Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 00-03-10

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

CONTENTS

FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2000

[01] HEADLINES

[02] MOSES CLERIDES

[03] MAURER

[04] ATTORNEY GENERAL

[05] WORLD ROUNDUP

[06] WATER

[07] CSE

[08] TAILER

[09] WEATHER

[01] HEADLINES

The European Union's Chief Negotiator for Cyprus stresses that any political solution to the island's long-standing problem should be fully in line with the result of the accession negotiations;

The Attorney-General of the Republic voices his disagreement with statements made yesterday by the Government Spokesman;

We have a roundup of the major news stories from around the world;

Water supply problems in the Nicosia-district are expected to be resolved by the end of this year;

The Cyprus Stock Exchange moved slightly upwards today;

and...

A novel book called "Ode to a Road" hits the bookstands in Britain.

[02] MOSES CLERIDES

It was previously announced that no statements will be made after the luncheon, but Mr Moses is scheduled to give a press conference at 6 o'clock this afternoon, at the Ledra Palace offices of the Fulbright Commission.

The press conference, with a simultaneous translation into Greek, will be carried on CyBC's First Television Channel, while it will also be broadcast live, without being translated, on this channel, 91.1FM.

[03] MAURER

Speaking at Britain's Cambridge University, Mr Maurer reiterated that the free movement of people, capital and services all constitute the cornerstone of the European Union, adding that any solution to the Cyprus Issue should satisfy the conditions set out in the 15-nation bloc's Treaty of Union. As regards the distribution of powers currently under discussion at the UN-sponsored talks over Cyprus, the EU official said that the matter should be arranged in such a way as to ensure Cyprus' positive contribution to EU institutions, and not lead to a situation similar to that existing in Belgium, which he described as not that positive.

Leopold Maurer also referred to Turkey's projected EU-accession course, and said that priorities set by the 15-nation bloc include the safeguarding of human rights and other fundamental freedoms in the country as well as the Cyprus Issue itself which, however, he hastened to add is up to the two communities on the island to resolve for themselves.

[04] ATTORNEY GENERAL

Alecos Markides expressed his disagreement with an earlier statement by Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou, who said that no Turkish settler married to a person of Turkish-Cypriot descent would be deported, provided the marriage was ascertained as not being one of convenience. Specifically, Attorney-General Markides said that he, and no other person, is the legal councel of the Republic, adding that any doublespeak on the issue at hand is totally out of place.

There are currently 414 Turkish-Cypriots living in the government-controlled areas, 129 of them having remained from immediately after the 1974 Turkish Invasion. Another 249 have entered the free areas of the Republic by crossing the demarcation line since 1975, while 36 arrived through the Republic's legal ports of entry.

[05] WORLD ROUNDUP

In Mozambique, torrential rains have forced the suspension of aid flights for a second day to a quarter of a million people left destitute by flooding, with all civilian and military helicopters and fixed wing planes at Maputo airport grounded by heavy rain battering the capital. In Madagascar meanwhile, the UN food agency said that an airlift of emergency rations for tens of thousands of people trapped by floodwaters would begin today. Most of the estimated 12,000 people trapped by floods caused by two cyclones are in remote corners of the huge Indian Ocean island, and have received no assistance at all.

A lawyer defending Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif of hijacking charges was shot dead in his office in the southern port city of Karachi. Iqbal Raad was a leading member of a team of a dozen lawyers defending Sharif on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping and hijacking, which carry a possible death sentence.

Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said that the United States is solely responsible for tensions between his country and Taiwan, and that Sino-US relations were at a "critical juncture". In reference to US weapons sales to Taiwan, he was quoted by Reuters as saying "What the United States has done on the question of Taiwan has inflated the arrogance of the separatist forces".

Russia's Acting President, Vladimir Putin suggested in an interview that Chechnya could come under direct presidential rule from Moscow for the next couple of years. The statement appeared in the "Kommersant" newspaper.

Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik tendered his resignation to the country's King today, after a stinging defeat in an environmental vote in parliament. Bondevik was set to recommend that the king ask Jens Stoltenberg of the opposition Labour Party to form a government.

And in the US, the two presidential insurgents, Democrat Bill Bradley and Republican John McCain, have both given up the struggle, with Bradley endorsing Vice President Al Gore but McCain declining to do the same for Texas Governor George W. Bush. Bradley and McCain's demise became inevitable after both men lost badly to their party front-runners on this week's "Super Tuesday", when 16 states and one territory held presidential ballots

[06] WATER

Speaking to our station, Costas Themistokleous said that all the necessary groundwork towards expediting the construction of a desalination plant in Larnaka has already been completed. At the same time however, he noted that this summer will be particularly difficult for Nicosia residents, despite a projected increase in water supplies through underground carriers and the expropiation of private bore-holes.

Further suggestions towards alleviating water supply problems, as mentioned at a broad-based meeting between the Minister of Agriculture and the mayors of Greater Nicosia yesterday, include the importation of water from Greece, increasing the output of the Dhekeleia desalination plant, and setting-up mobile desalination units.

[07] CSE

Meanwhile, and following allegations voiced yesterday by Kikis Lazarides, Chairman of the Popular Bank Group of Companies, concerning set-ups and wheeling-dealings at the Stock Exchange, brokers today urged the Shares and Capital Commission to summon Mr Lazarides to testify and substantiate his claims.

[08] TAILER

Boogaart, 55, took 10 years to research the epic "Ode to a Road" and spent all his holidays walking, cycling or driving on the 90-mile A272 road through the southern English counties of Hampshire and Sussex. The book covers everything about the A272, such as roads and footpaths that cross it, as well as nearby castles and what he calls follies.

"English roads are beautiful, a fact the English need reminding of. The A272 is a case in point," Boogaart, a language teacher, was quoted as saying by Britain's top-selling Sun tabloid on Thursday.

Alexander Fyjis-Walker, whose London firm published the book, told the Sun that the idea was so odd-ball, he thought it was bound to be a fascinating read, adding that Boogaart is "very English in his eccentricity."

[09] WEATHER

Generally fair conditions are also forecast for tonight, with skies once again being marked by some patchy cloud, as well as the possibility of mist in areas. Winds will turn to west-to-northwesterly, light to moderate, 3BF, with seas rising to moderate in windward regions. Temperatures will drop to 6C inland and in the east, 8C in the west and 2C on the higher reaches of the Troodos mountains.

The depth of snow on Mount Olympus is 35cm, and 20cm in Troodos Square.

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