Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-07-22

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

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] Relatives of missing ‘taking matters into their own hands’

[02] New car prices to fall as government readjusts duties

[03] Government blasts ‘toughening’ Turkish stance

[04] Airport decision due by January

[05] Government denies downgrading Rome embassy during Italian presidency

[06] Finance Ministry unveils revolutionary new information system

[07] Government sets up passport office for Turkish Cypriots at Ledra Palace checkpoint

[08] ‘Turkish Cypriots keep raising new demands over trade’

[01] Relatives of missing ‘taking matters into their own hands’

RELATIVES of persons missing since the 1974 invasion are taking matters into their own hands, crossing to the north to seek information on the fate of their loved ones, the Relatives of Missing Persons Committee warned yesterday.

Calling on the government to take a lead on the issue, the head of the Committee, Nicos Theodosiou told a news conference that relatives were taking advantage of the partial lifting of restrictions of freedom of movement to make their own investigations in the occupied areas.

One family was even considering carrying out an exhumation at a site in the occupied areas where a mass grave is thought to be located, he said.

A total of 1,619 Greek Cypriots were listed as missing after the invasion, with relatives clinging on to unconfirmed reports of sightings after their disappearance. Most were soldiers or reservists, captured during the fighting, while the rest were civilians arrested by the Turkish invasion troops or Turkish Cypriot paramilitary groups. The number of missing persons has recently been reduced to 1,586 after DNA identification of remains exhumed from unmarked graves in the free areas.

Theodosiou said yesterday that some of those who had detailed information about the circumstances under which their relative went missing (where, when and by whom they were arrested) had gone to the north in search of clues.

He said information obtained on people taken in some villages gave reason to believe that mass executions had taken place, adding many of the findings were not new, but did confirm existing information in the missing persons’ archives.

One Greek Cypriot family even wanted to dig the site of a suspected mass grave identified by local Turkish Cypriots, Theodosiou said. However he warned the family and others tempted to follow their example of the risks of such an enterprise that they could face arrest and imprisonment by the Turkish Cypriot authorities if they went ahead of their own accord

The chairman of the Committee clarified that none of the information gleaned recent weeks was of any recent sighting of missing persons: “There is information coming in about missing person cases. But we are talking about information from 1974. In the occupied part, I don’t believe that there has been any information of someone having been sighted alive lately.”

He added, however, that some new information had emerged, but refused to elaborate.

Theodosiou said that in the circumstances it was all the more important for the government to provide a lead, but said the new administration had been totally inactive on the issue, failing to supply relatives with timely information regarding the fate of missing persons. He added the Committee had for five months now been waiting for a promised meeting with President Tassos Papadopoulos, which was yet to materialise.

Theodosiou added that dozens of relatives of Turkish Cypriot missing persons from the intercommunal troubles of the 1960s and the fighting of 1974 had also come over to the south to seek information on the fate of their loved ones.

The government has called on all relatives of Turkish Cypriot missing persons to submit DNA samples to a government database in an effort to identify as many of them as possible.

The authorities last year began exhumations of a common grave in the Larnaca district, which had seen fighting in 1974, but abandoned the effort after the Denktash regime’s refusal to supply DNA samples of relatives.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

[02] New car prices to fall as government readjusts duties

NEW cars prices are set to be slashed later in the year, as part of an overall rethink of road transport policy, Minister of Communications and Works Kikis Kazamias said yesterday.

Kazamias disclosed yesterday that his ministry had completed a detailed study on reform of tax schemes on vehicles, adding that the changes proposed would “translate into lower prices for cars”.

The core idea behind this involves eliminating CIF (cost-insurance-freight) from the value of import taxes for new cars; instead, import taxes will be calculated based on the cars’ engine capacity.

Car prices in Cyprus are seen as excessively high, about twice as much as the EU average, taking purchasing power into account.

But Kazamias’ move is sure to wreak pandemonium with second-hand importers, whose business has been booming precisely because of the far better deals they can offer. According to some estimates, 70 per cent of cars imported in Cyprus are second hand, and only 30 per cent are brand new.

In a recent interview, Kazamias conceded that the proposed measures would damage certain interests, remarking that second-hand dealers would “probably work up a storm”; but he added that their profit margins had for too long been considerably higher than those of new cars dealers, so the new scheme should restore some balance.

If it all pans out, it is hoped second-hand importers will be forced to offer customers better value-for-money deals; although in absolute terms used cars are cheaper, they typically come without the extras: a/c units, ABS brakes and so on.

The stated aim of the Communications Ministry is to give people incentives to buy new cars, gradually replacing ageing vehicles that pose safety risks on roads but also pollute the atmosphere. The ministry also claims that government revenues will not be adversely affected by the changes; despite being the numerical minority, new cars contribute a disproportionate 70 per cent of the government’s income from the automobile sector.

Some £72 million flow into government coffers every year from import taxes, road tax fees and miscellaneous costs.

In fact, state revenues would have suffered had the government not taken action, Kazamias said. As of May 2004, when Cyprus officially joins the EU, it will be possible to import cars of any age; currently the law prohibits the importation of vehicles more than five years old. Come next May, many Cypriots would scramble to buy cheaper used cars, also meaning less tax revenue for the government.

But it will probably take a little more to lure consumers into buying shiny new cars just off the assembly line. The government has said the prices of cars up to 16cc will be significantly reduced in the near future, and there are thoughts on offering road tax rebates to people who replace older vehicles (using petrol with heavy lead content) by new ones.

The good news is that the European Commission has recommended a gradual decrease in consumer taxes leading up to complete elimination at some stage.

But the bad news is that the government must replenish its income from other sources. This may involve hiking fuel prices or car insurance and road tax fees.

Kazamias said he would be meeting with his counterpart at the Finance Ministry some time in the next few days to discuss the proposals. He added he was optimistic his ministry would get the go-ahead.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

[03] Government blasts ‘toughening’ Turkish stance

THE government said yesterday said that statements made in Ankara and in the north on Sunday showed that Turkey was toughening its stance on Cyprus.

Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said that statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the 1974 invasion of Cyprus was a “peace operation”, showed that Turkey’s stance was hardening even more.

“The international community should seriously take into consideration statements by the occupation force, Turkey, and exert pressure to change its stance if we really want a resumption of the talks based on the Annan Plan, and to promote a solution to the Cyprus problem,” Chrysostomides said.

“Mr Erdogan’s statement that the invasion was a ‘peace operation’ is contrary to every principle of international law, especially article 2 of the UN Charter and is no different from statements made during the (Bulent) Ecevit era. Statements like these constitute a provocation against international legality.”

In his message to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash on the occasion of the anniversary of the Turkish invasion, Erdogan said Ankara would continue to support the Turkish Cypriots, and that efforts for a solution to the Cyprus problems should take into account that there were two states and two democracies on the island.

During his speech at Sunday’s parade in the north, Denktash said Turkish Cypriots had acquired their rights and freedoms “after a long struggle”.

“As a natural result of the Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, we have saved our rights and independence and made them concrete in our state. It is our most important duty to protect our state now,” he said. “Many circles have been testing our patience, determination, resistance, trust, unity and solidarity. Turkish Cypriot people have never surrendered while protecting their state. They have never accepted second-class citizenship. Mass massacres, mass graves and embargoes have not intimidated our people. Our state is the present of our resistance.”

Denktash repeated that a solution could only be based on the notion of two separate states and again criticised the Annan plan. “This is a plan which was prepared in order to make the island a member of the EU by destroying rights given to Turkey by the agreements of 1960, and making Turkish Cypriot people a minority on the island. If we had signed the agreement, one in every two people here would have forced to leave their homes,” he said.

“The plan of United Nations Secretary-general Annan destroys Turkey’s rights over Cyprus and changes the balance between Turkey and Greece in favour of Greece. Neither Turkish Cypriot people nor Turkey granted him such a right. We will not be deceived,” he added.

Chrysostomides said Denktash’s declarations on two separate states and his opposition to the Annan plan showed that there was “no progress or change regarding Turkey’s stance”.

“Furthermore, Erdogan’s statements point out that the official Turkey, and not only the military regime, backs Denktash’s position against the ‘opposition’ Turkish Cypriot forces, which in their majority have made statements in favour of the proper promotion of negotiations and a solution based on the Annan Plan,” the spokesman added.

Chrysostomides said that the government was now waiting to see whether Annan had any proposals to put forward for the resumption of the talks. The two leaders may be meeting Annan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

Athens on Sunday reacted angrily to the statements coming from the Turkish side, calling them “provocative”, and said that they went counter to the interests of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community.

“Calling the blood-steeped offensive a ‘peacekeeping operation’ is a provocation for all humanity, the international community and the United Nations, which has officially classed the Turkish operation as an invasion and occupation of Cyprus,” Greek Government Spokesman Christos Protopapas said.

“These cannot be accepted. At the end of the day, these things turn against Turkey and against the Turkish-Cypriot community,” he noted. Turkey had to understand that its only road to Europe passed through the erasure of the ‘green line’ dividing Cyprus, Protopapas stressed.

“If they want a solution to the Cyprus problem let them begin dialogue based on the proposals of the United Nations, based on the proposals made by Annan. This is the only way we can move forward,” the Greek spokesman added.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

[04] Airport decision due by January

A DECISION on which company will be chosen to undertake the overhaul of the island’s two airports is expected to be announced by the end of January 2004, Communications Minister Kikis Kazamias said yesterday.

The state is seeking a strategic partner to invest £200 million into the Larnaca and Paphos airport BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) projects, which will see the winning bidder running the facilities for the next 20 years.

Kazamias told Paphos Radio the government had called for the procedure to award the projects to one of the three finalists to be sped up so that the decision could be announced in January.

Construction had initially been slated to begin this year, but delays mean the projects are not now expected to get under way until 2004.

Kazamias said foreign technical advisers and the Central Tenders Council were expected to make their decision by October, in order to allow the government to begin negotiations with the chosen bidder.

If negotiations with the chosen bidder fail, the government will then move on to the runner up, and so on.

Kazamias also blamed the last government for the delays in the construction of marinas on the island, saying interest from foreign investors in the projects was minimal.

However, he pledged that if no private investors were found, the government would go ahead and construct the marinas without their help.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

[05] Government denies downgrading Rome embassy during Italian presidency

THE government yesterday denied reports it was cutting the number of diplomats serving in Italy, which currently holds the European Union presidency.

“The embassy in Rome has not been downgraded,” Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday.

He explained that one out of the three diplomats serving there was being transferred to Brussels due to his speciality on common foreign policy and security policy issues.

“The Foreign Ministry has taken all measures to assign a third diplomat to Rome during the duration of the Italian Presidency so that there will not be any gap at the embassy,” Chrysostomides said.

Politis yesterday claimed the government was cutting down staff in Rome at a time when Turkey had 12 diplomats there, plus others handling commercial issues, while further reinforcing its embassy during the Italian Presidency.

In a separate report, the daily said the government was looking to transfer the media attachés from its embassies in Paris, Brussels, New York, Cairo, Mexico, Rome, Madrid, London, Strasburg and Berlin.

The government decided that the long-term residence of diplomats and other public officials abroad did not serve the public interest because they lost their contact with Cyprus and became assimilated in the environment, Politis said.

The daily commented that there would be huge problems from this decision, mainly because the attachés would have to move their families and households back to the island, which could be expensive.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

[06] Finance Ministry unveils revolutionary new information system

THE Finance Ministry yesterday unveiled a new system of financial and administrative information, which is set to revolutionise the way the state budget is drafted.

According to Finance Minister Marcos Kyprianou, who presented the new software before the House Finance Committee, the system will simplify procedures, benefiting productivity, upgrading services, saving funds and most importantly barring the possibility of ministries exceeding their budgets.

Kyprianou said the system would be installed in two phases and was not an EU requirement.

Nevertheless, “it will help a lot in meeting other EU demands like the various checks and especially internal auditing”.

The new system helps the statistical processing wanted by EUROSTAT - the EU’s statistical arm - satisfies EU demands regarding funded projects and programmes and can prepare financial analyses based on international accounting standards.

Finance Committee chairman Aristos Chrysostomou said the electronic system of presentation would be of great help, noting that until now budgets were drafted using a 1960s system.

Chrysostomou stressed the system would mark the end of overspending and the cutting of bureaucracy, which he described as a ”scourge” in the public sector.

The representative from the state accountant’s office, Dinos Karmios, said the system multiplied the potential for financial analysis - classification of a department’s wages, recording of operating expenses, and in general provided transparency concerning state spending.

It also provides multi-dimensional information in relation to development programmes, projects, plans and union resources, down to the point of where audits can reach an individual project contract, Karmios said.

The new system also provides public departments with the potential of exchanging information between them, thus cutting time substantially by informing them about the part of the budget concerning their department.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

[07] Government sets up passport office for Turkish Cypriots at Ledra Palace checkpoint

INTERIOR Ministry Permanent Secretary Kyriacos Triantafyllides yesterday confirmed that the government was accepting applications for passports at a new office at the Ledra Palace Checkpoint.

Triantafyllides said the move was designed to deal with Turkish Cypriot passport applications in a faster way.

“Applications from Turkish Cypriots will be collected at the Ledra Palace checkpoint and taken to the passport office for them,” he told the Cyprus Mail.

“We are considering issuing passports from there in the near future but for now we are just testing it to see whether we get a lot of response from Turkish Cypriots.”

Triantafyllides said the government was working towards changing the expiry date on Turkish Cypriot passports from two years to 10, just like any other Cypriot.

“I have given instructions for the matter to be looked into and I am expecting this to be modified within the next week,” he said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

[08] ‘Turkish Cypriots keep raising new demands over trade’

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday accused the Turkish Cypriot side of continuously raising new demands over the question of trade of Turkish Cypriot products.

The issue, which was part of a government package of measures to support the Turkish Cypriot community, has been marked by continuous disagreements over who would issue the certificates for Turkish Cypriot products.

Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, which is recognised by the government, “had not yet decided on the way we will co-operate to issue the necessary certificates”.

“The government’s positions are clear; its proposals are clear.

“The Turkish Cypriots are discussing various issues between them and with the European Union and are continuously making new demands.

“When the problem is resolved, then we will be able to talk,” the spokesman said.

He added that the government’s proposals were clear, as long as the laws and regulations of the Republic were followed.

The measures provide that, from yesterday, Turkish Cypriot products could be transported from the north to the south by Turkish Cypriot lorries.

But despite receiving the green light, no Turkish Cypriot lorry drivers went to the transport department yesterday to get their vehicles checked for road-worthiness, one of the conditions for those wanting to transport products.

Communications Minister Kikis Kazamias said Turkish Cypriot drivers would be issued with day-passes so that they could get their vehicles checked at the transport department like everyone else did.

“If their vehicle passes the checks, then they can apply for a road permit, which they will get in less than 15 days, to transport specific products from the occupied areas,” Kazamias said.

He reiterated that the Turkish Cypriot lorries would undergo the same checks as lorries registered in the Republic and would be imposed the same penalties in case of offences.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

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