Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 96-09-11

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From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" <dist@hri.org>

CONTENTS

[01] Detained Israelis and accomplices escape to occupied areas

[02] UN to protest escape of Israelis

[03] UN to envoy to work for reduction of tension

[04] Turkish involvement in murder of Greek Cypriot

[05] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[06] Israel expresses regret over escape

1305 :CYPPRESS:01

[01] Detained Israelis and accomplices escape to occupied areas

A police spokesman said two Israelis, riding two bikes, blocked a police car, carrying the two detainees, when it stopped at a set of traffic lights and managed to overcome two police officers in the car.

The two bikers freed the handcuffed detained Israelis and sped away towards the Ledra Palace check point, near the UN controlled buffer zone, some two kilometres away.

The two motorbikes sped through the Cyprus police check point and headed towards the Turkish occupied areas.

A UN peace-keeper, serving in the area, did not manage to stop them and the four Israelis abandoned their motorbikes and ran across to the illegal Turkish Cypriot check point in occupied Cyprus.

The two detainees were being led from Central Prisons in Nicosia to Larnaca, on the south coast, for a court appearance before the Assize Court for illegal possession and circulation of forged US dollars.

The Israelis, Abi Biton, 21, and Shuki Samana, 24, were arrested on August 30 when they tried to cash a counterfeit 100-dollar note at a local bank. Police later found 7.162 forged dollars in their possession.

Last week Attorney General Alecos Markides ordered the case to go before the Assize Court.

CNA MM/MCH/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1350 :CYPPRESS:02

[02] UN to protest escape of Israelis

A UN spokesman told CNA today the UN will protest to the self-styled police because four Israelis, two detainees and their two accomplices, ''broke through the UN barrier and threatened a UN peace-keeper in the area with a knife.''

Earlier today, two Israelis on a motorbike freed two other Israelis from police custody, when the police car they were in was blocked and the bikers confronted the police officers with a knife and a pistol. All four escaped to the occupied areas.

''It appears to have been a very professional job and we intend to make representations to the Turkish Cypriot police because the four men broke through a UN barrier and threatened one of our men with a knife, '' the UN spokesman said.

Two of them, he explained, managed to enter the buffer zone and got away before the UN peace-keeper on duty in the area had time to close a gate at the UN check point.

The remaining two climbed over the gate and ran across towards the Turkish Cypriot check point, the spokesman said.

''They also pulled a knife against the UN peace-keeper,'' he said.

Invited to comment on the incident, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Nicosia refrained from any comment because ''there has been no official briefing about the incident to the embassy.''

The two detained Israelis, Abi Biton, 21 and Shuki Samana, 24, were due to appear before the Assize Court today for illegal possession and circulation of forged US dollar notes.

CNA MM/MCH/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1415 :CYPPRESS:03

[03] UN top envoy to work for reduction of tension

Han gave his full backing to efforts for a meeting between President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and to a statement, joint or separate, to help move things forward.

Speaking after a meeting with the President, Han said ''it was a very much future-oriented discussion. We discussed the implications of a series of unfortunate events during the past few weeks and how we can prevent those issues from becoming an obstacle to the solution of the Cyprus problem.''

Talks also focused on how ''both events underline the importance of finding a solution and how to actually make those events serve a positive purpose in inviting such a solution,'' Han added.

Asked if he had put forward any proposals to help reduce tension, he replied ''There are no detailed proposals I put forward. I will see the President again on Friday and there will be more discussions.''

Replying to questions, the UN envoy, accompanied by his deputy Gustave Feissel, said a ''statement, joint or separate, would be very much useful to calm down the situation and move forward.''

''We are seeking the possibility of such statement,'' he added.

He also said the UN would like to see a meeting between President Clerides and Denktash but the question of timing such a meeting still remained opened.

''We are seeking all avenues for progress in the situation,'' he added.

The UN representative declined to comment on statements by Turkey's Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller who warned the Greek Cypriot side that ''it cannot get anywhere with these attacks,'' a apparent reference to Sunday's killing of a Turkish soldier near the UN controlled buffer zone.

The killing was blamed by the Turkish Cypriot side on the Greek Cypriots as a revenge killing for last month's murder of two unarmed Greek Cypriot demonstrators by Turkish extremists in the UN buffer zone.

There has been a lot of tension on the island since the two murders and Sunday's killing of a Turkish soldier, of Kurdish origin, seems to have heightened tension.

Han was due to lunch with Denktash today and later on he will see leaders of Greek Cypriot political parties. In the evening he will attend a dinner hosted by Turkish Cypriot Mustafa Akinci, leader of the Communal Liberation party.

On Friday he is scheduled to have a second meeting with President Clerides, followed by a working lunch, and then see Denktash again later the same afternoon.

Han will also exchange views with the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, resident in Cyprus, and European Union ambassadors on the island.

CNA MM/MCH/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1430:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Turkish involvement in murder of Greek Cypriot

Speaking on state radio, Markides said there is evidence to substantiate a murder case, based on international law, and a case of taking human life in contravention of the right to life, as enshrined in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.

''The evidence we have offers the possibility of taking legal action before international bodies. We shall study this eventuality very carefully,'' Markides said.

Yesterday the government disclosed that Kenan Akin, a Turkish settler and self-styled agriculture ''minister'' of the secessionist entity in occupied Cyprus, and Erdal Emanet, commander of the pseudostate's special forces, also from Turkey, are two of the suspected murderers of Solomou.

Photographs of Akin and Emanet, aiming their pistols and firing against Solomou, on a flagpole to pull down the Turkish flag during demonstrations in the UN buffer zone, were presented to the press by Government Spokesman, Yiannakis Cassoulides.

Today, Markides said that there is evidence to show that more Turkish officials were involved in the murder.

Concerning investigations into the brutal murder of Tasos Isaac, savagely beaten to death by Turkish extremists, Markides said police inquiries are continuing.

CNA MCH/MM/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1700:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Cyprus Stock Exchange

CSE All Share Index                    86.04 (-0.72)
Sectural Indices
Banks                                  92.65 (-0.92)
Approved Investment Companies          77.38 (-0.32)
Insurance Companies                    64.88 (-1.91)
Industrial Companies                   85.74 (+0.50)
Tourist Industries                     78.67 (+0.22)
Commercial Companies                   70.07 (-1.23)
Other Companies                        85.47 (-0.26)
Trading Volume                         CYP 478280.278

* The difference in brackets represents the percentage increase (+) or decrease (-) of the index from the previous stock exchange meeting.

CNA AP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1900 CYPPRESS:06

[06] Israel expresses regret over escape

A statement issued by the Embassy of Israeli said it ''was officially informed (this afternoon) of the events surrounding the escape of two Israeli detainees''.

''We have passed on the details of the events, the names of the people involved and their passport details to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem and to Israeli Police'', it said.

''The Embassy of Israel expresses its regret that Israeli citizens are involved in breaking the law of Cyprus'', the statement concluded.

The incident occurred this morning when the two detained Israelis, Abi Biton, 21 and Shuki Samana, 24, were due to appear before the Assize Court in Larnaca today for illegal possession and circulation of forged US dollar notes.

Two Israelis on a motorbike freed the two from police custody, when the police car they were in was blocked around half a kilometre away from the Nicosia Central Prisons, and the bikers confronted the police officers with a knife and a pistol. All four escaped to the occupied areas.

The two managed to enter the buffer zone and got away before the UN peace-keeper on duty in the area had time to close a gate at the UN checkpoint.

The remaining two climbed over the gate and ran towards the Turkish Cypriot checkpoint. They also pulled a knife against the UN peace-keeper.

According to the French News Agency AFP, the four Israelis gave themselves up to the so called ''Turkish Cypriot authorities.''

They appeared before a so called ''court'' in the Turkish occupied part of Nicosia and were ''detained'' for four days to allow for enquiries, AFP said, quoting an illegal Turkish Cypriot news agency.

The two accomplices were identified as Shimon Amor, 17 and Dudu David Biton, 24, both Israelis.

The two Greek Cypriot policemen who were inside the car with the Israeli detainees when the incident occurred were suspended from their duties.

At the same time, the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Alecos Evangelou, ordered an enquiry into the incident. He said it was too early to draw a conclusion as to possible negligence on the part of the policemen or violation of the regulations concerning the transfer of detainees.

CNA EC/AP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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