Cyprus News Agency: News in English (AM), 99-05-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] Kasoulides - Sweden

[02] Peace March

1130:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Kasoulides - Sweden

Kasoulides is paying an official visit to Sweden at the invitation of Lindh.

On Monday afternoon he will speak at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs on "Cyprus' course towards the European Union".

During his visit Kasoulides will meet with the Presidents and the members of the Foreign Affairs and European Union Affairs Parliamentary Committees.

He will also call on Bishop of Sweden and all Scandinavia Pavlo. Kasoulides returns to Cyprus on Wednesday afternoon.

CNA MK/MA/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1515:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Peace March

A resolution addressed to the UN Secretary General calls on Kofi Annan to "intensify his efforts for the implementation of UN resolutions on Cyprus."

It also says that the two military bases Britain retains in Cyprus since granting the island freedom from colonial rule in 1960 must be abolished.

The resolution, adopted at the end of the march near the southern coastal town of Larnaca, condemns NATO's offensive against Yugoslavia and calls for its dissolvement.

The march was organised by the Cyprus Peace Council. Left-wing AKEL General Secretary Dimitris Christofias and famous Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis addressed participants, and messages from the Primate of the Church Archbishop Chrysostomos and the Russian Communist Party were read.

In his speach Christofias strongly condemned NATO raids in Yugoslavia, expressed solidarity to the people of the country and called for a peaceful settlement to the crisis.

However, he said people from all over the world should join forces to stop what he described as "the imperialist new world order imposed through the force of arms."

Referring to the Cyprus problem, Christofias expressed concern with the outcome of a new US initiative for a settlement expected to be launched later this year.

He said the cynicism with which the US tackles other issues, its disrespect towards international law and the UN and its refusal to pressure the Turkish side for a settlement "are not very good omens" for Cyprus.

In his message Archbishop Chrysostomos said that "justice is a necessary prerequisite for peace to be achieved".

He said the people of Cyprus "have strong feelings of injustice for the past 25 years because of the Turkish invasion" and added that "peace can prevail in our island only if justice is restored and human rights are enforced."

In its message the Russian Communist Party expresses "solidarity with the people of Cyprus for a just and peaceful settlement to the Cyprus problem".

The message, signed by party President Gennady Zyuganov, says that for the left-wing forces there is no "foreign pain" adding this is why they "are joining their efforts to end NATO raids against Yugoslavia."

Addressing participants Yugoslav ambassador to Cyprus Ivan Mrkitc condemend NATO for "killing the people of my country and using bombs containing uranium."

"They are destroying everything but we will continue our struggle for justice and will win," he said.

The resolution to the UN chief says the NATO war against Yugoslavia "must be immediately stopped before it expands to the entire areas of the Balkans, Europe and beyond."

"NATO is contrary to international law, constitutes a danger for humanity and world peace and therefore must be dissolved," it adds.

It says that the UN role must be "strengthened and further democratised in order to be able to resist US hegaemonism, to be able to play a proper role in solving conflicts and to implement effectively its own resolutions..."

It calls on Annan to intensify his efforts for UN resolutions to be implemented in Cyprus "so that the Turkish occupation troops and settlers are withdrawn, the consequences of the ethnic cleansing in Cyprus by Turkey in 1974 be eradicated and a peaceful resolution reached..."

CNA MAN/MA/MK/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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