Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-05-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] Kasoulides and di Tella discuss bilateral relations

[02] Austria backs demilitarisation proposal

[03] Cyprus International Fair to open next week

[04] European sports ministers meeting gets underway

[05] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[06] European Sports Ministers discuss problems

[07] Turkish professor arrives in Cyprus

1420:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Kasoulides and di Tella discuss bilateral relations

Kasoulides, who is on an official visit to Argentina, briefed his counterpart on Cyprus' accession process and on the provisions of Cyprus' customs union with the EU.

He thanked Argentina for its contribution to the UN Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and its support in efforts for finding a peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem, based on the principles of international law and UN resolutions.

On his part di Tella briefed Kasoulides on the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), established in 1991 by the heads of state of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay with the signature of the Treaty of Asuncion.

Cyprus and Argentine delegations also began discussions for the signing of agreements between the two countries for the abolition of visas, for economic and trade cooperation and for the protection of investments.

Last night, Kasoulides met with South America Archbishop, Genadios.

On May 17, Kasoulides will travel to Colombia to participate in the Foreign Ministers' Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement and will then fly to Washington for meetings with US officials.

The Foreign Minister will return to Cyprus on May 23.

CNA MCH/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1420:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Austria backs demilitarisation proposal

In statements after a meeting with President Clerides, Bieringer also said his country fully backs Cyprus' application to join the European Union.

He said he expressed to President Clerides "Austria's support to the positions and efforts of Cyprus so that the two communities will return to the negotiating table."

"Austria supports the peace process in Cyprus," he added.

Pointing out that Clerides briefed him on his proposal for the demilitarisation of Cyprus, Bieringer said "we support it and hope that logic will prevail on the other side because there can be no peace without negotiations".

At the same time he said Austria recognises every state's right to defence.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in 1993, President Clerides proposed the disbandment of the National Guard and the handing of its arms to the UN.

The offer was made provided that the Turkish side agrees to a parallel withdrawal of the Turkish occupation force, in Cyprus since they invaded in 1974, and the disbandment of the Turkish Cypriot armed forces and the handing of their weapons to the UN.

Replying to a question, Bieringer said "Austria will fully back Cyprus' efforts to join the EU, soon. Of course it would be welcomed if the peace negotiations had a good end beforehand."

He said the solution of the Cyprus problem is not a precondition for EU accession.

Bieringer also expressed pride with the fact that Austria has been participating in the UN peace-keeping force in Cyprus for decades. Yesterday he met with the 300-strong Austrian contingent, based in the occupied part of Cyprus.

He said that on their return the Austrian soldiers speak highly of Cyprus and do their utmost to retain good and friendly relations between the two countries.

After meeting President Clerides, the Austrian official met Lellos Demetriades, Mayor of Nicosia, the world's last divided capital, who escorted him to the cease-fire line in the old city.

The Austrian official, visiting Cyprus at the invitation of the House of Representatives, is scheduled to leave later today.

CNA AA/MA/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1530:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Cyprus International Fair to open next week

In a press conference today, Cyprus State Fairs Authority chairman, Demetris Ioannou, said "the 23rd International Fair is expected to mark a new development effort for the Cyprus economy."

He also pointed out that "interest shown for the 23rd Cyprus International Fair both locally and overseas is encouraging."

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Britain, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Slovakia, South Africa, Syria and the US, are officially participating this year with state pavilions, while the European Union also participates with its own pavilion.

South Africa is officially participating for the first time.

"Another 19 countries are represented with products in the Fair, through their Cypriot agents and representatives," Ioannou added.

Such products include cars, electric domestic appliances, high fidelity music systems, computers, telephone systems, sanitary items, machinery, furniture, lighting items, carpets, kitchenware, toys, books and many other items.

Drawing attention to the participation of the Cyprus industry to the Fair, Ioannou said "furniture, building materials, machinery, pumps, travel goods, solar heaters, plastic items, beverages, children's items, packaging material etc, are among the exhibits to be found."

The Cyprus Mosaic and Tiles Manufacturers Association is participating in the pavilion of Cyprus industries for the first time.

The Fair will be officially opened by President Glafcos Clerides on Wednesday May 20, but it will be open to the public form Thursday 21 May until Sunday 31 May.

CNA MCH/AP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1540:CYPPRESS:04

[04] European sports ministers meeting gets underway

This three-day conference will look into ethical and legal questions in sport and social cohesion through sport.

Issues set to feature in the talks include protecting young athletes in top-level sport, the World Cup, the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and follow up the declaration on sport and social in the action plan of the Council of Europe's (CoE) Second Summit of heads of state and government.

Participants come from the 40 member-states of the CoE, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, the Holy See and Monaco.

The conference was opened by CoE Deputy Secretary General Hans Christian Kruger, followed by an address from Cypriot Minister of Education and Culture Lykourgos Kappas.

Kruger said the conference will discuss "future policies" in the specific themes of "law and ethics" since "law without an ethical code is just a legalistic approach."

He said that "sports is for everyone, children, elderly and prisoners", and said the CoE's heads of state and government have "recognised the role of sports in social integration."

Welcoming participants, the Cypriot minister said the whole European sport world shares common expectations concerns.

"We should therefore cooperate all together to determine a way of acting in the future in order to approach the various problems and find solutions to them," he added.

Kappas said Cyprus is a small country in the enlarged European family, but with a history dating back to 3.000 years.

He expressed the belief that Cyprus "can play an important part in the European sport world because it belongs to it historically but also geographically."

He said sports as social institution is connected with civilisation, the cultural values and the social conditions, also used as a considerable means of communication.

"At the same time, however, it is an excellent guidance tool in each citizen's hands, independently to his age, sex, nationality, colour or language, while trying to create an ideal City," Kappas added.

"The CoE has approached he big needs of the citizen of our era. The sport sector has contributed its own way to this wider effort made by the European family to cope with these problems and solve them," he concluded.

CNA KN/AP/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1540:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Cyprus Stock Exchange

CSE All Share Index                    88,39 ( 1,17)

Sectural Indices

Banks                                 103,65 ( 0,82)
Approved Investment Companies          63,49 (-1,03)
Insurance Companies                    64,64 ( 1,99)
Industrial Companies                   77,58 ( 2,15)
Tourist Industries                     67,55 ( 2,71)
Commercial Companies                   51,51 ( 4,89)
Other Companies                        72,54 (-0,79)

Trading Volume                         2.125.213,34

CNA AP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1810:CYPPRESS:06

[06] European Sports Ministers discuss problems

Introducing the theme of "Ethical Questions in Sport", Romanian Youth and Sports Minister Marin Sorin Stonescu pointed to "an unknown increase" in professionalisation and marketing of sports, "which sometimes affects the fundamental values of sports politics," he said.

He added that "doping, exaggerated training, early specialisation and involvement of children in intensive training, violence and uncontrolled behaviours of spectators, are examples of realities that, on short or long term, can have unfortunate effects upon members of society."

Stonescu expressed disappointment over the fact that some "sport events turn to be occasions of intolerance and violence, sometimes having a racist and xenophobic character."

He stressed, among other things, the need for the implementation of the provisions of the European Chart of Sports and for all European countries to ratify the Convention regarding the violence exercised by spectators and the Doping Convention.

Speaking on the theme of "Legal Questions in Sport", Vice-President of the Consejo Superior de Deportes, Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma, representing the Education and Culture Ministry of Spain, said:

"The growth of sport both in quantitative and qualitative terms is an undeniable fact", stressing that, "the law, as a set of norms aiming at regulating the different aspects of a social reality, cannot remain on the fringe of this growing reality."

Pointing out that "none of the constitutive treaties of the European Communities nor their subsequent modifications contain a single reference to sport", de Biedma added:

"The incorporation of sport as an annexed Declaration to the Treaty of Amsterdam signifies a remarkably important clue as to the normative incidence which sport could have in the future."

The three-day 15th Informal Meeting of Sports Ministers, attended by ministers and top officials from 47 countries, got underway here this morning.

The Cyprus meeting would be "the ideal forum to approach the topic of how sports' organisations should try to adapt sports legislation to the new legal system of the community institutions, while trying to preserve their particularities without turning their backs on the new supranational legal situation," de Biedma concluded.

On his part, introducing the theme of "Social Cohesion through Sport", Finn Culture Minister, Claes Andersson, said:

"The precondition for social cohesion is that cultures are recognised and interaction is based on genuine agreement."

He called upon the European Ministers responsible for sport to "express their strong commitment to the Declaration adopted by the Second Summit of the Council of Europe and their will to promote social cohesion through sport."

CNA MCH/AP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2025:CYPPRESS:07

[07] Turkish professor arrives in Cyprus

Speaking to the press on arrival, Kucuk who served in the Turkish army during the invasion, said that he kept silent for twenty-four years.

He is renowned for revealing to local private TV station Antenna the atrocities of the Turks against the Greek Cypriots during the invasion.

Kucuk said that no one knew he had taken part in the invasion, which resulted in the occupation of 37 per cent of the island's territory, adding that he had a duty towards the Greeks to tell the truth.

He said he was an unwilling fighter in that war and expressed relief for revealing the experiences he had gone through during the invasion.

The Turkish professor, who is on self-exile in Paris, expressed the wish that Greek and Turkish Cypriots could be able to live in conditions of brotherhood, in a united, independent and peaceful Cyprus.

CNA RG/AP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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