Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-09-04

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] TURKEY RIZOKARPASO

[03] TITINA TURKEY

[04] ERDOGAN CYPRUS

[05] PARTIES DISY OCCUPIED

[06] MIDEAST

[07] RUMSFELD IRAQ

[08] OLYMPIC STRIKE

[09] MILOSEVIC

[10] WEATHER Thus day 4/09/2003

[01] HEADLINES

-- The Democratic Rally's decision for its officials to visit the occupied areas in an effort to study the problems of the enclaved has caused a strong argument between opposition and ruling parties.

-- Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas hailed relations with the United States today but said Washington had not done enough to restrain the Israeli military and push forward a peace "road map".

And,

--U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld travelled to the Gulf region today for what he called a "first hand sense" of developments in Iraq while U.S. troops battled Iraqi guerrillas in Saddam Hussein's hometown.

[02] TURKEY RIZOKARPASO

Turkey was criticised by the Dutch and italian delegations and the Turkish representative claimed the reason the school's reopening was refused was due to the small number of students.

He claimed that the occupation regime is responsible for the occupied areas and Turkey will be in touch.

However his position was not accepted since the ECHR has decided that Turkey is responsible for what is happening in the occupied areas.

Cypriot deputy Panagiotis Demetriou said that the Cyprus delegation countered the Turkish allegations, noting that the Republic of Cyprus is responsible for the cost and operation of the school and its operation was a matter of principle, independent of the number of students.

[03] TITINA TURKEY

Deputy Panagiotis Demetriou told CyBc from Strasbourg that the Turkish representative at the COuncil of Europe made efforts to avoid the inclusion of the phrase in the final document, claiming that it was uncessary since Turkey will pay Ms. LOizidou.

[04] ERDOGAN CYPRUS

According to Turkish Cypriot newspaper, speaking after talks in Berlin, Mr. Erdogan said there is no doubt that the Annan Plan has some deficiencies and mistakes, but it is not utterly rejected.

He claimed that if the Greek side has the same approach with the Turkish side, then the solution will be easy.

[05] PARTIES DISY OCCUPIED

DISY chairman Nicos Anastasiades described as hypocritical the criticism his party has received and talked about a confused political leadership.

He dismissed criticism that the showing of passports constitutes some form of recognition of the illegal regime.

Deputy chairman of the Democratic Party Nicos Cleanthous criticised DISY for its decision to depart from the National Council decisions, noting he will pursue a meeting with Mr. Anastasiades.

Socialist EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou repeated that DISY's decision was unwise.

Similar oppposition was voiced by New Horizons chairman Nicos Koutsou.

AKEL deputy Takis Hadzigeorgiou pointed out that his party is examining the possibility of contacts in the north, and questioned if the people can come and go to the north, what will happen with those who are ruling the Cyprus people.

United Democrats Secretary Costas Themistocleous welcomed the DISY decisio, noting that it movement brings people and a possible solution closer.

[06] MIDEAST

In a speech to parliament, Mr. Abbas said a "quartet" of peacemakers -- the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union -- should work harder to salvage the road map outlining steps to end violence and create a Palestinian state.

He also vowed to keep up efforts to put an end to the latest cycle of violence and return to implementation of a U.S.-backed peace "road map".

[07] RUMSFELD IRAQ

Mr. Rumsfeld, speaking to reporters on his plane to the Middle East, said more American forces were not needed in Iraq, but called for more Iraqi and international involvement in security.

While Washington prepared for intense talks at the United Nations on a resolution to get more countries to contribute soldiers to the U.S.-led occupation in Iraq, Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had urged Prime Minister Tony Blair to send an extra 5,000 soldiers to Iraq or risk "strategic failure".

In a reminder of the daily dangers troops face in Iraq, U.S. troops fought Iraqi guerrillas who fired mortars near their base, then raided homes to detain suspected bomb-makers in a night of drama around Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. Iraqis then fired rocket-propelled grenades on a patrol.

There were no American casualties, but U.S. commanders said at least one Iraqi may have died in the fighting witnessed by a Reuters crew accompanying the military.

[08] OLYMPIC STRIKE

Six Olympic flights have been cancelled and some others delayed indefinitely, airport officials said, adding that other airlines were operating normally.

As it has often done in the past, the airlines' board went to court yesterday and secured a ruling that the strike was illegal. The board said many workers were sidestepping the order by calling in sick after the strike began at midnight.

The government has repeatedly tried to sell the loss-making airline over the past three years and decided last month that the only way to offload it would be to slim it down first.

A successor carrier, Olympic Airlines, is expected to be launched by the end of the year with a workforce of about 1,850 and half the labour costs, as agreed in lengthy negotiations with unions.

The airline has 6,100 staff but the government has pledged to avoid mass lay-offs by keeping Olympic Airways operating as a company with the remaining staff to provide ground, cargo and technical support to the new airline.

[09] MILOSEVIC

The former Yugoslav leader has suffered from high blood pressure, flu and exhaustion since his trial started in February 2002. He is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s.

Judges said proceedings at Europe's biggest international war crimes trial since World War Two had been halted around eight times due to his ill health. Mr. Milosevic is defending himself at the U.N. war crimes tribunal.

Mr. Milosevic, who was last year examined by a cardiologist, refused to undergo a psychiatric examination ordered by judges to gauge the toll the trial was taking on his mental health last December.

[10] WEATHER

Winds will turn to moderate sea breezes, four beaufort and locally and southerly strong, five beaufort. The sea will be slight in windward areas.

Temperatures will reach 35 C inland, 32 C on the south coast, 30 C over the west and 28 over the mountains.

Tonight it will be clear with passing cloud which will increase over the coast and the mountains and the possibility of local rain. Winds will be south-westerly to westerly moderate, three to four beaufort. The sea will be moderate. Temperatures will fall to 20 C inland, 23 on the coasts and 18 over the mountains.

Tomorrow there will be local cloud which will be strong in some areas accompanied by thunder and possibly hail. Temperatures will reach 32 C inland, 30 C on the south and east coast, 29 over the west and 23 over the mountains.

The fire hazard remains extremely high in all forest areas.

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