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/ Shock at death of Kranidiotis
/
ALL OF yesterday's papers led with reports about the tragic death of
Greece's Cypriot-born deputy Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis and his
son, who died in a freak accident aboard a private jet on their way to a
meeting of Balkan ministers in Bucharest. Another four people died when the
plain inexplicably lost altitude, plunging from 21,000 feet to 3,000 feet.
"Shock: Loss for Cyprus, loss for Greece," was the banner headline in
Politis. "National loss" was the headline in Haravghi and Phileleftheros, while Alithia reported that "Another tragedy hits Greece and Cyprus". Simerini said that Hellenism had suffered "the second big tragedy in the space of a few days".
Politis, under a file photo of Kranidiotis with
his son Nicholas, said that the latter had decided to go with his father to
Romania because it was the only way they could spend a few days together.
Nicholas, 23, had told his friends in Athens that he was considering not
going with his father because he had a lot of studying to do.
_Phileleftheros
_ also said that Nicholas, a law student, had decided at the last minute to
accompany his father. According to the paper's information, Greece's
Foreign Minister George Papandreou had been scheduled to attend the Balkan
meeting in Romania, but at the last minute the mission had been given to
Kranidiotis.
_Simerini
_ explained that the death of the six passengers of the Falcon jet was
caused by decompression. According to experts, when a plane loses altitude
abruptly, it can cause an air bubble in the blood which leads to instant
death. The pilots of the plane had used the oxygen masks above their seats
and managed to regain control of the aircraft at 3,000 feet, it said.
Most of the papers also gave prominence to President Clerides' meeting with
Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis and the continuing saga about the
purchase of Louis Cruise Lines shares on private placement by state
officials.
_Alithia
_ reported that Clerides and Simitis had reached 'unanimous decisions'
regarding the handling of issues that would be raised with the start, or
during, negotiations on the Cyprus problem. The meeting also discussed
Cyprus' EU accession course and defence co-operation within the context of
the Unified Defence Dogma.
_Phileleftheros
_ said that Britain and the US were preparing the ground to ensure the
resumption of Cyprus talks by November at the latest. The US, which has
kept an open channel of communication with Ankara, has been giving
assurances that Rauf Denktash will attend the talks. Clerides expected to
receive an invitation to talks from the UN Secretary-General in the third
week of October.
_Haravghi
_ reported that, according to information it was unable to double-check, a
top banking official had also bought shares in Louis Cruise Lines on
private placement. It also revealed that the Director of Customs as well as
the Director of the Planning Bureau had received shares through private
placement. It said "the whole issue has developed into a major political
problem that undermines political institutions and violates the principles
of political ethics."
_Machi
_ claimed that the Turkish Cypriot journalist, Sertag Gorguner, who was
murdered on Sunday night was a "well-known pederast" and said "many Turkish
Cypriots had fallen victims of his perverted sexual appetites". According
to the paper's information, "pederasty is blossoming, to a large extent, in
the north". Pederasty had spread in the north "since the unchecked arrival
of the semi-barbaric Anatolians."
© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999
