CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY, 96-05-16

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From: Panayiotis Zaphiris <pzaphiri@glue.umd.edu>

CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY, 96-05-16

CONTENTS

[01] CYPRUS SATISFACTION WITH BRUSSELS MEETING

[02] POSSIBLE LEGAL MEASURES AGAINST BRITISH DEPUTY

[03] CYPRUS' EU APPLICATION DISASSOCIATED FROM TURKEY'S

[01] CYPRUS SATISFACTION WITH BRUSSELS MEETING

SPEAKING FROM BRUSSELS TO CYPRUS RADIO, MICHAELIDES SAID IT HAS NOW BECOME A CONVICTION AND IT IS IN THE MINDS OF THE EUROPEANS THAT CYPRUS AND MALTA WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE NEXT EU ENLARGEMENT.

HE SAID EVERYONE BELIEVES THAT CYPRUS IS READY IN ALL ASPECTS TO JOIN THE UNION AND THE ONLY CONCERN IS THE CYPRUS PROBLEM, WHICH SHOULD BE SOLVED THE SOONEST.

MICHAELIDES ADDED THE EUROPEANS UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THE UNITED NATIONS TO SOLVE THE CYPRUS PROBLEM, WITH THE UNITED STATES' INITIATIVE ON CYPRUS BEING THE PIVOT OF THE EFFORTS.

IN ITS JOINT PRESS RELEASE, THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL RECONFIRMED THE DECISION OF THE 6TH OF MARCH, 1995 THAT ''NEGOTIATIONS FOR CYPRUS' ACCESSION TO THE UNION, WILL BEGIN, ON THE BASIS OF COMMISSION PROPOSALS, SIX MONTHS AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE 1996 INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE AND TAKING ITS RESULTS INTO ACCOUNT''.

IT SAID THE PRESENCE OF PRESIDENT CLERIDES AND MICHAELIDES AT THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL MEETINGS IN CANNES AND MADRID AND THE ''INVITATION EXTENDED TO THEM BY THE PRESIDENCY TO ATTEND THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL IN FLORENCE ARE EARNEST EXAMPLES OF THE UNION'S COMMITMENT TO THIS PROCESS LEADING TO THE ACCESSION OF CYPRUS''.

THE POLITICAL DIALOGUE SET UP BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES WAS ''REVIEWED WITH SATISFACTION AS IT CONTRIBUTED TO A BETTER MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND TO INCREASINGLY CONVERGENT VIEWS.''

THE EU SAID IT SUPPORTS ''A COMPREHENSIVE SETTLEMENT OF THE CYPRUS QUESTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL, BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF A BI-COMMUNAL AND BI-ZONAL CYPRIOT FEDERATION''.

IT CONFIRMED THAT THE ''STATUS QUO IN CYPRUS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND THAT THE PERIOD REMAINING BEFORE THE START OF THE ACCESSION MUST BE PUT TO GOOD USE IN EFFORTS TO FIND A COMPREHENSIVE SETTLEMENT TO THE CYPRUS QUESTION''.

THE BRUSSELS MEETING WAS CHAIRED BY MICHAELIDES, AND THE COMMUNITY DELEGATION WAS LED BY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ITALY AND PRESIDENT-IN-OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU, SUSANNA AGNELLI.

FOLLOWING THE MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL, THE FOREIGN MINISTERS HELD ALSO THEIR SECOND JOINT HALF-YEARLY MINISTERIAL MEETING IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE STRUCTURED DIALOGUE ADOPTED WITH CYPRUS IN JUNE 19895.

MATTERS OF COMMON INTEREST, PARTICULARLY EXTERNAL POLICY AND QUESTIONS RELATED TO ACCESSION WERE DISCUSSED.

CYPRUS HAS BEEN DIVIDED SINCE 1974 WHEN TURKISH TROOPS INVADED AND OCCUPIED 37 PER CENT OF ITS TERRITORY.

CYPRUS APPLIED FOR EU MEMBERSHIP IN JULY 1990. IT SIGNED AN ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY IN 1972 AND A CUSTOMS UNION AGREEMENT IN 1987.

CNA EC/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

[02] POSSIBLE LEGAL MEASURES AGAINST BRITISH DEPUTY

CASSOULIDES WAS COMMENTING ON PRESS REPORTS THAT THE BRITISH MP IS BEHIND THE SALE OF A GREEK CYPRIOT CHURCH IN THE OCCUPIED PART OF CYPRUS, ''PANAYIA TIS CHYSOTRIMITHIOTISSAS'' IN KYRENIA DISTRICT, ADVERTISED IN THE TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID HE WAS NOT AWARE OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT SIR DUDLEY SMITH ALLEGING THAT HE IS IN SOME WAY INVOLVED IN THE SALE OF THE CHURCH.

HOWEVER, ''THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME SIR DUDLEY SMITH IS USING GREEK CYPRIOT PROPERTY ILLEGALLY IN TURKISH OCCUPIED CYPRUS AND CONTRAVENES THE ETHICS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,'' HE SAID.

''THE REPUBLIC'S LEGAL SERVICES ARE EXAMINING THE POSSIBILITY TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST SIR DUDLEY SMITH,'' THE SPOKESMAN ADDED AND EXPLAINED THAT THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT INDEED THE BRITISH MP POSSESSES A HOUSE IN OCCUPIED CYPRUS BELONGING TO A SPECIFIC GREEK CYPRIOT.

MOREOVER, THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TURKISH OCCUPIED DISTRICT OF KYRENIA ARE PROTESTING TO THE U.N. ABOUT THE SALE OF THE CHURCH.

A STATEMENT ISSUED TODAY BY THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF MUNICIPALITIES AND REFUGEE ASSOCIATIONS OF KYRENIA DISTRICT CALLS ON THE U.N. TO ''UPHOLD LAW AND ORDER AND ASSUME THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES''.

THE STATEMENT DEPLORES THE SALE OF THE CHURCH AND DESCRIBES THE SYSTEMATIC PILLAGE OF CYPRUS' HERITAGE AS PART OF TURKEY'S EXPANSIONIST POLICIES.

CYPRUS HAS BEEN DIVIDED SINCE THE 1974 TURKISH INVASION. TURKEY CONTINUES TO OCCUPY 37 PER CENT OF THE ISLAND'S AREAS.

CNA MM/KPK/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

[03] CYPRUS' EU APPLICATION DISASSOCIATED FROM TURKEY'S

THE CYPRUS GOVERNMENT, HE ADDED, WOULD CONSIDER POSSIBLE ATTEMPTS IN THE FUTURE TO LINK THE TWO ISSUES AS A ''STRANGE'' DEVELOPMENT.

THE MINISTER WAS SPEAKING ON ARRIVAL AT LARNACA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FROM BRUSSELS WHERE HE ATTENDED A MEETING OF THE EU-CYPRUS ASSOCIATION COUNCIL.

THE COUNCIL INDICATED ON TUESDAY IN A CLEAR MANNER THAT CYPRUS AND MALTA WOULD BE THE FIRST TO JOIN THE EU AMONG ALL PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATE STATES.

THE COUNCIL ALSO PRAISED THE PROGRESS CYPRUS HAS ACHIEVED IN ADJUSTING ITS LEGAL SYSTEM TO COMPLY WITH THE EU ACQUIS COMMUNAUTAIRE.

THE MINISTER SAID HE WAS PLEASED WITH THE OUTCOME OF THE BRUSSELS MEETING AND ADDED ''CYPRUS' COURSE TOWARDS EUROPE IS A SEPARATE AND IRREVERSIBLE.''

GREECE, HE ADDED, WORKED VERY HARD TO AVERT ANY MOVES TO LINK CYPRUS' EUROPEAN COURSE WITH TURKEY'S RELATIONS TO THE EU.

HE ALSO SAID THE KEY TO SUCCESSFULLY PROMOTING CYPRUS' APPLICATION FOR EU ACCESSION WAS DUE TO CONSTANT EXCHANGE OF VIEWS BETWEEN CYPRUS AND GREECE.

ASKED IF FRESH ATTEMPTS MIGHT BE MADE TO LINK CYPRUS' TIES WITH EUROPE WITH THOSE BETWEEN THE EU AND TURKEY, MICHAELIDES REPLIED ''I WOULD NOT RULE THIS OUT BUT I WOULD CONSIDER IT VERY STRANGE IF THE MATTER EMERGES IN A YEAR'S TIME.''

HE SAID GREECE CONVEYED THE MESSAGE THAT CYPRUS CANNOT BE ASKED TO PAY THE PRICE FOR THE EU MEDA PROGRAMME, WHICH INVOLVES DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO 12 MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES INCLUDING TURKEY AND WAS REFERRED TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FOR CONSIDERATION.

COMMENTING ON THE EU ROLE IN EFFORTS TO SETTLE THE CYPRUS QUESTION, MICHAELIDES SAID ''IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF IF BUT HOW. THE FINAL DECISION WILL BE TAKEN BY THE EU PRESIDENCY.''

HE SAID HE WOULD MEET HIS IRISH COUNTERPART DICK SPRING PROBABLY BEFORE MID-JUNE. IRELAND ASSUMES THE EU CHAIR IN JULY THIS YEAR.

CNA MM/KPK/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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