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Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 99-08-30Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>CONTENTS
MONDAY 30 AUGUST 1999 [01] HEADLINESPolice investigations into apprehending the perpetrators of Saturday's attempted arson attack against Larnaka's Hala Sultan Tekke are continuing;The Democratic Rally's Executive Director clarifies the apparent intraparty discord; Israel and the Palestinians struggle to forge a new peace framework; Britain's Foreign Office is to recruit a specialist "gender equality advisor"; Larnaka Refinery personnel come out on a 24-hour strike; and... Trading volume at the Cyprus Stock Exchange reached a new high this morning. [02] SPOKESMANDuring his daily briefing of the press, Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou, said that Police this morning received an anonymous telephone call naming the perpetrator responsible for Saturday night's attempted arson attack against the Moslem shrine of Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaka. Mr Papapetrou further noted that the telephone from which the anonymous call was placed has been located, and that search warrants against two Greek-Cypriots have already been issued.On other issues, the Government Spokesman also mentioned that the contract concerning the Larnaka desalination plant has been finalised, and that work, expected to be completed in 75 weeks, is due to begin soon. As regards a letter on the Cyprus Issue sent by the Jewish-American lobby to US President Bill Clinton, Mr Papapetrou stated that the Government considers the letter positive in content, given that it emphasises the need for a Cyprus solution based on respect for human rights and to the benefit of all countries in the region. [03] T/C PRESS TEKKETurkish-Cypriot newspapers today featured articles and editorials on the attempted arson against the Hala Sultan Tekke.In statements to the press, the president of the Turkish-Cypriot religious foundation EVKAF, Taner Dervish, described the incident as an attempt at ethnic cleansing aimed against the Turkish Moslem entity in Cyprus, and stated that representations will be made to the United Nations and other international organisations. The "Birlik" newspaper sensationalises the attempted arson under the headline "Hala Sultan Tekke set on fire", while "Ortam", in a front-page spread, mentions that the attack was the work of Greek-Cypriot fanatics who do not wish to see an improvement in Greco Turkish relations. The Turkish-Cypriot leadership has yet to issue a reaction. [04] PEACE COUNCIL TEKKEThe AKEL-affiliated Cyprus Peace Council, in an announcement issued today, strongly condemns the attempted arson attack against the Hala Sultan Tekke and mentions that the perpetrators, whoever they may be, are undermining efforts towards rapprochement between the island's two communities and a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus Issue.The Cyprus peace Council further notes that the expressed condemnation of the attempted attack by the entirety of the island's political world, the government and the people, should be followed up by the location, arrest and exemplary punishment of the would-be arsonists. [05] RENEWAL PARTYThe Eurodemocratic Renewal Party has also condemned the attempted arson.Describing the attack as a malevolent act, the relevant announcement goes on to say that such actions can only harm current efforts towards rapprochement and a resolution of the Cyprus Issue. In closing, the Eurodemocratic Renewal Party hails the prompt response on the part of the Republic's authorities to locate and apprehend the culprits. [06] LIVERAS DISYThe Executive Director of the Democratic Rally, Yiorgos Liveras, today noted that the party's Deputy Parliamentary Spokesman, Prodromos Prodromou, was not and could not have been disbarred from the party's Political Bureau.Explaining the issue further, Mr Liveras said that Prodromos Prodromou had been attending the Political Bureau's meetings on the invitation of Party Chairman Nikos Anastassiades by power of DISY's Charter, which gives the chairman the right to summon individual party members as council. In closing, the Democratic Rally's Executive Director clarified that rather being ousted from the Political Bureau, Mr Prodromou will now merely cease to be invited to attend. [07] MIDEASTIsrael and the Palestinians struggled into the early hours of this morning in order to forge a new peace framework before US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright arrives in the Middle East on Wednesday.Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy said that the two sides, aided by Osama el-Baz, adviser to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, are still trying to clear the way for Israel's first handover of West Bank land in eight months. Ehud Barak, Israel's prime minister since July, has vowed to carry out the handover, part of the US-brokered Wye River land-for-security deal. His predecessor, right-winger Benjamin Netanyahu, signed the deal in October but froze it in December. Marathon meetings into the early hours of today however, between chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and his Israeli counterpart, attorney Gilad Sher, failed to produce results, and no announcement was issued as to when they will meet again. [08] BRITFO WOMENBritain's Foreign Office is to recruit a specialist "gender equality adviser" to ensure women get a fair deal in the country's diplomatic service."If I'm going to represent Britain in the outside world, I need to have here a Foreign Office that is representative of all that is best about the modern Britain," Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said in a statement, and went on to say that this includes "men and women from all walks of life and from the different communities that make up a multi-ethnic Britain." At present, women make up almost 37% of the Foreign Office workforce, but there are only seven women ambassadors or high commissioners around the world. [08] ERICSSON ISRAELSwedish telecoms group Ericsson said today that it has issued a public apology in Israel for an anti-Semitic tirade by the wife of a Swedish employee there, and hopes its business will not be adversely affected.According to the Swedish press, the employee's wife abused staff at a riding club outside Tel Aviv when they could not find the family horse's reins, saying Jews were thieves, liars and cheats and "it was a shame Hitler did not finish off his job". Ericsson spokesman Lars Stalberg, declining to comment on the precise insults, said the incident was serious enough for the two-child family to be immediately recalled to Sweden and for the company to issue a public apology. He further said that Ericsson's human resources department is currently reviewing the employee in question's role in the company, with a decision expected later this week. [09] REFINERY STRIKEPersonnel at the Larnaka Refinery came out on a 24-hour warning strike at 7 o'clock this morning, in protest against what a union announcement described as "slanderous and misleading statements" by city and district officials.In statements made last week, Larnaka mayor George Lykourgos had spoken of industrial hazards given the refinery's location in a residential area, while Larnaka MP Andreas Mouskos had said that the plant does not comply with European standards, and the Chairman of the Larnaka Progressive Movement Panayiotis Sardou charged that the area's seafront is being destroyed by the refinery's chemical runoff. [10] STOCK XThe General Price Index at the Cyprus Stock Exchange reached a new high today, climbing to 482.19 units, compared to Friday's 375.97 closing.Trading volume today more than doubled in comparison with the end of last week, closing at 117 million pounds. Today's increased activity was, in part, due to the recommencement of trading in Bank of Cyprus titles, following the subdivision of the banking organisation's shares. [11] WEATHERThe weather will be generally fair this afternoon, but isolated cloud cover will form at intervals, mainly over the mountains. Winds will be moderate sea-breezes, 4BF, giving rise to correspondingly moderate seas off south-facing windward shores.Generally fair conditions will carry on into this evening, but mist and low cloud are expected to form in coastal regions. Winds will settle to light westerlies, 3BF, on slight seas, while temperatures will drop to 21C inland and along the coasts, and 15C on the higher reaches of the Troodos mountains. The fire hazard is extremely high in all forest areas. Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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