Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 11-02-22

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

CONTENTS

[01] FM EU COUNCIL ARAB WORLD

[02] PRESIDENT T/C PARTY

[03] CBC GOVERNOR EURO AREA

[04] MINISTER EU PRESIDENCY - SITE

[01] FM EU COUNCIL ARAB WORLD

Foreign Ministers of Cyprus, Greece, France, Spain, Malta and Slovenia sent a letter to the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, stressing the need for redefining the Southern European Neighbourhood Policy.

In his intervention at the meeting, Kyprianou stressed that the EU should support the democratically elected governments that may emerge from the crisis in the states of the Arab Gulf and the Middle East. He noted, however, that this should happen in a way that will not be considered as an EU interference to the internal affairs of these countries.

Kyprianou also said that the Mediterranean EU states can play a leading role, since they are neighboring countries and are closer to the mentality of the Arab countries. As such, the Mediterranean EU states have the advantage to gain the acceptance of the Arab countries, without this being conceived as a foreign intervention, he addeed.

He stressed the need for the EU to financially support these countries, with actions that concentrate on the security of the people and that safeguard the economic and social progress. In this framework, Kyprianou stressed the need for the EU to take full advantage of the Union for the Mediterranean mechanisms.

Referring to developments in Libya, Kyprianou expressed regret for the loss of human lives and asked, along with other EU Foreign Ministers, the best coordination of EU member states for providing consular aid to the EU citizens. Kyprianou also informed his EU counterparts about his recent visit to Israel.

On the sidelines of the EU Council, Kyprianou held a meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Demetris Droutsas, who briefed him on his visits last week in London and New York. Additionally, the two Ministers discussed latest developments in the region, and agreed that the governments of Greece and Cyprus will cooperate, if needed, for the safe trasport of Cypriots fleeing Libya.

ΦΟΤΟ 2 (ΠΡΟΕΔΡΟΣ ΜΕ ΤΚ χθες)

PRESIDENT T/C PARTY

Turkish Cypriot United Cyprus party leader Izzet Izcan has called on progressive democratic parties in Cyprus to contribute in a positive way to the process of negotiations for a Cyprus settlement.

Izcan, who headed a delegation of his party, was received Monday by Cyprus President Demetris Christofias at the Presidential Palace. In statements after the meeting, he said they discussed about the course of direct negotiations on the Cyprus problem.

He noted that even though the process is going on there are obviously some problems, stressing that his party supports a settlement of the Cyprus problem the soonest possible, in the framework of UN decisions providing for a federal solution.

We consider that the settlement must come through the common efforts of both communities, he went on to say, adding that reaching a solution will benefit all the people of Cyprus.

FOTO 3 (KENTRIKH TRAPEZA)

CBC GOVERNOR EURO AREA

The Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus Athanasios Orphanides has pointed out the urgency of correcting problems concerning weaknesses in Euro area governance, pointing out that costs are high.

He also said the improvement in the governance framework ``entails significantly improving the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP),`` adding that ``what is necessary is a redesign of some of the features of the SGP so that it would be respected.``

In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, Orphanides said ``there is no room for complacency and we will need to continue to monitor inflation developments very closely,`` adding that ``we do not need to be overly concerned yet, but we need to continue to monitor developments in order to ensure that inflation expectations remain well anchored in accordance with our price stability mandate.``

He added that the sharp increases in food and energy prices over the past few months have been a surprise, and noted that he did not think one could rule out further surprises that would result in inflation staying above 2% for somewhat longer than what expected.

FOTO 4 (sima kipriakis proedrias EE)

MINISTER EU PRESIDENCY - SITE

The Conference Centre in Nicosia that will be used during the Cyprus EU Presidency, is going to be ready in the beginning of 2012, Minister of Communications and Works Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis stated Monday.

The Minister, accompanied by the Head of the Cyprus EU Presidency Secretariat Andreas Moleskis, inspected today the site, to review reconstruction progress.

The cost of the ongoing reconstruction of the building, which is underway making use of the latest technological advancements, will not surpass 20 million euros, according to the estimate of the engineers in charge.

Marcoullis expressed her satisfaction for the progress of works, saying that the end result will fulfill the organizational demands of the Presidency.

The Presidency is an historical event for Cyprus, and this is why we have to put all our efforts to organize a successful Presidency, Marcoullis stated, adding that it is going to be Cyprus first Presidency since becoming an EU Member.

[02] PRESIDENT T/C PARTY

Izcan, who headed a delegation of his party, was received Monday by Cyprus President Demetris Christofias at the Presidential Palace. In statements after the meeting, he said they discussed about the course of direct negotiations on the Cyprus problem.

He noted that even though the process is going on there are obviously some problems, stressing that his party supports a settlement of the Cyprus problem the soonest possible, in the framework of UN decisions providing for a federal solution.

We consider that the settlement must come through the common efforts of both communities, he went on to say, adding that reaching a solution will benefit all the people of Cyprus.

[03] CBC GOVERNOR EURO AREA

He also said the improvement in the governance framework ``entails significantly improving the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP),`` adding that ``what is necessary is a redesign of some of the features of the SGP so that it would be respected.``

In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, Orphanides said ``there is no room for complacency and we will need to continue to monitor inflation developments very closely,`` adding that ``we do not need to be overly concerned yet, but we need to continue to monitor developments in order to ensure that inflation expectations remain well anchored in accordance with our price stability mandate.``

He added that the sharp increases in food and energy prices over the past few months have been a surprise, and noted that he did not think one could rule out further surprises that would result in inflation staying above 2% for somewhat longer than what expected.

[04] MINISTER EU PRESIDENCY - SITE

The Minister, accompanied by the Head of the Cyprus EU Presidency Secretariat Andreas Moleskis, inspected today the site, to review reconstruction progress.

The cost of the ongoing reconstruction of the building, which is underway making use of the latest technological advancements, will not surpass 20 million euros, according to the estimate of the engineers in charge.

Marcoullis expressed her satisfaction for the progress of works, saying that the end result will fulfill the organizational demands of the Presidency.

The Presidency is an historical event for Cyprus, and this is why we have to put all our efforts to organize a successful Presidency, Marcoullis stated, adding that it is going to be Cyprus first Presidency since becoming an EU Member.

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