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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-10-15
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Wednesday, 15 October 2003 Resolution of the Cyprus problem requires
shift in Ankara's intransigent policy, says President Papadopoulos
[02] Cyprus' UN Representative protests to Kofi Annan for threats against
T/C journalists in the occupied areas
[01] Resolution of the Cyprus problem requires shift in Ankara's intransigent
policy, says President Papadopoulos
The President of the Republic, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos, has stressed that
the solution of the Cyprus problem presupposed a shift in Turkey's
intransigent policies in Cyprus and not the withdrawal of some 5,000
Turkish occupation troops. Speaking yesterday at Larnaca Airport prior to
his departure for Luxembourg, Mr Papadopoulos said he was not aware of any
reports suggesting that Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul planned to
announce, during his forthcoming trip to Athens, the withdrawal of 5,000
occupation troops from the island. In further statements, the President
said there would not be a joint meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece,
the USA and Turkey, and Mr Colin Powell's passing through Athens just
happened to coincide with Mr Gul's visit to the Greek capital.
As regards President Papadopoulos' two-day official visit to Luxembourg, he
will be meeting today the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Mr Jean-Claude
Juncker, the Great Duke of Luxembourg Henri, the Chairman of the Chamber of
Deputies, Mr Jean Spautz, and Luxembourg's Mayor, Mr Paul Heiminger. He
will also visit the European Court of Justice, where he will hold talks
with the Court's President, Mr Vassilios Skouris and with the President of
the European Court of First Instance, Mr Bo Vesterdorf. During his contacts,
the President said he would be discussing the Cyprus issue, Cyprus' EU
harmonisation process and its participation in EU institutions, and
bilateral matters. Mr Papadopoulos and the Cyprus delegation accompanying
him, including Foreign Minister Georgios Iacovou, will depart later today
for Brussels to attend the European Council meeting.
[02] Cyprus' UN Representative protests to Kofi Annan for threats against
T/C journalists in the occupied areas
Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Andreas
Mavroyiannis, has sent a letter of protest to the UN Secretary-General, Mr
Kofi Annan, bringing to the latter's attention the recent threats against
the Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika (formerly Avrupa) and the lives of its
journalists, Sener Levent and Ali Osman. In the letter, dated 9 October
2003, Mr Mavroyiannis recalled that on 5 October 2003 members of the
extremist "Grey Wolves" organisation, mainly of Turkish mainland origin,
gathered in front of the offices of the newspaper, in occupied Nicosia, and
extended threats against its journalists. Cyprus' UN Representative noted
that "the incident follows a series of threats and acts of intimidation
against those Turkish Cypriots who disagree with Turkey's policy in Cyprus
and have the courage to publicly challenge Turkey's military presence on
the island and Mr Denktash's negative approach to the Cyprus problem".
He added that "it constitutes part of a well known and long standing
systematic policy of the occupying power and its subordinate local
administration to eliminate any critical point of view coming from the
Turkish Cypriots that support the idea of a reunited Cyprus, free of
occupation troops and a member of the European Union". Mr Mavroyiannis
underlined that the Government of Cyprus strongly condemned the provocative
attempts to suppress free speech in the occupied part of the island and
expressed grave concern for the threat against the lives of the two Turkish
Cypriot journalists of Afrika. "In this respect we appeal to Your
Excellency to exercise your influence upon Turkey in order to exert
pressure on Mr Denktash and to instruct its military and other agents, to
respect the human rights of the Turkish Cypriots and their fundamental
liberties of free expression and speech and cease the harassment of those
who dare to express freely their opinions", he added. Mr Mavroyiannis
requested that the letter would be circulated as a document of the Security
Council and the General Assembly.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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