Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 99-04-14

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

Wednesday, April 14, 1999

Hypocrisy or window of hope?

THE four dailies that appeared after the Easter weekend yesterday all led with stories about the situation in Yugoslavia, in the wake of the meeting of the foreign ministers of Nato member countries in Brussels.

Haravghi castigated the "hypocrisy" of the Nato ministers who had discussed "proposals for a political settlement", after the "merciless bombing of Yugoslavia" and the "unrelenting intensity" of the raids. The Nato ministers had been trying to get the UN Secretary- general Kofi Annan involved so that Russia "can have a role in the peace efforts".

Alithia drew more positive conclusions from the Brussels meeting which had provided a "window of hope for a political settlement" of the Kosovo dispute. The ministers' joint communiqué had included certain proposals that could be effective in the right climate, it said. It also claimed that Germany had drafted a peace plan.

Simerini reported that the parliaments of Yugoslavia and Serbia had voted in favour of entering a loose federation with Belarus and Russia in an attempt to end Belgrade's diplomatic isolation. These diplomatic moves were necessary given the tension at the Albanian-Kosovo border. The paper said that Russia held the key to peace, with both Nato and Serbia pinning their hopes on a Moscow initiative.

Phileleftheros claimed that Greek government officials feared that a section of Nato was working at getting the war to spread to the Yugoslav-Albanian border, while Nato land forces were expected to enter the fray in the next few days. The fact that Kosovar separatists, armed by Albania, were using that country to launch attacks in Kosovo was indicative of Nato plans, the paper claimed.

In another front-page story, the paper reported that Cyprus was to sign a military co-operation agreement with South Africa, whose Defence Minister Joe Montise is expected in Cyprus this month to finalise the deal. This provides for the exchange of information and expertise on military matters as well as the purchase of arms. Cyprus will try to buy attack helicopters from South Africa, the paper said.

Simerini reported that a record number of patients visited the casualty wards of the island's hospitals during the Easter celebrations on Sunday and Monday. It was estimated that on these two days some 3,000 people sought medical treatment at hospitals and private clinics - most cases were the result of over-eating while a few involved alcohol poisoning.

Alithia reported that the installation in Crete of Russian-made S-300 missiles - originally destined for Cyprus - had almost been completed. All that remained was the deployment of the missile system and its inclusion in Greece's air defence planning.

Haravghi reported that the President of the House, Spyros Kyprianou, would continue his initiative for the release of the three American soldiers being held in Yugoslavia. His mission had not failed, but had been interrupted, he claimed, letting it be understood that this would now take the form of a mediation effort.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999

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