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Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-02-16
Sunday, February 16, 2003
CONTENTS
[01] US 'tells Ankara and Denktash to compromise'By Jean ChristouU.S.
PRESIDENT George Bush and his National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice
have told Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis that Ankara and Turkish
Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash must address the UN plan for a Cyprus
settlement with an attitude of compromise -- and do everything possible to
bring about a solution within the framework set out by UN chief Kofi
Annan.The Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said Bush and Rice met Yakis on Friday
at the White House to discuss Iraq. However, the Turkish official brought
up the issue of Cyprus and requested Washington's help to change the Annan
plan, in a manner that would satisfy the ''concerns'' of the Turkish
Cypriot side.The US administration said that it supports the Annan plan and
that Denktash must become engaged in talks in a serious and constructive
fashion.Replying to CNA questions after the meeting, Yakis said they
briefly discussed Cyprus and the importance of a solution. He said that
Ankara is co-operating with the US in efforts for a solution.In London a
Foreign Office spokesman told CNA that Britain believes that if Cyprus is
to join the EU as a united country, a solution to the political problem
must be found by February 28.“Prospects after that do not adhere to the
idea of another time limit in April,” the spokesman said.The fact that UN
Secretary-general Kofi Annan will be visiting Ankara, Athens and Nicosia at
the end of the month was “an important development”, he said, and added
that the UN chief was “not a man to waste his time''.President Glafcos
Clerides and the Turkish Cypriot leader are still engaged in talks aimed at
reaching a settlement by February 28. Annan will visit Cyprus for a two-day
visit on February 26 following contacts in Ankara and Athens.The UN has
warned that if an agreement is not reached by the February 28 deadline the
entire basis of the Annan plan would be nullified since it provides for
entry of a united Cyprus into the EU in April.
[02] Woman jailed for writing dud cheques for sharesBy a Staff ReporterA
NICOSIA court has sentenced a 45-year-old Limassol woman to 12 months in
prison after she was found guilty of issuing three dud cheques to a total
value of £1,738,282.Judge Leonidas Kalogyrou found Nelly Loutsiou guilty of
writing dud cheques to stockbrokers Severis and Athienitis to obtain shares
on the stock exchange in September, 1999. “The offences of which the
accused was found guilty are not related to Cyprus Stock Exchange problems,
even though the three bounced cheques she issued were used to buy shares
totalling £1,738,282. The offences clearly refer to issuing bounced cheques,
” he said.Four years ago Loutsiou had instructed the stockbrokers to
acquire £1,738,282 worth of shares and wrote out three cheques for them.
But the cheques were returned unpaid to Severis and Athienitis because
there was insufficient money in the accused's bank account.“Bounced cheque
offences are committed with ease because the banks issue chequebooks
without first checking up on the beneficiaries' financial strengths,”
Kalogyrou said.Loutsiou had not tried to sell the shares in order to honour
the cheques, in the hope of reaping greater profits as the shares were then
valued highly, so she only had herself to blame, the judge added.
[03] What would an Iraq war mean for Cyprus?By George PsyllidesCYPRUS is
bracing itself for round two of America's war against Saddam Hussein, with
growing fears that the island could be targeted because of the key support
role being played by its two sprawling British military bases.Like it or
not, Cyprus will play a key role in any conflict with Iraq in the form of
the British Sovereign Bases Areas (SBAs) on the island. The government has
also already granted key port and airspace facilities to the British -- and
by extension the Americans -- with increased military traffic at Limassol
port.The bases will provide massive logistic support to forces in the area,
through fuel, munitions, stationing of equipment and training.And according
to Aristos Aristotelous, director of the Centre for Strategic Studies in
Nicosia, the bases are also fulfilling another role: that of intelligence
gathering and processing.British radar installations on the island,
especially those at Ayios Nicolaos in the Famagusta district, are a vital
link in the global Echelon surveillance system, which can intercept
messages from any kind of communication system anywhere in the
world.Aristotelous said the bases would play a significant supporting role
in military operations, but he ruled out their being used to launch heavy
bombers, as such operations have traditionally been based in Diego Garcia
in the Indian Ocean, which was used by B-52 long-range bombers in the first
Gulf War and as a launch pad for B-1 bombers in 2001 against
Afghanistan.Although their role is a step back from the front line, the
role of the British bases does put Cyprus at risk.“No one can define the
size of the danger or risk, but it is an issue that needs to be addressed
by the authorities, without meaning there should be panic,” Aristotelous
said.There are two main risks: direct attack and terrorism.A Defence
Ministry source suggested it would be virtually impossible for any Iraqi
Scud missiles even to be launched - let alone reach Cyprus - considering
the firepower and sophisticated weaponry the US seems prepared to unleash
on Iraq.SBA spokesman Rob Need confirmed to the Sunday Mail that Scuds are
not considered a serious threat.Aristotelous added he did not think Saddam
would waste his few missiles on targets of secondary importance such as
Cyprus. “He would probably use them on areas offering more 'benefits', such
as Israel,” he said.There is no known anti-aircraft system on the island
that could provide effective protection from a Scud missile if one were
launched and made it as far as Cyprus. But adequate protection can be
provided by warships in the Eastern Mediterranean providing area
defence.The British fleet is no longer in the region, but protection could
be provided by US navy warships patrolling the area, fitted with the
powerful Aegis combat system.The Aegis is a total weapons system - from
detection to kill - that can track more than 100 targets and simultaneously
engage in anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare.Much more
difficult to track are terrorists, and there are fears that with the crisis
escalating, foreign interests in Cyprus could be a target.Justice Minister
Alecos Shiambos told the Sunday Mail the authorities were taking all
necessary measures to avert possible terrorist actions on the island.He
said measures were being taken at all points of entry to prevent the import
of chemical or biological weapons.Plans have also been made to cope with a
potential influx of refugees fleeing the war, Shiambos said.SBA spokesman
Rob Need said current security measures at the bases were no different from
the stringent security that normally applies. He would not disclose details
of any of those measures.
[04] Turks 'duped passport authorities'By a Staff ReporterTHE INTERIOR
Ministry has been duped into issuing passports to two Turkish nationals
claiming to be Turkish Cypriots, a newspaper said yesterday.Normally only
Turkish Cypriots are eligible to apply for the Republic's passports and
must appear in person when making their application, with documentation
proving they are in fact Turkish Cypriot and not Turkish nationals.But in
this case, the Turkish applicants presented false documentation pretending
to be Turkish Cypriot and did not make a personal appearance. Instead,
according to Phileleftheros, a third person made the application on their
behalf and was subsequently given the passports in good faith.When the
authorities realised what had happened they asked police to investigate.
Immigration officer Giorgos Theodorou said one person has already been
arrested and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, while the second case
is still under investigation.The newspaper said police discovered that once
the Turkish nationals were given the passports they left for England. Their
names have now been put on the island's stop list.
[05] New president? We'll know by 10pmBy Alexia SaoulliNEARLY 500,000
voters will go to the polls today to vote for a new president.By 10pm the
final results should be in and it will be known whether there will need to
be a second round of voting next Sunday, Chief Returning Officer, Kyriakos
Triantafyllides said yesterday.Any one of the nine candidates who secures
more than 50 per cent of the votes today will be declared president without
a run-off vote having to take place. If there is no clear victor, the two
candidates with the most votes will go through to the second round.Polling
stations will be open from 7am to 5pm, with a one-hour break between 12noon
and 1pm, Triantafyllides said. The total number of registered voters this
year is 476,345. They will cast their ballots at a total of 1,076 voting
centres.Nicosia District has 195,658 voters and 414 voting centres,
Limassol has 134,041 voters and 323 voting centres, Larnaca 79,391 and 169,
Paphos 41,822 and 120, and Famagusta District has 25,433 voters and 50
voting centres. There are also 405 voters living in the occupied areas;
they will be voting at two special polling stations set up in Nicosia. This
year is the first time that the ballot papers will be counted at the
polling stations, Triantafyllides said. The first results are expected in,
from smaller voting centres, around an hour after they close this evening,
he said.Voters will only be allowed to use black or blue ink and a ballot
paper will be considered spoiled if the voter's choice is not clearly
marked, two candidates have been chosen, if it is blank, or if it fails to
carry the Republic's official seal on the outside.The cost of the elections
“has been estimated at £3.7 million for both Sundays -- if there is no
second round this will be halved”, added Triantafyllides. Ten thousand
employees are expected to work today to cover all aspects of the elections
from monitoring polling stations and keeping guard, to counting the votes,
safely transporting the ballots and issuing the final voting results, he
said.Electioneering came to an official halt at midnight on Friday, after
which all political advertising and rallies were banned for 24 hours before
today's vote.
[06] Troodos Square to get a faceliftBy a Staff ReporterTHE government is
to spend £1,350,000 remodelling Troodos Square. Construction will begin at
the end of March and the project is expected to be completed in 21 months.
Plans include remodelling the existing road while retaining the area's
character, reducing the number of cars in the area, and reducing noise and
other pollution.More organised premises will be built for street sellers,
who are considered part of the local traditional culture. These will be
made from natural materials in line with the mountain region's character.
Plans are also being drawn up for a new car park.Interior Minister Andreas
Panayiotou said the work will be undertaken in such a way that it causes
the least inconvenience during the winter and summer tourist periods.The
contracts were signed on Friday by the Minister, Town Planning and building
department head Yiannos Papadopoulos, and a representative of the
contractors, Harilaos Apostolides & Co.
[01] US 'tells Ankara and Denktash to compromise'By Jean ChristouU.S.
PRESIDENT George Bush and his National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice
have told Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis that Ankara and Turkish
Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash must address the UN plan for a Cyprus
settlement with an attitude of compromise -- and do everything possible to
bring about a solution within the framework set out by UN chief Kofi
Annan.The Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said Bush and Rice met Yakis on Friday
at the White House to discuss Iraq. However, the Turkish official brought
up the issue of Cyprus and requested Washington's help to change the Annan
plan, in a manner that would satisfy the ''concerns'' of the Turkish
Cypriot side.The US administration said that it supports the Annan plan and
that Denktash must become engaged in talks in a serious and constructive
fashion.Replying to CNA questions after the meeting, Yakis said they
briefly discussed Cyprus and the importance of a solution. He said that
Ankara is co-operating with the US in efforts for a solution.In London a
Foreign Office spokesman told CNA that Britain believes that if Cyprus is
to join the EU as a united country, a solution to the political problem
must be found by February 28.“Prospects after that do not adhere to the
idea of another time limit in April,” the spokesman said.The fact that UN
Secretary-general Kofi Annan will be visiting Ankara, Athens and Nicosia at
the end of the month was “an important development”, he said, and added
that the UN chief was “not a man to waste his time''.President Glafcos
Clerides and the Turkish Cypriot leader are still engaged in talks aimed at
reaching a settlement by February 28. Annan will visit Cyprus for a two-day
visit on February 26 following contacts in Ankara and Athens.The UN has
warned that if an agreement is not reached by the February 28 deadline the
entire basis of the Annan plan would be nullified since it provides for
entry of a united Cyprus into the EU in April.
Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003
Sunday, February 16, 2003
[02] Woman jailed for writing dud cheques for sharesBy a Staff ReporterA
NICOSIA court has sentenced a 45-year-old Limassol woman to 12 months in
prison after she was found guilty of issuing three dud cheques to a total
value of £1,738,282.Judge Leonidas Kalogyrou found Nelly Loutsiou guilty of
writing dud cheques to stockbrokers Severis and Athienitis to obtain shares
on the stock exchange in September, 1999. “The offences of which the
accused was found guilty are not related to Cyprus Stock Exchange problems,
even though the three bounced cheques she issued were used to buy shares
totalling £1,738,282. The offences clearly refer to issuing bounced cheques,
” he said.Four years ago Loutsiou had instructed the stockbrokers to
acquire £1,738,282 worth of shares and wrote out three cheques for them.
But the cheques were returned unpaid to Severis and Athienitis because
there was insufficient money in the accused's bank account.“Bounced cheque
offences are committed with ease because the banks issue chequebooks
without first checking up on the beneficiaries' financial strengths,”
Kalogyrou said.Loutsiou had not tried to sell the shares in order to honour
the cheques, in the hope of reaping greater profits as the shares were then
valued highly, so she only had herself to blame, the judge added.
Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003
Sunday, February 16, 2003
[03] What would an Iraq war mean for Cyprus?By George PsyllidesCYPRUS is
bracing itself for round two of America's war against Saddam Hussein, with
growing fears that the island could be targeted because of the key support
role being played by its two sprawling British military bases.Like it or
not, Cyprus will play a key role in any conflict with Iraq in the form of
the British Sovereign Bases Areas (SBAs) on the island. The government has
also already granted key port and airspace facilities to the British -- and
by extension the Americans -- with increased military traffic at Limassol
port.The bases will provide massive logistic support to forces in the area,
through fuel, munitions, stationing of equipment and training.And according
to Aristos Aristotelous, director of the Centre for Strategic Studies in
Nicosia, the bases are also fulfilling another role: that of intelligence
gathering and processing.British radar installations on the island,
especially those at Ayios Nicolaos in the Famagusta district, are a vital
link in the global Echelon surveillance system, which can intercept
messages from any kind of communication system anywhere in the
world.Aristotelous said the bases would play a significant supporting role
in military operations, but he ruled out their being used to launch heavy
bombers, as such operations have traditionally been based in Diego Garcia
in the Indian Ocean, which was used by B-52 long-range bombers in the first
Gulf War and as a launch pad for B-1 bombers in 2001 against
Afghanistan.Although their role is a step back from the front line, the
role of the British bases does put Cyprus at risk.“No one can define the
size of the danger or risk, but it is an issue that needs to be addressed
by the authorities, without meaning there should be panic,” Aristotelous
said.There are two main risks: direct attack and terrorism.A Defence
Ministry source suggested it would be virtually impossible for any Iraqi
Scud missiles even to be launched - let alone reach Cyprus - considering
the firepower and sophisticated weaponry the US seems prepared to unleash
on Iraq.SBA spokesman Rob Need confirmed to the Sunday Mail that Scuds
are not considered a serious threat.Aristotelous added he did not think
Saddam would waste his few missiles on targets of secondary importance such
as Cyprus. “He would probably use them on areas offering more 'benefits',
such as Israel,” he said.There is no known anti-aircraft system on the
island that could provide effective protection from a Scud missile if one
were launched and made it as far as Cyprus. But adequate protection can be
provided by warships in the Eastern Mediterranean providing area
defence.The British fleet is no longer in the region, but protection could
be provided by US navy warships patrolling the area, fitted with the
powerful Aegis combat system.The Aegis is a total weapons system - from
detection to kill - that can track more than 100 targets and simultaneously
engage in anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare.Much more
difficult to track are terrorists, and there are fears that with the crisis
escalating, foreign interests in Cyprus could be a target.Justice Minister
Alecos Shiambos told the Sunday Mail the authorities were taking all
necessary measures to avert possible terrorist actions on the island.He
said measures were being taken at all points of entry to prevent the import
of chemical or biological weapons.Plans have also been made to cope with a
potential influx of refugees fleeing the war, Shiambos said.SBA spokesman
Rob Need said current security measures at the bases were no different from
the stringent security that normally applies. He would not disclose details
of any of those measures.
Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003
Sunday, February 16, 2003
[04] Turks 'duped passport authorities'By a Staff ReporterTHE INTERIOR
Ministry has been duped into issuing passports to two Turkish nationals
claiming to be Turkish Cypriots, a newspaper said yesterday.Normally only
Turkish Cypriots are eligible to apply for the Republic's passports and
must appear in person when making their application, with documentation
proving they are in fact Turkish Cypriot and not Turkish nationals.But in
this case, the Turkish applicants presented false documentation pretending
to be Turkish Cypriot and did not make a personal appearance. Instead,
according to Phileleftheros, a third person made the application on their
behalf and was subsequently given the passports in good faith.When the
authorities realised what had happened they asked police to investigate.
Immigration officer Giorgos Theodorou said one person has already been
arrested and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, while the second case
is still under investigation.The newspaper said police discovered that once
the Turkish nationals were given the passports they left for England. Their
names have now been put on the island's stop list.
Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003
Sunday, February 16, 2003
[05] New president? We'll know by 10pmBy Alexia SaoulliNEARLY 500,000
voters will go to the polls today to vote for a new president.By 10pm the
final results should be in and it will be known whether there will need to
be a second round of voting next Sunday, Chief Returning Officer, Kyriakos
Triantafyllides said yesterday.Any one of the nine candidates who secures
more than 50 per cent of the votes today will be declared president without
a run-off vote having to take place. If there is no clear victor, the two
candidates with the most votes will go through to the second round.Polling
stations will be open from 7am to 5pm, with a one-hour break between 12noon
and 1pm, Triantafyllides said. The total number of registered voters this
year is 476,345. They will cast their ballots at a total of 1,076 voting
centres.Nicosia District has 195,658 voters and 414 voting centres,
Limassol has 134,041 voters and 323 voting centres, Larnaca 79,391 and 169,
Paphos 41,822 and 120, and Famagusta District has 25,433 voters and 50
voting centres. There are also 405 voters living in the occupied areas;
they will be voting at two special polling stations set up in Nicosia. This
year is the first time that the ballot papers will be counted at the
polling stations, Triantafyllides said. The first results are expected in,
from smaller voting centres, around an hour after they close this evening,
he said.Voters will only be allowed to use black or blue ink and a ballot
paper will be considered spoiled if the voter's choice is not clearly
marked, two candidates have been chosen, if it is blank, or if it fails to
carry the Republic's official seal on the outside.The cost of the elections
“has been estimated at £3.7 million for both Sundays -- if there is no
second round this will be halved”, added Triantafyllides. Ten thousand
employees are expected to work today to cover all aspects of the elections
from monitoring polling stations and keeping guard, to counting the votes,
safely transporting the ballots and issuing the final voting results, he
said.Electioneering came to an official halt at midnight on Friday, after
which all political advertising and rallies were banned for 24 hours before
today's vote.
Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003
Sunday, February 16, 2003
[06] Troodos Square to get a faceliftBy a Staff ReporterTHE government is
to spend £1,350,000 remodelling Troodos Square. Construction will begin at
the end of March and the project is expected to be completed in 21 months.
Plans include remodelling the existing road while retaining the area's
character, reducing the number of cars in the area, and reducing noise and
other pollution.More organised premises will be built for street sellers,
who are considered part of the local traditional culture. These will be
made from natural materials in line with the mountain region's character.
Plans are also being drawn up for a new car park.Interior Minister Andreas
Panayiotou said the work will be undertaken in such a way that it causes
the least inconvenience during the winter and summer tourist periods.The
contracts were signed on Friday by the Minister, Town Planning and building
department head Yiannos Papadopoulos, and a representative of the
contractors, Harilaos Apostolides & Co.
Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003
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