Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-11-06

Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[02] Environmentalists against British exercises in Akamas

[03] Reactions to Holbrooke's visit

[04] Joint Cyprus-ILO seminar on tripartism ends

[05] Lost treasures of Cyprus on display at the Hague

[06] Britain supports Holbrooke's meeting

[07] President outlines his government's achievements

[08] (URGENT) Clerides stands for re-election

1630:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Cyprus Stock Exchange

CSE All Share Index                   75.60 (+0.64)

Highest: 82.46 (2/1/97)
Lowest : 73.90 (30/1/97)

Sectural Indices

Banks                                  86.86 (+0.54)
Approved Investment Companies          60.26 (+1.12)
Insurance Companies                    55.51 (+0.85)
Industrial Companies                   72.86 (+0.37)
Tourist Industries                     63.88 (+1.38)
Commercial Companies                   41.75 (+1.11)
Other Companies                        58.30 (+0.76)

Trading Volume                         CYP 343549.770

CNA MCH/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1730:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Environmentalists against British exercises in Akamas

In a written announcement, released, here, today, Greenpeace, also criticizes Cyprus authorities for not fulfilling a promise they made earlier this year to remedy the situation.

Greenpeace Mediterranean Executive Director, Mario Damato, expresses concern over "the damage that will be done to the natural habitat of Akamas" and stresses that "the planned army excercises there must be terminated".

He adds that, "no army, British or Cypriot should bomb and shoot in an area that must be protected against any sort of distraction".

Greenpeace has repeatedly called upon the authorities to come to a final decision to terminate military exercises in the Akamas area.

"It is time the Cyprus government takes its promises seriously", Damato stresses, expressing the hope the situation is resolved before presidential elections and all promises are fulfilled.

In the announcement note is also made of the fact that Greenpeace positions on Akamas are shared by the World Bank, which last year published a report asking for the protection of the Peninsula.

This report has been accepted by the Parliamentary Committee for the Environment and will be discussed in Parliament.

Meanwhile, Demos Protopapas, speaking on behalf of the local environmentalist organisation, "Friends of Akamas", complained to CNA that despite protests made, military exercises are never stopped.

"It is unacceptable, at a time when the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment is suggesting the declaration of Akamas into a national park, to have the area bombarded", he added.

On his part, President of the Ecologist Movement, George Perdikis said appeals have been made to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and Euro-MPs against the realisation of the military exercise.

CNA MK/MCH/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1750:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Reactions to Holbrooke's visit

Richard Holbrooke arrives here on Monday afternoon and US Special Coordinator for Cyprus Thomas Miller will arrive a day before.

Ruling Democratic Rally Party chairman, Nicos Anastasiades, said Holbrooke's visit to the island and recent developments in Cyprus were the subject of a meeting with President Glafcos Clerides earlier today.

On his part, House President and leader of centre-right Democratic Party (DIKO) told the Press after a meeting with President Clerides, the "President does not know anything more about the visit other than what has been publicly announced".

Asked to comment on the possibility that Holbrooke's visit might signal American intervention in internal matters, Kyprianou said "foreigners are not supposed to get involved in our internal matters."

Secretary-General of left-wing AKEL party, Demetris Christofias, said Holbrooke's visit raises "many questions" as to its substance and the way it is held.

Christofias said that since the visit cannot be averted, AKEL will "monitor the situation, hoping that the aim will be to change the position held by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash", in order to achieve a Cyprus settlement.

Socialist EDEK leader, Vassos Lyssarides, described the situation, as this has developed, "somewhat bizarre."

He said it was awkward that the US Presidential Emissary wants to meet Clerides and Denktash without the parties knowing what the subject of their discussions will be.

United Democrats President, George Vassiliou, said Holbrooke's sudden visit shows the active US interest for a Cyprus settlement.

He stressed his party fully supports the meeting and any other initiatives, held within the framework of UN resolutions, which aim to complement the UN Secretary-General's efforts.

New Horizons leader, Nicos Koutsou said Holbrooke's visit finds the Cyprus leadership "completely unprepared".

He called for an urgent meeting of the National Council, (top advisory body to the President on he Cyprus issue) to examine security issues, which, as he noted, seem to be the subject of Holbrooke's discussions.

CNA MM/EC/MCH/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1830:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Joint Cyprus-ILO seminar on tripartism ends

Closing the seven-day seminar Labour and Social Insurance Minister, Andreas Moushouttas expressed the conviction it had proved a "rewarding and enriching experience" for all.

The seminar on "Tripartism and the Role of Tripartite Bodies in Central and Eastern Europe: An Agenda for the Future" was the fifth for this group of countries and the 12th, so far, on issues of labour administration and tripartism.

"I am sure that both the ILO and the Cypriot experts have given much food for thought and that you will be able to adjust what you learned to your own particular socio-economic environment," the Minister told delegates.

He expressed the hope that participants were "fully convinced of the usefulness of tripartism and the importance of applying it in a spirit of good will and good faith with the ultimate goal of promoting social peace, social progress and social justice in your countries."

Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and the Ukraine were among the participating countries, which started on October 31.

Heribert Scharrenbroich, ILO Assistant Director General, and Oscar de Vries, the Director of the ILO Central and Eastern European Team, took part in the seminar.

Stressing the importance of tripartism at the opening of the seminar, Moushouttas had said this was all the more obvious "at the hard times following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974."

"Consensus continues to be the predominant feature of our labour administration system and the emphasis of social policy continues to be on social partnership," he had noted.

CNA AP/GP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1910:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Lost treasures of Cyprus on display at the Hague

The exhibition of "The lost treasures of Cyprus" will be opened on Saturday in the Haags Gemeentemuseum by J. van de Weg, General Director of the Hague Visitors and Convention Bureau.

For several years a search had been undertaken to locate and retrieve art treasures, such as mosaics, frescoes and icons, stolen from churches in the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus.

The search has recently culminated in the retrieval of several of these antiquities in Munich with the co-operation of Interpol, the German Police, the Attorney General's office in Cyprus and the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus.

The Munich Police arrested on October 14, Germany-based Turkish national Aydin Dikmen, 60, after tracking down in his apartments 14 cases and packages containing the pillaged works hidden in a cellar and attic.

An initial estimate raised the price of the 14th century art works to 34 million US dollars.

They were plundered from the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Antifonitis, in Kyrenia, and the Panayia Kanakaria Church, in the Karpass peninsula, right after the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of the island's northern third.

The impressive collection of these art treasures will be on display for a short period of time, before they are returned to their homeland, Tasoulla Georgiou-Hadjitofi, Honorary Consul of Cyprus at the Hague and empowered representative of the Cyprus church, said in an invitation.

All revenues of this exhibition will be donated to the Netherlands Adviesbureau Monumentenzong.

The Church of Cyprus had fought a long and hard legal battle in the past few years to successfully regain stolen mosaics from Panayia tis Kanakarias, at the Turkish-occupied village of Lithrangomi.

CNA AP/GP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1915:CYPPRESS:06

[06] Britain supports Holbrooke's meeting

Invited by CNA to comment on Holbrooke's visit to Cyprus, the official spokesman of the Foreign Office said "we very much welcome Holbrooke's visit to Cyprus and we are actively supporting it."

"The aim of the visit must be to keep all channels open," the spokesman said.

The visit, he added, "will be of help to the UN effort in view of the presidential elections."

The spokesman noted that the Foreign Office did not "expect any changes on the political problem."

Holbrooke will pay a two-day visit in Cyprus, arriving on Monday, November 10.

He will be accompanied by the State Department's Special Coordinator for Cyprus, Thomas Miller.

CNA KT/EC/AP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2240:CYPPRESS:07

[07] President outlines his government's achievements

Speaking at a press conference this evening, the President gave an outline of his five-year term in office.

The next Presidential elections in Cyprus will be held in February 1998.

He praised the work carried out by the coalition government made up of ministers coming from the rightwing Democratic Rally party he founded in May 1976, and the centre-right Democratic Party, which supported him in the elections in February 1993.

"The harmonious cooperation of all, their creative ideas, hard work and willingness to offer, were the fundamental factors that contributed to the success," he said.

He said "during the past five years, the work done in some sectors was pioneer, unique and enormous."

Clerides described the state of economy as "healthy" and said "we are steadily proceeding to the creation of a strong economy, able to competitively survive in the European Union (EU).

The government has set as its basic policy the convergence with the Maastricht criteria, to facilitate Cyprus' course towards the EU, he said.

He pointed out "we have managed to speed up the harmonisation process of our economy with the acquis communautaire", noting that already Cyprus has complied with four out of the five Maastricht criteria, namely the public debt, inflation, interest rates and par of exchange.

President Clerides said the average rate of inflation during his five years in office was reduced to 3,7 per cent, compared with 4,6 per cent in the previous five years and there was a slight reduction of the foreign debt.

He said the average growth rate was 3,2 per cent and noted it was considered satisfactory and favourably compared with that of the EU, which was 1,8 per cent.

President Clerides said the government has been promoting Cyprus as a regional service centre, in order to have a wider economic influence in the region.

The President then gave a brief outline of what his government did in the fields of agriculture, industry, services, social policy, education, health, legislation, the problems of women and the youth, as well as big development projects. (More to follow)

CNA EC/AP/GP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2300:CYPPRESS:08

[08] (URGENT) Clerides stands for re-election

The Cyprus Republic's presidential elections will be held in February 1998. (More later)

CNA GP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article