Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-08-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[02] Foreign Minister - Norway - Visit

[03] Permanent Secretary - Tehran

[04] Spokesman - Weston

[05] Cyprus Airways - Reduced fares - Greece.

[06] American-Jewish Committee - Spokesman - Israelis

[07] World Conference of Overseas Cypriots - Resolutions

1430:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Cyprus Stock Exchange

      CSE General Index                         376.54 ( 3.61)

      Traded Value            CYP 42,592,928

      Sectural Indices

      Banks                   CYP17,023,170     514.21 ( 4.16)
      Approved Investment
      Companies               CYP 4,359,394     290.97 ( 3.33)
      Insurance Companies     CYP 1,307,639     202.51 ( 3.58)
      Manufacturing Companies CYP 1,572,588     130.06 ( 3.26)
      Tourism Companies       CYP 3,192,183     303.99 ( 2.31)
      Trading Companies       CYP   939,629     149.96 ( 2.83)
      Other Companies         CYP 5,548,938     284.15 ( 1.99)

CNA EC/1999

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1625:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Foreign Minister - Norway - Visit

The Minister said his understanding is that the Turkish side has not shifted from its intransigent positions on the Cyprus question.

Kasoulides also said he has secured assurances that Oslo will review its decision not to allow the sale of a radar system to Cyprus.

Speaking to CNA from Oslo, Kasoulides said he discussed with his Norwegian counterpart Knut Vollebaek efforts towards a settlement, the Middle East peace process, bilateral matters and the forthcoming summit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in November in Istanbul, (Constantinople).

Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Kasoulides will be in Turkey for the meeting. Cyprus and Turkey have no diplomatic ties since Turkey occupies nearly 40 per cent of Cyprus' territory and maintains a 35,000 strong military force on the island.

The minister said he had "a useful exchange of views" with Vollebaek about the conclusions of his recent visit to Turkey, where he discussed the Cyprus problem with Foreign Minister Ismail Cem.

"I have not deduced any change in the Turkish positions from what Vollebaek has gathered from his interlocutors in Ankara, in spite of the fact that Cem outlined his views in a way that does not match the absolute rhetorical manner he applies in public statements," Kasoulides said.

Kasoulides informed his Norwegian counterpart about the government's readiness to return to talks and cooperate with efforts for a settlement but stressed that "we cannot cooperate with anything that would signify consolidation and legalisation of a non-solution."

Replying to questions, he said he would have an informal meeting with Jan Egeland, former Norwegian foreign minister, at the latter's request. Egeland is tipped to be the next UN top envoy for Cyprus, to replace outgoing Dame Ann Hercus.

Referring to the sale of a radar system, Kasoulides said he got "official assurances that Oslo will review its decision" in the light of the positions he has outlined to his Norwegian interlocutors that the radar system is not an offensive arms purchase.

"I believe things will move in a positive direction but we also have to talk to Sweden as the radar system is a co-production with the Swedish company Ericsson", Kasoulides added.

Today, the minister was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Kjell Bondevik, House President Kirsti Grondahl, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Deputy minister to the prime minister.

Yesterday Kasoulides addressed the Nobel Institute under the aegis of the International Peace Research Institute (PRIO) which has been involved in bicommunal contacts between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

He also attended a formal dinner hosted by Vollebaek. The minister returns home on Sunday afternoon.

CNA MM/EC/1999

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[03] Permanent Secretary - Tehran

"We will outline our positions on the Cyprus question and our views on the decisions taken by the Islamic Conference, bearing in mind that Iran is the current chair of the conference," Pirishis told CNA today, two days ahead of the visit, starting Sunday.

He said the Cyprus question, bilateral issues and ways to promote agreements in various sectors, including shipping and health will be discussed.

The delegation is scheduled to meet the Foreign Minister, the First Vice President and a deputy minister of foreign affairs as well as the chairman of the Cyprus-Iran parliamentary friendship group.

The delegation, comprising the Director of the Cyprus question at the Foreign Ministry Tasos Tzionis and the Director of Bilateral Relations Stavros Epaminondas, returns home on Wednesday morning.

CNA MM/EC/1999

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1630:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Spokesman - Weston

Government Spokesman, Michalis Papapetrou, told the press here Friday that Weston is expected to visit Cyprus in September.

He said Weston "is coming to Cyprus to get accustomed with the environment, in view of his new duties".

Papapetrou also said that "the information that the government has from the US is that no proposals will be conveyed".

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37 per cent of the island's territory.

CNA MK/RG/EC/1999

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1650:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Cyprus Airways - Reduced fares - Greece.

The announcement is considered as another step to Cyprus' full liberalisation of air transports which is part of the island's harmonisation with the acquis communautaire in view of its European Union accession course.

The new fares were announced by Cyprus Airways Chairman Takis Kyriakides at a press conference.

New prices depend on the time of the flight and the time interval between reservation and flight.

A return ticket to Athens on morning or afternoon flights now costing 144 Cyprus pounds will cost 129 pounds as from September 1st, while the price in the evening flights will be 99 pounds (one Cyprus pound is trading at 1,8 US dollars). Taxes are not included in the above prices.

Kyriakides conceded that the new reduced fares will result in "quite substantially" reduced revenues for the company, but he expressed the hope that the increased number of passengers due to lower fares will cover the loss of revenues.

In case this is not achieved, Cyprus Airways will try to deal with the loss of revenues by curbing its costs and improving productivity, he pointed out.

The loss of revenues will not be as high as to put the company's profitability at risk, Kyriakides noted.

Cyprus Airways Chairman said the fares from Greece to Cyprus will be equally reduced, a move which is expected to lead to more Greek tourists visiting the island.

Cyprus Airways carried 1,35 million passengers in 1998. Cyprus started substantial accession negotiations with the EU in November 1998.

CNA GG/EC/1999

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[06] American-Jewish Committee - Spokesman - Israelis

In a letter to US President Bill Clinton, the American-Jewish Committee said it "believes that creating the conditions that promote political stability and economic prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean is in the best interests of the US and its friends and allies in the region, notably Greece, Israel, Cyprus and Turkey".

For this reason the Committee "whole-heartedly supports" the US administration's efforts to find a viable solution to the Cyprus problem, adding that the Committee agrees that a solution "must be brought about through direct dialogue between the parties concerned."

The Committee said it "takes no position as to what a solution to the Cyprus problem will entail, except that it must guarantee that internationally accepted standards of human rights and democratic principles be accorded to all the peoples of the island."

Government Spokesman, Michalis Papapetrou, invited to comment whether the letter, which was revealed yesterday by private TV station ANT1, was part of a deal to suspend the prison sentence of two Israeli nationals in Cyprus on August 12, said "it had nothing to do with any issue of trading."

The Cyprus government, by trying and sentencing these people, showed that there is sovereignty in Cyprus "and that there is state entity", Papapetrou said.

He added that after the two had served one third of their sentence, the government "considered it politically correct to end their imprisonment and in this way to give the right political messages."

The Spokesman explained that there is a new government in Israel which has new initiatives aiming towards peace and dialogue with Palestinians and Arabs.

Igar Damary, 49, and Udi Hargov, 37, were serving a three year jail sentence for approaching a prohibited military area in Cyprus.

CNA MK/EC/RG/1999

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[07] World Conference of Overseas Cypriots - Resolutions

They also emphasised that the next six months are very crucial for the future of Cyprus and urged the Cyprus government to put more funds into their enlightenment campaigns.

The positions were outlined, in a press conference at the end of their meeting which took place between 22-26 August, by the leaders of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots, POMAK and the International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus, PSEKA, Haris Sofoklides and Philip Christopher respectively.

In a resolution overseas Cypriots said they "demand that the international community and especially the US and European Union countries exert substantial pressure on Turkey" to comply with international law principles.

They said they consider "the Turkish intransigence and those who tolerate it as being responsible for non progress towards a final political settlement in Cyprus which should be based on a single state with a single sovereignty and international personality, with its independence and territorial integrity safeguarded".

Overseas Cypriots demand the "withdrawal of all Turkish occupation troops and settlers, the return of the refugees to their homes, restoration and respect of the human rights of all Cypriots and to ascertain the fate of the missing".

In their resolution to Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides, the overseas Cypriots "called on the government, in close cooperation with the National Council, to decisively undertake initiatives towards all directions to increase the pressure on Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and Ankara to pave the way for the resumption of the Cyprus talks".

The UN Secretary-General is expected to invite the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus for unconditional talks in the fall of 1999.

In their resolution to the US President, they requested that Bill Clinton "personally take the initiative to bring the required pressure on Turkey to participate productively in achieving a solution to the Cyprus problem."

They also called on Clinton to "take all necessary steps required to implement the numerous UN resolutions which call for the withdrawal of foreign troops and Turkish settlers, the restoration of the independence and sovereignty of Cyprus and the restoration of human rights for all Cypriots."

Overseas Cypriots also urged Clinton "to use the same determination and expediency that was demonstrated by the US and NATO in restoring human rights in Kosovo."

A peaceful and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem would contribute "to improved relations between Greece and Turkey, would strengthen peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and would serve the strategic interests of the US," the resolution added.

In their resolution to the UN Secretary-General, overseas Cypriots called on Kofi Annan to "undertake a decisive, consistent and effective initiative to overcome the intransigence consistently shown by the Turkish side".

This will "open the way for a solution based on a single state of Cyprus with a single sovereignty, a single citizenship and a single international personality with its independence and territorial integrity safeguarded within the framework of a bicommunal, bizonal federation as outlined in the relevant UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions," it added.

The World Conference of Overseas Cypriots in their resolution to Greek Prime Minister, Costas Simitis, said the active and unlimited support of the Greek government, political leadership and people "is the most fundamental support in our pan-national strategy to succeed in our struggle".

In their message to British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, overseas Cypriots urged him to consider the special relationship between Britain and Cyprus as well as Britain's responsibility as a guarantor of the Cyprus independence, head of the Commonwealth and permanent member of the UN Security Council.

"We call upon your government to intensify its efforts for the promotion of the G8 initiative...which may open a window of opportunity, overcoming the systematic intransigence shown by the Turkish side..."

They pointed out to Australian Prime Minister John Howard that "progress towards a settlement in Cyprus is in our view, at one of its worst stages" and said Australia, with its positive and supportive stance on Cyprus "is in a position to facilitate further progress on the Cyprus problem in the Commonwealth of Nations, the UN and other fora."

Both Sofoklides and Christopher expressed satisfaction at the results of the conference.

Christopher said the conference's deliberations took place during a "critical time for Cyprus", adding that "no one doubts that the next six months will be crucial for Cyprus".

He said overseas Cypriots work hard to promote the Cyprus question and referred to the forthcoming visit to the US by Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and US President Clinton's visit to Turkey and Athens.

Presidential Commissioner for overseas Cypriots Manolis Christofides said the two overseas organisations, POMAK and PSEKA are at the forefront of efforts in promoting overseas the positions of the government on the Cyprus problem.

He also praised the initiatives of overseas Cypriots stressing that his department will further promote and support their work.

CNA EC/RG/1999

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