Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 04-04-26

Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] IACOVOU

[03] TC CAMPAIGN

[04] TURKEY NATIONAL

[05] IRAQ BULGARIA

[06] IRAQ

[07] MIDEAST

[08] WHO SARS

[09] WEATHER MONDAY 26 APRIL 2004

[01] HEADLINES

--Turkey and the illegal regime have began a diplomatic campaign to lift the so called embargoes in the occupied areas.

-- Turkey's National Security Council will convene today in an extraordinary session to discuss developments following the result of the referenda. And

-- Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov's convoy came under attack by gunmen late last night during a surprise visit to his country's forces in the southern Iraqi city of Kerbala.

[02] IACOVOU

In statements to CyBC, said it was a cause of concern that some countries are remaining quiet about their reaction, and did not rule out the possibility of proposals concerning the ports and airports in the occupied aereas.

During today's meeting, he said, foreign ministers will examine the status of the dividing line and how it will operate during Cyprus' accession.

He said what has to be decided is what controls the Republic of Cyprus should undertaeke and which goods can come through and under what conditions.

[03] TC CAMPAIGN

According to Turkish Cypriot daily "Kibris", so called prime minister Mehmet Ali Talat will go to Brussels tomorrow to meet Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen.

He will also attend meetings of the European Parliament committees for External Relations, Human Rights, defence and Security.

According to the Turkish Cypriot press, Mr. Talat will hand letters to community officials expressing the opposition to the accession of Greek Cypriots to the European Union, citing the "no" reply in the referenda.

He will then go to Ankara for talks with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on the latest developments.

[04] TURKEY NATIONAL

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyipm Erdogan said the result of the referendum in the occupied areas was the best thing that Turkish diplomacy achieved in the last fifty years.

He also said that a new era of diplomatic activity begins and will start with the lifting of the so called embargo against the occupied areas.

[05] IRAQ BULGARIA

The Defence Ministry said the president was not hurt in the attack on his convoy which was fired on as it travelled between the camps of Bulgarian and Polish troops in the flashpoint city, where Shi'ite militants have stepped up attacks against U.S.-led forces in recent weeks.

"The attack took about five minutes, and they believed the attackers were Shi'ite militants. The president returned to Bulgaria in the early hours of the morning.

[06] IRAQ

One witness said the blast happened after 12 U.S. soldiers parked their Humvee military cars outside and surrounded the house in the Bab al-Muazzam neighbourhood.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast.

Witnesses said U.S. forces removed a body and several wounded people, including at least four Iraqis.

American soldiers fired into the air to disperse a crowd gathered at the scene as firefighters doused the burning Humvees.

The blast was heard in many areas of the capital and a large cloud of black smoke billowed from the area.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.

Meanwhile, U.S. Marines and Iraqi guerrillas exchanged heavy fire in two districts of the besieged town of Falluja today.

Clashes also broke out in the Golan and Shuhada districts. Insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades. The troops used heavy machineguns mounted on vehicles.

[07] MIDEAST

In a slap in the face to Mr. Sharon, Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Education Minister Limor Livnat, heavyweights in the right-wing Likud, refused to campaign for the plan, which they have only reluctantly backed.

A confidant predicted that Mr. Sharon, struggling to halt erosion in support for his unilateral "disengagement" proposal ahead of next Sunday's Likud referendum, would exact "political revenge" against those who turned him down.

The latest opinion polls indicate that approval of Mr. Sharon's plan, which calls for uprooting all settlements in the Gaza Strip and four of 120 in the West Bank, is far from guaranteed by the traditionally pro-settler Likud.

[08] WHO SARS

WHO Director-General Lee Jong-Wook was speaking in Australia just days after China reported the first death apparently due to a recurrence of the potentially deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome since a major epidemic of the virus last year.

He said there was no need to impose a quarantine or issue a travel advisory for any countries at this stage.

The head of the Geneva-based watchdog said that all the cases reported in China so far were linked and Chinese authorities were acting promptly to control the outbreak.

The latest death was the first suspected of being tied to SARS since last year's outbreak that killed more than 800 people, spread alarm across the world and hit economies across Asia as tourism and investment slumped.

[09] WEATHER

Tonight there will be increased cloud with north-easterly moderate winds, four to five beaufort and the sea moderate to rough. Temperatures will fall to 14 C inland and on the coasts and 13 over the mountains.

Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article