Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-10-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] Turks - Illegal entry

[02] Agriculture Forum - Water resources

[03] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[04] Blair - Cyprus

[05] Annual military manoeuvres

[06] Foreign Minister - Cairo

1500:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Turks - Illegal entry

Sonmez Suleiman, 26, appeared this morning before Larnaca District Court to hear the charges levelled against him, after police had arrested him loitering near a National Guard post.

Police found in his possession a travel document with a stamp from the self-styled Turkish Cypriot regime in the northern areas of the island Turkey's armed forces occupy since they invaded 1974.

Suleiman entered Cyprus through the Turkish-occupied port of Kyrenia, on the northern coast, on 27 September, the Court heard.

He told the Court that he did not know he could not cross into the government-controlled part of the island and apologised for his action.

He said he wanted to live with Greek Cypriots and asked the Court not to send him back to Turkey because his life would be in danger.

In a similar case, Larnaca Court issued a two-day remand order against Ali Yuce 21, from Diyarbakir, who was arrested at midnight at the village of Athienou, near the demarcation line, dividing Cyprus.

Yuce went to the village coffee shop whose owner alerted the police about his presence there.

He told the Court that he left Turkey to seek a better living and said he too wanted to live in the government-controlled areas of the Republic.

Yuce said he entered Cyprus through Kyrenia port on 30 January 1997.

CNA MAN/MM/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1545:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Agriculture Forum - Water resources

"The water problem will be the most serious problem Cyprus will have to tackle, barring the division and continuing Turkish occupation of part of the island", Cypriot deputy, Takis Hadjidemetriou, told a press conference here today.

He said the water problem is something "that concerns all the people of Cyprus as it knows no boundaries and tolerates no dividing walls", he added.

Speaking as the Vice Chairman of the Sub-committee on Food of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CoE), he said Greek and Turkish Cypriot agricultural organisations have been invited to participate in the two-day meeting.

The Cypriot deputy said 80 delegates from European and Mediterranean countries, including Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, as well as Turkey, will participate in the forum.

It is organised in collaboration with the Mediterranean Committee of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies.

The forum will be addressed by Cyprus' Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment, Costas Themistocleous, and possibly Interior Minister, Dinos Michaelides.

Also attending are Giuseppe Avolio, Chairman of the Mediterranean Committee of IFAP, and Juhan Telgmaa, Chairman of the Sub-committee on Food of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the Parliamentary Assembly.

The chairwoman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Inga-Britt Johansson, and Enzo Chioccioli, ICAMAS Secretary-General, will chair the final working session.

Among the issues to be discussed are the "Challenges and opportunities in water resources management in Mediterranean agriculture", "Efficient irrigation techniques - experience in Cyprus", "Protection and management of freshwater resources", as well as "Conflicts in the sectorial use of water".

There will also be a round table discussion with representatives of parliaments of Mediterranean countries.

Hadjidemetriou said there will be a report on the conclusions of the forum which will be presented before the plenary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE and a relevant resolution will be approved.

Referring to the participation of the Turkish representatives, Hadjidemetriou said they are most welcome, provided they enter Cyprus through its legal ports of entry and not through any other entry point in the northern Turkish occupied part of the island.

CNA EC/MM/RG/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1450:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Cyprus Stock Exchange

   CSE General Index                          85.57 (-0.21)

   Traded Value            CYP 1,651,332

   Sectural Indices

   Banks                   CYP   621,005      98.71 (-0.19)
   Approved Investment
   Companies               CYP   298,216      58.76 (-0.61)
   Insurance Companies     CYP   196,545      58.66 (-0.15)
   Manufacturing Companies CYP    37,829      86.28 (-0.40)
   Tourism Companies       CYP    29,225      68.98 (-0.29)
   Trading Companies       CYP    33,469      39.21 ( 0.46)
   Other Companies         CYP    91,109      80.87 (-0.14)

CNA MM/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1710:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Blair - Cyprus

Blair has also said the Cyprus question can only be solved through peaceful dialogue and stressed that the UK will continue to work actively for a resumption of bicommunal talks.

"The British government is committed to using the UK's unique position - as a guarantor power, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and as a member of the European Union - to do all it can to assist the people of Cyprus to achieve a just settlement on the island", Blair said in a reply letter to the President of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots, Haris Sophoclides.

The British premier pointed out that "it is only through peaceful dialogue that the division of the island can be ended" and urged all sides to "refrain from acts of violence and aggression and to cooperate fully with the UN Secretary-General's efforts to broker a settlement".

Referring to the Turkish Cypriot proposal to set up a confederation in Cyprus, put forward by the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Rauf Denktash, Blair said "we have made it clear that a confederation of separate sovereign states is not consistent with the objective of a bizonal, bicommunal federation agreed by both communities in the 1977 and 1979 High Level Agreements and set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions".

He noted that both the UN Council and the international community "have repeatedly endorsed the UN Secretary-General's efforts to promote negotiations aiming at a bizonal, bicommunal federation".

"The UK continues to work actively, in conjunction with the international partners in support of UN efforts to bring about a resumption of negotiations between the two parties on that basis", Blair added.

Commenting on Cyprus' EU accession prospects, he said "the British government and its EU partners have made it clear that the accession of Cyprus to the EU should benefit both communities, reinforce efforts towards a settlement and help bring about peace and reconciliation".

The government, he said, continues to give this process its strong support.

On Greco-Turkish relations, Blair expressed his interest in seeing a reduction of tension in the Aegean and said Britain would continue to encourage Greece and Turkey to adopt an "open and flexible approach in discussing bilateral issues".

CNA KT/MM/RG/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1725:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Annual military manoeuvres

This, he said, is the main objective of Cyprus and Greece, in the context of the joint defence pact between the two countries.

Addressing the reservists who enlisted for the six-day manoeuvres, which began this morning, Omirou said this year's exercise aims at "training the whole of the armed forces, with emphasis on the reservists in war situations".

He said all National Guard fighting services will participate in the exercise, in the framework of the defence pact, "with the participation of the Greek armed forces".

Omirou also said that the message of the manoeuvres is to let Turkey know of "the political, military, and economic cost she will pay" in case of any attempt against the Republic of Cyprus.

National Guard Commander, Lieutenant General Demetris Demou, praised the reservists who abandoned their jobs and families to participate in the exercise.

"Those watching you from far away must understand that you are ready for everything," he said.

CNA RM/RG/MM/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1900:CYPPRESS:06

[06] Foreign Minister - Cairo

He also pointed out that regional problems are common for everybody and backed the exchange of ideas among countries in the area.

"We will certainly ask of our friendly neighbour, Egypt, to exert its influence on Turkey, just as we ask all those who have the capability to do that", the Minister said on his way to Cairo for an official visit.

Speaking at Larnaca airport, he said he will discuss with his Egyptian counterpart Amr Moussa "issues of mutual interest, developments in the Middle East peace process, the problem between Turkey and Syria and of course the Cyprus question".

"We lay particular emphasis on our relations with all the countries of the region and specifically Egypt, with whom we maintain friendly ties even before the Cyprus Republic was established", he added.

Replying to questions, Kasoulides said that problems in the region "are common problems for all of us and we are interested in seeing peace and stability in this region".

He said "in this context, it is wise to exchange ideas, particularly with a friendly country, which is playing one of the leading roles in the region for what is happening around us".

Commenting on the role of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the conflict between Turkey and Syria, he noted "every political personality that can exert influence on Turkey is obviously a positive thing for us".

CNA MAN/MM/RG/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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