Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 11-10-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] SPOKESMAN DRILLING CYPRUS TALKS

[02] BRITISH MINISTERS - CYPRUS - EEZ

[03] PACE - RESOLUTION - CYPRUS

[04] GOVERNMENT - LOAN - RUSSIA

[01] SPOKESMAN DRILLING CYPRUS TALKS

Speaking to the press after a Council of Ministers meeting, Stephanos Stephanou stressed that the Republic of Cyprus is exercising its sovereign right which is inalienable and non-negotiable. ``Our plans included moving to the second phase of the search for oil, which means exploratory drilling. Work on this started a long time ago.``

The Turkish side, he said, is trying to link this search with the negotiations on the Cyprus issue to challenge the sovereignty of the Republic and to put on an equal par the self-styled Turkish Cypriot regime in northern Turkish occupied Cyprus with the legitimate state, the Republic of Cyprus, which is internationally recognized.

The illegal regime has no rights because according to international law, it does not exist, Stephanou stated, calling on Turkey to think carefully about recent statements by the US and the EU advocating the Republics sovereign right to explore its natural resources and to stop trying to cause tension.

Instead, he pointed out, Ankara must respect international law and international legitimacy.

The UN has said the regime in occupied Cyprus is ``legally invalid`` and called on all states not to recognise or facilitate it in any way.

Referring to the ongoing UN-led peace talks, Stephanou said that the Greek Cypriot side shows good will and consistency with the agreed basis of the solution, stressing that the same consistency must be shown by the Turkish Cypriot side also.

Replying to a question on separate agreements between Cyprus and Egypt and Cyprus and Lebanon, the Spokesman explained that the agreement with Egypt has been ratified but the agreement with Lebanon is yet to be ratified.

Replying to other questions, the Spokesman dismissed suggestions that EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Fule, had intervened to President Demetris Christofias with a view to suspend the search for hydrocarbons.

Turkey, whose troops occupy Cyprus northern part since they invaded in 1974, does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus. Following a decision by Nicosia to begin natural gas and oil exploration in its exclusive economic zone, Ankara has deployed warships in the Eastern Mediterranean and has signed an illegal agreement with the Turkish Cypriot regime in occupied Cyprus to delineate what it calls continental shelf.

Drilling has already begun and is being carried out by Houston-based Noble Energy, off Cyprus south-eastern coast.

The government of Cyprus has protested to the UN and the EU Turkeys moves, saying it has a sovereign right to exploit its natural resources, pointing out that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots will benefit from any benefits that may come from oil drilling.

[02] BRITISH MINISTERS - CYPRUS - EEZ

Lidington, who was addressing an event on Cyprus, organized in Manchester in the framework of the Conservative Party Conference, expressed hope that a bi-communal, federal solution is reached in Cyprus through the ongoing negotiations, saying that we will continue to do what lies within our power to give support to courageous leaders, who will have to take risks in the search for compromise.

Speaking at the same event, Minister for Transport, Theresa Villiers, said the benefits for all communities on the island should drive a solution in Cyprus and stressed that the geopolitics of Cyprus and Israel may be changing with the discovery of significant fossil fuel deposits in the region.

I believe that such a discovery can be very positive for Europes energy security and potentially very positive for the Cyprus economy, she stressed.

Villiers also underscored that it is therefore vitally important that the drilling goes ahead and that we can use it as the financial underpinning of a just and lasting solution for the island.

[03] PACE - RESOLUTION - CYPRUS

The resolution titled National sovereignty and statehood in contemporary international law: the need for clarification, was based on the report of Marina Schuster, German member of the Assembly and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe political group.

An official press release, issued here today, describes the resolution as very important and notes that the issue was brought before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of PACE by Cypriot President of the Committee, Christos Pourgourides, and other members.

The resolution invites all member states to refrain from recognising or supporting in any way the de facto authorities of territories resulting from unlawful secessions, in particular those supported by foreign military interventions, and notes that they should be solved exclusively by peaceful means on the basis of international law.

It underscores that military interventions such as that by Turkey in Cyprus in 1974, whilst motivated justifiably or not by the need to stop serious human rights violations, have themselves led to numerous human rights violations and have not produced lasting solutions for the underlying problems.

[04] GOVERNMENT - LOAN - RUSSIA

Speaking to the press after a Council of Ministers meeting, Stephanou said the government authorized the Finance Minister to take all appropriate actions for the implementation of the agreement as soon as possible.

The loan has a nominal value of 2.5 billion euro with a nominal annual yield of 4.5% and valid for 4.5 years. Stephanou said the Cypriot government has the option to pay the loan before its maturity date.

According to the Spokesman, the implementation of the agreement combined with the government measures for medium-term fiscal stability, are expected to create important advantages for Cyprus.

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