Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-09-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] LINDH END

[03] SPOKESMAN LIND

[04] SEPT 11

[05] PAPANDREOU CHRISTOFIAS

[06] PAPANDREOU BICOMMUNAL

[07] GUL CYPRUS

[08] DIKO NO CONGRESS

[09] SARS

[10] MIDEAST

[11] WEATHER Thursday 11/09/2003

[01] HEADLINES

-- The city hardest hit by the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks on America, New York City, will mark the second anniversary with moments of silence, somber music and a reading of the names of those killed at the World Trade Center.

-- Greece's Foreign Minister, George Papandreou expressed certainty that the developments will bring again the Cyprus problem at the forefront in view of the EUs decision in December 2004 as to whether it will start accession negotiations with the organisation

And,. -- Turkey's Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gul said there is no new plan for a Cyprus settlement apart from the one proposed by the UN Secretary-General; Kofi Annan.

[02] LINDH END

Lindh, 46, who had been tipped as a future prime minister and was a leading campaigner for Sweden to join the European Union's single currency in Sunday's referendum -- now in doubt -- was stabbed repeatedly in a Stockholm department store.

"Her family has lost a mother and a wife. Social Democracy has lost one of its most gifted politicians. The government has lost a skilled politician and a good colleague. Sweden has lost its face towards the world," said Prime Minister Goran Persson.

Tributes to one of Sweden's most popular politicians had poured in from all over Europe as surgeons at Stockholm's Karolinska hospital struggled all night to save her life.

But today the hospital issued a statement saying that Lindh had died of "massive bleeding caused by knife wounds to the liver and many of the big blood vessels in the abdomen".

The stabbing took place in the final days of campaigning for the referendum, but it was not clear whether they were linked.

Politicians were to meet today to decide whether the referendum should go ahead. Lindh had campaigned for the pro-euro side, which has trailed opponents in opinion polls.

Ordinary Swedes left red roses at the hospital and the store where she was killed, shocked at the first political killing in their country since the unsolved assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme in a Stockholm street in 1986.

Except for Mr. Persson, politicians in Sweden rarely have bodyguards to ensure they keep close to the electorate -- a policy now likely to be reviewed across the Nordic region.

The Prime Minister called the stabbing "an attack on our open society" and urgently ordered increased security around top politicians and major public buildings.

Police scoured the country for Lindh's killer, described only as tall and "Swedish looking", who dumped his army jacket and knife near the scene of the attack in central Stockholm. Store video footage was being scanned for clues to his identity.

Politicians suspended all euro campaign activities in tribute to Lindh.

[03] SPOKESMAN LIND

Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said the late minister strongly supported Cyprus' accession to the EU and the EU's enlargement.

She was, Mr. Chrysostomides said, a friend of Cyprus which always favoured a proper solution to the Cyprus problem and was a strong critic on violations of human rights by Turkey.

[04] SEPT 11

Today's official four-hour ceremony will draw thousands of victims' relatives to lower Manhattan where the twin towers once stood. It is now a vast construction site and New York's open wound from the attacks, blamed on the militant Islamist al Qaeda network.

Two years on, emotions in New York are still raw. A New York Times poll this week showed two-thirds of New Yorkers are very concerned about another attack on the city.

Some residents feel deceived by the Bush administration over the extent of environmental damage from the destruction of the twin towers and some relatives of the 2,792 victims are angry over plans to rebuild office skyscrapers on the scarred site.

The names of 2,792 people killed will be read by children related to the victims. Relatives will descend down a ramp to the bottom of the 16-acre (6.4 hectare) site to lay flowers.

At sunset, two beams of light will be switched on until dawn tomorrow. The "Tribute in Light" to the dead and workers who cleared the site was first used in March 2002.

President George W. Bush, who last year visited all three attack sites in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, will mark the day with quiet remembrance in Washington for more than 3,000 killed by four hijacked commercial airliners.

[05] PAPANDREOU CHRISTOFIAS

In statements after meeting House President Demetris Christofias, Mr. Papandreou said there is a new dynamic now which is the result of the close cooperation of the governments of Greece and Cyprus and the island's EU accession course.

He also referred to the rapprochement between the two communities and praised Mr. Christofias for having a leading role.

On his part, the House President praised the role of the Greek government in efforts to solve the Cyprus problem and promote the island's accession course.

However, he stressed that the solution will depend on the change of the Turkish stance and at some point from the changes in the Turkish Cypriot community.

Mr. Papandreou continued his contacts with meetings with House political party leaders or their representatives

[06] PAPANDREOU BICOMMUNAL

Addressing a gathering of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in Nicosia last night, he said the task to instill a new educational culture should start now, acknowledged it would be a ''difficult and important'' venture but said Greece would give its full backing to any such attempts.

''Cyprus is turning a page in its history,'' he told an audience in the grounds of the Ledra Palace hotel, in the UN-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia, the world's last divided capital.

[07] GUL CYPRUS

He was commenting on statements made by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash who claimed that Turkey and the illegal regime are working on a new plan which is at its final stages.

Mr. Gul also said that the framework agreement for a customs union between the illegal state and Turkey did not have any contents and will not be submitted to the Parliament for approval.

[08] DIKO NO CONGRESS

The aim is to modernise the party's Constitution and formulate the conditions which will give a new dynamic and perspective for DEKO.

Democratic Party's chairman, Nicos Cleanthous, in statements to CyBC said the decision was taken after a suggestion by the party's president, and President of the Republic Tassos Papadopoulos.

[09] SARS

China, widely accused of covering up this year's initial outbreak of the flu-like disease, said it was pulling out all the stops to prevent a resurgence.

[10] MIDEAST

Silvan Shalom told Army Radio the government is now in a situation that if they we ask for such permission from Washington, it will be virtually impossible to get it.

[11] WEATHER

Winds will turn to moderate sea breezes, three to four beaufort and the sea will be slight. Temperatures will reach 34 C inland, 32 C on the south coast and 29 over the west and mountains.

Tonight the weather will be mainly clear with some passing cloud while at dawn there will be thin mist and low cloud. Winds will be south-westerly to westerly light to moderate, three beaufort and gradually turning to moderate, three to four beaufort.

The sea will be slight to moderate on the west and south coast.

Temperatures will fall to 21 C inland and on the coasts and 17 over the mountains. The fire hazard is extremely high in all forest areas.

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