Cyprus News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-07-17

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

CONTENTS

[01] Turkish General - US - Cyprus

[02] Petition - Big "5" - Missing persons

[03] Minister - EU - Austria

[04] Cyprus Airways pilots' strike called off

0830:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Turkish General - US - Cyprus

Defence Department Spokesman, Kenneth Bacon, said Cyprus was one of the main subjects that Ismail Hakki Karadayi discussed with Defence Secretary William Cohen and General Henry Shelton, Karadayi's counterpart.

Bacon said they talked "about the very dramatic need for further progress in reducing tensions on Cyprus", noting" that the US views on the issue are well known.

The Spokesman said that although there were not any breakthroughs, "it was certainly one of the main areas of discussions.

Bacon said that one of the proposals that the US has made "is a voluntary moratorium on military air flights" in Cyprus.

The issue, he said, was discussed in Washington between Cohen and the Greek National Defence Minister, Akis Tsohatzopoulos and it is one of the range of options for reducing tensions on Cyprus.

Commenting on the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, which Cyprus has purchased from Russia, (expected to be deployed later this year) Bacon said the issue was discussed because it "comes up in nearly every meeting we hold on Cyprus".

He said the deployment of the S-300 are "clearly a problem" because "it will increase tensions at a time we believe the parties should be working to reduce tensions."

Bacon said the US "is trying to encourage both the Greek side and the Turkish side to step back from potential conflict, to step back certainly from the current confrontation, and to look for more peaceful, more stable solutions to the problems".

The Defence Spokesman added that during Karadayi's talks, "they discussed a wide range of issues including peacekeeping in the Balkans, in which both Greece and Turkey had been participants".

The US, Turkey and other countries object to Cyprus purchasing the system.

President Glafcos Clerides has proposed the island's complete demilitarisation.

Nicosia is ready to abandon plans to deploy the Russian-made surface-to- air missiles provided that progress will be achieved leading to the solution of the long-standing Cyprus problem and the island's demilitarisation.

Turkish troops have been occupying 37 per cent of Cyprus' territory since their 1974 invasion, in violation of repeated UN resolutions calling for their withdrawal.

CNA DA/EC/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1120:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Petition - Big "5" - Missing persons

The petition was also handed to the UN Secretary-General's Resident Representative and the Delegation of the European Commission in Cyprus.

In the petition, the committee emphasises the "bitterness and the agony of the thousands of relatives of missing persons in Cyprus, noting that the 24-year-old standstill on this purely humanitarian issue "constitutes a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights".

The committee says "the non-implementation of the various resolutions of the UN General Assembly on the missing persons in Cyprus and the lack of any progress on the crucial aspect of the determination of the fate of our loved ones is very disappointing and must be a matter of concern to all those who could help and failed to do so".

The missing persons committee calls on the permanent members of the UN Security Council "to perform a serious role in putting an end at long last to this tragic problem" by securing the needed convincing information as to what happened to all the missing.

It also asks them to take "any necessary steps so that the withheld information" on the missing persons will be at last revealed.

A total of 1.619 missing persons are listed as missing since the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of the island's northern third.

CNA EC/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1150:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Minister - EU - Austria

The meeting, arranged on the occasion of the Austrian EU presidency which started on July 1, will focus on renewable energy sources, climatic changes and agriculture in relation to the conservation of the environment.

In Austria, Themistocleous will be heading a delegation comprising senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism.

CNA GG/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1400:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Cyprus Airways pilots' strike called off

The decision, which was taken during a meeting of the pilots' trade union PASIPI, was announced after a meeting of the union leaders with Acting President of the Republic Spyros Kyprianou.

Kyprianou, who had acted as an intermediary in an effort to avert the strike, said the government, which will monitor the dialogue process, will use their influence with the management and the pilots to make the dialogue fruitful.

Meanwhile, Government Spokesman Christos Stylianides welcomed the pilots' decision, adding the forthcoming dialogue must lead to positive results "for the sake of the company".

Stylianides expressed the government's support to the company's strategic plan which, according to Cyprus Airways management, aims at reducing labour costs and establishing its competitiveness in the 21st century.

The pilots announced Tuesday a three-day strike from July 23 to 26 to press on with their demands in negotiations for the renewal of collective agreements the pilots have with the national carrier's management.

The decision to strike had prompted immediate reaction from the government as the timing of the strike would have a strong negative impact on tourism, Cyprus' strongest industry in terms of revenue.

CNA RM/GG/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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