Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-07-18

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

Friday, July 18, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] Government warns on weekend visits to north

[02] News in Brief

[03] EAC outlines vision for an autonomous future

[04] New checkpoint at Lefka?

[05] Coup marked in Nicosia

[06] Man remanded for alleged rape

[07] Truck drivers threaten strike

[08] Turkish Cypriot in visa débâcle looks to ECHR

[09] Greek Cypriots reject spending money in the north

[10] Detained Briton attacks policeman

[01] Government warns on weekend visits to north

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday repeated its warning to those planning to cross over to the occupied areas on Sunday. Authorities have issued a directive to Greek Cypriots, saying they should be extra careful in light of the Turkish celebrations commemorating the 1974 invasion.

Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said: “The illegality of the occupation continues and it is not possible to predict the behaviour of the occupying troops”.

“The government cannot guarantee the security of citizens travelling in the occupied areas,” Chrysostomides said.

He reiterated the government’s policy of not wishing to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement of its citizens and repeated the goal was to secure unrestricted movement across the whole of the island.

On Sunday the ceremonies marking the 29th anniversary of the Turkish invasion are taking place in the north. Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash told the Cyprus Mail crossing procedures on the Green Line will be business as usual.

"The north has taken all of the precautions for normal functioning of the state on July 20 as always. And the Greek Cypriots coming in and going out will not disturb us: we are in charge," said Denktash

"Two states will celebrate their national days, they will mourn for their martyrs. What we call martyrs, they call something else. What they call martyrs we call terrorists or EOKA killers.”

"In an ethnic conflict either one party takes over completely and the other submits, or separation is the answer.”

According to reports, the celebrations will be attended by vice president of the Turkish government Abduladif Sener and officials from “many countries”.

A military parade will be held in Nicosia while Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash will hold a reception at the Dome hotel in Kyrenia.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 18, 2003

[02] News in Brief

Austrian sought in connection with kidnapping

According to a police statement, Johann Horvath is wanted by Austrian authorities for allegedly abducting his daughter Eva Bonette.

It is thought that the man is currently living somewhere in Paphos.

Anyone with any information can contact Paphos CID, the nearest police station or call the citizen’s line on 1460, police said.

Pontian arrested for assaulting officer

Police said the 28-year-old had been stopped for routine check near the Paphos marina when he allegedly hit the officer. The man then tried to escape arrest.

He was caught and taken to hospital where he was treated for minor injuries incurred in the scuffle.

The 28-year-old was placed under arrest while the Paphos petty crime department investigates.

Small oil slicks untraceable

However, the experts were unable to determine the source of the fuel leak. They said that the subterranean sources of the leak had been drained but that special wells had been created so that the fuel could be monitored.

British tourist arrest for knife possession

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 18, 2003

[03] EAC outlines vision for an autonomous future

THE CYPRUS electricity authority (EAC) yesterday stressed the need for autonomy and flexibility in decision-making within the company and the elimination of time-consuming procedures.

Repeating the recommendations of its telecommunications counterpart, board chairman Giorgos Georgiades noted said the authority was at the crossroads of important developments and decisions.

Speaking at a news conference where he presented the EAC’s annual report, Georgiades said the EAC could survive inside the new environment created by the island’s EU accession as long as it became autonomous and had the ability to carry out its development programmes without the current time- consuming procedures.

Trade and Industry Minister George Lillikas said the government agreed with the EAC’s demands, adding the organisation had untapped potential to increase its income and cope with the expected competition.

The minister said discussions were already underway to set the framework in which the EAC would be able to operate efficiently in serving consumers and supporting development on the island.

Georgiades said the EAC’s budget is one of the biggest in the country -- £277 million in 2003.

And the organisation’s budget for the years 2002 to 2011 would reach £1 billion, the chairman said.

The authority’s surplus -- £11.8 million -- for 2002 was down compared to last year because £20 million had to be turned over to government coffers.

Concerning power consumption, the chairman said household consumers had reached 298,277 in 2002 while commercial users stood at 70,867.

There were 9,829 users in the industrial sector, 9,084 in agriculture and 6, 099 street lights.

All three power stations on the island could produce 988MW of electricity while maximum consumption had been recorded on July 30 last year when 775MW were produced in 40C conditions.

The EAC chairman revealed that 327,817 air conditioning units had been installed in the past three years with an output of 509MW.

Georgiades said the island should gradually phase out the use of crude oil in the production of electricity and start using natural gas, which was friendlier to the environment.

He added that if the island was ready to import natural gas soon, the EAC would probably be able to use it in its units by 2008.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 18, 2003

[04] New checkpoint at Lefka?

THE U.N. is looking into the possibility of opening up a new crossing to the north in the Lefka area, government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday.

“The occupation regime seems to have conveyed the wish to open a pass there, ” he told journalists at a news conference in Nicosia.

Chrysostomides said the government was awaiting the UN’s position on the possibility of accessing the north through Lefka, in the north-east of the island and added the Republic favoured the opening of more crossing points “to facilitate movement.”

He noted there were safety issues to be addressed due to minefields in the Lefka area, adding the government had been in contact with the UN to bring in specialists to de-mine the buffer zone in accordance with government policy.

House President Demetris Christofias said the government expected the UN “as a mediator in this case to ensure the opening of the Lefka pass would not be dangerous for people”.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 18, 2003

[05] Coup marked in Nicosia

MORE THAN 2,000 people gathered in Nicosia’s Eleftheria Square last night to take part in the first mass party rally to condemn the coup and the Turkish invasion in ten years.

The rally was represented by leaders of every political party on the island except DISY, who held a separate ceremony to mark the events and to commemorate those killed in the coup.

People with Greek and Cypriot flags chanted slogans in Greek and Turkish like, “EOKA B, murderers,” “Cyprus belongs to its people,” “human rights for all,” and “a united people could never be defeated, while a marathon runner from Larnaca marked the start of the rally.

Earlier, members of Democratic Party DISY gathered at the Makedonitissa cemetery to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during the coup and the invasion.

Speaking at the ceremony, party leader Nicos Anastassiades described the events as a double crime against the Cypriot people.

“If Greek speaking instruments working for foreign services did not destroy democracy in Greece, Cyprus would have never been divided,” he said.

ENDS

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 18, 2003

[06] Man remanded for alleged rape

A 64-YEAR-OLD man was yesterday remanded for five days by a Dhekelia court for the alleged rape of a 21-year-old mentally challenged woman, police said.

The court heard that the 64-year-old was a family friend and was visiting the victim’s home often, but when there he allegedly raped the woman repeatedly and left her pregnant.

According to the prosecution, when the 64-year-old discovered that the woman was pregnant, he forced the woman into having an abortion at a Larnaca clinic on Tuesday.

After the abortion, the woman reported the incident to the police and the 64-year-old was arrested.

There are strict laws on abortion in Cyprus and police have launched an investigation into locating and prosecuting the clinic that carried out the procedure.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 18, 2003

[07] Truck drivers threaten strike

THE LIMASSOL port could be crippled next Wednesday as hundreds of truck drivers prepare to go on strike. The Pancyprian Commercial Carriers Association are demanding better working conditions and loading schedules as well as parking spaces and more exits out of the port for their convenience.

They are also furious at a government decision to install tachographs on commercial vehicles in an effort to control speeding drivers.

Communications and Works Minister Kikis Kazamias described the move as an unfortunate one.

“I do not wish to be involved in the issue but I feel that their decision to go on strike in the time schedule that they announced is very unfortunate,” he said.

“They are furious at a government decision to control speeding. This approach is wrong and I am sure that they are as sensitive as any other citizen when it comes to matters of road safety. We cannot be lenient in these matters and they just have to live with that, ” he added. More than 700 lorries carrying around 1,600 containers use the port each day.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 18, 2003

[08] Turkish Cypriot in visa débâcle looks to ECHR

A TURKISH Cypriot woman who was refused entry at Larnaca airport despite having the necessary paperwork said she would be lodging an appeal at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for the inhuman treatment she received from officers of the immigration service, reports said yesterday.

Gulsevin Shah who had arrived on the island from Lebanon with her two children almost two weeks ago but was detained for 24 hours before she was turned back despite having a visa issued by the embassy of Cyprus in Beirut.

According to Turkish news agency Anadolu, the woman said the treatment she had received was inhuman and that she was planning to file a complaint with the ECHR.

Shah was speaking after a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash who reportedly said such behaviour should not go unaccounted for.

“It should become a lesson to the Greek Cypriots,” Denktash said.

The incident played right into Denktash’s hands, who took the incident as an opportunity to repeat his demand for two separate states.

“If the Greek Cypriots had accepted the realities, they would have treated us humanely and an effort would have been made on their behalf to create trust between the two communities,” Denktash added.

The Turkish Cypriot leader said: “Turkish Cypriots are not a minority but a separate nation and should become partners - if a partnership could be arranged”.

Shah said that before she arrived in Larnaca she was told that she would not have any problems at the airport.

Interior Minister Andreas Christou who personally apologised to the woman’s father said yesterday that she had every right to do whatever she wanted.

Christou said the incident is still under investigation, adding he expected the findings to be ready sometime next week.

“We want this incident to be the last and not have any other case of Cypriot foreign citizens being turned back because some officials did not do the right thing,” Christou said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 18, 2003

[09] Greek Cypriots reject spending money in the north

A POLL of Greek Cypriots suggests most are strongly against spending money in the north.

The survey was taken in late May - a month after the checkpoints were opened - and commissioned by the College of Tourism and Hotel Management. Respondents were asked a raft of questions spanning from visits to the occupied areas to accession to the European Union and summer vacation plans.

According to the findings, most Greek Cypriots viewed spending money in the north as a taboo, regardless of age, gender, area of residence, educational level and refugee status.

More than 95 per cent of respondents felt gambling in casinos, staying in hotels and shopping for clothes or other products in the occupied areas was “inappropriate”, while 92 per cent felt visiting cultural heritage sites with an admission fee and eating in restaurants and cafés was unacceptable. Seventy-five per cent of those polled saw visiting the beach in the north inappropriate. A quarter felt visiting family origins was also unacceptable.

Males were slightly more likely to view eating in restaurants, buying clothes, going to the beach or staying overnight in a hotel as “appropriate” than females, though 15 per cent of those who had admitted to crossing the Green Line had eaten at cafés there. Just one per cent of respondents said they had gambled or purchased clothes in the north and a single respondent out of the 379 who had visited the north admitted to staying in a hotel overnight.

The survey showed that many Cypriots did not plan to visit the occupied areas. At the time of asking, 38 per cent of respondents had already visited the north and 18 per cent had considered it. Another forty-four per cent said they would not consider it.

The poll revealed refugees were the most likely to visit the north: 60 per cent of refugees participating in the poll had already crossed, compared to 23 per cent of non-refugees who had visited. Twenty-four per cent of refugees polled said they would not return to the north, as compared to 57 per cent of non-refugees. Almost all the refugees who travelled to the north visited their place of origin.

According to the poll, 62 per cent of Paphos residents had not crossed the Green Line or considered it, whereas under a third of Larnaca and Famagusta residents - where a significant number of refugees settled after 1974 - said the same.

Asked about the impact of a solution to the island’s division, the poll showed Cypriots had differing opinions on how a political solution would affect them personally and how it would affect tourism in the south.

Almost 40 per cent of respondents said a solution would benefit them personally, while just 28 per cent felt reunification would benefit tourism in the government-controlled areas. Most poll participants felt a solution would not harm them personally, though some did expressed the concern that a solution could divert tourists away from destinations in the south.

Forty-seven per cent of refugees felt a solution would benefit them personally.

The survey also showed most Cypriots believed EU membership will have an impact on their lives and tourism.

Almost 70 per cent of respondents felt EU entry would boost the number of tourists coming to Cyprus and most also felt accession would affect them personally. Those who did not think the EU would affect their lives, were generally less educated and resided in Paphos.

The survey also found that Cypriots were not long-term planners where summer holidays were concerned with 72 per cent of respondents not having booked anything when asked in May. Fifty-seven percent of those who had booked a holiday said they go abroad and 43 per cent would stay in Cyprus. Seventy-four per cent of respondents who were going abroad had chosen Greece as their holiday destination, compared to just six per cent who whose the UK -- making Greece the number one holiday spot for Cypriots abroad.

The poll was conducted in May by CYMAR Market Research Ltd and was based on face-to-face interviews with 1000 Cypriots between the ages of 18-65 from Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos and Famagusta.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 18, 2003

[10] Detained Briton attacks policeman

TWO BRITISH men in Paralimni court yesterday for a remand hearing in connection with a stabbing incident in Ayia Napa reacted violently when the court ordered they be held in custody until their case is tried, police said.

According to a police bulletin, the two men, 23 and 24, began shouting when the judge announced the court’s decision and the 24-year-old attacked a CID officer who was present at the hearing.

The two men were taken to the Paralimni police station, charged and then taken to the central prison were they will remain in custody until their case is tried on July 27.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

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