Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-04-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] Clerides - Kyprianou - Zyuganov

[02] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[03] JPC meeting - Press statement

[04] EU chief negotiator - Cyprus

[05] Christofias - Meeting of left wing parties

[06] Russian Communist leader - Meeting

[07] Left wing parties - Meeting

1520:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Clerides - Kyprianou - Zyuganov

The leader of the Russian Communist Party further said that recent polls in his country have shown that 98 per cent of the people do not trust President Boris Yeltsin.

Zyuganov made the statement after he was received here Wednesday by President Glafcos Clerides. He is in Cyprus to attend on Wednesday afternoon a meeting of left-wing parties, organised by AKEL party to discuss the situation in Yugoslavia.

In statements, Zyuganov said that if he was in President Yeltsin's position he would not have allowed the break up of the USSR "which was a guarantor of peace in Europe and in the world."

The Russian party leader also said that "a change in the Russian leadership would be favourable for the Balkans."

Referring to his meeting with President Clerides, Zyuganov said they discussed the situation in the Balkans and expressed the view that the "bloodshed should be stopped".

Zyuganov also called on the President of the House of Representatives, Spyros Kyprianou.

Kyprianou said that they exchanged views on their recent visits to Belgrade and they reached the conclusion that "there is real intention for a peaceful solution to the problem and that could only become clearly evident when the bombing stops."

CNA EC/MA/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1545:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Cyprus Stock Exchange

      CSE General Index                         119.69 (-0.32)

      Traded Value            CYP 6,897,942

      Sectural Indices

      Banks                   CYP 3,887,834     152.44 (-0.29)
      Approved Investment
      Companies               CYP   178,417      71.30 (-1.04)
      Insurance Companies     CYP    63.698      75.32 ( 0.23)
      Manufacturing Companies CYP    65,955      91.95 (-0.20)
      Tourism Companies       CYP 1,196,390      85.76 (-0.17)
      Trading Companies       CYP   142,467      49.14 (-1.17)
      Other Companies         CYP   372,394      83.70 (-0.55)

CNA MA/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1610:CYPPRESS:03

[03] JPC meeting - Press statement

It also deplored the fact that Cyprus is the only EU applicant country not currently receiving technical and financial support in the pre- accession period.

The JPC positions are outlined in a statement issued at the end of the two-day deliberations of the meeting, held in the western coastal town of Paphos.

The meeting was chaired by Tasos Papadopoulos of the Democratic Party and Mechtild Rothe, of the Group of the Party of European Socialists.

During the meeting it was ascertained that "Cyprus is well advanced" in efforts to harmonise and implement the acquis communautaire, the statement said.

Furthermore, "it was made clear by the European Commission that the government of the Republic of Cyprus represents the whole island and that Turkish Cypriots should be able to participate in negotiations in line with the invitation by President Glafcos Clerides."

Rothe emphasised that "all communities including the Turkish Cypriot community should benefit from the accession of Cyprus to the EU" which in turn will contribute "actively to the process of peace and reconciliation on the island".

The JPC members "expressed their grave concern about what was called the on-going ethnic cleansing in the occupied part of the island and the serious plight of the enclaved persons".

In her remarks, Rothe condemned "the ongoing victimisation and harassment of the enclaved community" in the occupied areas.

Some 500 Greek Cypriots and 150 Maronites have remained in the occupied areas since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

The JPC also regretted that "progress has been halted by the regime in the occupied area of Cyprus concerning the identification of missing persons."

More than 1600 persons are listed as missing since the invasion. Efforts to ascertain their fate have so far failed because of the refusal of the Turkish Cypriot side to cooperate with the relevant UN investigative committee.

Referring to the island's accession course, chief EU negotiator for the Republic's accession Leopold Maurer informed members on "the considerable advances made in the screening process and in the preparation of accession negotiations between Cyprus and the EU", the statement said.

Already 23 chapters out of the 31 have been covered by this process. Maurer said the acquis communautaire will eventually apply to the northern part of Cyprus, even though it is currently occupied.

The right of free navigation in relation to Turkey's ban on vessels from the Republic of Cyprus using Turkish ports was also discussed at the meeting.

The Committee said it "deplored the fact that Cyprus is the only applicant country not currently receiving technical and financial support in the pre-accession period for implementing the acquis communautaire."

EU rapporteur, Jan Willem Bertens talked about the resolution adopted by the European Parliament last week, which called for such a specific financial mechanism to replace the existing financial protocol and asked for the reallocation of the remaining 17 million ECUs of the 4th Financial Protocol to the pre-accession strategy.

Committee members also visited the Akamas peninsula in the western tip of the island "which has suffered extensive environmental damage largely as a result of British military exercises taking place there."

JPC members "welcomed the fact that such exercises were the subject of current negotiations" between the government and the British Bases which exist in Cyprus since the island was granted independence in 1960.

They expressed hope that "they should be finally halted in the very near future".

JPC members also expressed their "deep concern about the economic and humanitarian consequences" of the Yugoslav crisis.

The next EU-Cyprus JPC meeting is scheduled to be held in Brussels in the autumn of 1999, following the forthcoming elections for the European Parliament.

CNA RM/EC/MA/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1810:CYPPRESS:04

[04] EU chief negotiator - Cyprus

Maurer also said today that the screening process with Cyprus, which constitutes the first stage of the negotiations, will end on schedule at the end of July.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the EU - Cyprus Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting held in this western town, he reiterated that the negotiations can act as a "catalyst" in efforts to settle the Cyprus problem.

"The demand for a transitional period in the telecommunications sector was withdrawn by your government and this is very positive for us," he said.

Maurer added that the EU had "tried to convince your people here that it will be positive for everybody if you would liberalise at the time of accession and to prepare everything before that."

With regard to the screening process, he said "this technical part of the whole exercise will be finished like it was foreseen."

The negotiator said the EU is "very optimistic" about the accession negotiations, but noted "of course there are a lot of problems that will come before us."

He mentioned as examples the free movement of capital and the liberalisation of the banking system which have to be addressed so that they don't create a problem to Cyprus at the time of accession.

Replying to questions on the Cyprus problem, Maurer said "we started and we are still under the assumption that the negotiations could be a catalyst for finding a solution for the political problem."

He recalled an invitation by President Glafcos Clerides to the Turkish Cypriots to nominate representatives in the official team negotiating accession.

"Up to now they didn't take up this invitation," Maurer said, pointing out however that "we are still at the beginning of the negotiations so the time is not right to speak about much more in this content."

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, is strongly opposed to Cyprus' accession to the EU and is refusing to participate in peace talks unless the membership application is withdrawn.

Denktash is also demanding the recognition of his illegal regime in the areas of Cyprus occupied by Turkey since it invaded the country in 1974, in order to participate in talks.

CNA RM/MA/GP/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1855:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Christofias - Meeting of left wing parties

He also criticised the European Union for being subservient to American whimsies and warned that the UN should not be allowed to be reduced to operate as a lackey of the US.

In his address today at the opening of a meeting of left-wing parties from Europe, the AKEL General Secretary lambasted the US and its NATO allies for aggression against Yugoslavia and said this is taking place "to underline the leadership of the US and to impose itself on its own allies."

He criticised the double standards applied, noting that NATO forces did not exhibit similar sensitivity in other cases where ethnic cleansing was attempted, including Cyprus when Turkey launched its military invasion in 1974.

"We refuse to recognise to the US and NATO the right to appear and act as defenders, so to say, of human rights and democracy," he told delegates from 17 delegations representing 12 countries.

Christofias pointed out that "the ethnic Albanians are themselves also victims of aggression. They murder them massively to protect them."

The crisis in Yugoslavia, he added, has proved that "the European Union as an organisation of regional integration is politically spineless and is overpowered by the US."

Calling for an immediate end to the bombing and every form of intervention in the internal affairs of Yugoslavia, Christofias said NATO designs aim at changing the borders in the Balkans to serve its geo- strategic interests.

The leader of AKEL said his party favours a peaceful solution granting autonomy to Kosovo and political rights to ethnic Albanians with full respect of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and present borders of Yugoslavia.

He called on the parties of the left in Europe to "mobilise against the policy of submission to the US and NATO and block the hegemonic and disastrous US policy."

CNA MM/MA/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1925:CYPPRESS:06

[06] Russian Communist leader - Meeting

He also accused NATO of "walking down the road Hitler has" in the past and called for a solution to the Yugoslav crisis through the UN.

Speaking at a meeting of left-wing parties from all over Europe, organised by Cyprus' left wing AKEL party, the Russian politician, speaking through an interpreter, warned that a united Europe does not serve American interests and said their offensive against Yugoslavia aimed at causing a split in Europe.

Moves to create a united Europe and a unified left among European countries lies behind the US thinking to attack Yugoslavia.

"On the pretext of protecting human rights, war can start against China, Turkey, Israel and the UK," Zhuganov said, noting that had the Soviet Union not been dissolved this war would have been impossible.

Russia, he said, would like to see a solution of the problem through the UN Security Council and deplored the fact that decisions about the resolution of conflicts are now taken by NATO.

"The only power that will tackle war is solidarity among workers," he said, and called on all religious leaders to back a peaceful settlement.

He said a draft resolution, prepared by the host party AKEL, is satisfactory and could form the base for the final text of the resolution.

The meeting ends on Thursday.

CNA MM/MA/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2025:CYPPRESS:07

[07] Left wing parties - Meeting

They also expressed firm opposition to any change in the borders in Europe and the deployment of ground forces, calling for a concerted effort by the progressive powers in Europe to put an end to the NATO offensive and seek peaceful means for a solution of the Yugoslav crisis.

Representatives from twelve countries gathered here for a two-day meeting, which opened today, at the invitation of Cyprus' left wing party AKEL.

In his remarks, Nicos Constantopoulos, president of the Greek "Synaspismos" party, said the war in Yugoslavia "threatens the entire Balkan region with instability and poses risks to the environment, the economy and infrastructure of neighbouring countries."

He said "what we are witnessing in Yugoslavia is an attempt to impose a new military patent" where the US wishes to destroy any possibility of creating a Euro-Russian balance which might counterbalance US supremacy.

"Any ground offensive will create problems relating to the delineation of borders for the entire Balkan region," he warned, saying that opposition to the bombing expresses the people's view that we are being led into a nightmare situation where NATO seeks to replace the UN and act as the world's policeman.

President of Germany's PDS party, Lothar Bidsky, said the war placed the UN and Russia on a "lower level" and criticised his country's decision to allow German participation in a war, something it had said it would not do.

The people of Germany oppose this war, he added. Speaking on behalf of his party, Armanto Cossutta, president of the Italian communist party, expressed fears about the spread of war and dismissed NATO's position that its objective is to protect human rights.

"NATO did not think to protect human rights in Jarkarta, Turkey or Algeria," he said, stressing that the Yugoslav president has ruled out any notion of surrendering.

He pointed out that left parties have a duty to halt the deployment of ground forces and "we have to act now to avert the escalation of war."

Cossuta warned the Italian government with withdrawal from its ranks if it decides to deploy ground forces in an eventual offensive.

The US, he charged, does not wish to see European autonomy in the political and military sphere and stressed that protests are not enough.

"We want a Europe without US hegemony and the progressive powers should carry our protests all over Europe," he added, and suggested that a large meeting should take place in Brussels.

In his remarks to the meeting, Orestis Kolozov, of the Greek communist party, deplored the fact that NATO seems to be the only international organisation left and it operates on the premise that it can intervene militarily when its interests are at stake.

"The only weapon we have to fight this and the war in Yugoslavia is to mobilise the people and coordinate moves with a view to prohibiting the law of the jungle to prevail," he said.

Italian deputy Ramon Mantovanni, said NATO's objective is to destabilise the Balkans and the Middle East and challenge Russia.

Mantovanni criticised Milosevic's policies but also condemned NATO bombing.

Bulgarian representative, Ivan Kaidandjiev, of the socialist party, said military involvement in Yugoslavia will not stop the bloodshed in Kosovo and stressed his party will not back any participation of Bulgarian soldiers in a war against a neighbouring country.

"We have to enlarge our front and include others in our effort to protest the war," he concluded.

Deliberations end tomorrow with the adoption of a resolution.

CNA MM/MA/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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