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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 01-07-30Cyprus 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/>Monday, 30 July 2001CONTENTS[01] Cyprus closes the Chapter on EnvironmentCyprus, on 27 July, has provisionally closed one of the most difficult chapters in the accession talks with the European Union, the chapter on theEnvironment, during the 13th Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Conference at deputy level, held in Brussels, where it was represented by its chief negotiator Mr George Vassiliou.Cyprus has now completed 23 out of 29 chapters that are to be examined, since opening accession talks in 1998 and is still leading the othercandidate states. According to European sources Cyprus should be ready to close the chapter on Justice and Home Affairs at the next meeting of the Inter-Governmental Conference. The same sources said that the chapter on Taxation could close during the Belgian presidency. Mr Vassiliou held a meeting with the Director General of DG Competition, whom he briefed on Cyprus' harmonisation efforts regarding competition. [02] Exchange of ideas on issues of common interestCyprus' Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Mr Costas Themistocleous, had met on 27 July with his Czech counterpart Ing.Jen Fencl, on a two-day private visit to Cyprus, to discuss both countries' accession course to the European Union.After the meeting, Mr Themistocleous had expressed conviction that both countries «based on the progress achieved so far in all areas» particularly in the fields of environment and agriculture will be among the first countries to accede into the EU. During their meeting the two ministers had also discussed issues relating to the establishment of a Paying Agency, responsible for the «allocation offunds the EU offers to its member states for use in the field of agriculture», Mr Themistocleous had added. [03] Cypriot Foreign Minister visiting SyriaCyprus Foreign Minister, Mr Ioannis Kasoulides will pay a three-day visit to Syria tomorrow during which he will be received by President Bashar al Assadand Prime Minister Mustafa Miro.Mr Kasoulides will have talks in Damascus with his Syrian counterpart Farouk Al Shara, expected to focus on bilateral relations, the situation in theregion and the Cyprus question. [04] UN-led proximity talksThe UN have no information to corroborate Turkish press reports to the effect that the Turkish side has been given assurances that what was discussed in the UN-led proximity talks so far will have no bearing on future talks on Cyprus.«We have absolutely no information that could confirm this», Mr Wlodzimierz Cibor, Senior Adviser with the UN peace-keeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and Acting Chief of Mission had stated on 27 July, adding that he had not read the said reports. The Turkish news agency «Anadolu» had claimed that the UN had asked the Turkish side to forget completely the contents of the previous proximity talks. The agency had said the UN had given assurances that the talks will start afresh after Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash meets UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Invited to comment on the agency report that the meeting will take place after 15 August in a European city, Mr Cibor had said there is «no official confirmation of either the venue or the date.» [05] Process of exhumationThe transfer to Greece in the early 80s of exhumed remains, believed to belong to Greek nationals killed during the Turkish invasion of 1974, has given rise to increasing speculation that some of the remains do not belong to the persons initially thought they did.«The problem we are now facing has to be dealt with immediately so that the process of identification of remains exhumed in the summer of 1999 can continue», Mr Xenofon Kallis, member of the Working Group for the Exhumations, operating under the aegis of the Foreign Ministry, had stated on 27 July. Mr Kallis had explained that the placing of crosses on graves which do not correspond to the place of burial of the dead has caused confusion and noted that there are cases where the same name appears on more than one tomb stone and other cases where persons were buried and have no tombstone. Many of the remains were buried in Greece but others were kept in a tomb in Nicosia, Makedonitissa Memorial. 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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