Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-10-10

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

Saturday, October 10th, 1998

Kyprianou is let off by House

THE HOUSE Watchdog Committee's decision on the advice of the Attorney- general not to carry out an investigation into the personal assets of House President Spyros Kyprianou was yesterday's main story.

Alithia said that the Party leaders and Party parliamentary spokesmen, after meetings with House President Spyros Kyprianou, had unanimously decided that the Watchdog Committee did not have the authority to investigate the matter.

Disy members of the Watchdog Committee complied with the decision, but suggested that the matter could be referred to the Auditor-general for an investigation. However, this was opposed by Committee members of the other parties - Edek Diko and Akel - who said that, if he wanted, the Attorney- general could conduct an investigation of his own accord.

Machi accused the committee of double standards in its handling of issues relating to the illegal amassing of wealth.

On the one hand, the Committee had decided to investigate the possibility that Interior Minister Dinos Michaelides was responsible of inappropriate political behaviour, based on what he had said during a press conference.

On the other hand, in the case of the allegations against Kyprianou, the Committee, using the Attorney-general's advice as a pretext, decided to do nothing. Kyprianou had allegedly threatened not to preside over the House session if he did not receive assurance that the matter would be closed.

Simerini reported that the handling of the allegations against Kyprianou had divided Disy, members of which were angry with their leadership for agreeing not to pursue the matter. This despite the fact that the Disy parliamentary group had decided to refer the allegations against Kyprianou to the Auditor-general.

But the Party leadership changed tack after the meeting of the Party leaders in the House, agreeing that the allegations against Kyprianou should not be investigated.

Phileleftheros previewed yesterday's meeting of the National Council, which was expected to decide whether Cyprus would file a recourse to the UN General Assembly. However, a recourse to the UN Security Council was very remote, it said.

Comments by Foreign Minister Ioannis Cassoulides suggested that a recourse to the General Assembly was a distinct possibility. It was important to get the General Assembly to repeat its support of UN resolutions on Cyprus given Turkey's attempt to change the basis of the talks, it said.

Haravghi gave prominence to a speech by Akel leader Demetris Christofias who said that 24 years after the invasion, the Cyprus problem was at its worst deadlock ever.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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