, 39, from his car on British bases territory and forced him to stand trial in the north on drugs charges, although there was no evidence against him.

The Turkish Cypriot side wanted a direct swap but the authorities wouldn't play ball. A month after Tekogul's conviction Tsiakourmas was sentenced to six months 'time served'and released only hours after his elderly mother died of a stroke.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Youth groups declare 'Cyprus Day of Peace'

SEPTEMBER 30 is being declared 'Cyprus Day of Peace'today at a bicommunal ceremony in Pergamos, within the British Base of Dhekelia.

Bicommunal youth groups are hosting a festival in the village, aimed at promoting peace, democracy and justice in Cyprus.

Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots from both sides of the Green Line will meet at 2pm, in a park just outside Pergamos. The aim of the event is to bring together Turkish and Greek Cypriots, some of who have not seen each other since the 1974 invasion.

All month members of the bicommunal youth groups have been visiting towns and villages on the island in an effort to bring old friends and fellow villagers together.

They have also used the Internet as a bridge of communication between people of both communities in an effort to ensure the success of today's festival.

Today the park will be signposted with the names of different districts. Each signpost will then act as a meeting point for the people who used to live in villages within those districts.

A cultural programme with the bicommunal choir, Cypriot singer Hadji Mike and various music and dance ensembles from both communities will follow the 'Cyprus Day of Peace'ceremony at 3pm.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Turkish Cypriot can take government to European rights court

THE EUROPEAN Court of Human Rights has judged admissible a case against Cyprus involving a Turkish Cypriot, born and raised in the government- controlled areas, who was forced to go abroad to marry his Romanian girlfriend in 1999.Nicosia lawyer Sotiris Drakos, who filed the case, said yesterday he had just received the admissibility report from the European Court.

The Court dismissed all the preliminary objections of the Cyprus government and found the applicant admissible,told the Sunday Mail.

The 34-year-old Turkish Cypriot man decided in 1999 to take on the government for violating his human rights in not allowing him to get married in his own country.Turkish Cypriots are allowed to wed Greek Cypriots if they convert to Christianity. However there is no legal framework for them to marry in a registry office, partly due to the provisions of the 1960 Constitution and partly due to their blatant exclusion from the 1990 amendment allowing civil marriage for Greek Cypriots.Drakos said the admissibility report said the case had raised serious issues of law under the European Convention on Human Rights. The case is due to be heard at the Court on November 20. In the meantime the two sides must try to reach an amicable settlement. If this fails Cyprus will have to face a possible European Court judgment.

Drakos said he would discuss the options with his client and with the government. They are taking steps to remedy the situation,said, adding that a bill was already before parliament to amend the discrepancy but Drakos said it could take months to get through. He said the Court had underlined the fact that although the applicant was a Cypriot citizen, he had to go abroad to get married without the presence of family or friends at his wedding.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Experts to discuss the future of Nicosia

NICOSIA'S seismic vulnerability, chronic traffic problems and urban development will be highlighted during an international conference in the capital next week.

The conference aims to offer support to local authorities in solving structural, social, and economic problems, according to the Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK), one of the main organisers.

The conference, 'Nicosia In The 21 stCentury -The Vision For A European City', will be held on October 12 and 13 at the Hilton Hotel in Nicosia.

Scientists, academics and other experts from Greece, Europe and Cyprus will address the conference, which will also include round-table discussions in which the public can take part.

The meeting will also focus on problems and prospects for the future of the capital as part of a united Europe.

The agenda will include problems of a divided capital, the role of parliament, and how cities evolve, as well as community development and planning.

The plan is to eventually extend such conferences to other cities on the island, ETEK said.

Nicosia Mayor Lellos Demetriades, who will open the conference, returns to Cyprus today after two-day meetings with the General Council of European Union Capitals in Helsinki.

Demetriades flew to Finland on Thursday for discussions on future co- operation between the 42 Council of Europe capital cities, as well as strengthening relations between member state capitals.

At the meeting the council accepted Demetriades'proposal to send a letter of condolence and support to the Mayors of New York and Washington after the September 11 terrorist attacks on their cities.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Limassol man killed in crash

The accident took place on the Limassol-Nicosia highway at around 5.55am, on theKakoratzias road, when Christakis Hadjitoffis'van collided with a truck.

He was taken to Larnaca hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article