Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-07-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] ANNAN CYPRUS

[03] ERDOGAN CYPRUS

[04] NATIONAL COUNCIL

[05] FINANCE GERMANY

[06] IRAQ

[07] TURKEY LAWS

[08] MIDEAST

[09] BUSH SECURITY

[10] ITALY PRIEST

[11] WEATHER THURSDAY 31/07/03

[01] HEADLINES

--Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country's accession to the European Union would help towards finding a Cyprus settlement in the near future.

--Bureaucrats from the Finance Ministry will go to Germany to discuss ways to handle the economic repercussions from a future Cyprus reunification.

-- The U.S. administrator running Iraq, Paul Bremer, said today that general elections to set up a democratic government could happen as early as mid- 2004.

And,

--Turkey passed a landmark legal reform yesterday to curb the political influence of its powerful military

[02] ANNAN CYPRUS

''My position is still the same. I will be prepared to step back in and help once there's a real and genuine political will on the part of both parties,'' he said, when asked if he intends to assume a new initiative this Fall.

He also said that Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash submitted lately some proposals for confidence building measures, but noted the Greek Cypriot side replied that there is already a a plan and a proposal on the table, adding that this basis should be followed.

Mr. Annan avoided answering a question if he would want the removal of Mr. Denktash from his post. He said he belives that if the parties' interest is genuine, the situation will be reviewed. Until then, he added, it was not worth the effort.

[03] ERDOGAN CYPRUS

He also claimed that Ankara has not rejected the Annan plan and reiterated the Turkish government does not favour a non-solution to the Cyprus problem.

Mr. Erdogan criticised the Cyprus government for not wanting a solution to the Cyprus problem, as he claimed, noting that it does not allow Greek Cypriots to stay overnight in the occupied areas, nor allows commerce between the occupied and the free areas.

[04] NATIONAL COUNCIL

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has announced his intention to discuss with UNFICYP demining around Nicosia, while the government has called for demining of the buffer zone.

Regarding the measures to support Turkish Cypriots, the Council will examine the obstacles towards their implementation either from legislation or impediments raised by the Denktash regime.

[05] FINANCE GERMANY

The open invitation was extended for this reason by German Finance Minister Hans Eihel to his Cypriot counterpart Markos Kyprianou during a meeting at the ministry in Nicosia.

He said that although the economies of the two countries are different, there can be an exchange of views and the practical problems which will derive from reunification can be examined.

The german minister said that Cyprus, just like Slovenia, will be one of the first countries to enter the EU monetary union.

Mr. Eihel said Cyprus said Cyprus' position in Eastern Mediterranean is important, noting that when he returns to his country he will invite German business people to invest on the island and will call on tourists to visit Cyprus.

Mr. Kyprianou said Germany has experience on the issue of reunification and can offer technical assistance to Cyprus.

[06] IRAQ

Speaking at a ceremony to reopen Iraq's Foreign Ministry -- which was looted and gutted by fire after the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein -- Mr. Bremer told officials that they should expect an Iraqi government to be in place next year.

Mr. Bremer says the U.S.-led force occupying Iraq will leave as soon as a new democratic Iraqi government is established.

The presence of U.S. forces is widely resented and they have been coming under almost daily attack. A U.S. soldier was killed late last night, bringing to 51 the number of U.S. troops killed in attacks since major combat was declared over on May 1.

Earlier this month, Mr. Bremer's administration appointed a Governing Council of 25 Iraqis which Washington sees as the first step on the road towards self-rule. The members are drawn from Iraq's various religious, ethnic and political factions.

[07] TURKEY LAWS

The European Union welcomed the reform as "very positive", but stressed implementation would be the key test.

Brussels says it will not hold accession talks with Turkey -- the only EU candidate with a mainly Muslim population -- without it first implementing a whole series of often sensitive reforms its parliament has passed in recent months.

The latest reform could raise tension between Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and the army, which has led campaigns to overthrow four governments in as many decades.

The army already views the AKP with suspicion because of its Islamist roots.

Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told parliament after the vote that the law is a step for democracy and freedom. Our aim is to reach the standards of countries already enjoying first class rights and freedoms.

The package strips the military-dominated National Security Council (MGK) of its executive powers and turns it into an advisory body. It also abolishes some anti-terror laws curtailing freedom of thought and expression.

The series of reforms, which Turkey says it will fully implement in 2004, are designed to harmonise the country's human rights standards with those of the European Union.

The reform package must now be approved by Turkey's president, who chairs the Council before it becomes law.

[08] MIDEAST

Palestinian Security Affairs Minister Mohammed Dahlan and Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz ended a four-hour meeting at a hotel outside Jerusalem without agreement on any of the key issues.

A spokesman for the Palestinians said the two sides discussed the upcoming Israeli withdrawals from the Palestinian cities but could not reach any agreement since a large gap existed between what the Palestinians demanded and what the Israelis suggested.

[09] BUSH SECURITY

He told a news conference that the threat is a real threat but the government does not know when, where and what, when asked about new government warnings of possible al Qaeda attempts to hijack commercial airliners.

He said his administration has some data that indicates that they would like to use flights, international flights for example, but expressed confidence that these attempts will be thwarted.

[10] ITALY PRIEST

Father Stefano Gorzegno had taken some 50 schoolchildren aged between 12 and 16 to Termoli, on the Adriatic coast, yesterday for a day trip.

A group of swimmers was trapped by a strong undercurrent, however, and Gorzegno dived into the waves in his priestly robes to save them. He managed to pull all seven children out of the sea but collapsed with his lungs full of water.

A hero's funeral will be held tomorrow morning in Bojano. The 44-year-old priest was an expert swimmer and scubadiver.

Bojano is a mountain town west of Termoli.

[11] WEATHER

Tonight the weather will be clear with some thin cloud over the mountains. Winds will be westerly to north-westerly light, two to three beaufort and the sea slight. Temperatures will fall to 24 C inland on the south and east coast and 21 over the west and 19 over the mountains.

The fire hazard remains extremely high in all forest areas.

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