Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 02-05-24

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] Simitis

[03] Meeting

[04] Violations

[05] Mideast

[06] World

[07] Exhibition

[08] Weather FRIDAY 24 MAY 2002

[01] HEADLINES

--- Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis will hold separate meetings today with the leaders of Greek political parties, to discuss national issues.

--- The Republic of Cyprus has made new representations to the UN Secretariat regarding fresh violations of Cyprus airspace and the Nicosia Flight Information Region by Turkish military jets over the past two months.

--- A suspected Palestinian militant tried to ram an explosives-laden car into a crowded Tel Aviv nightclub today but was killed when an Israeli security guard opened fire.

And

--- President Glafcos Clerides will open the 27th Cyprus International Fair tonight.

Papandreou

Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs George Papandreou has urged the US Administration to exert its influence so as to persuade Ankara to be more flexible towards a Cyprus settlement.

Mr. Papandreou met last night in Washington with US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, with whom he discussed Greece's evaluation of the meeting in Athens between President Glafcos Clerides and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis.

The Greek Minister stressed that there is now a golden opportunity to solve the Cyprus problem.

He explained that a settlement would be in the interests of the US in the region, as it would have a positive impact on stability in the Middle East, the Balkans, the Black Sea and the area of Caucasus, and would also contribute towards Turkey's EU accession course.

Mr. Papandreou also met with the State Department's Special Coordinator on Cyprus, Thomas Weston, with whom he discussed recent developments, in the light of the Clerides-Simitis meeting in Athens.

Mr. Weston will visit Athens, Nicosia and Ankara in early June, and will also have meetings with European envoys for Cyprus.

[02] Simitis

Greek Government Spokesman Christos Protopapas said the meetings were necessary in view of decisions on major national issues.

Yesterday, Mr. Simitis told his cabinet that the Cyprus problem was at a very sensitive point and did not rule out difficulties in Cyprus' EU accession course.

[03] Meeting

The meeting took place in the buffer zone, in the presence of the UN Secretary General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto.

[04] Violations

In a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Soto Zakcheos notes that Turkey's actions violate international law and UN resolutions on Cyprus.

Mr. Zakcheos urges the UN to intervene so that the violations stop.

He notes that the violations do not contribute to maintaining the positive climate in the light of direct talks to solve the Cyprus problem.

[05] Mideast

A militant faction linked to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah group said it was behind the attack.

The group said in a statement that "the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades has carried out the remarkable, heroic martyrdom operation in the heart of Tel Aviv this morning, in which a seeker of martyrdom blew up his pristine body, leading to casualties in the ranks of the enemy.

The apparent suicide attack was the latest in a fresh cycle of tit-for-tat violence that has overshadowed Arafat's pledge to overhaul his beleaguered Palestinian Authority and hold elections by early next year.

An Israeli security guard earlier shot and killed a suspected Palestinian militant who tried to drive a car loaded with explosives into a night club in Tel Aviv. Three people were injured in the ensuing blast.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades had vowed to avenge Israel's killing of a commander, two fighters and a civilian near the West Bank city of Nablus in a missile strike on Wednesday night.

The statement said the Tel Aviv operation was a response to the killing of its commander, Mahmoud Titi, as well as the assassination of the son of Palestinian guerrilla leader Ahmed Jibril in a Beirut car bombing earlier this week.

Arafat is under enormous US pressure to halt suicide attacks against Israelis and has urged recently that they be halted, arguing that they damage the Palestinian cause.

[06] World

The United States, fearing war over Kashmir between the nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, stepped up the pace of its diplomacy and said it was working closely with the international community to end the crisis.

- - - -

US President George W. Bush called on his European allies to put aside their differences and transform NATO into a potent force to fight terrorism, saying to shirk the task invited "certain blackmail".

A US-Russia nuclear arms treaty to be signed at the Moscow summit was hailed as burying the Cold War and opening a bright new era in bilateral ties, but critics said it was not the panacea some suggest.

- - - -

The US Department of Transportation issued a warning about possible attacks on rail and transit systems across the country.

- - - -

The UN Security Council voted unanimously to keep an international force in Kabul for another six months but rebuffed calls to send troops to Afghan regions beyond the capital.

- - - -

The United States said its warplanes made their second attack on air defenses in southern Iraq in a week while Iraq said two civilians were killed and two wounded in the raid.

- - - -

Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde threatened to quit out of exasperation over political squabbling that has delayed refors demanded by the IMF.

- - - -

Nepal was thrown into further turmoil after the ruling Nepali Congress party said it had suspended Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, upset by his move to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

- - - -

Pope John Paul paid homage to Bulgaria's 1.100-year-old Orthodox culture as he pushed on with trip that is stern test of his increasingly frail physique.

- - - -

Scientists have said that new images of the early universe -- before galaxies, stars or planets -- show cosmic hot spots that eventually evolved into all matter and energy.

[07] Exhibition

The opening ceremony was scheduled for last night but was postponed due to weather conditions.

The ceremony will begin at half-past-seven tonight and will be broadcast live from CyBC's TV Channel One and Radio One.

The exhibition will be open to the public as of a-quarter-to-nine tonight.

[08] Weather

Winds will be southwesterly to northwesterly, moderate, four beaufort, and locally strong, five beaufort, over moderate seas.

Temperatures will reach 28 degrees inland and 25 along the coast.

Tonight will be mainly clear.

Winds will be northwesterly to northeasterly, light, two to three beaufort, over slight seas.

Temperatures will drop to 15 degrees inland and to 12 over the mountains.

The fire hazard is high in all forest areas.

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