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Sunday, 24 November 2024
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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-02-14Cyprus 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/>[01] UN Spokesman announces Annan visit to CyprusThe Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Fred Eckhard, said that the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, Mr. Alvaro de Soto, telephoned President Glafcos Clerides and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Rauf Denktash yesterday to inform them of Mr. Annan's intention to visit Cyprus at the end of February, following his visits to Ankara and Athens, as part of a two-week European trip starting this weekend. Speaking during yesterday's press briefing, the UN Spokesman said that Mr. Annan's trip to the region "will be with a view to bringing the search for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem to a decisive conclusion by February 28, as foreseen in his revised proposal of December 10 2002." Mr. Eckhard also said that the Secretary-General was planning visits to Ankara and Athens, starting on Monday, 24 February. Asked to give details of the UN Chief's trip to Cyprus, the Spokesman said that it was still being finalised and that details would be announced in the coming days. Replying to another question on the exact purpose of Mr. Annan's visit, he noted, "Operating under tight time constraints, the Secretary-General is weighing in personally to try to wrap it up by the 28th". The UN Spokesman also mentioned that Mr. Annan had concluded consultations on Cyprus with his Special Adviser, Mr. De Soto, and that the latter would return to Cyprus in time to host the next scheduled meeting between President Clerides and Mr. Denktash this afternoon, at 5:00 p.m., at the UN Protected Area in Nicosia.[02] US leaves "no stone unturned" in trying for Cyprus settlement, says US AmbassadorThe US Ambassador to Cyprus, Mr. Michael Klosson, said that the US was committed at the highest level to the settlement of the Cyprus question on the basis of the revised Annan plan, while reiterating that it was still possible to reach an agreement by the February deadline. Speaking after his meeting with President Clerides yesterday at the Presidential Palace, Mr. Klosson noted that time to find a solution was running out, and added that Washington was leaving "no stone unturned" in expressing its support to the UN Secretary-General's Good Offices Mission. He said that he had a "very good meeting" with the Cyprus President, which fell "against the backdrop of other discussions going on in New York on Cyprus and in view of next week's dialogue between Greece and Turkey on security concerns." Asked how feasible a solution was by 28 February, Mr. Klosson cited Mr. Thomas Weston's, the State Department's Special Coordinator for Cyprus, recent talks in Ankara and the "encouraging" messages he received from his meetings with government officials there. Invited to say whether a Camp David type of negotiation could be followed at this time in Cyprus, he said that it was up to the Secretary-General to decide on how to proceed with the peace talks. Asked to comment on Turkish press reports claiming that Turkey would support a US attack against Iraq in return for gains on Cyprus, the US Ambassador stressed that Washington viewed the Cyprus problem and Iraq "as completely separate issues". On Iraq, Mr. Klosson said that he briefed President Clerides on the US perspective regarding that issue, and noted that "Cyprus has been a very strong partner and we have really appreciated the support they have been providing in the war against terrorism." Asked if his country was concerned over the outcome of the European Council in Brussels next Tuesday, he expressed his hope that the "signal" coming out of such meetings would be that the international community expected Saddam Hussein to fulfil his international obligations.[03] First round of presidential elections takes place on SundayThe first round of the 2003 Cyprus presidential elections will take place this coming Sunday, 16 February. A total of 476,345 people are registered to vote, of which 234,128 are men and 242,217 women. The new registered voters, aged 18-19, amount to 13,698. A total 1,078 polling stations will operate, of which 414 in the Nicosia District, 323 in the Limassol District, 50 in the free areas of the Famagusta District, 169 in the Larnaca District and 120 in the Paphos District. Two special polling stations will operate for the enclaved of the Kyrenia election district and the Famagusta election district. Polling stations will open at 7:00 a.m. local time and will remain open until 5:00 p.m. with an hour's break at midday. If necessary and only at the discretion of the head of the polling station, voting may continue until 9:00 p.m. Ten candidates will contest for the presidential chair on Sunday. The order in which the names of the candidates, together with their photographs, appears on the ballot paper is the following: 1. Nicos Koutsou2. Tassos Papadopoulos 3. Andreas Efstratiou 4. Christos Iosifides 5. Adamos Katsantonis 6. Glafcos Clerides 7. Costas Kyriakou 8. Alecos Markides 9. Georgios Mavrogenis 10. Pantelis Sofokleous Eight of the candidates are independent. Among them is incumbent President Mr. Glafcos Clerides, who is seeking a limited third term in office. Two candidatures, that of Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos and Mr. Nicos Koutsou, come from political parties. The candidate who will secure 50% plus one vote will be declared President from the first round. If no candidate manages to secure more than 50%, then a second round will be held the following Sunday, 23 February, between the top two candidates of the first round. Information about the elections and results can be found at the following websites: , , , and . [04] EU supports Donors' Conference for CyprusThe European Union supports the UN proposal for an International Donors' Conference to be held after the signing of a comprehensive agreement and the reunification of Cyprus. In a Declaration, on behalf of the European Union, the Greek Presidency of the EU states the following: "The European Union has noted that the issue of the substantial economic funds required for the implementation of the comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the UN Secretary General's proposals and the deadlines for agreement making part of that plan, is of great significance to all Cypriots, thus deserving strong political and material support from the International Community. For this reason, the EU supports the UN proposal for an International Donors' Conference to be held soon after the signature of the political agreement and the reunification of Cyprus. The European Commission has already announced its readiness to organize the conference in question, after the signature of the Political Agreement. The objective of this conference would be to examine ways for the International Community to support the costs linked to the political settlement and the reconciliation of the two communities in Cyprus. The European Union has noted the wider support expressed for this proposal and calls on the international community and all international financial organizations to back this project and contribute to its goals, which will be to the benefit of all Cypriots and will help bring peace, security and stability to Cyprus and in the region as a whole. The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania, and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this declaration."[05] Cyprus and EU sign cooperation agreement on media programmeCyprus has signed a cooperation agreement with the European Commission, providing for its participation in the community action programme Media Plus and Media Training. The agreement provides for the setting up of a MEDIA desk, which will function under the Press and Information Office. The purpose of the MEDIA desk is to implement and promote the particular community programme, as well as to inform Cypriot professionals of the audiovisual field about all aspects of the programme.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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