Cyprus News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-04-07

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] President Clerides meets UN envoy

[02] Euro-Med meeting preparations in full swing

[03] EU citizens to enter Cyprus without passport

1300:CYPPRESS:01

[01] President Clerides meets UN envoy

In a short statement after the meeting, Feissel told reporters he had "no particular news" and that meetings will be continued.

"I am off tomorrow to Geneva and I will be back on Thursday and we will continue the talks", he said, noting that "we still have a lot of work to do."

Feissel will fly to Geneva at attend a meeting on Wednesday between UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

Pointing out that there is no deadline as to when proximity talks should finish, the UN representative said "it was always envisaged that this thing would not stop after three weeks. It is an ongoing process that will continue once we come back."

The objective, he stressed, "is to have the direct talks (between President Clerides and Rauf Denktash) by the middle of the year."

Asked about "gestures of good will" by either side on the island, Feissel said "they are still being discussed."

He also said UN Special Representative for Cyprus Han Sung Joo will be arriving on the island at the end of this week and "start business" on April 14. CNA/MH/GP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1330:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Euro-Med meeting preparations in full swing

Nicosia, Apr 7 (CNA) -- European Foreign Ministers meeting their Mediterranean counterparts in Valletta, Malta, later this month, (15-16 April) intend to present them with an outline of a security charter and a list of confidence and security measures, a spokesman for the European Union Dutch presidency has said.

Cyprus will be represented at the Valetta meeting by Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides, who will head an official delegation to Malta.

"We also want to put greater impetus on intraregional cooperation and start building south-to-south economic cooperation," he told CNA in a recent interview.

He said the Union will propose the implementation of a policy to strengthen intraregional and subregional cooperation and integration through free trade.

The EU, he pointed out, attaches great importance to the willingness of the Mediterranean partners to implement this policy even though the Barcelona declaration is not a formally binding document but a working paper.

The EU wishes to see stability, security and prosperity in its southern flank, he added and expressed the hope that the Euro-Mediterranean process "can help in a positive manner the hot spots of the Mediterranean (Cyprus, Kurds, Middle East, Algeria, Western Sahara)."

The EU Commission believes that the Valetta conference should emphasise "the will and desire of the 27 partners to set up an area of shared prosperity and to give firm impetus to the establishment of free trade in order to improve living standards and reduce inequalities by the year 2010."

It considers that Mediterranean partners should be actively encouraged to prepare themselves for the changes under way in the Union.

The EU has agreed to set aside 4,685 million ECU for the period 1995 to 1999 in Community budget funds for its Mediterranean partners.

The 27 Foreign Ministers will review progress on the three aspects of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, namely strengthened political dialogue on a regular basis, the development of economic and financial cooperation and greater emphasis on the social, cultural and human dimension.

CNA MM/GP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1340:CYPPRESS:03

[03] EU citizens to enter Cyprus without passport

This was confirmed by a Ministry of the Interior official, who believes the measure will be approved by the Council of Ministers, before the end of the month, and it will take effect immediately.

The same official told CNA, the measure will be valid under certain conditions, which are not yet precisely defined, but he referred to two of them, which are likely to be approved.

The first, is that the identity card must show the nationality and the photo of the owner, and the second is that the change applies only to chartered flight passengers.

The measure is expected to facilitate "last minute bookings," as well as the elderly, which do not always possess a passport.

CNA GG/GP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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