CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY, 96-05-17

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

CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY, 96-05-17

CONTENTS

[01] BRITAIN WISHES NO INVOLVEMENT IN CASE OF ILLEGAL SALE OF CHURCH

[02] TURKISH CYPRIOT REGIME BLOCKS BICOMMUNAL CONTACTS

[03] UNIVERSITY CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION WORKS TO START

[04] RUSSIA WANTS CYPRUS SOLUTION BASED ON PRINCIPLES

[01] BRITAIN WISHES NO INVOLVEMENT IN CASE OF ILLEGAL SALE OF CHURCH

BRITISH CONSERVATIVE DEPUTY SIR DUDLEY SMITH, WHO ILLEGALLY POSSES GREEK CYPRIOT PROPERTY IN THE TURKISH-OCCUPIED AREAS, IS ALSO ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN THE CASE OF THE ILLEGAL SELLING OF GREEK CYPRIOT CHURCH ''PANAYIA CHRYSOTRIMITHIOTISSA'' AT THE TURKISH-OCCUPIED VILLAGE OF TRIMITHI, IN KYRENIA DISTRICT.

ASKED TO COMMENT ON THE CASE, MADDEN SAID HE HAS ''SEEN SOME STORIES IN THE PRESS'' BUT ADDED ''WHETHER THOSE STORIES HAVE ANY FOUNDATION I HAVE NO MEANS OF TELLING.''

MADDEN, WHO WAS SPEAKING AFTER A MEETING WITH PRESIDENT GLAFCOS CLERIDES, SAID THEY DID NOT DISCUSS THE MATTER AND STRESSED THAT ''THIS IS NOT A MATTER OF OFFICIAL INVOLVEMENT BY THE HIGH COMMISSION.''

''WHAT INDIVIDUALS DO IS A MATTER FOR INDIVIDUALS. IF ANYONE HERE WISHES TO TAKE UP THAT STORY I THINK THERE ARE CHANNELS FOR YOU TO DO SO'', HE SAID, STRESSING HOWEVER THAT ''THIS IS NOT A MATTER FOR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.''

ASKED WHETHER THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS ACTIONS OF ILLEGAL PURCHASE AND SALE OF GREEK CYPRIOT PROPERTIES IN THE TURKISH-OCCUPIED AREAS, THE HIGH COMMISSIONER SAID HE DID NOT WANT TO COMMENT ON IT.

MADDEN TOLD REPORTERS THAT THE PURPOSE OF HIS MEETING WITH PRESIDENT CLERIDES WAS TO INTRODUCE TO THE PRESIDENT THE NEW DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER JOHN BUCK.

HE SAID HE WANTED TO SEE PRESIDENT CLERIDES AFTER THE VISIT OF JEREMY GREENSTOCK, POLITICAL DIRECTOR OF THE BRITISH FOREIGN OFFICE, LAST WEEK.

BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY MALCOLM RIFKIND IS VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN CYPRUS AND THERE IS ''VERY STRONG WILLINGNESS ON BRITAIN'S PART TO HELP CONTRIBUTE TO PROGRESS TOWARDS THE SOLUTION OF THE CYPRUS PROBLEM'', MADDEN SAID.

''WE ARE CONTINUING OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE PROGRESS UNDER THE BROAD FRAMEWORK OF THE U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL'S GOOD OFFICES AND ALL THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE OVER THE YEARS ON THE U.N. PROCESS'', HE SAID.

THE BRITISH DIPLOMAT NOTED ''THERE IS ANOTHER PROCESS NOW AT WORK, WHICH IS THE POSSIBILITY OF CYPRUS' ACCESSION THE EU.''

MADDEN SAID BRITAIN HAS A ''DOUBLE ROLE'' IN THE PROCESS AS IT IS BOTH AN EU MEMBER AND PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL. ''WE ALSO AS GUARANTOR POWER HAVE A SPECIFICALLY BRITISH ROLE'', HE ADDED.

''WE ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF EFFORTS WHICH ARE GOING ON AND PERSONALLY I WOULD PUT MORE EMPHASIS AT THIS STAGE ON THE U.N. PROCESS BECAUSE THAT PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK IN WHICH WE ARE WORKING'', HE SAID.

ASKED TO BE MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT BRITAIN'S ROLE IN THE EFFORTS FOR A SOLUTION TO THE CYPRUS PROBLEM HE SAID THAT WAS ''UNREMITTING WORK AND LABOUR.''

CNA MCH/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

[02] TURKISH CYPRIOT REGIME BLOCKS BICOMMUNAL CONTACTS

THE MEETING WAS DUE TO TAKE PLACE ON MONDAY, EITHER IN THE TURKISH-OCCUPIED NORTHERN AREAS OF THE ISLAND OR IN THE SOUTHERN GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED PART OF CYPRUS.

THE ILLEGAL REGIME PROHIBITED TURKISH CYPRIOTS TO VISIT THE FREE AREAS AND PREVENTED THE GREEK CYPRIOTS FROM GOING TO THE OCCUPIED PART OF THIS EAST MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND, DIVIDED SINCE THE 1974 TURKISH INVASION.

FOLLOWING THE CANCELLATION OF THE JOINT MEETING, THE THREE EUROPEAN TRADE UNIONIST AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GREEK CYPRIOT TRADE UNIONS MET IN NICOSIA AND DISCUSSED MATTERS OF MUTUAL INTEREST.

THREE GREEK AND THREE TURKISH CYPRIOT TRADE UNIONS ARE PREPARING THE GROUND FOR A CYPRUS FORUM OF TRADE UNIONS, SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER.

THE FORUM, THE SECOND IN A ROW, IS SPONSORED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION. THE FIRST SUCH MEETING TOOK PLACE IN JANUARY LAST YEAR.

CNA MM/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

[03] UNIVERSITY CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION WORKS TO START

THE LAND-PLANNING STUDY OF THE PROJECT, AGREED UPON TODAY BY THE FINANCE MINISTRY, THE SENATE AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE UNIVERSITY, IS ESTIMATED TO COST ABOUT 70 MILLION CYPRUS POUNDS (140 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS).

THE UNIVERSITY OF THIS EAST MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND DIVIDED SINCE THE 1974 TURKISH INVASION, STARTED ITS OPERATION IN SEPTEMBER 1992.

IT IS AN AUTONOMOUS AND INDEPENDENT ENTITY WITH GREEK AND TURKISH AS THE TWO OFFICIAL TEACHING LANGUAGES.

THREE SCHOOLS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE, ECONOMICS AND ADMINISTRATION, AND TEN DEPARTMENTS ARE CURRENTLY IN OPERATION WITH ABOUT 1.500 STUDENTS ATTENDING COURSES.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT BY 1998 IT WILL REACH ITS FULL OPERATIONAL LEVEL WITH 4.000 STUDENTS AND WILL ACCEPT FOREIGN STUDENTS UP TO 20 PER CENT OF ITS STUDENT POPULATION.

CNA KPK/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

[04] RUSSIA WANTS CYPRUS SOLUTION BASED ON PRINCIPLES

THIS WAS STRESSED TODAY IN MOSCOW BY RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER YEVGENII PRIMAKOV, DURING A 40-MINUTE MEETING WITH THE LEADER OF THE CYPRIOT LEFTWING OPPOSITION AKEL PARTY, DEMETRIS CHRISTOFIAS.

ACCORDING TO AN AKEL ANNOUNCEMENT, THE RUSSIAN MINISTER UNDERLINED THE NEED THE CYPRUS PROBLEM TO REMAIN WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE U.N. AND ESPECIALLY OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL.

HE ALSO SUGGESTED THE U.N. CHIEF TO TRY HARDER TO MAKE POSSIBLE A MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO COMMUNITY LEADERS, BASED ON PRINCIPLES, FOR THE PROMOTION OF A JUST AND VIABLE SOLUTION OF THE CYPRUS PROBLEM BASED ON THE U.N. RESOLUTIONS AND THE HIGH LEVEL AGREEMENTS REACHED BY THE TWO SIDES IN 1977 AND 1979.

PRIMAKOV EXPRESSED THE VIEW THAT A SPECIAL COMMITTEE MONITORING THE CYPRUS PROBLEM SHOULD BE SET UP BY THE SECURITY COUNCIL.

THE MINISTER REPEATED RUSSIA'S PROPOSAL FOR THE CONVENING OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE CYPRUS PROBLEM.

PRIMAKOV SENT A LETTER RECENTLY TO U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI STRESSING THE NEED FOR U.N. ACTION ON THE CYPRUS PROBLEM.

THE RUSSIAN MOVE WAS WELCOMED BY THE CYPRUS GOVERNMENT.

THE AKEL GENERAL SECRETARY THANKED PRIMAKOV FOR RUSSIA'S FIRM SUPPORT FOR CYPRUS AND EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR THE FRIENDLY RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES.

CHRISTOFIAS, WHO RETURNS TO CYPRUS TOMORROW, URGED RUSSIA TO CONTINUE TO INSIST FOR A CYPRUS SETTLEMENT BASED ON PRINCIPLES.

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

CNA KPK/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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