Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 02-12-06

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] Markides

[03] Papadopoulos

[04] Anastasiades

[05] Denktash

[06] Turkey1

[07] Turkey2

[08] Paphos

[09] drugs

[10] weather FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER 2002

[01] HEADLINES

Attorney General Alecos Markides said there will be no direct negotiations with the UN over the Cyprus settlement plan,

Diko leader Tassos Papadopoulos said the UN chief would overstep his mandate if he submitted a revised settlement plan,

But Diko President Nicos Anastasiades said this is something that is expected since it is within Mr. Annan's mandate,

Turkish leader Tayyit Erdogan rejected a French and German plan to give Turkey a conditional date in 2005 for a start to EU accession talks,

And foul play has been ruled out after the body of a British man was found early this morning in the parking lot of a Paphos apartment complex.

[02] Markides

Mr. Markides said shuttle talks between the two sides will get underway, with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and his Cyprus envoy Alvaro De Soto acting as mediators.

Speaking on a Paphos radio station, Mr. Markides asserted that either side will be presented with the other's suggestions on which parts of the UN-drafted plan need to be changed, by this afternoon, just as Mr. Annan had originally arranged.

The Attorney General said it's highly unlikely that the Turkish Cypriot would sign the UN plan in Copenhagen, since the document contains blanks.

Mr. Markides stressed that no one signs blank pages.

He repeated that the Greek Cypriot side remains steadfast on its position that intensive talks should be held up until the December 12 EU Copenhagen Summit and in case no agreement is reached by that time, they should carry on afterwards from where they left off.

[03] Papadopoulos

Speaking on CyBC radio this morning, Mr. Papadopoulos said the Greek Cypriot side has made it clear it would not accept any change to the UN chief's role.

Mr. Papadopoulos said submission of a revised plan would mean that the settlement process has changed and that negotiations are being carried out through the exchange of documents.

He noted that there's not enough time to conduct serious negotiations before next week's Copenhagen summit.

But Mr. Papadopoulos said the island's EU accession should not be linked to a Cyprus settlement, stressing that any who do make that link are not serving the country's best interests.

He added that the reason National Council members will not go to Copenhagen is because President Clerides will go there only for the island's EU accession, and not for settlement efforts.

[04] Anastasiades

Speaking on CyBC readio, Mr. Anastasiades said Kofi Annan could possibly want to start negotiations before the Copenhagen summit whose conclusions will include a reference to the Cyprus issue.

Mr. Anastasiades said the Greek Cypriot side is going to Copenhagen expecting the island's accession without appendices and asterisks, noting however, that the EU 15 have the final say.

The Disy leader said the Greek Cypriot side must be on guard so as to derail the island's accession as a result of botched diplomatic handling.

Mr. Anastasiades said he's favours a Copenhagen trip for National Council members who, he said, would change their minds if there are any more rapid developments.

[05] Denktash

First off is territory which Turkish Cypriots consider as an overriding concern.

Denktash also disagrees with repatriation Turkish settlers and the return of Greek Cypriot refugees to the occupied areas.

Turkish Cypriots consider sovereignty provisions contained in the plan as vague, while they contend that Turkey's role as guarantor power appears diminished.

[06] Turkey1

France said yesterday it had agreed with Germany that the EU should review Turkey's progress to meeting membership criteria in 2004 with a view to opening membership negotiations in July 2005 if Turkey makes the grade.

That falls well short of Turkey's demand for a clear date to start talks. Speaking on CNN Turk TV, Mr. Erdogan said he felt there was still room for last-minute bargaining with the bloc.

Diplomats say some EU members are wary of letting in an overwhelmingly Muslim nation of more than 65 million people and are unlikely to go much beyond the Franco-German position.

Turkey argues that it has met the majority of conditions to start membership talks and has a clear plan on how it will address the remaining shortcomings.

[07] Turkey2

In a written statement, the US State Department said American citizens should be particularly cautious if they travel into or out of the Gaziantep airport, 500 km southeast of Ankara.

The airport is sometimes used by U.S. servicemen as a result of repairs at the airport in Turkey's fourth-largest city, Adana, which is 185 km to the west and close to Turkey's Incirlik Air Base, home to a large U.S. military presence.

The State Department said the Turkish government had already taken "all prudent measures" to protect against the potential threat.

[08] Paphos

The body of unnamed Briton, a permanent resident of the island, bore injuries, while traces of blood were found on an adjacent wall.

Pathologists Sophocles Sophocleous and Marios Matsakis examined the body ruled out foul play.

They concluded that the man's death was caused by a fall from a balcony.

[09] drugs

Drug Squad agents arrested the five, four men and a 21-year-old woman, during a raid on the apartment last night.

Agents found quantities of cannabis and steroids as well as a used syringe.

13 cannabis seedlings were also found in the apartment.

[10] weather

Winds will be southwesterly to westerly moderate to fresh, force 4 to five, with moderate to rough seas.

Temperatures are expected to reach 19 degrees inland, 21 on the coasts and 10 in the highest mountains.

Tonight will be fine in most areas, with cloudy periods along the coasts and early morning fog patches in the interior.

Winds will be northwesterly to northeasterly light, force 2 to 3 with moderate seas.

Temperatures will drop to 10 degrees inland, 13 on the coasts and 6 in the highest mountains.

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