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

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] WESTON

[03] SIMITIS STEPHANO

[04] AFRIKA PARTIES

[05] RECONSTRUCTION

[06] IRAQ AMBUSH

[07] PALESTINIANS VIOLENCE

[08] GREECE MEMORIAL

[09] HADZI EU

[10] FOREIGNERS ARRESTED

[11] WEATHER TRITH 09/09/03

[01] HEADLINES

-- The estimated cost of reconstruction in the northern Turkish occupied part of Cyprus amounts to six billion Cyprus pounds, a ministerial committee, in charge of planning for the return of displaced persons to municipalities and communities currently under Turkish occupation after a political settlement, has said.

-- A Palestinian boy was killed today as he watched a shootout between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants holed up in an apartment building in the West Bank city of Hebron.

And, -- A land mine hit a U.S. military convoy west of Baghdad today, damaging an armoured vehicle and wounding four soldiers.

[02] WESTON

As reported by AFP, special coordinator at the State Department Ambassador Weston said "elections" in northern Cyprus amounted to a referendum on EU membership and are ''far too important over whether or not there will be a Cyprus settlement.''

''We would be very concerned about anything which could be regarded as unfair and undemocratic elections,'' Mr. Weston said in Rome, as he wound up a 10-day trip to European capitals where he discussed the Cyprus issue.

[03] SIMITIS STEPHANO

Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou will visit the island tomorrow for talks with the political leadership on the island, in view of President Tassos Papadopoulos' visit to Athens next week.

[04] AFRIKA PARTIES

However, reports said that the Turkish Cypriot politicians will meet Mr. Papandreou, who arrives on the island tomorrow, during a lecture he will give at Ledra Palace on the role of Europe and Education in a united Cyprus.

Political party leaders Mehmet ali Talat and Izet Iscan told "Politis" newspaper that they did not object to the meeting. Mr. Talat said the rejection concerned the venue of the meeting and that it would be better they met at Ledra Palace instead at the residence of the Greek Ambassador.

[05] RECONSTRUCTION

The committee, comprising the ministers of Interior, Communications and Works, Finance and Education and Culture, had its first meeting yesterday and set the basic parameters for the work required.

Speaking after the meeting Interior Minister Andreas Christou said that a team of government officials will be formed with the participation of the Cyprus Scientific Chamber which has already prepared a study on this issue.

[06] IRAQ AMBUSH

The explosion hit the convoy on the outskirts of the restive town of Falluja, 50 km to the west of Baghdad.

One of the wounded soldiers appeared to have suffered serious wounds.

There was no immediate word on the incident from the U.S. military.

Locals gathered near the scene, chanting anti-American slogans. Falluja is a hotbed for followers of ousted president Saddam Hussein and Sunni Muslim fundamentalists.

The U.S. military says 67 soldiers have been killed by hostile fire since Washington declared an end to major combat in Iraq on May 1.

[07] PALESTINIANS VIOLENCE

The eleven year old boy was hit in the head, apparently by shrapnel from an Israeli tank, during a firefight that began when soldiers besieged a building in Hebron after a group of Palestinian militants hid inside. After evacuating the residents from the building, the soldiers surrounded it and opened fire at the two lower storeys with rounds from tanks and machinegun fire.

The boy was apparently hit by a fragment of shrapnel from an Israeli tank shell as he watched the gun battle from the balcony of a house about 100 metres away.

A cousin of the dead boy said he had tried to convince him to go into the house because he was afraid he would be hurt but the boy insisted on staying. Moments later there was a loud explosion and he came out to find the boy critically wounded.

An 18-year-old girl was wounded in the incident which began shortly before dawn.

An Israeli military official said the soldiers were sent to arrest a wanted militant.

The Israeli army has stepped up operations to kill and arrest militants since a Hamas suicide bomber killed 22 people on a Jerusalem bus on August 19.

[08] GREECE MEMORIAL

The memorial service will be held on Sunday at the Agios Prokopiou church at Metohi Kykkou by Social Democrats's Movement EDEK and the Cyprus branch of the Greek party PASOK.

[09] HADZI EU

Mr. Hadzidemetriou said the European Commission has already expressed satisfaction over the island's harmonisation course and is anticipating to see the implementation of the acquis on the island.

EU Chief Negotiator for Cyprus, Leopold Maurer said he hoped many more things will be done until the final report of the EU on Cyprus' accession to the EU is prepared by 5th November.

[10] FOREIGNERS ARRESTED

The operation was held in Pafos and Polis Chrysohous area.

The foreigners were taken to the Central Prisons pending their deportation from the island.

[11] WEATHER

Winds will be north-westerly to north-easterly light, two to three beaufort and the sea calm to slight. Temperatures will fall to 19 C inland and on the coasts and 13 over the mountains. The fire hazard is extremely high in all forest areas.

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