Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 01-12-04

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

CONTENTS

[01] Headlines

[02] Meeting

[03] Raft

[04] Mideast

[05] Afghan

[06] Short stories

[07] Weather TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2001

[01] Headlines

--- About eighty people stranded on a raft in Cyprus seas are caught up in a storm and are in immediate danger.

--- Israeli aircraft launched simultaneous attacks at Palestinian targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip today, hitting President Yasser Arafat's Ramallah headquarters while he was inside.

And

--- Tribal fighters said today they had edged closer to the Taliban's last bastion of Kandahar amid heavy US air strikes, as Afghan factions struggled to wrap up a power-sharing deal in Bonn.

[02] Meeting

The meeting, which lasted one hour and fifteen minutes, began at ten o'clock this morning at the home of Zbigniew Wlosowich, deputy special representative in Cyprus for the UN chief.

According to a statement read out by the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, Clerides and Denktash agreed to remain involved in talks to find a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem, and that nothing would be agreed until everything was agreed.

The two leaders also agreed that Kofi Annan should invite the two sides to fresh direct talks, to take place locally in January.

The statement adds that there will be no conditions at the talks and that all issues would be on the negotiating table.

Neither Clerides nor Denktash made any statement after the meeting.

Political analysts believe that today's meeting was a positive development in the Cyprus problem and that there seemed to be a shift from Denktash's intransigent stance.

Today's meeting took place under tight security and reporters covering the event were thoroughly checked.

Over two hundred journalists, photographers and cameramen had gathered outside Mr. Wlosowich's home early this morning, despite the stormy weather.

Among them were many Turkish Cypriot reporters, as well as Turks and other foreigners.

Some Turkish media gave live coverage to the meeting.

The first to arrive at the UN representative's home was President Clerides, riding in the Presidential limousine flying the Republic's flag.

President Clerides, who was accompanied by his Undersecretary Pantelis Kouros, did not make any statement to the reporters.

Mr. Denktash arrived a few minutes late, riding in a vehicle flying his pseudostate's flag and with number plates with his illegal regime's initials.

The Turkish Cypriot leader was accompanied by his adviser Ergun Olgun.

The two leaders were welcomed by Mr. Wlosowich on their arrival.

Replying to a question on his expectations from the meeting, Mr. Denktash just said I love you very much.

A couple of minutes later, Clerides and Denktash appeared at the entrance of the house, accompanied by Mr. de Soto and shook hands and embraced.

They then entered the house, while Mr. de Soto showed the reporters the notebook and pencil he would be taking notes with, joined his hands in prayer and asked everyone to pray for a good outcome.

[03] Raft

The Cyprus Police announced that Police and British Bases helicopters, as well as two US and Italian war ships, have gone to the area to save the shipwrecked people.

[04] Mideast

Palestinian officials said Israeli helicopter gunships fired a missile at the outer entrance of Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah while the Palestinian leader sat in his office just 30 metres away.

A Palestinian official said Arafat was unhurt.

Aircraft also struck security targets in Gaza City and in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza. Thick smoke billowed over the city and witnesses reported serious damage to the Preventive Security Headquarters.

The widescale air strikes came hours after Israel's government branded the Palestinian Authority "a terror-supporting entity" after Palestinian suicide bombers killed 25 people in a series of bombings at the weekend.

Witnesses said several children had been wounded by shrapnel and flying debris after the strike in Gaza City.

Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at targets in the West Bank towns of Tulkarm and Qalqilya.

Israeli military sources confirmed launching air attacks in the West Bank, saying the army targeted structures belonging to the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

[05] Afghan

US bombers kept up relentless air strikes around Kandahar and struck at targets in eastern Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden is suspected of being holed up in a mountain lair.

Ahmad Karzai, brother and spokesman for ethnic Pashtun royalist Hamid Karzai, said his brother's Popalzai tribal fighters had captured the district of Shahwali Kot on Monday night, meeting little resistance.

The Taliban denied Shahwali Kot had fallen.

Taliban sources were quoted as saying the assault had been repelled, with dozens of tribal fighters wounded and two captured, along with six vehicles.

There was no independent account of the fighting.

Karzai said there had been heavy clashes between Pashtun tribesmen loyal to former Kandahar mujahideen governor Gul Agha Sherzai and bin Laden's mainly Arab fighters at Kandahar airport.

Media said US warplanes had bombed the airport and targets in mountains south of Kandahar this morning.

US warplanes also struck at possible bin Laden hideouts in the caves and mountains of Tora Bora and Paktia province, south of the eastern city of Jalalabad, today.

The United States began bombing Afghanistan on October 7 to topple the Taliban for protecting bin Laden, the Saudi-born militant it blames for the September 11 suicide attacks on New York and Washington that killed about 3.900 people.

But the war has worsened the already desperate plight of vast numbers of ordinary Afghans, especially women and children.

Meanwhile, rival Afghan factions struck a breakthrough deal today on a UN blueprint for a new broad-based interim government for their war-battered land but are still haggling over cabinet posts.

After a week of gruelling talks in a top-security hotel outside Bonn, and with many delegates observing the daylight Ramadan fast, the four Afghan groups finally backed an accord to establish a power-sharing government.

The accord asked the UN Security Council to consider mandating an international force to Afghanistan to maintain security for the Afghan capital Kabul and surrounding areas.

[06] Short stories

- - - -

The United States took a major step forward in testing its controversial missile defense shield by successfully shooting down a dummy warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean.

- - - -

Sri Lankans go to the polls to elect a new parliament after a bitter and bloody campaign, mostly fought over the best way to deal with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

- - - -

Eleven passengers were burnt alive and two injured when a bus exploded and burst into flames in eastern Moscow.

- - - -

Two Russian astronauts made the International Space Station safe for docking, enabling NASA to prepare to launch the shuttle Endeavour on a mission to the station amid unprecedented security after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

- - - -

At least 18 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in northern Ghana.

[07] Weather

Winds will be northeasterly to southeasterly, moderate to strong, four to five beaufort, over moderate seas.

Tonight will be rainy, with local thunderstorms, and sleet or snow on Troodos.

Winds will be northwesterly to northeasterly, moderate, three to four beaufort, over slight seas.

Temperatures will drop to 9 degrees inland, to 11 along the coast, and to 3 over the mountains.

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