Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-10-23

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

Friday, October 23, 1998

The Bishop and the politicians

ALL PAPERS reported the insinuation by the Bishop of Limassol Chrysanthos that Cypriot politicians were also involved in overseas investment programmes that he had participated in.

Machi reported that Chrysanthos, asked to name the politicians, said he did not know who they were, adding that he would say nothing even if he knew. Once again, he said he had no intention of resigning and would wait for the decision of the Holy Synod's three-member investigative committee.

Meanwhile, Attorney-general Alecos Markides said that charges would be brought against the Bishop only if there was testimony that justified this. He would wait until police investigators returned from the UK, where they are collecting information, before making a decision.

Haravghi quoted the Bishop's financial advisor Mr Mavronichis, as saying that the party leaders who had called for Chrysanthos' resignation should "get serious and resign because they were giving Cyprus a bad name with their naivety".

Mavronichis and the Bishop's lawyer claimed that the instigators of the campaign against Chrysanthos were business rivals including banking organisations with investments abroad.

Simerini reported that two members of the Electricity Authority (EAC) board had submitted their resignations to President Clerides on Monday. The two, vice-chairman Nicos Lakkoufis and Andreas Christodoulides, resigned because they felt the board no longer enjoyed the confidence of the government.

According to the paper, the EAC board met last week to decide whether all members should resign. The EAC chairman said the board had been accused "of not showing the necessary care" in buying the plot, which could justify its resignation.

Alithia reported that the European Commission had adopted the proposal by Foreign Affairs Commissioner Hans van den Broek for the releasing of the funds earmarked for Turkey. After Greece's reaction, the Austrian presidency decided against submitting the proposal for approval by the Council of Foreign Ministers.

The Greek government warned the presidency that if Greek objections to the release of the funds were ignored then Athens would file a recourse to the European Court.

Phileleftheros said that Turkish fighter jets had been violating Greece's and Cyprus' airspace while the Nikiforos military exercise was under way in an attempt to raise tension.

One Turkish fighter had approached within 2,000 feet of a Greek C-130 military plane on a scheduled flight to Paphos.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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