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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-04-04
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Friday, 04 April 2003 EU and US support Cyprus settlement under UN
auspices
[02] UN comments on Denktash proposals
[03] Britain protests to occupation regime for T/C arrests
[04] Cyprus' UN Representative condemns Turkey for human rights violations
[05] Cyprus has lowest unemployment rate among EU acceding countries
[01] EU and US support Cyprus settlement under UN auspices
Mr Jean-Christophe Filori, the spokesman for the EU Enlargement Commissioner
Gunter Verheugen, reiterated yesterday the European Commission's position
that a solution of the Cyprus problem must be found within the UN
framework. Mr Filori was commenting, in reply to a question by a Turkish
journalist, on Mr Rauf Denktash's proposals, which the Turkish Cypriot
leader had described as a package of confidence-building measures to open
up a dialogue and establish a "working relationship" between the two
communities on the island. "The Commission takes into consideration
Denktash's initiative. We generally support all efforts for a solution in
Cyprus, but we continue to believe that this objective must be achieved
through the UN framework", the EU spokesman said. He further noted that the
Commission was waiting for the outcome of the discussion on Cyprus at the
UN Security Council, scheduled to take place on 9 April.
Along the same lines has been the US's reaction to the Denktash proposals.
Specifically, a State Department official, commenting yesterday on the
Turkish Cypriot leader's move, stressed that the way to a comprehensive
settlement of the Cyprus issue was through the UN framework and under the
auspices of the UN Secretary-General's Good Offices mission. The State
Department official's full statement was the following: "We believe that
the way to a comprehensive settlement is for both sides to resume talks
under the auspices of the UN good offices and on the basis of the Secretary-
General's very fair peace plan. These confidence building measures between
the two sides are really a matter for them to discuss. We believe that the
best context for them to do so remains the UN good offices. Genuine
confidence building measures arrived at through the UN good offices mission
would certainly be welcome. Our focus, however, remains on achieving a
comprehensive, just and durable settlement to the Cyprus problem. Even
genuine confidence building measures are not substitute for this. We look
to the upcoming UN Security Council session on Cyprus to reaffirm
international support for the Secretary-General's good offices and to
support the Secretary-General Annan's plan as a basis for a future
settlement."
[02] UN comments on Denktash proposals
The Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Mr Fred Eckhard, made the
following statement during yesterday's press briefing at UN Headquarters,
when asked to comment on Mr Denktash's letter of proposals to President
Papadopoulos: "The Secretary-General received copies of both letters
exchanged between Mr Denktash and Mr Papadopoulos. His assessment of 11
March outlines the positions taken by the two leaders at The Hague. His
report to the Security Council on the negotiation process which came to an
end that day, will be issued shortly, we think that will be on Monday. And
that's all I have to say about those letters."
[03] Britain protests to occupation regime for T/C arrests
The British Minister for Europe, Mr Denis MacShane, expressed the British
government's opposition to the recent arrests of Turkish Cypriot politicians
and trade union leaders by the illegal regime in occupied Cyprus.
The Minister, in his written reply to a question posed by Labour MP Mr
Andrew Dismore before the House of Commons, on 1 April, stated the
following: "We have followed the events of 25 March with great concern. We
deplore any interference by the Turkish Cypriot authorities which curtails
the Turkish Cypriots' rights of assembly and of free, peaceful expression
of their political views. We have protested to the Turkish Cypriot
authorities and continue to monitor the situation closely." The arrests of
the Turkish Cypriots were made to prevent the holding of a referendum on
the UN peace plan for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.
[04] Cyprus' UN Representative condemns Turkey for human rights violations
Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador
Alexandros Vikis, spoke before the 59th Session of the UN Commission on
Human Rights, in Geneva last Tuesday, stressing that Turkey continued to
violate the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Cypriot citizens,
while refusing to comply with important decisions by various international
organisations. Mr Vikis outlined some of Turkey's major human rights
violations in Cyprus, which were, inter alia, the massive influx of Turkish
settlers in the occupied areas with a view to changing the demographic
structure of the island, the issue of refugees who are being refused to
return to their homelands, the inhumane living conditions of the enclaved,
the issue of missing persons, and the systematic and large-scale destruction
of Cyprus' cultural heritage in the occupied areas by the illegal
regime. He further made reference to the UN Secretary-General's report on
the question of human rights in Cyprus, for 2003, stating that it did not
portray a comprehensive and real image of the large-scale human rights
violations of Cypriots by Turkey.
It should be mentioned that the question of human rights in Cyprus is
enlisted as a separate sub-item (a) in the agenda item 9 of the Commission
on Human Rights, entitled "Question of the violation of human rights and
fundamental freedoms in any part of the world".
[05] Cyprus has lowest unemployment rate among EU acceding countries
According to the European Union's Statistical Office (Eurostat), Cyprus has
the lowest rate of unemployment among the ten acceding countries, for
February 2003. Furthermore, Cyprus' unemployment rate is lower than the
average rate of the 15 EU member states and of the Euro-zone countries.
In particular, Cyprus' unemployment rate for February 2003 was recorded at
3,9% of the labour force, while the average rate for the ten acceding
countries was 14,8%. Eurostat noted a 7,9% unemployment rate for the 15 EU
member states and a 8,7% for the member states forming the Euro-zone. The
unemployment rates according to gender, for Cyprus, were calculated at 2,9%
for males and 5% for females. Both figures reflected the lowest unemployment
rates among the equivalent rates of the ten acceding states. Additionally,
according to Eurostat data on the GDP of the Mediterranean partner
countries, released on 1 April 2003, Cyprus had, in 2000, the highest GDP
per inhabitant, with more than 20,000 purchasing power parity units
(PPS).
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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