Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-07-03

Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

Friday, July 3, 1998

Gloomy forecasts for visit

SPECULATION about the outcome of the visit to Cyprus of UN envoy Diego Cordovez was given prominence by yesterday's papers.

Alithia said that despite Rauf Denktash's agreement to see Cordovez, prospects of a breakthrough were non-existent. The negative Denktash reaction to the latest UN Security Council resolutions and Turkish insistence on the recognition of two states in Cyprus left no room for a successful visit.

Phileleftheros agreed that the prospects of Cordovez breaking the deadlock were non-existent. The envoy's main objective will be to test the ground and establish what Turkish intentions were in view of the approval of the two resolutions.

Simerini said that Cordovez's visit had the blessing of the United States. Apart from the public call, by the US permanent representative to the UN, Bill Richardson, for the co-operation of the Turkish side, the US had pressured Denktash into meeting Cordovez. Denktash had said he would not meet the envoy.

Haravghi quoted Akel leader Demetris Christofias saying that the UN resolution about the renewal of the Unficyp mandate was "not satisfactory. The resolution blamed the Greek Cypriot side for the lack of progress in the military dialogue. He also said that the UN had ignored President Clerides' letter calling for demilitarisation.

Machi claimed that the attack launched by communist party Akel against the Shacolas Group, which it accused of being given preferential treatment by the government, was motivated by the need to protect the party's business interests.

The party had attacked Shacolas' plans to build a shopping complex in Strovolos because it feared that the business of the Akel-owned hyper-store E&amp;S would be seriously affected. However, the anti-Shacolas stand has divided the party, the paper said, as several leading members disagreed with these tactics.

Alithia reported that the Shacolas Group's decision to distribute shares of its sister company, Lemeco Silvex Industries, among the group's shareholders would cause serious bureaucratic problems. Lemeco shareholders would rise from 400 to 9,000, causing serious administrative complications.

Simerini claimed that investigators of the case involving the Bishop of Limassol "had been left speechless by their findings". The Bishop had personally secured a one year residence permit for the woman who had given him 1.5 million Iraqi dinars. He told the authorities that the woman was a guest of the bishopric.

Philelftheros reported that marriages of convenience were on the rise. These were organised by vice bosses, who, after marrying off the foreign women, made them work as prostitutes. Young foreign women married old men in order to come and live in Cyprus.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article