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Thursday, 21 November 2024
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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 96-10-17Cyprus Press and Information Office: News Updates in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>News Update17/10/96CONTENTS
[01] EU Report says incidents will not jeopardise efforts for settlementThe first annual European Commission report to the European Parliament on the Customs Union with Turkey, (issued 10.10.96), notes that the "deplorable acts of violence" committed in Cyprus in August -i.e. the cold-blooded killing of two unarmed Greek Cypriot demonstrators - have resulted in a serious escalation in the level of tension on the island.According to the EU - specialised publication "Europolitique" (12.10.96), the Report said the incidents "are clearly designed to try to persuade the international community that the co-existence in the same federal state of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities would be dangerous for the security of the people involved". However, "Europolitique" continues, the Report suggests the incidents will not jeopardise the search for an overall settlement to the problems, nor affect the EU decision to open membership talks with Cyprus six months after the end of the Intergovernmental Conference. [02] UN Security Council's statement satisfies Cyprus GovernmentThe Cyprus Government is satisfied with the Security Council's statement (Tuesday, 15 Oct.) which condemned in the strongest terms the "unjustified act" of killing by Turkish soldiers of a Greek Cypriot retired refugee near the ceasefire line.Government Spokesman Yiannakis Cassoulides said Wednesday (16.10.96) that "such a position as taken by the Security Council satisfies us". At the same time, Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides said, speaking to reporters, that the language used by the Security Council is very strong and strict. On the Security Council's call to resume the dialogue for further unmanning of observation posts along the ceasefire line, Government Spokesman Cassoulides repeated that the Cyprus government is ready for such talks, but only with the Commander of the Turkish occupation forces. [03] UNFICYP stresses need to extend unmanning agreementAn UNFICYP press release (issued on 16.10.96) says that the Force in accordance with repeated Security Council resolutions, "has been pursuing with the military authorities on both sides an extension of the unmanning agreement to all areas along the Buffer Zone, especially where the two sides are in close proximity to each other. In addition, since 1993, Security Council resolutions also called on both sides to prohibit loaded weapons along their respective cease-fire lines"."UNFICYP has, for some time, been discussing specific arrangements for implementing these requests of the Security Council. The recent incidents underline the urgency to reach agreement on these arrangements. These incidents have also brought out the need to ensure that the rules of engagement applied along the cease-fire lines prevent the use of lethal force except in clear situations of self-defence. UNFICYP will propose such rules to both sides," the UNFICYP statement says. [04] Motion in British Parliament calls for withdrawal of Turkish troops from CyprusForty-three British Members of Parliament have signed an early day motion calling upon the British Government "to demand of Turkey a commitment to peace in Cyprus, the first stages of which would involve the removal of their troops from the island, the withdrawal of their support to the illegal Denktash regime, guarantees that no further monies be made available to terrorist organisations such as the Grey Wolves and help to arrest and bring to justice those persons responsible for the tragic shooting and the return of basic freedoms to all citizens of Cyprus throughout the island".The motion came following the latest murder by Turkish troops of a fourth Greek Cypriot in recent months and "condemns the illegal killings of Cypriot citizens along the UN -policed Green Line buffer zone in Cyprus" and underlines that "Tassos Isaac, Solomos Solomou, Petros Kakoullis and Stelios Panayi were unarmed at the time of their killings and gave no indication whatsoever in their behaviour that they posed a danger or were engaged in anything that would endanger the lives of others". It further adds that "the murders of these individuals by illegally occupying Turkish forces or their representatives were committed in cold- blood as part of a campaign to spread fear among Cypriots on both sides of the dividing line, project a false impression of the two communities being unable to live together in a united Cyprus and to disrupt and damage the accession of Cyprus into full membership of the European Union". The British MPs' motion also recalls the recent murder of Turkish Cypriot journalist Kutlu Adali, "a critic of the Turkish military presence in Cyprus and of Mr Denktash". [05] Hungary says Cyprus EU accession will help in regional stabilityHungary's Foreign Minister has completed a two-day official visit to Cyprus, where he was received by President Clerides and held talks with Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides.A Protocol of political cooperation was signed by the two Ministers and Michaelides said that other agreements on economic, maritime, and taxation issues are under consideration. "We exchanged views about our common effort to become members of the EU and the Minister briefed us on Hungary's efforts to join NATO, a very interesting move which seems to be moving on a positive side", Michaelides said. Speaking to the press, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said that Hungary considers that Cyprus should not be held to ransom by the European Union because of the continuing division and partial Turkish occupation of the island. Hungary also considers that Cyprus stands to gain more than just economic integration from eventual EU accession, which will serve regional stability. He expressed hope that Cyprus' EU accession will contribute to a settlement of the Cyprus problem and announced that Hungary will increase its own contribution to the UN peace-keeping force here, in a bid to help maintain peace and security. "We hope when our two countries join the EU, this will happen simultaneously with a Cyprus solution", Kovacs said. The Cypriot Minister thanked Kovacs for his country's trop contribution to the UN peace-keeping force and said Hungary intends to establish its own contingent of around 100 men. [06] Maritime meeting on the Mediterranean concludedThe first Meeting of Experts on the Implementation of the Multi Annual Rolling Work Programme for Maritime Transport in the Mediterranean was concluded in Nicosia (16.10.96).The participants included representatives of the maritime and port administrations of the 15 EU member-states and of 11 third countries of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Representatives of a number of intergovernmental and non-governmental international and regional organisations such as IMO, INMARSAT, Shipowners Association, and European Sea Ports Organisation also attended the meeting. The objective of this first meeting was to identify and propose projects for funding under the European Union's (EU) financial instruments accompanying the MEDA Programme. The EU Commission will consider these proposals under the MEDA Programme for projects of regional interest. Among other proposals was to set up a maritime institute in Cyprus and the establishment of a joint statistics system for which Cyprus, Italy and France are to cooperate, as well as the mapping of south and south-eastern Mediterranean regions. The three-day meeting took place within the framework of the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership (MEDA), which received the political approval of the Ministerial Conference in Barcelona, in November 1995. It was organised by the Ministry of Communications and Works and the Cyprus Ports Authority in cooperation with the European Commission. [07] Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the recent killing in CyprusThe European Union strongly condemns the killing by soldiers of the forces on the north of Cyprus of an unarmed Greek Cypriot civilian, Mr Petros Kakoullis, on 13 October, in the zone whithin which Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces operate. The European Union deplores this latest tragic death as it does all the violent deaths which have occurred recently in Cyprus.The European Union fully endorses the principle stated by the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) that deadly force must not be used by either side against persons who cross the respective cease-fire lines, or enter the UN buffer zone. The European Union calls on both sides to look urgently at measures aimed at removing live ammunition from front line posts and increasing the area of demanning as called for in UN Security Council resolutions. The European Union would repeat its call for restraint on all sides, in order to avert further such tragic deaths. It believes that these events only underline the need to redouble efforts to seek progress on dialogue between both communities, with the objective of achieving a comprehensive political settlement to the Cyprus question, under the aegis of the United Nations. The European Union, for its part, will seek to encourage and promote efforts aimed at an early resumption of dialogue between both communities, on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions. From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/Cyprus Press and Information Office: News Updates in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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