Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 04-06-09

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

CONTENTS

[01] Reconciliation rests in Cypriot hands, says US Ambassador to UN

[02] US supports renewal of UNFICYP's mandate of no more than four months

[03] President Papadopoulos responds to Annan's report

[04] Cypriot party leader briefs Austrian Chancellor on Cyprus problem

[05] Cyprus presidential emissary in Iran

[06] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[07] Moves by Turkish side on issue of missing but no real progress

[08] Weather and Temperatures for Cyprus

[01] Reconciliation rests in Cypriot hands, says US Ambassador to UN

0845:CYPPRESS:01

Reconciliation rests in Cypriot hands, says US Ambassador to UN

by Apostolis Zoupaniotis

United Nations, Jun 9 (CNA) The United States do not recognise nor have before them a request for recognition of the illegal regime in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus but believe that by easing some of the hardships the Turkish Cypriots face ''we could tilt towards a more positive and hopeful future'', US Ambassador at the UN Stuart Holliday has said.

Speaking after the presentation to the UN Security Council of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's report on his good offices mission to Cyprus, Holliday said that at this time there is not really any basis for a new plan for a Cyprus settlement noting that ''the future of the reconciliation rests in the hands of our Cypriot friends''.

[02] US supports renewal of UNFICYP's mandate of no more than four months

0850:CYPPRESS:02

US supports renewal of UNFICYP's mandate of no more than four months

Nicosia, Jun 9 (CNA) -- The United States supports an initial renewal of UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) mandate of no more than four months, with a follow-on renewal of six months that would take into consideration the Secretary General's recommendations, a US State Department spokesman has said.

Invited to say if at technical meetings at the UN the US and the UK proposed that the UN force should be withdrawn from Cyprus within the next three months, the spokesman said ''no. The United States did not make any such proposal. Renewal of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus is a matter of consultation within the Security Council. It is not yet clear how long renewal will be for.''

[03] President Papadopoulos responds to Annan's report

1220:CYPPRESS:03

President Papadopoulos responds to Annan's report

by Apostolis Zoupaniotis

United Nations, Jun 9 (CNA) -- Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos has called on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to consider the direct implications of his suggestion to Security Council members to work on a bilateral and international level with the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime, in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus.

The call is contained in a letter outlining his positions with regard to Annan's report on the latest failed attempt to reunite Cyprus, on the basis of the Annan plan for a comprehensive settlement, which the Greek Cypriots rejected by 76 per cent and the Turkish Cypriots approved by 65 per cent.

In his letter, Papadopoulos was critical of Annan's special adviser Alvaro de Soto's role during the negotiating process and in connection with his input in the report, outlined to the Secretary General serious inaccuracies, fallacious assumptions and erroneous interpretations in his report, said that Turkey gained benefits following Ankara's insistence and questioned Turkey's genuine good will for implementing the plan.

Papadopoulos expressed serious doubts on whether the Annan plan was compatible with the acquis communautaire, dismissed suggestions that he had not submitted his views on security concerns and warned that direct links with the illegal regime would set a dangerous precedent for the future.

''I urge your Excellency to seriously consider the direct implications of the suggestion contained in paragraph 93 of the Report for the reunification of Cyprus,'' President Papadopoulos said in his letter, dated June 7, referring to Annan's call to Council members to ''cooperate both bilaterally and in international bodies to eliminate unnecessary restrictions and barriers that have the effect of isolating the Turkish Cypriots, deeming such a move as consistent with Security Council resolutions 541 and 550'' both of which call all states ''not to facilitate or in any way assist'' the Turkish Cypriot entity.

Papadopoulos likened the authors of the report to judges and jury of the overall outcome of the negotiating process and said Greek Cypriot concerns ''were to a great extent, ignored'', noting that de Soto refused to discuss suggestions to adopt a triggering off mechanism relating to the right of intervention under the Treaty of Guarantee (Greece, Turkey and the UK are the guarantor powers according to the 1960 Treaty).

President Papadopoulos talked about ''a flawed negotiating method'' and described the assumption that Greek Cypriots had actually rejected reunification ''unfounded and insulting.''

He said that the report omitted any reference to the benefits Turkey and others had accrued from the plan and bore ''an uncanny resemblance to a well-known document of a permanent Security Council member.''

President Papadopoulos explained that Turkey's powers of intervention and supervision were ''in reality enormous'', Ankara persuaded the UN to accept to bind the United Cyprus Republic (UCR) that would have emerged from a solution by treaties which Ankara and the illegal regime had clinched, Turkey secured provisions preventing the UCR to exploit and explore her maritime resources and managed to secure a provision that changes to Cyprus' air space were essentially subject to Turkey's consent.

He said the plan provided for the entirety of Turkish settlers to remain on the island and left open the possibility for a permanent flow of settlers, much to the strong disagreement of the Greek Cypriot side.

Papadopoulos said the ''allegation'' that he never presented proposals on security to Council members was ''totally inaccurate and offensive'', since on 15 March a voluminous paper was submitted.

''Either your Excellency, advised by Mr de Soto, did not give serious consideration to our positions on such a crucial issue or Mr de Soto did not bother to read our paper with due care and attention,'' the letter added.

Papadopoulos pointed out that ''it would be very imprudent to rely on Turkey's good will for the full, prompt and proper implementation'' of the plan and that ''the Turkish government continues its unjustified hostile policy against Cyprus.''

To this end, Ankara deliberately did not extend its customs union agreement to Cyprus, continued to hinder the accession of Cyprus to a number of technical international organizations, including the OECD, and Cyprus' commercial fleet was still denied the right to approach Turkish ports.

[04] Cypriot party leader briefs Austrian Chancellor on Cyprus problem

1430:CYPPRESS:04

Cypriot party leader briefs Chancellor on Cyprus problem

Nicosia, Jun 9 (CNA) - President of Cyprus' rightwing Democratic Rally party Nicos Anastasiades briefed Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel yesterday in Vienna on the latest developments in the Cyprus problem.

[05] Cyprus presidential emissary in Iran

1430:CYPPRESS:05

Cyprus presidential emissary in Iran

Larnaca, Jun 9 (CNA) -- Leftwing AKEL Spokesman Andros Kyprianou is currently in Tehran as a special emissary of Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos to brief Iranian leaders on latest developments in the Cyprus problem.

[06] Cyprus Stock Exchange

1440:CYPPRESS:06

Cyprus Stock Exchange

Nicosia, Jun 9 (CNA) - The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) All Share
Index closed at today's stock exchange meeting as follows:

CSE General Index                               77,64   (-1,47)

Traded Value                  CYP    645.881

FTSE/CYSE 20                  CYP    167.477   346,52   (-1,46)
FTSE Med 100                                 6.401,66   (-0,23)

Sectoral Indices

Banks                         CYP     130.253  100,70   (-1,55)
Approved Investment
Companies                 CYP      28.885   71,69   (-0,18)
Insurance Companies           CYP       2.115   13,14   (-0,68)
Manufacturing Companies       CYP      31.725   49,91   (-4,07)
Tourism Companies             CYP       3.456   48,40   (-1,77)
Trading Companies             CYP      12.079   21,23   (-1,39)
Building and Cement Companies CYP       1.154   62,09   (-0,50)
Énformation Technology
Companies                 CYP       1.642    2,33   ( 0,00)
Financial Services Companies  CYP       3.332    7,63   (-1,17)
Fish Culture Companies        CYP           0   11,55   ( 0,00)
Hotels                        CYP       9.846   26,84   ( 0,07)
Other Companies               CYP      24.016   64,23   (-0,79)

* The third column presents the percentage variation of

[07] Moves by Turkish side on issue of missing but no real progress

1530:CYPPRESS:07

Moves by Turkish side on issue of missing but no real progress

Nicosia, Jun 9 (CNA) -- Turkey, acting in concert with the Turkish Cypriots, is expected to put forward ideas with regard to making headway in the humanitarian issue of missing persons in Cyprus, in a bid to win impressions as far as its obligations to help resolve this issue are concerned, according to well informed sources.

The Turkish side, they suggested, was likely to propose to set up a special committee in Cyprus' occupied areas to deal with the issue of missing persons, along the same lines that a so-called property commission was established to deal with compensation and property issues emanating from applications against Turkey by Greek Cypriots at the European Court of Human Rights.

[08] Weather and Temperatures for Cyprus

1645:CYPPRESS:08

Weather and Temperatures for Cyprus

Nicosia, Jun 9 (CNA) - Today's weather and temperatures for Cyprus,
according to the Meteorological Service at Larnaca International
Airport are:

Temperatures (degrees Celcius)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Station               Maximum     Minimum       Weather
(At 1200 UTC)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Nicosia                 31            16          FAIR
Larnaca                 27            17          FINE
Limassol                28            17          FAIR
Paphos                  26            19          FAIR

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