Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-12-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] PAPS BRUSSELS

[03] RALLIES TC

[04] MIDEAST

[05] ITALY-PRESIDENCY

[06] IRAQ EU

[07] ITALY-EXPLOSION

[08] PAPS BANKS

[09] TENEDIOS END

[10] WEATHER THURSDAY 11 DECEMBER 2003

[01] HEADLINES

-- Preparations are culminating ahead of the so called parliamentary elections in the Turkish occupied north of Cyprus that will take place on Sunday.

-Israeli leader Ariel Sharon's reported go-it-alone peace plan is a recipe for disaster, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie said in an Israeli newspaper interview published today.

And

-- Italy hopes an 11th hour deal on Europe's constitution can make an EU presidency that started in disaster end in glory.

After months of negotiations, European Union leaders gather in Brussels tomorrow for a two-day summit meant to hammer out agreement on a new EU rulebook,

[02] PAPS BRUSSELS

The Cypriot President also said that he could not predict the outcome of Sunday's "parliamentary elections" in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus.

President Papadopoulos was speaking at Larnaca Airport before leaving for Brussels to participate in the Intergovernmental Conference and the European Union summit.

''The Secretary General is ready to respond to the wishes of the two sides to resume negotiations under the terms he himself set out last April,'' the President said, when invited to comment on remarks by UN press spokesman in Nicosia that Kofi Annan remains committed to his good offices mission in Cyprus.

Mr. Annan said in a report in April that he wanted to see genuine commitment from the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot side that they would reengage in talks to reach a settlement and put his peace proposal on a comprehensive settlement to separate referenda. Annan also said he wants to see real commitment from Greece and Turkey.

Asked if the Greek Cypriot side is ready to define a date for a referendum, President Papadopoulos pointed out that the Annan plan is not complete to be put to the people and explained there are many blanks that have to be filled, such as the issue of security.

Invited to comment on the ''parliamentary elections'' in occupied Cyprus, he said it would be very difficult to make any predictions about the outcome of the poll.

Referring to the Brussels meetings, he said discussions, scheduled to conclude on Saturday, may run into Sunday as there exist many differences among EU partners on the proposed constitution for Europe.

He also said that the Cypriot delegation has had three invitations for different alliances with regard to the Intergovernmental Conference but cautioned against any possible wrong move on such matters that might create problems.

Concluding, President Papadopoulos said Cyprus insists on the representation by one Commissioner and six Euro MPs.

[03] RALLIES TC

The two biggest parties, the National Unity of Dervis Eroglu and Republican Turkish Party of Mehmet Ali Talat, will hold their respective rallies tonight.

The Democratic Party of Serdar Denktash, as well as the Party Solution and the EU of Ali Erel and the Movement of Peace and Democracy of Mustafa Akinci will also hold their rallies tomorrow in different areas of the occupied part of Nicosia.

[04] MIDEAST

Mr. Qurie told the mass-circulation Maariv daily that the conflict would continue, fires would burn, terror would increase and no one would gain. It would be a bad mistake to force a settlement on us. We will not accept it.

Violence, meanwhile, erupted in Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, where four Palestinians -- a gunman and three civilians -- were killed during battles with an Israeli incursion force of 20 armoured vehicles.

An Israeli military source said troops on a mission to detain an Islamic Jihad militant had returned fire at gunmen who attacked them with anti-tank rockets and automatic weapons. Local medics said at least 17 Palestinians were wounded.

Mr. Sharon has publicly raised the possibility of uprooting some isolated, hard-to-protect Jewish settlements, leading to speculation he would then chart the borders of a Palestinian homeland along the barrier dipping deep into the West Bank.

[05] ITALY-PRESIDENCY

After months of negotiations, European Union leaders gather in Brussels tomorrow for a two-day summit meant to hammer out agreement on a new EU rulebook, with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi chairing the historic event.

An accord remains elusive and failure could be a blow for both Italy and its allies.

Italy took over the EU helm in July and sparked an immediate furore when Mr. Berlusconi compared a German lawmaker in the European parliament to a Nazi concentration camp commander.

[06] IRAQ EU

"Returning to old arguments and divisions doesn't seem particularly constructive," the external relations commissioner in the European Union's executive said in a statement.

He added that "We should be seeking to bring people together not divide them."

Germany, Russia and France -- which opposed the U.S. decision to bypass the United Nations and launch war on Iraq -- have reacted angrily to the restrictions on projects worth18.6 billion dollars, and the European Commission has said it will investigate whether the move violates world trade rules.

[07] ITALY-EXPLOSION

Police said it appeared the incident was not a terrorist attack but authorities were still investigating.

The man, who was from Jordan, set himself on fire. When police approached to put out the flames, the car, which ran on flammable liquid propane gas, exploded.

No other injuries were reported, although the explosion blew out the windows of some buildings.

Italy has stepped up security in recent weeks after a suicide bomber killed 19 Italians in southern Iraq last month. Italy has sent troops to Iraq to help U.S.-led stabilisation efforts there following the war to oust Saddam Hussein.

[08] PAPS BANKS

He also said that the law will not be implemented for foreign citizens or offshore companies and foreign accounts have no restrictions in the money they move.

President Papadopoulos called on those who criticize the bill prepared by the government to submit their suggestions and that the government is open to dialogue.

[09] TENEDIOS END

Born in Imbros in 1934, Tenedios worked at CyBC from 1964 to 1994 at CyBC. With a doctorate in Theology, Tenedios was also an associate at the Foreign Ministry as well as the Greek Embassy in Nicosia.

A funeral service will take place tomorrow at two thirty at Agios Antonios in Nicosia.

[10] WEATHER

Tonight the weather will be mainly clear with high cloud. Winds will be north-easterly moderate, three beaufort and in windward areas four beaufort.

The sea will be slight to moderate while temperatures will fall to ten degrees inland, 13 on the coasts and six over the mountains.

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