Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-04-08

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

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

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] The logistics of trying to solve the Cyprus problem

[02] Bases buying up Cyprus potatoes to feed the US fleet

[03] Russian woman claims police beat her up, then charged her

[04] Thieves make off with Education Ministry safe

[05] EAC plays down fears of higher bills because of war

[06] University sets up new incubator with aim of luring hi-tech projects

[07] Employers brace for clash with unions amid spiralling inflation

[01] The logistics of trying to solve the Cyprus problem

IN HIS 40-page report covering the UN's latest effort to solve the Cyprus problem, which collapsed in The Hague last month, Secretary-general Kofi Annan said the process had been the most intensive negotiation every held on the Cyprus issue at a cost of over $3 million.

Annan said that during the course of the negotiations, from late 1999 to March 11 this year, he met the two leaders 11 times. His special adviser, Peruvian diplomat Alvaro de Soto hosted 54 separate meetings during the proximity phase of the talks, 72 direct meetings and called on each leader on more than 100 occasions during the entire period.

De Soto made 30 trips to Greece and Turkey - he was allocated his own aircraft at the end of 2002 - and made dozens of trips to the capitals of Security Council members, the European Commission in Brussels and the EU member states of the Security Council.

Annan said that De Soto ran a core team of two to four professionals and one to two general staff as well as a number of consultants during the last two months of the negotiations to oversee the work of the technical committees.

He also said that experts were on standby from the UK, Canada, Germany and Switzerland and that dozens of judges of the highest international calibre had agreed that their names be considered for appointment to a transitional Supreme Court, if agreement was reached.

“My proposal runs to 192 core pages, plus 250 pages of finalised laws,” Annan said. “By 11 March 2003, draft laws running to 6,000 pages necessary to finalise the plan were before those committees for consideration as were 1,954 treaties and instruments.”

In addition, the UN had received 1,506 entries for the flag competition for a reunited island, and 111 suggested national anthems from entrants in over 50 countries.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

[02] Bases buying up Cyprus potatoes to feed the US fleet

Recent reports alleged that the large number of potatoes, onions and other foodstuffs bought by the Bases as a result of the war in Iraq had caused the price of local potatoes to soar to 40 cents a kilogram and onions to 75 cents a kilogram.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail yesterday British Bases spokesman Rob Need confirmed that the amount of local produce bought by the Bases in recent weeks had increased.

“We are buying considerable produce because we sustain the American fleet and we have a considerable number of coalition troops to feed as well. So, yes, we are buying a lot more produce off the economy.”

He refuted claims that the Bases' demand for potatoes had caused prices to soar.

“We don't inflate the price - that is the farmers and the wholesalers… And our potato contractor has said that (due to the bad weather) this is the worst year for potatoes in a long time.”

Need added that the Bases spent £400,000 on food per month pending and during the war in Iraq.

“We bought about half a million pounds worth of catering equipment off the local economy in preparation for the war.”

He also said that the amount the Bases spent on local hire cars had doubled since the beginning of the war.

“On average we spend £12,000 per month on hire cars but in March we spent £24,000 due to the increase in personnel on the island.”

Need rubbished reports that the Bases in Akrotiri had recently received a large quantity of timber from a local company to be used for 2,000 coffins.

“We have a contract with a firm called Archangel if we were to want any coffins from a Cypriot firm but we are not buying coffins now. We have bought them in the past… but that was an old story.”

He reiterated that dead British troops were not being brought to the island.

“We don't have the bodies of British and American servicemen at Akrotiri. We are not storing them,” he said.

Acting Director of the Competition and Consumers Protection Division of the Ministry of Commerce, Leontios Pericleous, yesterday acknowledged that some fruit and vegetable prices may have increased in recent weeks, but could not confirm that this was due to increased food purchases by the Bases.

“Sometimes due to the bad weather or supply and demand… prices may increase.

“Some of the prices have increased but many prices have decreased,” he added.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

[03] Russian woman claims police beat her up, then charged her

On April 21, Gourjanad Chikhaev will stand trial in Limassol on five charges she says she did not commit.

According to the criminal charges brought by police, Chikhaev has been accused of causing actual bodily harm to Limassol district Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) police sergeant A. Agapiou and police officer Christos Spyrou early on the morning of January 15. The defendant has also been charged for drunkenness, public disturbance and swearing in public.

However, Chikhaev and her 47-year-old husband, Arslan, tell a different, much more disturbing version of the events that took place just two weeks into the New Year.

The couple have been married for 12 years and have three children, Danial, nine, Eldar, eight, and six-year-old Diana. They have been living in Limassol for 18 months. Arslan Chikhaev is the director and owner of the offshore company, Oripack Ltd.

On January 14, Gourjanad Chikhaev, a petite blonde, was meeting friends for a drink at a Limassol café. At around 10.30-11pm, she decided to get a taxi home, not wishing to disturb her husband who was at home in bed.

“My friends walked me up to the Ariel traffic lights and from there I planned to find a taxi on Makarios Avenue,” she said. As she was waiting by the side of the road, not far from the 'Mirage' nightclub, a car pulled up on the side of the road and two men started talking to her and offering to give her a lift. Chikhaev said she had come across similar attention in the past, refused their offer and proceeded to ignore them.

“But, they would not leave her alone,” her husband said. “They started following her and swearing at her.” According to her police statement, they called her “Russian f******g bitch”.

“Frightened and realising they could do something to me, I decided to call my husband,” she said. However, the men allegedly jumped out of their vehicle, twisted her arm and snatched the mobile phone from her hand. “They grabbed me by the throat and hit my head and back against a roadside pole and tried to drag me into the car,” she said, admitting she had hit back in an effort to protect herself.

Convinced they wanted to rape her, she started to scream and shout, calling for police.

“Then they started laughing and told me they were the police and asked me who my pimp was,” said Chikhaev. Sobbing, she told them she was married with three children and asked to see their identification. They allegedly refused. The Chikhaevs claimed the plainclothes policemen had then threatened to say she had been drunk and stripping in the street, and one showed her a scratch on his hand and said she would be charged for inflicting a wound on him.

“She could not believe they were policemen. The police do not behave in this manner,” said her husband. “She told them she was in Cyprus legally and asked to call me.”

Chikhaev said a passer-by attempted to help her, but the men waved him away. However, before long, a police vehicle drove by.

“I was so relieved. I thought they were my saviours and went to them for help. Suddenly they handcuffed me and placed me under arrest,” she said, pointing to the scars the tight handcuffs had left on her slender wrists. “What had I done? Why?” she asked.

Disoriented and shocked she was left standing in the cold police yard for several hours before they locked her in a tiny cell. Suffering from claustrophobia, Chikhaev begged them to leave a window open. They allegedly refused.

At 3.30am police officers went round to their family home and asked for Arslan Chikhaev to accompany them, saying his wife had been detained for drunk driving. He told the Cyprus Mail he was shocked, as his wife could not drive and refrained from drinking a lot of alcohol because she had a weak stomach. Arslan accompanied the officers, taking his residency permit and passport with him. They had both been scheduled to meet with the immigration officer on January 16 to have their visa extended for another year.

Once at the station, the couple were not allowed to talk to each other and Arslan was detained in police custody on the grounds that he might be an illegal alien.

Despite their lawyer's attempts to release them the following day, they remained in custody until January 17.

Last month, the couples' lawyers wrote to deputy Attorney-general Petros Clerides and asked that the charges be dropped; the request was rejected. They are expected in court in less than two weeks' time.

The couple are from Makhachkala in the Republic of Daghestan, where Gourjanad Chikhaev worked at a government kindergarten. According to her reference letter “during the whole period of her work… (She) had no problems, conflicts or any reprimands” and was “highly praised by both parents and the representatives of the regional educational authorities”.

A general surgeon examined her on January 18. In his confirmation letter, Dr Andreas Roumbas writes: “On various parts of her body, like her upper and lower limbs and shoulder blades, there are a lot of signs of bruising. There is also bruising on her forehead and the area of the left buttock.”

“Instead of apologising they want to send her to jail,” said Arslan Chikhaev. “We didn't want to mar Cyprus' image in any way. We love it here. We thought that it was completely safe.”

Now they both suffer from nightmares.

The Russian Embassy yesterday confirmed that its consul had sent a letter of complaint to the Justice Ministry. A source told the Cyprus Mail the letter had made reference to similar past cases and complained of the Limassol's police unacceptable behaviour. “The police (still) have their passports in custody. They have no right to them and they are the property of the consul,” said the source.

Neither Agapiou nor Spyrou - the two officers named in the charge sheet - could be disturbed from their duties yesterday.

Limassol CPU head Tassos Economides said: “The criminal case is before the Limassol court and so I cannot make any statement.”

However, police later issued a written statement rejecting as “groundless and unsubstantiated” Chikhaev's allegations.

According to the statement, the two officers had spotted the woman wandering around in the middle of a main junction, at risk from passing cars. They said approached her and after identifying themselves, asked if she needed any assistance, in Greek then English.

Police noted that, according to the officers, the woman stank of alcohol, and replied with verbal abuse to their offer for help. The officers then tried to remove the woman, who refused to identify herself; they claim she reacted by hitting and verbally abusing one of the officers, the statement said.

She was arrested but allegedly continued to hit and kick the officers who asked for the help of a female colleague.

Police claimed both the woman and her husband had been staying on the island illegally since the end of December. They said both were kept in custody for two days and released after instructions from the immigration officer.

The police statement noted that it has become a frequent phenomenon lately for illegal aliens to file complaints alleging police abuse, with the aim of extending their stay on the island.

Deputy Attorney-general Petros Clerides refused to comment.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

[04] Thieves make off with Education Ministry safe

The robbers lifted safes from a co-op in the Morphou district, and kiosk and the Education Ministry in Nicosia.

Police did not say whether they had evidence that the three hits were linked.

From the Education Ministry, the thieves made off with a 200-kilo safe containing around £1,500 taken from the offices of the exams board.

They had broken into the building through the toilet window on the ground floor some time between Friday night and Sunday morning. They forced open a number of doors until they came across a bulky safe, which they carried out through a fire safety door.

The break-in was discovered when an employee passed by the offices on Sunday to catch up with some work.

He found that office doors had been broken and the safe stolen.

Police were called to the scene to gather forensic evidence.

The safe held around £1,500 in cash collected from students who paid to take a typing examination.

One source told the Cyprus Mail that the ministry had no form of security, neither cameras nor guards. The gates of the ministry remain open at all times.

Asked whether there would be a review of security in all government buildings, police spokesman Demetris Demetriou said that every ministry was responsible for taking its own security measures. At the moment, the only security measures bestowed on government buildings are the six police patrols that cover the whole Nicosia district on a 24-hour basis.

In the second case, robbers took off with a safe from the Spilia village co- op containing £6,000 in cash, cheques and bonds.

Police believe the robbery took place between Sunday night and Monday morning.

The third safe was stolen from a Nicosia kiosk in the early morning hours of Monday.

According to police, the safe contained £3,692 in cash.

The robbers also stole various items worth £4,040 from the kiosk on Kyrenia Avenue.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

[05] EAC plays down fears of higher bills because of war

Speaking yesterday, EAC spokesman Costas Gavrielides said no one could predict oil prices, adding that tariffs were continuously adjusted according to the prevailing international oil prices.

“Tariffs increase and decrease all the time (regardless of the war)… We don't know how the price of oil will fluctuate,” he said.

Gavrielides added that tariffs would increase or decrease by 0.0015 of a cent for every five-cent increase above or below the price of a metric tonne of heavy fuel oil.

“We try very hard as an organisation to keep our prices as low as possible, ” he reassured.

He also said that the EAC was working hard to break its reliance on oil.

“We are trying to break this absolute dependency by examining the possibility of using natural gas to produce electricity with the Commerce Ministry.”

Commenting on the recent increase in fuel prices, an officer at the Ministry said that oil prices on the island could fall again once a cost- revenue deficit sustained in the first two months of the year was recovered.

“During January and February we had low prices with high import costs, which meant there was a big deficit between cost and revenues. At the moment, crude costs are clearly lower than $34 (per barrel) but we are still trying to recover that deficit.

“We waited for a couple of months to see where the prices would go but there was no sign of them going down so we had to increase the fuel prices. Now crude oil price has dropped again but it isn't stable, it's very volatile.

The officer added that the Ministry would monitor developments and act accordingly.

“Once we recover the deficit we will determine the our actions and we will probably lower the prices again if that is justified by the international situation.”

Since prices were fixed by the Ministry in late December, the price of crude oil has increased from $26 to $32-34 per barrel.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

[06] University sets up new incubator with aim of luring hi-tech projects

Vice-Rector and incubator co-ordinator, Christos Schizas, said yesterday that the new incubator, called Diogenes, would be up and running by the end of May. The aim of the project is to assist people with new business ideas by providing the means to develop their idea to the stage where it is ready for the market.

This is the first time the university has registered a limited company. Although making a profit is a necessity, its main aim is scientific advancement and a greater emphasis on research and development on the island. The university hopes to attract innovative and high technology business adventures from around the world.

Diogenes offers clients a working area, access to academic services, legal and business facilities, administrative services, access to funding and sponsorship and a network of relevant contacts.

The incubator will review for approval business ideas in biotechnology, automated systems, micro-technology, nano-technology, information systems and telecommunications.

Diogenes can offer financial aid up to £120,000 for two years to any one that gets approval. However, after the idea gets approval from the incubator's board of directors, it then gets sent to the Commerce Ministry for approval. The offer applies to a citizen of any nationality as long as they register their company and develop their product in Cyprus first. In return, the incubator either receives rent or a shareholding no greater than 49 per cent.

The university aims to promote research and development, advance the interests of academics, students, postgraduates and foreign associates, while integrating industry with the public and private sector and being a part of the technology life cycle.

The board of directors believes that the future of the country lies in the advancement of research and development, to fill in the holes of the tourism-dependent economy and invite the return of knowledgeable and skilful Cypriots currently abroad.

“We have already had meetings with Cypriots in the UK, many of whom showed a great deal of interest. Cyprus will no longer be seen as a place to retire by academics and businessmen but as a place where they have the opportunity to work in co-operation with the university,” said Schizas.

The Diogenes co-ordinator explained that incubators were just part of the technology cycle. The country desperately needs to go one step further to realise the establishment of a National Technology Park and a National Research, Technology and Development Centre.

Another board director, Andreas Alexandrou, highlighted that Cyprus had the worst record in research and development out of all acceding countries to the European Union. “We have a very low level of research and development compared to countries like Singapore and Finland. We are very dependent on tourism,” he said. “This project also provides a social benefit in the sense that our students can now see opportunities for advancement outside of the public domain,” he added.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

[07] Employers brace for clash with unions amid spiralling inflation

Inflation rose 5.97 per cent year-on-year in March, spiralling to its highest point in months due to fuel and food price increases. Headline inflation, reflected in the consumer price index, was 4.4 per cent in February. On a monthly basis, the March CPI index rose 2.09 per cent to 115.77 points.

Michael Pilikos, a senior official at the Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEV), said yesterday that the recent increase in VAT and other indirect taxes, the hike in fuel prices leading to increases in electricity charges, and the unusual weather which has pushed up the prices of fruit and vegetables had all contributed to the jump in inflation.

“All these add to an increase in cost of living and by cost of living I mean the Cost of Living Allowance will be affected,” he said. “This will add to the increase in production costs so this is not a very favourable development for competitiveness of the economy with all the negative implications.”

What makes it even more negative, he said, is the upcoming renewal of collective agreements in 15 different sectors at the end of this year. “Our position will be influenced first of all by the state of the economy and the cost of living. If in this July and in January 2004, companies will pay 4-5 per cent for the Cost of Living Allowance, we will not be keen to add pay increases to that,” he said. “It's still a bit early but definitely a stage is being set that is not very certain.”

Pilikos said employers would not be looking for CoLA to be abolished or reformed under the present communist-backed government. He said the chances of that were at an “absolute minimum”.

He added that at the moment everything depended on the war in Iraq. “The situation is very volatile in that it depends on how long the Iraq crisis lasts.

“If this crisis ends by the end of this week the implications will be minimal but let's say if the crisis continues till early May then I have bad feeling that the tourist season will be lost and consequently all economic indicators will suffer,” Pilikos said.

Another Nicosia-based economist remarked that the high inflation rate coupled with a low growth rate was an unusual phenomenon. “The growth rate is logical since there is no tourism coming in and the economy is slowing down,” he said. “The inflation rate is strange because usually when unemployment is increasing the economy is slowing, so inflation should be slowing down too. It is unusual.”

However, he said it could be worse “in the sense that Cyprus is not suffering a recession”.

“It all depends on how long the war goes and how badly the tourism is affected,” he said. “If it's prolonged and tourism is affected we will enter a recession and probably a big one.”

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

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