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Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 99-05-10Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>CONTENTS
[01] MONDAY 9 MAY 1999-- MILOSEVIC SAID TODAY NATO BOMBING OF THE CHINESE EMBASSY WAS MADNESS--MEANWHILE BEIJING LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGNOF REPRISALS AGAINST THE UNITED STATES -- THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN REJECTED A PARTIAL TROOP WITHDRAWAL BY YUGOSLAVIA FROM KOSOVO --WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION DEFENCE MINISTERS IN BREMEN DISCUSSED FORMATION OF AN INTERNATIONAL FORCE FOR KOSOV --NATO PLANES KEPT AWAY FROM BELGRADE LAST NIGHT,, ALLEGEDLY DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER BUT THEY MOMBED NIS [02] CHINA /MILOSEVICYugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic said TODAY that NATO's bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade on Friday was evidence of the alliance's "madness". Serbian media reported that speaking at a meeting with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Guozhang and ambassador to Yugoslavia Wang Zhaolin, Milosevic said the attack was the latest proof that NATO's air campaign was directed against "the entire freedom-loving world". NATO has said it bombed the embassy in error and has apologised. Three people were killed and about 20 wounded in the strike, which NATO blamed on bad intelligence. The attack has touched off a major diplomatic dispute with China and sparked violent protests in major Chinese cities.[03] BEIJING IBeijing has announced the first reprisals for the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, It has severed every form of dialogue with the United States and demands an official apology from NATO. Meanwhile American and British citizens are gravely concerned over their security in face of continuing angry protest demonstrations in China.[04] BEIJING IIFor the third day running hundreds of angry Chinese continued their demonstrations, expressing their indignation, outside the American and British embassies in Beijing and other cities in China. Workers today joined the students in their demonstrations, while the Chinese government severed all dialogue with the United States on military subjects, and human rights.A Chinese foreign minister statement said consultations on preventing proliferation of nuclear weapons, on arms control and on international security have been called off. The CNN reported that the bombing was the result of outdated CIA maps which did not show that the Chinese embassy in Belgrade had been moved to another site four years ago. The United States and Britain, concerned over the wave of protest issued travel warnings calling on their citizens to avoid travelling in China, and those already there not to leave their homes. Russian envioyon Yugoslavia, Viktor Chernomyrdin is due in Beijing today , while the official visit of German Chancellor Schroeder to China has been degraded by the Chinese government to a working visit, also postponing the second EU-China Summit meeting. [05] YUGO/WITHDRAWALA partial withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo down to the levels before NATO began bombing on March 24 would leave 29,000 soldiers and police in Kosovo, according to NATO estimates. That would be well in excess of the 22,500 agreed last October in a deal with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic brokered by U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke, the terms of which are no longer on offer. NATO is demanding that virtually all members of the Yugoslav Army and MUP special police, whose current numbers in Kosovo are estimated at 40,000 or more, be ordered to withdraw before it calls a halt to air strikes. Yugoslavia said it was willing to reduce troop levels after a United Nations agreement was reached on a peacekeeping mission, which Milosevic says should be small and lightly armed. The United States and Britain immediately rejected the partial pullout as insufficient and NATO was expected to do likewise.[06] CHINESE AMBASSThe Government unreservedly condemned the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. The Ambassador of the peoples Republic of China was today invited to the Foreign Ministry where the Sympathy of the Cyprus Government was expressed to him. A Foreign Ministry statement expressed the hope that acceptance of responsibility by NATO will be followed by actions towards restoration of international co-operation and understanding between states , and specifically among the Great Powers for the purpose of establishing world peace and security.[07] YUGO/BREMEN I-Speaking before a meeting of Western European Union defence ministers, in Bremen, Germany, NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said today that European soldiers should make up the majority of any international peacekeeping force sent into Kosovo to protect returning ethnic Albanian refugees.[08] YUGO/BREMEN IINATO has been insisting since it began its air attacks on Yugoslavia nearly seven weeks ago that NATO troops should make up the bulk of any peacekeeping force in Kosovo. Solana's remark suggested he saw only a limited role for U.S. ground troops. Russia, which opposes the air strikes, has said NATO and especially those members most involved in the attack like the United States, Britain, France and Germany, should not play a role in any such force. After agreeing a joint approach with the Western powers last week, Russia said it supported a United Nations-backed peacekeeping force but would defend the Yugoslav government's right to object to the participation of particular countries. Solana did not specify which European countries he expected might take part, although he appeared to be referring to members of the 28-strong WEU. A number of smaller west European states are not NATO members though all most have membership in some form of the looser WEU. Russia is not in the WEU.[09] NATO WARAfter the strike against the Chinese embassy NATO aircraft stayed away from Belgrade last night. NATO. however, announced this was the result of bad weather conditions, and the ssole NATO target was concentrated on the town of Nis. The Yugoslav News agency Tanjug reported that NATO aircraft hit the town's industrial centre as well as residential areas. NATO aircraft, however, returned today and shortly after noon they bombed Serbian positions near the border post of Marina. Eye witnesses reported that Serbian tanks were their targets.// Skopklje in the meantime, today addressed another urgent appeal to the West for financial assistant to help it cope with the wave of refugees from Kosovo which numbers some 200 thousand Kosovars. Britain announced it is sending another 200 troops to Albania to help with refugee relief.[10] EDEK MarkThe statement by Attorney General Alekos Markides who, referring to the House resolution on Yugoslavia called on MP's not to deal with complicated legal problems, today caused very strong reaction from EDEK chairman Vassos Lyssarides. In a statement today he said the Markides statement is an insult to democracy, and stressed that there can be no House of representatives under the control of anyone.[11] SPOKESMANThe government spokesman reiterated the government's position that the Cyprus mass information media did not report correctly the problem of ethnic cleansing against the Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Answering a question why the government has not condemned the matter of ethnic cleansing by the Milosevic government, before the bombing started, the spokesman said the problem took on dimensions only after the crisis broke out. He added that the persecution of the ethnic Albanians has been condemned not only by the NATO member states and those of the EU, but also by countries which are friendly towards Yugoslavia, in statements to the Cyprus government.[12] LIMMASOL/EXPLOSIONA hand grenade exploded ear today in the yard of the Yermasoyia home of Andros Chrystodoulou, 40, owner of a night club. It appears that the handgrenade was tossed from a passing car. Christodoulou stated that while he was at home at 2:30 today, he saw a car passing by and an explosion was immediately heard. The explosion shattered glass in the home. Christodoulou is the brother of Ierotheos Chrystodoulou, alias Roppas, who is under investigation in connection with the murder of Marios Panagides,[13] FUNERALThe double funeral of Savvas Savvides, 53, and his son, George Savvides 27, was held today in the Church of Saint George in Larnaca, before a large crowd of mourners. They had both suffered extensive burns from a fire that broke out at their factory last Wednesday. Attending were president Glafcos Clerides, who was a personal friend of the family, Party leaders and representatives, MP's, and the municipal authorities of Larnaca. Savvas Savvides died Friday night and his son George died last night even though attending doctors had made desperate efforts to save them. Unfortunately they both succumbed to extensive burns all over their bodies which also caused irreparable damage to vital body organs.[14] WEATHERThe weather will be elcar this evening with high upper cloud. Light mist can be expected in some areas. Winds will be North Westerly to North Easterl;y light and the sea will be slight becoming moderate in winndward areas. Temperatures will drop to 15 C inland, 14 C on the South coast, 13 C on the West coast and 11 C over the higher mountains. The weather will start clear tomorrow but cloud will thicken in the afternoon with the possibility of rain. Northhherly light winds to start-with will gradually become South Westerly to North Westerly moderate and the sea will be slight to moderate. Temperatures will be about normal for the season with 29 C inland, 26 C on the South coast, 25 C on the West coast and 17 C on the higher mountains.Today's temperatures were: Nicosia 30 C -- 16 C Limassol 27 C -- 15 C Larnaca 26 C -- 14 C Paphos 24 C -- 12 C Prodromos 20 C -- 9 C Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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