Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-10-27

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

Saturday, October 27, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Weston talks overshadowed by Denktash blitz on Prodi

[02] Oncology centre upgraded with new technology

[03] Officials promise swift results for local elections

[04] Bullish market ends week on a high

[05] Civil servants arrested over land scam investigation

[06] Greek women charged with robbing pensioner

[01] Weston talks overshadowed by Denktash blitz on Prodi

But there were mixed reactions to the meeting, which coincided with European Commission President Romano Prodi's high profile visit to the island.

Prodi told a packed House of Representatives on Thursday that nothing would stop Cyprus joining the EU, probably in 2004, and criticised the Turkish Cypriot administration for the breakdown of the peace talks.

" There is a window of opportunity now for Greek and Turkish Cypriots to reach an agreement before Cyprus's accession. Every effort should be made to take full advantage of this opportunity. History would not look kindly on those who knowingly let this opportunity slip,"he said.

But Denktash was furious that Prodi's itinerary did not include an audience with him.

The snub is likely to have occupied some of Denktash's discussion with Weston.

Denktash had little to say about his meeting with Weston, but was scathing about Prodi for making public announcements without discussing the issue with both sides.

" It is clear there could be a solution in a week if we accepted that we're just a minority"he said.

For his part, Weston confined his comments to pleasantries. He leaves the island today.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Oncology centre upgraded with new technology

CYPRUS' state-of-the-art oncology centre has been upgraded with advanced medical equipment and computer systems capable of meeting the needs of cancer patients on the island, the centre's general manager Alekos Stamatis said yesterday.

Every year, around 1,500 persons are diagnosed as cancer patients, a relatively high figure for the island. Skin and breast cancer are the prevalent forms of the disease in Cyprus. The oncology centre, located in downtown Nicosia, treats two-thirds of new cancer patients. Patients eligible for public health care receive free treatment or pay a fraction of the cost.

Co-funded by the government and the Medical Department of the Bank of Cyprus, the centre began operating in 1998, and has so far treated close to 5,000 patients. The non-profit organisation's current budget is estimated at around £5 million, with the majority of costs going to medication purchases.

So far, the centre has operated mainly as a treatment centre, but plans are under way to emphasise the prevention and diagnosis aspects, Stamatis said. The centre provides a variety of services, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy and runs radiological and haematological tests. It also runs a bone marrow transplant unit and a microsurgery unit.

Among the high-tech equipment the centre boasts are linear accelerators, beam views, graphical simulators, ct scanners and ultrasound units. Stamatis noted that the centre was constantly upgrading its technology infrastructure with a view to keeping it in sync with ongoing developments in cancer treatment.

Despite the issue of outpatients sometimes being transferred to other state hospitals for additional treatment, Stamatis said the occasional lack of support services was " not necessarily a drawback"for the centre, provided there was co-operation with other hospitals. The number of patients who need to be transferred was relatively very low, he added.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Officials promise swift results for local elections

VOTE counting in the December 16 municipal and community elections will for the first time take place at voting centres across Cyprus, Nicosia District officer assistant Yiannakis Charalambous told the Cyprus Mailyesterday.

" This innovation means that we are going to have results much earlier in the day than we used to in previous elections, when the counting took place at the International Conference Centre in Nicosia,"Charalambous said.

" Forget about the chaos witnessed in past elections,"he added.

Charalambous said the names of mayors and municipal councillors were expected to be announced by 8 pm on December 16 and the names of community heads and councillors between 10pm and midnight.

After a meeting with officials on electoral procedures yesterday, Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou announced there would be voting centres in all communities, including the island's 356 villages.

Local government on the island is divided in communities. Large communities are counted as municipalities and small communities as villages.

Christodoulou said that officers of the five districts would announce the results of the elections in each community.

The results will also be posted on the Internet, the minister said. Charalambous said it had not been decided yet which website would be used to issue the election results.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Bullish market ends week on a high

One commentator even managed to describe trading as " bullish in all aspects" , with volume up 40 per cent from Thursday to a healthier £6.13 million.

The index was forced up 2.67 per cent to close well over the 120 psychological barrier at 122.24, as the FTSE climbed 13.83 points to finish 2.83 per cent higher at 501.50.

" Volume is picking up, investor psychology is on course and the SEC is finally getting its act together,"he said, claiming there was no reason why this mood should no spill over into next week.

The CSE barometer showed that only 11 shares put in a negative performance, compared to 98 champions shooting north and 32 non-starters.

The top-three most traded shares were Bank of Cyprus, Demetra and Cyprus Popular Bank, hogging volumes of £754,400, £560,503 and £493,881 respectively.

Bank of Cyprus was up one cent to close at £1.87. Demetra added 1.45 per cent to close at 41.8 cents, while Popular Bank added three cents to close at £1.49.

Hellenic Bank registered a turnover of £283,155 and managed to increase 3.79 per cent to 82 cents.

Efreminco Holdings scored the biggest percentage increase to 25 per cent, jumping from 44 to 50 cents.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Civil servants arrested over land scam investigation

FOUR suspended Land Survey Department officials were yesterday arrested in connection with the illegal transfer of Turkish Cypriot land in the remote Tylliria area east of Polis.

A department warehouse keeper was also arrested in connection with the same case, police said.

The five are suspected of being involved in illegal transfers of Turkish Cypriot land, which was subsequently sold to an investment company for around one million pounds.

The four officials were suspended on Thursday following a departmental investigation into the case.

Yesterday, Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou said the investigation would be thorough and would cover both public and private sectors.

" The investigation will cover everyone and everything and won't be limited to civil servants,"Christodoulou said.

The Chairman of the House Refugee Committee, Aristofanis Georgiou, yesterday suggested that there were more such cases, not only involving Turkish Cypriot property, and that they would be discussed before the committee.

Georgiou, who revealed the illegal property transfers in August, said he hoped those who had criticised him then would come out now and admit they were wrong.

" I wasn't believed; I kept my mouth shut to give the authorities the chance to investigate the issue and find some answers,"Georgiou said.

It is thought the alleged scam was carried out last year but according to reports the investigation will not be limited to 2000 only but will go further back.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] Greek women charged with robbing pensioner

The women, aged 19 and 22, admitted they had stolen the money and were released on bail.

They were arrested on Thursday shortly after leaving the woman's house.

Police said the two women visited the 86-year-old at her home and asked her for £200 as help for a handicapped child.

The old lady said she did not have that much money and offered them £50 instead.

But the two women had apparently followed the octogenarian into her room and saw where she kept her money.

Shortly after they left, the woman discovered that all her money -- £1,500 - - had vanished.

She called a neighbour who was a police officer and he immediately notified the force.

The two women were spotted in the area and were arrested with the money in their possession.

The women, who admitted to their crime, were yesterday charged with stealing the £1,500 and obtaining money using false pretences.

They were released on bail until their sentencing on November 30.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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