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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 01-08-07Cyprus 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/>Tuesday, 7 August 2001CONTENTS[01] No reshuffling to the current governmentThe President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Glafkos Clerides stated on 6 August 2001 that he had not dealt with the issue of reshuffling his cabinet nor with the appointment of a new Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus.More specifically, the President made the following statement: "Due to the fact that the contract of the current Governor of the Central Bank expires in nine months, I have not dealt with the issue of appointing a new one". Mr Clerides also noted that "no Minister has requested to be transferred from his post, therefore I have not made any decision with regard to the reshuffling of the cabinet". [02] A bilateral agreement between Cyprus and Syria expected by the end of the year"Cyprus and Syria will work for the remaining of this year with a view to concluding a bilateral agreement to determine the continental shelf and to delimit the exclusive economic zone of each country", Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Mr Nicos Rolandis stated, adding that Damascus had a positive stance concerning the matter and Nicosia would examine a Syrian proposal to supply Cyprus with natural gas.The Cypriot Minister made the afore-mentioned statement on 6 August 2001, after a meeting he had with the Syrian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Dr Mohamad Maher Jamal, who was on a three-day official visit to Cyprus. Mr Rolandis had clarified that no decisions were taken at the meeting whilst he had described the bilateral ties between the two countries as excellent. "We had an exchange of views on the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf which in Syria will be handled by the Foreign Minister and in Cyprus by a ministerial committee appointed by the cabinet", Mr Rolandis had noted, adding that "we hope to resolve this question by the end of the year on the basis of international law and have an agreement in place". The Cypriot Minister also added that although Syria is not a signatory to the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, it has expressed the willingness to use the Convention/s basic provisions to conclude a bilateral agreement with Nicosia. Moreover, Mr Rolandis clarified that Syria had adopted a positive and friendly-disposed attitude towards Cyprus and had given the Cypriot side good reasons to expect the conclusion of a bilateral agreement which would determine the sea area between the two countries. The Minister added that "there are 54 nautical miles between Cyprus and Syria, and Syria has extended its territorial waters to 35 nautical miles". During the meeting, the Syrian Minister put forward a proposal to supply Cyprus with natural gas, a project which comprises of the construction of a pipeline at an estimated cost of 200-500 million dollars. Mr Rolandis explaining the Cypriot side/s stance on the matter, stated that the technical experts would have to look into the various aspects of the project adding that there are also other options available with regard to gas supplies. 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 |