Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 99-05-26

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From: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>

CONTENTS

WEDNESDAY 26 MAY 99

[01] HEADLINES

[02] KYPRIANOU CYPRUS

[03] KYPRIANOU ANASTASIADES

[04] CHRISTODOULOU EMBARGO

[05] YUGOSLAVIA ATTACKS

[06] ARRESTS BELGIAN

[07] STUDENTS CHECKPOINT

[08] QUAKE

[09] FOOTBALL

[10] WEATHER

[01] HEADLINES

--- The Government confirmed today that it did not allow entry to a Yugoslav official, according to an EU list of names.

--- NATO planes blasted targets in Kosovo near the main border crossing with Albania today.

--- Two persons were arrested today in relation to the murder of a Belgian resident of Larnaca.

AND

--- Last night's quake cause some damage in Limassol and Paphos.

[02] KYPRIANOU CYPRUS

Mr Kyprianou told President Clerides this morning that he had information from three different diplomatic sources, that there is a specific scenario to promote a confederation solution.

He told a press conference this afternoon that the scenario is being examined by committees of the G8, in which UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, is not involved.

Mr Kyprianou also said that seven G8 countries insist on restarting the dialogue without preconditions and with no reference to the UN resolutions. Russia, the eight country, does not agree.

The House President said that London is handling the constitution issue and Washington security matters.

The seven are drafting a plan to replace the UN peacekeepers with a NATO force, with equal Greek and Turkish presence.

Mr Kyprianou also said that at some point the island's European Union accession point may be brought into the scenario, and that a provision may be included to make Cyprus a member of NATO.

[03] KYPRIANOU ANASTASIADES

Mr Kyprianou and Mr Anastasiades met today for about an hour to exchange views on the Cyprus problem, the National Council and the Yugoslavia crisis.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Kyprianou said that despite statements by Richard Holbrooke that the United States are not involved in the Cyprus problem, his own information indicates that the Americans are very much involved.

Mr Anastasiades said that the Democratic Rally will act accordingly, if Mr Kyprianou proves to be correct, adding that other sources have also passed on relevant information.

[04] CHRISTODOULOU EMBARGO

Speaking this morning at the House of Representatives, Mr Christodoulou said that it is according to this list that the Cyprus authorities prohibited entry on Friday to a Yugoslav undersecretary and his wife.

Mr Christodoulou said that he had been briefed on the incident two days later, and that the policeman at the airport acted according to the list.

[05] YUGOSLAVIA ATTACKS

Witnesses saw at least eight explosions on hills surrounding the Morina border crossing, through which several hundred thousand refugees have passed since the start of NATO bombing of Yugoslavia on March 24.

In Moscow, US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott was striving to narrow NATO's differences with Russia over the southern Serbian province.

He met Russia's Balkan envoy, Viktor Chernomyrdin. European Union representative Martti Ahtisaari was to join them later.

Mr Chernomyrdin is due to fly to Belgrade tomorrow for more talks with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

Mr Ahtisaari will go with him if Russia and the West manage to agree on a set of joint demands to be backed up by a resolution from the UN Security Council.

Mr Talbott told reporters that NATO still demanded full withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo and a key role for the military alliance in any international force sent there.

He said an important part of diplomatic efforts was to create conditions for the safe return of refugees to Kosovo.

In Belgrade, Yugoslavia's new minister for refugees said her government also wanted the Kosovo Albanians to return.

In FYROM, thousands of Kosovo refugees poured across the border overnight in a renewed exodus.

UN refugee agency workers at the Blace crossing point said more than 6,000 ethnic Albanians had entered between yesterday evening and this morning and thousands more might be waiting on the Serbian side.

A day after NATO decided to beef up its ground force on Kosovo's borders to almost 50,000, British Defence Secretary George Robertson said troops would enter the province at the earliest opportunity and might face a "hostile environment."

The alliance backed up the tough talk by announcing it had carried out one of the most intensive days of attacks so far, with planes flying a record number of strike sorties.

NATO Supreme Commander General Wesley Clark said in a radio interview the alliance would maintain its military pressure and dismissed any pause in the bombing campaign.

Calls have been growing in NATO for the threat of a ground war to be held over Mr Milosevic if he does not crack under air strikes and agree to let foreign troops protect Kosovo's ethnic Albanians.

But in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini said he could see no alternative to NATO's bombing campaign.

A senior British official said that in a meeting with visiting British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, Mr Dini also voiced strong opposition to any partition of Kosovo.

Mr Cook and Mr Dini said they both wanted a negotiated settlement, but NATO needed to maintain the military pressure until Belgrade agreed to withdraw its troops from the region.

Mr Cook later met Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in Bonn and they agreed there could be no letup in NATO's air war.

[06] ARRESTS BELGIAN

The suspects are two Russians of Greek origin, Odysseas Afouxenides, 21, and Ioannis Kapasalides, 19.

The Larnaca Police is treating the case as a premeditated murder, robbery, and conspiracy to a criminal act.

During interrogation, the two suspects named a third person, who is now being sought by the Police.

The Police are still carrying out investigations at the scene of the crime.

Still missing are the murder weapon and the victim's keys.

The Belgian woman was found dead in her bath, in her Larnaca apartment.

He had knife wounds in the throat, the chest and the stomach.

[07] STUDENTS CHECKPOINT

The 120 pupils asked to visit the checkpoint, stating that it would be their last school outing, describing it as a pilgrimage.

They also said that it is every Cypriot's duty to visit the Ledra Palace checkpoint.

[08] QUAKE

The epicentre of the tremor was 10 to 15 kilometres into the sea, southwest of Paphos.

The quake caused damage to over 150 buildings in Limassol, while in Paphos only 8 houses were reported damaged.

A Dutch tourist at Paphos airport was lightly injured when parts of the ceiling fell.

A Civil Aviation employee at the airport broke his leg while trying to leave the building.

[09] FOOTBALL

The final will begin at 9.45 at the Barcelona Nuevo Campo stadium.

[10] WEATHER

There will be a moderate sea breeze of four to five beaufort, and the sea will be moderate.

The temperature will reach 30 degrees inland, 27 on the coast, and 22 over the mountains.

The fire hazard is high in all forest areas.

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