Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-02-02

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Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-02-02

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

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

Sunday, February 2, 2003

[01] Papadopoulos says he would enforce meritocracy
[02] Anti-war protesters march on US embassy
[03] Tourist development at Curium abandoned
[04] Woman dies in yachting accident
[05] Brother held after shotgun incident

[01] Papadopoulos says he would enforce meritocracy

D.I.K.O. chief and presidential candidate Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday reiterated his commitment to a settlement of the Cyprus problem through negotiations aimed at turning a United Nations blueprint into a fair and viable solution.

Speaking at a news conference to present his election manifesto, Papadopoulos said that the issues which needed to be negotiated concerned Turkish settlers, security, human rights, and the functionality of the state.

He added that the plan could become more functional and viable through honest negotiations carried out with flexibility and good faith.

On the internal administration envisaged in his programme, Papadopoulos said his first aim would be to enforce meritocracy in the state where citizens would be equal and not judged according to their party preferences.

The DIKO chief said he will define new priorities for economic growth and encourage measures to restructure the economy.

On education, he said he aimed to promote large-scale reform at all levels, which included support for state and private higher education on the condition that private schools are turned into non-profit institutions.

He also pledged improvements in the health system, that women would have equal representation in the state and culture, and that sport would be strengthened and developed.

Papadopoulos suggested the creation of a police internal security body tasked with evaluating the methods and procedures used by the force and answering directly to the minister of justice or the president.

He also took a shot at President Glafcos Clerides, saying he has not presented, and does not look like presenting, his own programme.

“Do they think citizens do not have to know how they will govern? Or maybe they don't know that themselves,” Papadopoulos said. “On what logical basis are they asking for the people's vote? Is it on the basis of the continuation of the failed policy they have followed so far?”

When Clerides announced on January 3 that he would stand for re-election for a limited 16-month term, he said he would not be getting involved in pre-election campaigning.

Papadopoulos pledged yesterday to implement his programme aided by the majority the opposition enjoys in the House of Representatives.

Voting in the presidential elections takes place two weeks today, on February 16.

[02] Anti-war protesters march on US embassy

AROUND 150 members of the 'Stop the War Alliance' protested yesterday outside the United States embassy in Nicosia against a potential war in Iraq.

The protesters, including Iraqis, Palestinians and Cypriots, gathered in Nicosia's Eleftherias Square at around 11am and marched to the heavily fortified embassy.

The noisy but mostly peaceful demonstrators waved Iraqi and Palestinian flags and carried placards, blew whistles and beat drums, chanting 'We are all Iraqis' and 'We are all Palestinians'.

Police used barbed wire and blockades to seal the embassy off from the demonstrators.

Some protesters threw containers of red paint on to the tarmac in front of the embassy buildings.

Green Party deputy George Perdikis said his party opposed the “Anglo- American war against the people of Iraq”, and accused the government of providing facilities to turn Cyprus into a base for war operations against a neighbouring country.

The secretary-general of the Cyprus Peace Council, Donis Christofinis, said they had assembled in front of the US embassy to protest “against (US President George) Bush, (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair, and other imperialists who planned to attack for the oil in Iraq”.

“It is hypocrisy and a lie that they are supposedly going for the good of the people of Iraq, to rid them of (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein, who was put there by the Americans themselves, like they did with (Saudi terrorist Osama) bin Laden,” Christofinis said.

The Stop the War Alliance is a mixture of several organisations, activists and people from the Palestinian and Arab community living in Cyprus.

The Alliance has said it is planning to stage another demonstration at the Dhekelia SBA near Larnaca on February 15.

[03] Tourist development at Curium abandoned

By Stefanos Evripidou

THE GREEN Party celebrated a second victory yesterday, announcing that the Antiquities Department head had announced plans to abandon construction work at the ancient Curium amphitheatre on the south coast.

Their first success came in mid-January when the Greens drummed up enough support for a vote in parliament to freeze the budget for work on the archaeological site. The Antiquities Department had plans to build a large canteen, site museum and car park to cater for the 350,000 tourists and visitors who go to the site each year, but had to stop work when the budget was frozen.

Green Party deputy Georgios Perdikis previously told the Sunday Mail that construction work at the site would endanger the very existence of the archaeological remains.

On Friday the Greens continued their campaign with a demonstration outside the Archaeological Museum. By nightfall, according to Perdikis, Antiquities Department head Sophoclis Hadjisavvvas told Sigma television that he would cancel plans to build a café/restaurant on the site.

In a statement yesterday, the Greens said that Hadjisavvas had asked a few days earlier for parliament to release the funds for construction. They welcomed the new announcement and hoped that a similar solution can be found for tourist development on other archaeological sites that are in danger.

[04] Woman dies in yachting accident

A 51-year-old British woman drowned in the Paphos area yesterday after the sailing boat she was in capsized in rough seas.

Police said a helicopter was dispatched to the Toxeftra area of the Akamas peninsula after a call was received at 11.15am from a British permanent resident that the victim and her husband, 61, had gone sailing earlier in the morning and failed to return.

Peyia police spotted the capsized vessel around 100 metres off the coast but the helicopter had to be called because of the rough weather.

The couple were evacuated at around 12.10pm and flown to Paphos hospital where the woman was pronounced dead on arrival. Her husband was treated and released.

A post mortem will be carried out tomorrow.

[05] Brother held after shotgun incident

POLICE have detained a 26-year-old Famagusta man in connection with the attempted murder of his brother yesterday.

The incident happened at 10am while Demetris Kourtsioumpis was standing on his veranda in the village of Frenaros.

Kourtsioumpis told police he saw his brother approaching the house in his car and then heard a shot, which hit the branches of a tree above the veranda.

The 29-year-old, who escaped unharmed, told police who arrived on the scene soon afterwards that the shot had been fired from a shotgun.

His brother was arrested shortly afterwards.

Police said they were investigating attempted murder but also the possibility that the shot had been fired in an attempt to frighten Kourtsioumpis, who was reported to be in dispute with his brother over land.

Famagusta CID is investigating.

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

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-02-02

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

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

Sunday, February 2, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] Papadopoulos says he would enforce meritocracy [02] Anti-war protesters march on US embassy [03] Tourist development at Curium abandoned [04] Woman dies in yachting accident [05] Brother held after shotgun incident

[01] Papadopoulos says he would enforce meritocracy

[02] Anti-war protesters march on US embassy

[03] Tourist development at Curium abandoned

[04] Woman dies in yachting accident

[05] Brother held after shotgun incident

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

[01] Papadopoulos says he would enforce meritocracy
[02] Anti-war protesters march on US embassy
[03] Tourist development at Curium abandoned
[04] Woman dies in yachting accident
[05] Brother held after shotgun incident