Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-01-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] US Congress delegation pledges to help reunite Cyprus

[02] Government suggestions for T/C participation in EU talks

[03] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[04] Turkey urged to meet EU criteria

[05] British assurances of support for settlement

[06] Britain to fulfill treaty obligations

[07] DIKO expels one deputy, one member

1820:CYPPRESS:01

[01] US Congress delegation pledges to help reunite Cyprus

The delegation consists of Congress members who are also members of the Helsinki Commission, visiting Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Austria to look into human rights violations.

Speaking on arrival for a two-day visit, head of the delegation, John Edward Porter said:

"In Cyprus, our purpose is to try to do whatever we possibly can do to aid the cause of reuniting this country and bring its people back together."

The US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) is an independent agency of the US government responsible for monitoring and encouraging compliance of participating states with the Helsinki Final Act.

Porter said the delegation has already visited Greece where they met with several religious and ethnic minority groups and listened to their grievances.

These are the kind of matters that can be brought up in the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe), he added.

Asked by CNA whether the delegation would raise the issue of human rights' violations in Cyprus with Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, at a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, Porter was positive.

"On a number of occasions in the past it was a sad opportunity to hear his (Denktash's) views regarding reunification and for us to pursue him to be as forthcoming as possible with regard to negotiations e.t.c.,", he said.

"Unfortunately no pressure has been enough to this point to bring back change," he added.

The US Congress delegation will be received, tomorrow morning, by President Glafcos Clerides.

Porter expressed the view the situation regarding human rights in Turkey has recently changed dramatically and said he hoped Turks will change their attitude towards Cyprus and the Kurdish minority.

He pointed out the US are willing to assist efforts in this direction and bring about change in this part of the world.

Porter also said he hoped the US can add to efforts towards a Cyprus solution under Presidential Emissary for Cyprus, Richard Holbrooke.

"I think all sides proceed to a take some major pressure on Cyprus to bring about some very favourable results," he said.

The US Congress delegation also includes congressional representatives Steny, Hoyer, Ben Cardin and Louise Slaughter.

The delegation will also have meetings with UN officials, the US embassy and other authorities, as well as citizens and some non- governmental organisations regarding developments in Cyprus.

CNA MAN/AP/MCH/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1540:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Government suggestions for T/C participation in EU talks

"There is no chance that we shall ever accept to start accession talks under the banner of two communities", he told a press conference.

He explained that the European Union itself stresses that such a procedure is legally unacceptable as it does not negotiate with communities but with recognised states.

Kasoulides said during his talks in Athens the parametres of how to achieve Turkish Cypriot participation in accession negotiations, were set out.

This should be done without contravening the Union's position that it carried out negotiations with the internationally recognised government of the Republic of Cyprus, he said.

The EU summit in Luxembourg requested that the willingness of the Cyprus government to include representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community in the accession negotiating delegation be acted upon.

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash does not recognise the membership application the government of Cyprus has submitted to the EU and refuses to participate in the official delegation of Cyprus.

Referring to US moves to make headway towards a Cyprus settlement, Kasoulides said the US will move to support those conducting the peace negotiations between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides under UN auspices.

Others, including the EU, Britain separately and Russia, will move in the same direction, he added.

The Minister welcomed recent statements by EU Council President, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook that a solution to the Cyprus question is not a condition for the Republic's accession to the Union.

CNA MM/RG/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1700:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Cyprus Stock Exchange

CSE All Share Index                    77.17 (+0.16)

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

Sectural Indices

Banks                                  89.42 (+0.30)
Approved Investment Companies          59.13 (-0.64)
Insurance Companies                    56.38 (-0.09)
Industrial Companies                   73.86 (-0.44)
Tourist Industries                     60.73 (+0.36)
Commercial Companies                   39.24 (+0.03)
Other Companies                        64.33 (+0.45)

Trading Volume                         CYP 772581.407

CNA MM/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1940:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Turkey urged to meet EU criteria

Pauline Green, leader of the Socialist group at the European Parliament, has also called on Turkey to "stop playing games" and describes violations of air space (by Turkey) as "very dangerous."

In an interview with LGR (London Greek Radio), she said "nobody has given up on Turkey, the door is still open, the invitation is still there."

"What Turkey has got to do is meet the same criteria as everybody else, " Green said, pointing out that "the ball is very firmly in their court."

She acknowledged that Turkey feels "very hurt and angry" following the Luxembourg EU summit decision which did not include Turkey in the first group of candidate countries to begin membership talks in spring.

"I hope in the end Turkey will realise that we want them to come in, we want them to meet the criteria and it is in their best interest to do so," the Labour MP added.

Green underlined that the EU is not asking anything more of Turkey than what is expected from all candidate countries.

The Euro MP said violations of Greek and Cypriot air space by Turkish aircraft are "very unfortunate and very dangerous" and warned about possible panic by young and excitable pilots in the skies which is much too dangerous.

In the past several days, Turkish jets violated Cypriot and Greek sovereign air space, in what is believed to be a response to an announcement that an air base, on the western coast of Cyprus, would be delivered to the government later this month.

CNA RG/MM/KK/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2020:CYPPRESS:05

[05] British assurances of support for settlement

A spokesman for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) told CNA that "no practical proposals are ready at the moment" concerning possible plans to make available the two British bases on the island to a future multinational force.

"But the UK would, of course, look constructively at ways to support a settlement", the spokesman added.

His comments came in reply to a report in today's edition of the "Financial Times" which quoted a report by Keith Kyle that the UK should be prepared to make its sovereign base areas in Cyprus available to a multinational force which would police the island as part of a settlement.

The report, entitled "Cyprus: in search of peace", warned that Cyprus' accession to the European Union "will present the EU with special problems, whether there is agreement on reuniting the island before accession or not."

Any such agreement, it says, would almost certainly include restrictions on freedom of movement, settlement and property, to preserve the Turkish majority in the north of the island, which would be at odds with European law.

CNA KT/MM/RG/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2020:CYPPRESS:06

[06] Britain to fulfill treaty obligations

"Under all circumstances, the UK will uphold all its Treaty obligations", a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) told CNA today.

The official statement from the FCO came in response to a question whether a cabinet decision on 30 November 1967 that Britain would not have an obligation to respond to a request by the Cyprus government in the event of a Turkish invasion still stands, because there is no defence treaty with Cyprus.

The spokesman said "we think of such a situation as too hypothetical" and added the UK would fulfill its obligations.

Britain, Greece and Turkey are the three guarantor powers of Cyprus' independence and territorial integrity. Turkey invaded the island in 1974 and still occupies one third of its territory. Britain has retained two military sovereign bases in Cyprus under the terms of the 1960 Treaties (of Alliance, Establishment and Guarantee).

CNA KT/MM/RG/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2030:CYPPRESS:07

[07] DIKO expels one deputy, one member

Alexis Galanos, DIKO deputy and former DIKO vice-president, and Petros Voskarides, member of the party Central Committee, "no longer belong to the party ranks", the party Executive Bureau decided today.

The Bureau also called on Galanos to give up his parliamentary seat.

Galanos broke ranks with DIKO and is running for the presidency at next month's parliamentary elections. He had argued against backing Iacovou, supported by the left-wing AKEL party, and proposed that DIKO contested the elections with its own candidate, a motion which was turned down.

Voskarides expressed support for Galanos in his bid for the presidency and disagreed with the party decision to back Iacovou.

The party Bureau decided to set up a disciplinary committee to look into the case of the party vice-president, Dinos Michaelides, who also disagreed with the party decision to back Iacovou and said so in public.

"Michaelides' statements and actions do not comply with his post as party vice-president and are a serious political offence", the Bureau said in a statement.

DIKO's Bureau said it would seek further clarification from a second MP, Katerina Pantelidou-Paschalidou, who was critical of the party decision to back Iacovou.

CNA MM/RG/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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