Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-03-30

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

Sunday, March 30, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] CY chief says he may soon quit

[02] Support for Turkish Cypriots planned before EU signing

[03] Church to send aid to Iraq

[01] CY chief says he may soon quit

Loizides, who was appointed chairman of the national carrier under the government of Glafcos Clerides, told the Sunday Mail he had addressed the entire staff on Friday.

“It's true that this is what I said at the gathering with staff, that it is my intention is to leave and it's a matter of time... but I have not made a final decision yet,” Loizides said.

“I don't want to cause uncertainty and havoc right now, because the company is going through a lot as we speak because of the Iraq crisis, and the issue of the renewal of the collective agreement, which is now getting a bit hot, so I don't what to create the feeling of abandoning ship.

“But on the other hand I cannot fight on all these issues having in mind there is an expiry date (on the chairmanship) very soon.”

There were reports earlier this month that a new Cyprus Airways board was in the offing. At the time Finance Minster Marcos Kyprianou said that the board would continue but would refer all major decisions to the new government.

A week later CY management was grilled by members of the House Watchdog Committee over the sale of four Airbus A310-200 aircraft, which deputies said were not sold at the best possible price.

Loizides said he met President Tassos Papadopoulos several days ago but the President did not give him a clear answer on the future of the board.

“The government has not been able to confirm yet what they want to do. They said they are not ready to make a decision yet. They said they didn't want me to resign but on the other hand they could not let me know for sure if they wanted me to continue,” Loizides said.

He added that the uncertainty of the whole situation was what made him contemplate his resignation in advance of the airline's AGM in June.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, March 30, 2003

[02] Support for Turkish Cypriots planned before EU signing

THE government has said it plans to go ahead and enforce support measures for Turkish Cypriots and has made plans to set up a special Turkish Cypriot Affairs Service.

The measures were discussed at a two-member ministerial committee on Wednesday and will be put before the Cabinet on Thursday for final approval, Phileleftheros newspaper reported yesterday.

President Tassos Papadopoulos' aim is to see that the matter is dealt with before April 16, when Cyprus is expected to sign the European Union Accession Treaty in Athens.

The measures are based on the old ones drawn up by the previous DISY government, with a few additions.

According to the paper, a few of these are: exporting goods from the occupied areas via the Republic and bearing the Cyprus seal; internal trading and the creation of EU control mechanisms; facilitating the employment of Turkish Cypriots in the unoccupied areas; the inclusion of Turkish Cypriots in the June 2004 European Union elections (by EU decree, of the six Cypriot European deputies, four will be Greek Cypriot and two Turkish Cypriot); relatives of Turkish Cypriot missing persons from 1963 and 1974 will be given the same financial treatment as their Greek Cypriot counterparts, with monthly subsidies; and facilitating the ability to obtain a Cyprus Republic passport and other official documents.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Sunday, March 30, 2003

[03] Church to send aid to Iraq

KYKKO Monastery has donated £50,000 to buy food and medicine for the Iraqi people.

Canned food will be sent to the Gulf and the Church plans to contact Iraqi representatives and the group 'Doctors of the World' to discuss what medical supplies are needed, the monastery said.

Collection centres will be set up in the island's main towns and co- ordinated from Nicosia. The supplies will then be sent to Iraq via the Antioch and Jerusalem patriarchs, it said.

Meanwhile Limassol Bishop Athanassios has said a money collection campaign will begin in Limassol today. The money, which would normally be donated to the poor living in Limassol district, will now go towards “the victims of violence and war in Iraq”.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

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