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Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 99-06-06Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>CONTENTS
SUNDAY 6 JUNE 1999 [01] CLERIDES CHINAPresident Glafcos Clerides arrived in Peking this morning, on a six-day official visit, aimed at promoting political, trade and economic relations between Cyprus and China.During his stay, the President will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Ziang Zemin, Prime Minister Tsu Rong Ju, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Li Peng. The Cyprus problem and the international situation, with emphasis on the Yugoslavia crisis, are issues to be discussed at the meetings, along with bilateral relations and the reformation of the Security Council, on which Cyprus and China share common views. The official reception of President Clerides will take place tomorrow by President Ziang Zemin. After the ceremony, the two Presidents will hold talks. Accompanying the President are Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Kasoulides, and Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Nicos Rolandis, who will hold talks with their Chinese counterparts. [02] OCALAN TRIALLawyers defending Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan against treason charges said today that his right to a fair trial was threatened by unfair treatment in court and the Turkish press.The defence team said in a statement that his case against treason and murder charges, which could carry the death penalty, was being undermined by insult, distortion and obstruction. Ocalan is accused of responsibility for the deaths of 20,000 rebels, Turkish soldiers and civilians killed since his PKK movement took up arms to fight for self-rule in the mainly Kurdish south-east of Turkey in 1984. But his lawyers complained in their statement that the tribunal trying him had rejected several requests, including one to hear testimony from relatives of rebels killed by the Turkish army. The court on the prison island of Imrali in western Turkey has already heard from the relatives of soldiers killed in the conflict with Kurdistan Workers Party fighters. The Ankara government's Western allies are watching the case closely and have called for Ocalan to be given a fair trial. Proceedings are set to resume on Tuesday. Ocalan's lawyers have complained of harassment and obstruction and held a one-day boycott of the case last week in protest against pressure from the police. They also say they were beaten by police after a preliminary hearing last month in Ankara. Two senior defence lawyers have already quit, complaining that the Turkish state has ridden roughshod over normal procedures. [03] YUGOSLAVIA G8Foreign ministers from seven Western powers and Russia will meet in Bonn tomorrow to discuss the next steps to be taken in the Yugoslav peace process.Following Belgrade's agreement to terms, Germany had on Friday called the meeting for today to finalise a proposed UN Security Council resolution that would lay out the peace accord and arrangements for an international force in Kosovo. But yesterday it postponed the talks. It said ministers wanted to wait until after NATO and Yugoslav generals had completed arrangements for the withdrawal of Serb forces. They began a second day of talks on the FYROM border today. One Western diplomatic source said Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov had reservations over the key role given to NATO in the peacekeeping force agreed to by Belgrade and accepted by Russian President Boris Yeltsin's envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin. The source said, however, that Western ministers expected Russia to have no objections once the Yugoslav military had formally accepted the plan. Ivanov has said in the past that his main concern was that Belgrade should approve any foreign force. [04] YUGOSLAVIA NATOTalks between NATO and Yugoslav authorities stretched on through a second day today with the alliance insisting it was giving instructions not negotiating the withdrawal of Serb troops from Kosovo.A high-level delegation of Yugoslav military officials, led by two deputy chiefs of staff of the Yugoslav army, were being given a detailed road map for the retreat. A NATO source said the Yugoslavs had raised a number of issues, including whether seven days would be enough time to withdraw from Kosovo and what Kosovo Liberation Army guerrillas would be doing during the process. Lieutenant-General Sir Mike Jackson, commander of NATO's Rapid Reaction Force which will go into Kosovo once Serb forces have withdrawn, was expecting the Yugoslavs to sign the six-page plan, effectively a surrender document. It contains detailed descriptions of the routes and roads they should use to remove every weapon and member of the security forces from Kosovo. [05] NICOS NATO DEMODemocratic Rally President, Nicos Anastasiades, today took a negative stance on the opposition's decision to stage a demonstration to condemn NATO bombings of Yugoslavia.Mr Anastasiades said that his party would stand by the Government, because the country needs responsible politics. [06] DINOS CIVIL DEFENCEChairman of the Movement of Democratic Struggle, Dinos Michaelides, fell short today of blaming the financial services of the state for things not done for Civil Defence.Mr Michaelides, who was until recently Minister of the Interior, said that everything that has been achieved regarding shelters and Civil Defence is the result of many years of efforts. He also said that his party has requested observer status participation in the National Council and is expecting an answer from President Glafcos Clerides. [07] CAMPING CLOSEDThe decision of the Ayia Napa municipality to close down the camping site, which has hosted many campers over the past 15 years, has caused strong reactions.The "Kampiana" camping site is located on land belonging to the Forestry Department in the Makronisos area. In a demonstration today, the campers blocked traffic on the coastal Nisi avenue. The Ayia Napa municipality cut off electricity and water supply to the site. In a statement, the municipality says that the decision to abandon it was taken a year ago and that campers were notified in good time. It also stresses that the site is unattractive and not looked after. [08] FINIKAS FIREA fire broke out at the Finikas restaurant in Polis Chrysohous in the Paphos area, and the Police are investigating arson.The Police arrested the owners of the building where the restaurant holds its premises, on the grounds that they were allegedly trying to force the owner of the restaurant to abandon it. The suspects are Costakis Xenofontos and Yiannakis Athanasiou, both 35 years old, from the village of Pomos, who bought the building two months ago from the Polis Chrysohous Coop. The fire broke out in the restaurant's kitchen and caused extensive damage to equipment and the restaurant itself. [09] WEATHERTomorrow will be mainly fine. In the early afternoon clouds will form, which may yield some isolated showers.Winds in the morning will be variable, light, two to three beaufort, and in the afternoon there will be a moderate seabreeze of three to four beaufort. The sea will be slight, and in the afternoon moderate in windward areas. The temperature will reach 34 degrees inland, 29 on the south coast, 27 on the north coast, and 25 over the mountains. The fire hazard is high in all forest areas. Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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