Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-06-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] RUSSIA EMBASSY

[03] ANNAN CYPRUS

[04] IACOVOU WASHINGTON

[05] CYPRUS EU USA

[06] VERHEUGEN CYPRUS

[07] MIDEAST

[08] KOREA

[09] IRAN

[10] CONTRACTOR ACCIDENT

[11] WEATHER TETARTH 11/06/2003

[01] HEADLINES

-- UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgios Iacovou met yesterday in New York and discussed developments in Cyprus after the Turkish occupation regime eased restrictions on the free movement of citizens and the situation in the southeastern village of Strovilia.

-- U.S. special envoy on Cyprus, Thomas Weston, vowed to pressure the Turkish Cypriots to reconsider their rejection of a U.N. peace plan and let the divided island enter the European Union reunited next year.

aND, -- Israel defended itself today against a rare U.S. rebuke for its attempted assassination of a Palestinian militant leader that further undermined a Middle East peace plan.

[02] RUSSIA EMBASSY

Diplomatic sources said the terrorists intend to attack the embassy with a vehicle loaded with explosives tomorrow, when Russia celebrates its independence during a reception at the embassy.

Police Deputy Sotiris Charalambous confirmed the reports, adding that all measures are taken and roads leading to the area will be closed tomorrow.

[03] ANNAN CYPRUS

Speaking after the half-hour meeting, Mr. Iacovou said he wanted to find out what the UN chief had in mind for the future.

Replying to a CNA question, Mr. Iacovou said the reference to Strovilia in the final draft resolution of the UN Security Council, taking into consideration the stance and terminology used by the Council in other international matters, was positive. Diplomatic sources said Mr. Iacovou was satisfied with the outcome of his meeting with Mr. Annan.

[04] IACOVOU WASHINGTON

Philip Reeker, State Department's Deputy Spokesman also said that during Mr. Iacovou's meeting with Mr. Powell, the Secretary will emphasize, among other issues, the US continued commitment to achieving a comprehensive Cyprus settlement on the basis of Secretary-General Annan's plan.

[05] CYPRUS EU USA

He told senior EU officials in Brussels that a settlement requires a lot of work and contact between the United States, the European Union, EU member states and others.

Mr. Weston added, that we are still in a situation where a tremendous amount of distrust between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots has to overcome. However he said he sees a chance for an agreement and he believes everyone has to work for it.

The US diplomat will hold further talks on Cyprus in the coming days in Rome, Athens, Ankara and on the divided island itself with the leaders of both communities.

[06] VERHEUGEN CYPRUS

The Commissioner expressed the European Commission's support in efforts to maintain the dynamic on Cyprus, with the aim to solve the problem before the island's full EU membership in May 2004.

Mr. Papandreou said they discussed the next steps which the Commission can take in creating the conditions to solve the Cyprus problem, always within the framework of the UN decisions and using the Annan Plan.

[07] MIDEAST

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered aides to turn over intelligence to U.S. officials to back accusations that Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi, the public face of the radical Islamic group Hamas, had been coordinating attacks on Israelis.

A senior Israeli security source said thgis information is intended to show that Rantissi was not just a ticking bomb but a factory of ticking bombs.

The helicopter missile strike that wounded Rantissi in Gaza yesterday drew vows of revenge from Hamas, raising the spectre of a new cycle of bloodshed that could bury a U.S.-backed "road map" aimed at ending 32 months of conflict.

Israel killed one of Rantissi's aides and a woman bystander in the attack. Hamas responded by firing rockets into a town in nearby Israel, prompting a second helicopter attack that killed three more Palestinians -- all civilians.

U.S. President George W. Bush, struggling to preserve his peace effort, expressed concern that the assassination attempt could weaken Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas's attempts to get militant groups to stop violence against Israelis.

[08] KOREA

North Korea's most explicit public acknowledgment to date that it was seeking to build nuclear weapons also marked the first time Pyongyang had linked its atomic program to cutting its conventional military and saving money.

In a separate development, a senior U.S. official said he believed the North would soon agree to five-way talks on its nuclear ambitions, saying Pyongyang's long opposition to the format appeared to be weakening.

In Washington, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said: "The greatest threat to the security of the people of North Korea comes from the government of North Korea that starves its own people."

Talking after the North Korean announcement, Mr. Fleischer said: "North Korea needs to fully and immediately dismantle their nuclear weapons program. That's the best way to feed their people and protect their people."

North Korea has one of the largest armed forces in the world with 1.1 million troops, many of them forward-deployed near the Demilitarized Zone that bisects the Korean peninsula.

[09] IRAN

Some 3,000 protesters, many of them heeding a call from U.S.-based Iranian exile satellite channels, took part in the demonstration which began as a smaller, student protest against privatising universities.

The last big demonstration took place late last year, and the satellite channels' past appeals for protests had been largely ignored. Residents said the chants at the demonstration were the most extreme since unrest four years ago.

Several motorcycles were torched and windows of some shops and a state bank were smashed as protesters dispersed. Uniformed and plainclothes police with batons broke up the protest without major clashes. A handful of people were arrested.

Many in Iran have lost faith in moderate President Mohammad Khatami and his lack of progress in reforming the 24-year-old Islamic Republic in the face of strong opposition from conservatives in powerful positions.

[10] CONTRACTOR ACCIDENT

Nicos Haritos, 40, was driving uphill to the construction site he was supervising when he lost control of his vehicle which backed up and fell into the ravine.

Workers from the Water Department heard the injured man's pleas this morning and called the Fire Department. A Police helicopter transferred the injured man to Nicosia General hospital. His condition is described as serious.

[11] WEATHER

Winds will be south-westerly to north-westerly light to moderate, three to four beaufort and the sea slight. Temperatures will be 33 C inland, 28 C on the coasts and 24 over the mountains.

Tonight, the weather will be clear. Winds will be variable light, two to three beaufort and the sea calm to slight. Temperatures will fall to 18 C inland and on the west coast, 21 C on the south and 15 C over the mountains.

The fire hazard is very high in all forest areas.

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