Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-01-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] MARKIDES PRESSER

[03] ANASTASIADES DISY

[04] VASILIOU

[05] TURKEY CYPRUS

[06] BUSH CYPRUS

[07] MIDEAST

[08] IRAQ DEVEL

[09] US KOREA

[10] OIL PRICES

[11] WEATHER WEDNESDAY 8 JANUARY 2003

[01] HEADLINES

-- A Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman said negotiations for a Cyprus settlement will continue based on the UN Secretary-General's plan and the Ecevit policy on Cyprus has been abandoned.

-- US President George Bush praised the submission of the UN Secretary-General's plan for a Cyprus settlement.

-- Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip today as the army cracked down in response to suicide attacks that killed 22 people. And,

OPEC oil producers meet on Sunday to decide how much more crude to pump to prevent a long-running strike in Venezuela and a looming war in Iraq causing an oil price shock.

[02] MARKIDES PRESSER

He is also expected to clarify whether he will remain in his post as Attorney-General. Incumbent President Glafcos Clerides has already said he wants Mr. Markides to remain in the team negotiating a Cyprus settlement.

The press conference will be aired live from CyBC's First TV channel at five in the afternoon.

[03] ANASTASIADES DISY

Mr. Anastasiades, who went to the Presidential Palace this morning, was invited to comment on a dinner last night between DISY members who disagreed with the party's decision to back incumbent President Glafcos Clerides bid for the February 16 presidential elections.

He said he believes that party members and officials are mature enough to make the right decisions.

[04] VASILIOU

Speaking at a press conference today, the United Democrats' President George Vassiliou said the Clerides candidacy is not a proposal for power but a proposal for unity for a quick solution to the Cyprus problem.

Mr. Vasiliou said the decision to back Mr. Clerides was taken by the party's Executive Secretariat and will be placed before the Central Council on January 15 which will take the final decisions on the presidential elections.

[05] TURKEY CYPRUS

Speaking to reporters he pointed out the change in the Turkish policy on Cyprus and stressed that the Ecevit policy of annexing the Turkish occupied north of Cyprus into Turkey if Cyprus accedes the European Union before a solution to the Cyprus problem, has been abandoned.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Turkey's Chief of Staff voiced his disagreement over the new Ankara policy on Cyprus. He said the Justice and Development Party believes that Cyprus has lost its strategic significance, adding that Cyprus remains very important for Turkey's security.

[06] BUSH CYPRUS

In a letter accompanying his bimonthly report to the Congress on Cyprus, Mr. Bush says the US remain dedicated to the UN effort to find a fair and lasting settlement of the Cyprus problem.

It also says that American officials provided, as in the past, their diplomatic support to the negotiating process. The Bush report covers the period between 1st October until 30th November 2002.

[07] MIDEAST

Punitive measures imposed by Israel following the Tel Aviv bombings on Sunday included a ban on Palestinians invited to London talks on U.S. requested reforms, drawing British ire and pressure from Washington to reconsider.

The diplomatic row and fresh violence clouded the buildup to Israel's January 28 general election further shaken up by allegations that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon may have been involved in election funding irregularities.

[08] IRAQ DEVEL

As the United States and Britain build up their military presence in the Gulf, the volunteers from Western and Muslim groups are also planning to converge on Iraq for what they view as an 11th hour peace mission.

Shrugging off criticism they are handing a propaganda gift to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the groups involved insist they can recruit hundreds or even thousands of volunteers.

Meanwhile, U.N. arms inspectors hunting for weapons of mass destruction searched at least eight suspect sites in Iraq today, a day after Washington and London renewed calls for war if Iraq did not disarm.

[09] US KOREA

The rare pro-U.S. protest followed months of spreading anti-U.S. demonstrations sparked by a road accident in June in which two South Korean schoolgirls were crushed by a U.S. Army vehicle.

South Korea is a staunch American military ally dating back to the 1950-53 Korean War, but the accident and subsequent U.S. military tribunal acquittal of the vehicle's operators, sparked unprecedented anger vented by huge street demonstrations.

Meanwhile, North Korea accused the United States of increasing the danger of war on the Korean peninsula, just hours after Washington changed tack and signalled a willingness to talk about their nuclear standoff.

The communist state's news agency made no mention of the U.S. offer, nor of the U.N. watchdog's deadline for it to readmit nuclear inspectors within weeks, but decried Washington's "racket of a nuclear threat".

[10] OIL PRICES

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries today announced an emergency session on January 12 in Vienna after a 25 percent rise in oil prices in the past two months.

Kuwaiti Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahd al-Sabah said ministers were discussing an increase of 1.0-1.5 million barrels per day, a rise of four to seven percent on limits now of 23 million barrels per day.

OPEC wants to bring prices back inside its preferred 22-28 dollars a barrel range, a price that it feels does not threaten world economic growth.

[11] WEATHER

Tonight, the weather will be mainly clear and thin mist and low cloud will form in some areas. Winds will be north-westerly to north-easterly light, two to three beaufort and the sea slight. Temperatures will fall to eight degrees inland and on the west coast, to 10 in the remaining areas and six over the mountains.

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