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Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 99-04-30

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

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


Friday, April 30, 1999

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/Nato 'bombing civilians to break morale'/ N.A.T.O. was very strongly criticised by yesterday's papers for the 'mistaken' bombing of the small Yugoslav town of Surdulica which killed some 20 civilians.

Phileleftheros maintained that Nato aircraft were hitting non-military targets and killing civilians "with the obvious aim of destroying the morale and resistance of the Serbs". This was a new tactic - after the destruction of economic targets such as factories and oil reservoirs - aimed at building up domestic opposition to President Milosevic. The Nato spokesman had admitted that the bombing of Surdulica was a mistake, but added that the death of civilians was inevitable in any war. Meanwhile, the Yugoslav authorities said that 1,000 people had been killed by the bombing, half of whom were children, and 5,000 had been injured. Belgrade estimated that the damage caused by the bombing was in the region of $100 billion.

Haravghi launched a scathing attack in a front-page editorial against the "cold- blooded murderers of Nato" whose "barbarism" included attacks on civilians. It said: "This is how the 'civilised' leaders of Nato behave. This is how the 'guardians' of human rights behave." "The hands of the Nato leaders have been stained with the blood of innocent civilians. There are no excuses. They are criminals, murderers of people, barbarians who are taking mankind centuries back. What will Clinton, Blair and Schroeder and the rest of the gang say? Who will be accountable for Nato's crimes? What does the international court of justice at The Hague say about war crimes? When will the moral instigators of the murder of civilians be tried?"

Simerini focused on the sacking of Yugoslav Vice-President Vuk Draskovic, which was brought about by his overt criticism of the government. The official explanation was that his comments - that official circles refused to tell the truth about Kosovo - "damaged the image of the government". The paper said that Draskovic had angered the generals and government hardliners. Government circles in Belgrade had been accusing Draskovic of pursuing personal political ends with his stance. He was accused of trying to win Nato's favour which he could exploit after the war.

Alithia led with a report about the government's response to criticism by opposition politicians, who had claimed that President Clerides had been caught unread and ill-informed about the provisions of the Rambouillet agreement. Akel and Edek deputies had claimed that Clerides was wrong to claim that Rambouillet would not have given Kosovars the right of separate self-determination. Foreign Minister Ioannis Cassoulides held a press conference and provided evidence to show that Clerides' evaluation was correct. There was no such provision, but there was a provision safeguarding the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia, said Cassoulides.

Politis quoted US State Department official Thomas Miller as saying that the main objective of the next US peace initiative on Cyprus would be to get President Clerides and Rauf Denktash at the negotiating table. All issues would be on the table and no conditions would be set. At the same time in London, Britain's Cyprus envoy Sir David Hannay had been saying that the initiative would take place immediately after the formation of a new government in Turkey. Russia would also be involved in the initiative.

Machi reported that the Potato Marketing Board had lost its one of its biggest customers in the UK - the Safeways supermarket chain which bought between eight and 10 thousand tons a year. The firm was now buying from Egypt, whose potatoes were cheaper.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999

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