Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-12-06

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

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

Thursday, December 6, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Government pleased with backing from party leaders

[02] Car damaged in bomb blast

[03] Yilmaz blasts EU approach to Cyprus

[04] 'We must move ahead so future generations do not go through the bitter experiences we have endured'

[05] Banks come under fire for role in stock market crisis

[06] Church fights off new rumours about Archbishop's health

[07] Nicosia duo go to head, but what divides the candidates?

[08] Convicts wife takes her battle to the President

[09] Shares soar on talks news

[10] Walking around the world to spread the word of Gandhi

[01] Government pleased with backing from party leaders

THE GOVERNMENT said yesterday it was pleased with the response it had received from political parties at an early morning meeting of the National Council to discuss the resumption of direct talks.

Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou admitted that one or two party leaders had expressed concern over the implications of President Glafcos Clerides' decision to cross to the north last night to dine with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

The Council met yesterday to discuss the outcome of Tuesday's meeting between Clerides and Denktash, at which the two leaders agreed to return to direct talks starting in mid-January.

Papapetrou said the Council members exchanged views, outlined their positions and would meet again on the 18 thand 19 thof the month.

"I will not go into the details of the discussion and the views expressed by the parties but I have no difficulty in expressing the government's satisfaction about the atmosphere that prevailed at the meeting and the way it was conducted," Papapetrou said.

Responding to criticism that the agreement for direct talks did not secure the UN framework for these talks, Papapetrou reiterated the government's view that this issue had been dealt with in the joint statement read out by UN envoy Alvaro de Soto after Tuesday's meeting, and stressed that the peace process would continue to take place within the good offices mission of the UN Secretary General, as defined by UN resolutions.

Commenting on statements by Denktash that the talks should be continuous and conclude by June 2002, Papapetrou said the remarks were " positive"and added that the government agreed fully with such an approach.

In response to questions about last night's dinner, Papapetrou said some party leaders did suggest that Clerides should not attend.

"The President decided to adopt a specific suggestion by the majority of Council members to attend the dinner as the representative of the Greek Cypriot community," he said, adding that no insignia of the Republic of Cyprus would be used during his visit to Denktash's residence.

" The invitation to dinner is a social activity with political ramifications,"Papapetrou said, adding that the President intended to repay the compliment to Denktash. Press reports say Clerides will host a dinner in mid January for Denktash, probably at his residence.

The invitation to dinner was extended to Clerides by Denktash at Tuesday's meeting. Denktash said the dinner would be in honour of De Soto, who acted as an observer at the breakthrough meeting.

De Soto yesterday held separate meetings with Clerides and Denktash to discuss the timetable for the direct talks, which will take place in Cyprus.

Speaking to the press after meeting Clerides, De Soto said he believed both sides were committed this time to serious negotiations. The UN envoy is expected to leave Cyprus today and return around January 15.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Car damaged in bomb blast

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Yilmaz blasts EU approach to Cyprus

TURKEY yesterday appeared to dash hopes of any swift progress over the future of Cyprus ahead of a planned dinner last night between the island's rival leaders.

In a toughly-worded speech in Brussels, Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz criticised the EU's policy of negotiating with the Greek Cypriots and of refusing contact with the Turkish Cypriots and said this was sure to lead to "confrontation".

Yilmaz also said he expected EU leaders to send a signal to Turkey at their summit next week in Laeken, Belgium, that they are serious about Ankara's own bid to join the wealthy bloc.

"This stance of the EU (on Cyprus) cannot pave the way for a permanent peace... It is rather an invitation to confrontation," Yilmaz said.

"It is our sincere wish to reach a settlement but this cannot be reached on the basis of Greek Cypriot domination," said Yilmaz, stressing the need for strict equality between the two communities despite the Greek Cypriots' numerical advantage.

The EU would prefer to admit Cyprus as a reunited island but says a settlement cannot be a precondition for accession. That would give Turkey, the only country to recognise the Turkish Cypriot state, an effective veto over Cyprus's accession.

"This (position) is an extremely dangerous enterprise which could destroy strategic stability in the Mediterranean region and may well destroy the whole spectrum of our relations with the EU," said Yilmaz, who is also minister for European affairs.

Yilmaz's comments, made during a lunch hosted by Germany's Konrad Adenauer Stiftung think-tank, were likely to disappoint observers looking for signs of a softening in Turkey's position after Tuesday's landmark meeting of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, the first in four years.

At that meeting, President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash agreed to hold face-to-face negotiations in mid-January on ending the island's 27-year division.

Clerides also accepted an invitation to dine with Denktash last night in what will be his first visit in decades to the occupied north of the island.

Yilmaz said the Greek Cypriots would not engage in "serious discussions" on the island's future if they were guaranteed EU membership and were allowed to speak for the whole island.

Cyprus is expected to close accession talks with the EU by the end of next year, opening the way for its full membership by 2004, probably with up to nine other, mostly ex-communist east European states.

Turkey has threatened to annex the occupied north if Cyprus joins the EU without an agreement. Conversely, EU member Greece has said it will block EU enlargement altogether if Cyprus is not in the next wave of candidates.

Yilmaz said Turkey remained committed to the economic and political reforms it has to make in order to be able to begin its own EU accession negotiations.

But he said the EU's approach to Turkey, a strategically vital NATO ally, lacked "political vision".

Yilmaz said next week's EU summit in the Brussels suburb of Laeken should "demonstrate the commitment of the EU to our membership process". He called for a deeper political dialogue and greater financial cooperation but gave no details.

"2002 will be a critical period in our relations with the EU. We can either make the accession process irreversible or we can undermine the process as a whole," he said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] 'We must move ahead so future generations do not go through the bitter experiences we have endured'

Clerides did not submit a paper of his own, saying it would be " inappropriate"to trade papers at the meeting. He is expected to reply with a paper of his own in January.

" The Cyprus Question is approaching a critical point. At this juncture, we have the political will and readiness to start a genuine new process based on the political equality of the two parties for negotiating the establishment of a new partnership.

We have a major role to play in reaching a comprehensive settlement and in creating a desired environment of confidence, co-operation and partnership. I believe the time has come for Mr Clerides and myself to move ahead and to take the necessary initiatives so that future generations do not go through the bitter experiences we have endured.

A few facts need to be reiterated at this juncture. The Turkish Cypriot people and the Greek Cypriot people are the co-owners of Cyprus and this island is the common home of both peoples. The independence and the sovereignty of the Partnership Republic of Cyprus were entrusted in 1960 to these co-founding partners with equal status upon explicit recognition of their separate rights to self-determination, while establishing a balanced status between the two guarantor motherlands and their rights over Cyprus. Today there exist functioning democratic institutions on both sides, which reflect the political will of their respective peoples.

In shaping our future the basic requirement is realism. This realism must be solidified with an atmosphere of mutual respect, reconciliation and a working relationship between the two parties.

We took note of the recent statements by the EU officials that the EU will accommodate itself to the terms of the political settlement to be agreed by both parties. In this respect, we will support the membership of the Cyprus Partnership in the EU within the terms of a political settlement. The balance established between Turkey and Greece with regard to Cyprus by the 1960 Treaties is also crucial and has to be maintained in every respect.

I believe that this face-to-face interaction provides a new and significant opportunity for both parties in reaching a common understanding on how we can move forward.

Our vision is a peaceful Cyprus where our two peoples live in harmony and co-operation under a new partnership structure based on the equal status and sovereign equality of the two Partner States. The new Partnership will have single international personality in its areas of competence. We believe this vision is within reach.

We should focus on what our common interests are and how we can serve them by mutual efforts. What needs to be done now is to lay down the objectives and elements of a comprehensive settlement addressing the legitimate concerns of both parties.

Efforts for a viable settlement in Cyprus could yield desired results only in an environment of mutual trust. The way to a Cyprus settlement is through positive relations between the two parties in the island. Therefore, if we are to initiate a process for settlement with the expectation of a successful outcome, the issue of trust and confidence must also be addressed.

With this understanding, I propose the setting up of a Bilateral Committee under our Co-Chairmanship. Such a Bilateral Committee could take up and discuss:

All major issues of the Cyprus Question

steps to be taken for generating a climate of mutual respect and confidence.

We should continue to discuss all aspects of the Cyprus Question. I suggest that we start to take up the core issues in a detailed manner in our next meeting. As we proceed, we may seek the support of our respective experts and the UN.

We may not have a common understanding on all issues but the process of consultation has to continue so that through dialogue and interaction we may be able to tackle the content and find a way forward.

The ideas I have put forward constitute a new pattern of relationship. I believe that our objectives is to leave to future generations a Cyprus on which the two peoples could live in prosperity, security and co-operate on the basis of equality."

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Banks come under fire for role in stock market crisis

NEARLY 1,200 people were found guilty and jailed for the 1929 Wall Street crash and some others committed suicide, deputy Christos Pourgourides stated yesterday during the course of a House meeting examining the Bank of Cyprus' responsibility for the stock market crisis.

Chairman of the Watchdog Committee and DISY member made this observation about events of 1929 when discussing the stock market crisis. He said: "Nearly 1,200 people were imprisoned because they were found responsible for the Wall Street, among them 70 bank officials. Some even committed suicide.

"Who is going to pay for what happened in Cyprus?" he asked.

Earlier, during a joint session of the Parliamentary Watchdog and Finance Committees deputies said the Bank of Cyprus (BoC) chairman Solon Triandafyllides had made investors believe that the Bank's share value was going up while it was in fact declining.

Deputies accused Triandafyllides of urging investors not to sell their BoC shares when the Bank started trading in the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) last year.The BoC started trading in ASE with a £5.32 worth share while the Bank's share price in the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) was then £6.32.

"I know that I am not allowed to make comments about share prices but I am very impulsive and very honest so I can't help saying things like that," Triandafyllides responded.

"Why let investors sell their shares? At the time we expected the share price to increase because the Bank had just started trading in the ASE," he added.

The BoC share price was £11 in 1999 and is now £2.

Triandafyllides boasted that the Bank share's mid-price yesterday stood at£1.99, 7 cents up on the day before.

"Oh, that means I only lost £9 because when I invested in BoC its share value was £11," DISY's George Georgiou responded.

Pourgourides then gave an example of a rather naive man who invested £10, 000 in BoC shares and lost the money. "This old man told me that he had £10, 000 which he was saving for his daughter. He kept it in his closet because he did not trust banks. One dayhe saw a sweet man (Triandafyllides) on television saying that his bank's share was doing very well and he decided to invest his money in BoC," Pourgourides said. The results were there for everyone to see, he added.

Popular Bank chairman Kikis Lazarides also came under attack from deputies in an earlier meeting of the Finance Committee.

The two House committees are working on an investigation to uncover who were responsible for the CSE crisis.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] Church fights off new rumours about Archbishop's health

Although unconfirmed, reports hold that 74-year-old Archbishop Chrysostomos is suffering either from heart problems or Alzheimer's disease, which has allegedly been causing him memory problems.

Alithia reported yesterday that the Archbishop's close associates had rejected the reports, claiming that Chrysostomos was fit as a fiddle.

Chrysostomos was yesterday afternoon expected to return from Greece, where he was admitted at the Onasio Heart Centre and given the all clear, his associates told Alithia.

But the Bishop Chrysostomos of Paphos said the Archbishop was suffering from memory lapses, noting they were not necessarily linked to his age.

The Bishop of Paphos said the Archbishop should be supported and helped by all high-ranking clerics to overcome the problems he faced.

Alithiasaid the Archbishop was visited in Athens by the Bishop of Kyrenia, who refused to comment on Chrysostomos' health.

But, judging from the Church's recent history of division and conspiracy, and the reports of bitter battles for his succession, many people are suspicious about the amount of support the bishops might offer an ailing Archbishop.

The Archbishop's associates, who are reportedly always very careful with what they say, stress that Chrysostomos is not ready to abandon his position.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Nicosia duo go to head, but what divides the candidates?

WITH TEN days to go to the municipal elections, the two candidates for the highest position in Nicosia will tonight go head-to-head for the first time in a much-awaited televised debate that candidates in other cities fear will relegate them to the back seat.

The debate will be broadcast by three of the four channels, something that has raised eyebrows in some circles, who think the " battle for Nicosia"has been exaggerated and raised to a 'presidential' status.

The long-awaited debate between the two candidates - opposition-backed lawyer Kypros Chrysostomides and independent DISY-backed candidate, Michalakis Zampelas, Chairman and Managing Partner of Ioannou-Zambelas & Co. PriceWaterhouseCoopers - has been a point of conflict between the two men for months.

Chrysostomides, who has the support of opposition parties AKEL, DIKO, and KISOS, was selected from a long list of candidates after several had refused the nomination, arguing the three parties were allying only to share out the local authority pie between them.

Zampelas, a fresh face on the political scene and admitted technocrat, has based his election campaign on his independent status (though he is supported by ruling DISY), and the need for the public to do away with party politics and vote for the candidate who will truly work for the welfare of the capital.

Chrysostomides accused Zampelas of being afraid to appear in a face-to-face debate, while Zampelas countered at that point that his opponent had not even presented his programme, and there was therefore nothing to discuss.

Zampelas also suggested that the debate between the two men should be broadcasted by several channels, an idea taken up by most of them.

Sigma, however, has said it will not broadcast the debate as it would be unfair to candidates in other towns.

Sigma's action was explained by the station's news director Dinos Menelaou.

Menelaou argued that, based on existing broadcasting legislation, the debate should be followed by the broadcast of similar discussions for all other candidates in all other towns, something which is impossible.

Menelaou wondered why the public had to be forced to watch the debate between the two Nicosia candidates, effectively being deprived of any other choice.

Whether the debate will actually produce any fireworks is open to doubt. Neither candidate is an incumbent so cannot accuse the other of past record, while a look at their programmes, printed in colour on glossy paper, does not reveal any big differences.

Both men identify the capital's problems and provide long lists of proposals that aim to rectify them.

Improvement of road networks, creation of parks and sports centres, pavements and cultural centres, are but some of the promises given to the electorate in exchange for valuable votes.

But above all, both Chrysostomides and Zampelas focus on the municipality's relations with its residents.

Complaint bureaus, emergency crews, public hearings, fast processing of complaints, are just some of the changes promised by the two candidates to reach out to the capital's citizens.

The similarity of both programmes is expected to shift today's discussion to the issue of having an experienced politician for mayor, as Chrysostomides' supporters boast of their man, or a fresh face, a technocrat, like Zampelas.

Zampelas has since day one been saying he would do nothing to encourage the election becoming a party affair, something he accuses Chrysostomides of doing.

Chrysostomides has repeatedly emphasised the importance of parties in the concept of democracy and the fact that they should be held with respect.

But his opponents say his political record is hardly an example of the respect he is now touting. They point out Chrysostomides abandoned DIKO, after losing an internal election. He then agreed with EDEK to join the new social democratic party KISOS, only to abandon ship once more.

But the pre-election promises made by the two candidates are viewed from a different angle by outgoing Nicosia Mayor Lellos Demetriades, who has a word of caution for the candidates.

Demetriades, who has been in office for the past 30 years, told the Sunday Maillast week: " All those promises that candidates make will prove empty words if they don't find a way of getting more money from the government."

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] Convicts wife takes her battle to the President

RAIN, hail or shine, the wife of convicted killer Ierotheos Christodoulou, alias Ropas, will continue her hunger strike outside the Presidential Palace until her husband is given a full pardon from his life sentence and the police " admit their mistakes" , she said yesterday.

From morning till night, Mary Christodoulou says she will stand outside the Presidential Palace with her two children waiting to be heard, only sleeping in her car when it is too late to carry on her daily vigil.

" My husband is innocent,"she insists, maintaining that Ropas has been falsely imprisoned for the last three years and two months, but that no one cares about what she has to say.

Ropas, Nicos Nicolaou and Ara Haritounian were found guilty of the September 16, 1998, murder of 29-year-old Marios Panayides in Limassol.

An appeal against the verdict was rejected last year and since then Christodoulou has been lobbying for her husband's release.

" He is not guilty and you have to help me prove that,"she told the Cyprus Mail yesterday, claiming evidence had been lost during the course of the original trial and that police malpractice had denied her husband the right to prove himself innocent.

" Thankfully, everyone has been completely supportive of me during these past few difficult years without my husband and I'm not the only one that knows in my heart he's innocent"she said.

Ever since her husband was jailed, Christodoulou, her two children and " countless others who knew him"have continued to believe he is innocent of the murder.

" My husband was in bed asleep at the time of the murder,"she insists. " This is my last fight against the injustice that has been done to him."

" If I was wrong, why is no-one in authority speaking out against me and calling me crazy?"she asks.

Christodoulou said her 15-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son had fortunately not suffered too much from the ordeal they'd had to endure. She said they were extremely " loveable and well-liked"and had not been picked on by other children at school.

" They know their father is innocent and love him very much as he loves them.

" It is this love and unfailing trust in their father that gets them through this,"she said, adding this was why - against her wishes - they wanted to stand by her and share in her protest.

Christodoulou said though that it was tough for her, emotionally and economically, as she struggled to make ends meet on her salary and travelled back and forth to Nicosia with her children every Sunday to visit her husband.

" Although I have always worked, my husband contributed to our income and now I'm finding it difficult to juggle being a parent, collecting my children from school, taking them here and there, cooking, cleaning the house and working full time."

Despite the difficulties she is facing, Christodoulou says she will continue her hunger strike - " even if it means death"- until Attorney- general Alecos Markides can explain why the evidence of her husband's innocence has gone missing and the police admit their faults during the course of the murder investigation.

" The police disgust me,"she said " and although I've been crying out to be heard for months, the investigation into my husband's case is never- ending."

Christodoulou said people had been very supportive of her plight and even strangers had come up to express their support for her campaign.

Prison wardens say Ropas is a " model prisoner" , she added.

If new evidence did appear to clear Ropas, a presidential pardon would be the only way to release him, since his appeal has failed. He would still, however, remain convicted before the law.

But Christodoulou said she did not care if her husband was guilty in the eyes of the law, as long as he was set free.

" He is my husband and as long as I know he is innocent that's what counts.

" I just want him back home with me and our children and will do what it takes to see that he is released."

Christodoulou hopes to see President Glafcos Clerides today to discuss her husband's case.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[09] Shares soar on talks news

The stock market reversed a week of losses, with the benchmark index ending seven points higher at 140.72.

"A step towards settling the Cyprus problem and without undoing the European Union (membership) prospect is very positive," said Laiki Investments senior analyst Yiannis Tirkides.

President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash agreed in a ground-breaking move on Tuesday to resume direct talks on the future of the divided island.

Divided or not, Cyprus is poised to join the EU in its next expansion wave. The prospect could make or break the long-running conflict, which is a significant source of tension between NATO allies Greece and Turkey.

One broker said the market may have overreacted. "It is overly biased to look at things positively. Things have not really changed that much on the ground. We don't know for sure that things will get better in future," the broker said.

" The general index is a patriot and was overly touched by the outcome of the meeting between Mr. Clerides and Mr. Denktash yesterday,"said the xak.com web analyst. " He was not particularly fond of Mr. Clerides accepting the invitation in the occupied area but the fact that for the first time since 1974 we have something positive to look forward to was more than enough for him to smile and be joyous."

The FTSE/CySE index rose 4.91 per cent to 551.07 points, buoyed by a 4.6 per cent rally on heavyweight banking stocks.

Advancing stocks beat declining ones 135 to 15 with 14 unchanged on 164 traded. There were 8,380 deals.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[10] Walking around the world to spread the word of Gandhi

TWO TRAVELLERS being supported by the United Nations are walking around the world promoting peace, racial harmony and non-violence.

Forty-year-old Indian Debasis De and his 21-year-old Romanian wife Florentina Grosu are touring Cyprus for a week and will be visiting UNESCO affiliated schools, colleges and universities to spread a message of peace, tolerance and the non-violent philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.

" Our trips are guided by non-violence. Young people need to be more determined and less affected by hatred,"De believes.

De, a former Maths teacher from Calcutta, began his journey by foot 10 years ago from New Delhi. He has walked over 120,000 kilometres through 75 countries and has visited over 3,000 schools, colleges and universities in Europe and the Middle East, sometimes accompanied by students from the country he is visiting. Grosu joined him on his journey last year and according to De, she is " much braver"than him.

The UNDP has been supporting De for 10 years by providing him with accommodation and food as well as travel documents.

" Cyprus is a very nice country and the people here are very helpful. We have met with the Indian Ambassador to Cyprus and the UNDP officer who has arranged our programme while we are here,"said De.

He told the Cyprus Mailthat there next destination was Africa, where they would visit several countries to spread their message.

The couple, who cover an average of 30 kilometres a day, are planning to end their journey in Hiroshima, Japan in 2014.

They are in need of clothing and shoes and anyone willing to help the couple can contact De at 99-833367 until next Monday.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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