Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 10-12-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] HOUSE PRESIDENT UNSGS REPORT

[02] INTERIOR MINISTER ISRAEL FIRE

[03] MARCOULLI EU TURKEY

[04] CMP SYKHARI - EXHUMATIONS

[01] HOUSE PRESIDENT UNSGS REPORT

In a statement before the Plenary of the House of Representatives on Thursday, Garoyian said that the House of Representatives with sorrow notes that the last report of the UN Secretary General on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, includes terms that are not consistent with the UN Charter, the decisions and the resolutions of the Organisation.

Garoyian stressed that the Secretary Generals reference raises questions over its intentions, and that it was a mistake against the Republic of Cyprus, an independent state and member of the United Nations.

House President said that any action, which can be interpreted, as an equation of the legal and internationally recognized state of the Republic of Cyprus with the breakaway entity in the occupied part of Cyprus, should had been avoided.

Garoyian recalled the UN Security Council relevant resolutions 541/1983 and 550/1984, with which the UN considers the unilateral declaration of pseudostate as legally invalid, and demands its recall, and simultaneously, calls on states to respect the sovereignty, the independence and the territorial integrity and unity of the Republic of Cyprus.

The House of Representatives expects that any similar action in the future will be avoided, since the UN Secretary General should be the depositary of the UN Charter, the values, principles, decisions and resolutions of the Organisation, he pointed out. Finally, Garoyian stressed that the UN Secretary General should confirm, regularly and consistently, his and the UNs objectivity and impartiality.

The Cyprus talks between the two communities in Cyprus, under UN auspices, began in September 2008 with a view to find a negotiated settlement to reunite the island, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.

[02] INTERIOR MINISTER ISRAEL FIRE

Cyprus Minister of Interior Neoklis Sylikiotis told CNA that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contacted on Thursday President of the Republic Demetris Christofias to ask for help.

Sylikiotis subsequently was in contact with Netanyahus National Security Secretary and his Chief of Civil Defence for co-ordination purposes. A police helicopter will depart on Thursday night, Sylikiotis said, adding that an airplane belonging to the Department of Forests is to take off on Friday morning. We are also prepared to assist them in terms of manpower if it is needed on Friday, he noted.

[03] MARCOULLI EU TURKEY

Speaking during the EU`s Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, Marcoulli outlined the consequences Cypriot and foreign maritime firms face as a result of the Turkish restrictive measures. ``I have pointed out especially the legal aspect of the problem, as well as the fact that the Turkish restrictive measures violate basic principles of the EU in the field of trade, free navigation, free movement and access to ports, as well as the equal treatment,`` Marcoulli said.

Referring to the economic aspect of the Turkish restrictive measures, Marcoulli said that Cyprus annual losses from the Turkish embargo amount to 138.5 million euro in 2008, representing 1.8% of Cyprus` GDP. As a result of the Turkish restrictive measures, the three basic fields of sea transport, record losses, she said, adding that port industry suffered the biggest blow with annual losses amounting to 100 million euro, especially concerning transit trade, as some transport trade firms abandoned Cyprus preferring ports of non EU-member-states, in order to avoid the Turkish restrictions.

[04] CMP SYKHARI - EXHUMATIONS

According to the announcement, the CMP exhumation teams resumed working at the alleged burial places after two weeks of suspension, due to unearthing of unexploded artillery shells, early in September 2010. UN demining experts have checked and cleared the area before exhumations could proceed.

The terrain is large and mountainous and the exhumation requires substantial technical investment and manpower, but the CMP will continue its efforts in the area until all the burial places that the CMP has information about are investigated thoroughly, the announcement says. Moreover, it notes that the CMP thanks its scientists for their unabated commitment and hard work and commends the efficiency of the UN demining experts.

The Members of the CMP sympathize with the anxiety of relatives of missing persons and understand their wish to find out the fate of their loved ones the soonest possible the announcement adds.

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