Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 96-09-18

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

CONTENTS

[01] Clerides ready to meet Denktash

[02] US House-Senate Conference cut aid to Turkey

[03] No cause for concern, says President

[04] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[05] Cyprus gets bone marrow data bank

[06] Official inauguration of Cyprus' WWW homepage

1335:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Clerides ready to meet Denktash

Speaking to reporters after meeting President Clerides, Lord Bethel, who chairs the committee, quoted President Clerides as saying that ''he was ready to meet Mr. Denktash immediately on the question of demilitarisation but as to the substance of finding a solution, probably early next year is the best that can be done, given the preparatory work that has to be done''.

President Clerides had proposed an immediate meeting with Denktash to discuss his proposal for the island's demilitarisation.

As fas as a high-level meeting on the substance of the Cyprus problem, President Clerides has repeatedly stated that common ground should be reached on the key aspects of the problem in order to have a constructive meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader.

In his remarks, Lord Bethel emphasised that the sooner a solution is reached so much the better, ''and then we will have Cyprus in the European Community probably January 1st, 1999''.

Lord Bethel expressed the view that ''it is certainly preferable that Cyprus should join after a solution,'' but ''the idea of Cyprus joining before a solution is not excluded by the 15 governments'', he said.

However, he noted that accession before a solution ''would be very difficult, very complicated to achieve. We would rather have a solution first''.

''Discussions will begin in January 1998 but there is no decision yet taken as to how the results of those discussions will take place, or when or whether Cyprus can join. That is a separate decision'', he added.

Lord Bethel noted he could not think of any economic reasons that discussions should not work, but there are political difficulties in that a part of Cyprus is occupied by the Turkish army. That is a serious political difficulty.''

He also said that during negotiations, the views of the Turkish Cypriots will have to be taken into consideration because they must be satisfied also.

Labour MP, Robin Corbett, said that the Cyprus application to the EU should underline the need for both Cypriot communities to redouble their efforts to find an acceptable solution. ''That is where all the emphasis will have to be,'' he said.

Regarding a solution to the Cyprus problem, Lord Bethel expressed the conviction that it should be ''just and reasonable'', noting that ''we must not start from a position of hatred''.

He said they ''condemn the invasion of 1974, and we want to put things right and have a united Cyprus''.

Lord Bethel, together with Corbett and Conservative MPs Antony Coombs and Nigel Evans, have already met Denktash in the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island.

They also held a meeting with the President of the House of Representatives, Spyros Kyprianou.

Later today, the British MPs (apart from Coombs who left yesterday) visited the demarcation line in the old city of Nicosia guided by Nicosia Mayor Lellos Demetriades.

They had also a meeting with the coordinating committee of relatives of missing persons.

Tomorrow they will meet Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides before returning to London.

CNA EC/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1455:CYPPRESS:02

[02] US House-Senate Conference cut aid to Turkey

The House-Senate Conference on the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill, for fiscal year 1997 (October 1996 - September 1997), cut US economic aid for Turkey by over 60 per cent, down to 22 million US dollars from 60 m. dollars.

The traditional 10-to-7 ratio on military aid and excess defence articles to Turkey and Greece was maintained. Greece will receive 122,500,000 dollars in military aid and Turkey 175,000,000 dollars.

Cyprus was once again one of the few countries in the world to have its economic aid guaranteed with an earmark of 15 m. dollars.

''Republican Congressman John Porter led the fight in the US Congress to cut aid to Turkey, in response to Turkey's actions against Greece and Cyprus'', said President of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) Andrew Athens.

Athens explained this was achieved despite strong efforts to remove all restrictions on aid to Turkey, adopted in the House of Representatives but not the Senate.

President of the International Coordinating Committee - Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA), Philip Christopher, said the House-Senate Conference reconciled the differences between the House-passed bill and the Senate-passed bill.

SAE President added ''we are proud of Congressman Porter's efforts to see that justice prevailed over so called strategic considerations.''

Athens revealed that powerful forces in the Congress were strongly pushing for the elimination of any restrictions on Turkey's aid, because the US has been actively seeking Turkey's support for its efforts in Iraq.

He noted that everybody concerned with America's long-term interests did not allow Turkey's actions against Greece and Cyprus to be overlooked.

Coordinated Effort President Andrew Manatos said the message the US Congress is sending to Turkey is clear. ''If you continue to use US military aid to murder unarmed Cypriots, threaten our allies Greece and Cyprus, and remain the worst human rights abuser, US support will lessen.''

He stressed that US should continue ''sending this message before too late and Turkey becomes a full fledged Iraq or Iran, noting that silently overlooking Turkish string of abuses, while being a major aid recipient, had only encouraged their wrongdoing''.

CNA AP/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1515 :CYPPRESS:04

[03] No cause for concern, says President

In a written statement, issued here today after days of uneasy calm on the island, the President said ''I believe there is no more danger and spreading rumours must come to an end because they not only cause alarm among the people but they also create the wrong impression that we are easily seized by panic.''

''The people must be informed about certain dangers which appeared on the horizon but have since receded,'' the page-long statement said.

The President noted that UNFICYP had justified its troop movement from one end of the island to the other as a ''precautionary measure'' ahead of Sunday's memorial service for two Greek Cypriot demonstrators brutally killed by Turkish extremists in the UN buffer zone last month.

''The government had information about a possible limited military move by the Turks which, it believes, would have taken place if there was any trouble in Dherynia area (on the east, where the two Greek Cypriots were murdered),'' the statement added.

The government, the President said, also had information about ''a separate Turkish military move to prevent the arrival of arms.''

''This information was properly assessed and the government took the necessary precautionary measures in the military and the diplomatic fields,'' the statement said.

The President added this information was passed on ''to the UN and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to act accordingly. The Greek American community has also been briefed and it acted in an effective manner.''

The rumours, which proved unfounded, referred to information passed on by foreign embassies to their nationals that the UN had knowledge of possible moves by the Turks towards three villages near the buffer zone and movement by the Turkish occupation forces, the statement said.

''The government has investigated these rumours and they proved to be untrue,'' the President's statement added.

CNA MM/MA/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1650:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Cyprus Stock Exchange

CSE All Share Index                    83.55 (-0.65)
Sectural Indices
Banks                                  89.88 (-1.20)
Approved Investment Companies          76.44 (-0.56)
Insurance Companies                    63.13 (+1.28)
Industrial Companies                   83.33 (-0.48)
Tourist Industries                     77.15 (+1.61)
Commercial Companies                   67.46 (-0.65)
Other Companies                        82.87 (-1.18)
Trading Volume                         CYP 316472.330

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

CNA MM/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1715:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Cyprus gets bone marrow data bank

Speaking at a press conference, Christofides said the ''government will give its full backing to the Karaiskakion Trust which aims to create a data bank of some 20.000 bone marrow donors within several years.''

Today, he said, the donors' list includes about 3.000 names.

The Minister explained that finding a suitable donor is a very difficult task while the need for bone marrow donors increases constantly.

''One might look among thousands of people from different countries and yet not find a donor,'' the Minister said.

Once the technical and scientific preconditions for operating the Trust are met, it will be able to provide free medical tests to ascertain the compatibility of donors.

The Trust will work closely with the pioneering Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust in Britain which has offered to train, free of charge, two members of the Karaiskakion Trust on how to set up a bone marrow donor data bank.

The Trust was set up by the family of little Andreas Karaiskakis, who died while on the waiting list for a suitable donor for a bone marrow transplant, the Health Ministry, the UK Leukaemia Association and the Association of the Friends of the Trust.

The Trust will be governed by a ten member Board, comprising doctors, bankers, estate agents, lawyers and publishers.

CNA MM/MA/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1910 :CYPPRESS:06

[06] Official inauguration of Cyprus' WWW homepage

''We aim to render the Press and Information Office (PIO), through the Internet, a centre which would collect and disseminate data concerning the government, available to the public,'' Cassoulides said at the formal ceremony that took place at the PIO offices here today.

The Spokesman congratulated the team of experts which worked very hard to set up the Cyprus homepage, including staff from the PIO, the Foreign Ministry, the University of Cyprus, the Planning Bureau and the Department of Computer Services.

PIO Director George Hadjisavvas said ''the official start of our participation in the Internet marks the beginning of our effort to exploit modern technology to the full.''

Cyprus, he said, must take full advantage of today's technology to wage an information campaign about the continuing Turkish occupation of part of the island and efforts for reunification.

The homepage feeds Internet surfers with data concerning the political situation on the island and efforts to resolve the long standing Cyprus question.

The ''Cyprus Issue'' section deals with the repercussions of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and continuing occupation of the island's northern third and outlines efforts to reunite the island.

The section presents a chronology of recent developments in these efforts, which have so far failed to produce any results because of Turkey's unwillingness to shift from its intransigent position on many aspects of the Cyprus problem.

Cyprus' relations with the rest of the world are featured in a different chapter, which underlines the view that the island can act as a bridge among countries in the Middle East.

The last section includes information on current developments in Cyprus, policy statements by Cypriot leaders, selected statements by the Spokesman.

The address of the page is ''www.pio.gov.cy.'' and is divided into six categories which provide information about the country, its people, its history and culture.

CNA MM/MA/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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