Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-04-24

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

Friday, April 24, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Holbrooke to bring 'new ideas' to Cyprus

[02] Passport rule waived for EU visitors

[03] Clerides leads tributes to Karamanlis

[04] Reports of four-way meeting denied

[05] National Guard soccer team ready to take on Turkey

[06] Bases end Akamas live fire exercises

[07] Bank denies pay-off in harassment case

[08] Cyprus to EU: give us what you give the other applicants

[09] EU accession a 'new card' in solution search

[10] Upgrading defences 'will continue'

[11] Builders set to down tools

[12] Postal workers stage strike

[13] Animal welfare laws 'need to be enforced'

[14] Cat not feline great after seven-day deposit

[01] Holbrooke to bring 'new ideas' to Cyprus

"We have some ideas. It is a kind of open-ended visit and I can't tell you how long we will stay," Thomas Miller told reporters. "We think that it is important not to have artificial time constraints placed on this visit."

Miller, who earlier met Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis, refused to say what Washington had on offer but emphasised that it still saw a "bi-zonal, bi-communal federation" as the solution to the Cyprus problem.

US officials denied that a Dayton-style plan was being hatched, and Miller would not be drawn on whether Washington wanted Greece and Turkey to be brought into any talks Holbrooke might set up.

"We are interested in the views of all sides," he said, making clear that the United States believed the time was right for a new push to get the two sides on Cyprus talking.

"The U.S. government is absolutely committed from the highest level... to do all we can at this time to try to bring about a Cyprus settlement," he said.

[02] Passport rule waived for EU visitors

Holidaymakers coming from EU countries will be allowed into Cyprus with a national identity card instead of a passport.

ID cards will be accepted at the island's airports whether tourists arrive on charter or scheduled flights.

The decision was announced yesterday.

[03] Clerides leads tributes to Karamanlis

PRESIDENT Clerides yesterday led Cypriot political leaders in paying tribute to Constantinos Karamanlis, praising him as a great visionary with a realistic approach to problems who had helped prepare Greece for the 21st century.

Karamanlis, who served as Greek prime minister for 14 years and as president for 10, died in Athens early yesterday morning of cardiac arrest. He was 91. The funeral will take place today, 17 days after he was first admitted to hospital.

A leading politician in post-war Greece, Karamanlis was prime minister first in 1955 for eight years. He returned from exile and took over as premier after the collapse of the military junta in the wake of the July 1974 coup in Nicosia and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

He oversaw Greece's peaceful transition to democracy and laid the ground for its entry into what was then the European Community.

His connections with Cyprus go back many years, even though he never visited the island.

Karamanlis was the Greek prime minister who, with his Turkish counterpart Adnan Menderez, hammered together the London and Zurich agreements which led to Cyprus independence. He was prime minister too when Turkey launched the second round of the invasion.

In a written statement, Clerides said Karamanlis was "one of the leading political figures in the history of the modern Greek state".

Karamanlis had contributed to the gigantic effort of reconstructing Greece after World War ll and been instrumental in restoring democracy in Greece after the collapse of the junta.

His decision "to take Greece into the European Economic Community was a major landmark in contemporary Greek history," Clerides said.

On Karamanlis' involvement with the Cyprus problem, Clerides noted that as prime minister and later as president he had the opportunity to "participate actively in the formulation of strategy and the actual handling".

The late president "always spoke his opinion with political courage, without any tendency towards demagoguery and with his views on the national interest as the main criterion," Clerides added.

And he concluded: "Constantinos Karamanlis was a great visionary with a realistic approach to problems, and with the steady aim of securing the best possible result under the circumstances. He was a politician of pan- European stature who contributed significantly to the proper preparation of Greece for the 21st century."

Spyros Kyprianou, president of the House of Representatives and of Diko, said Karamanlis was one of the biggest personalities of Greece to leave his mark on history. There may have been differences as regards Cyprus, but no one would disagree that he always did what he thought was best for the nation, Kyprianou added.

Disy deputy president Panayiotis Demetriou described Karamanlis as an historic leader and politician who had linked his name with the progress of Greece. He had also been closely linked with the Cyprus issue.

Akel parliamentary spokesman Andreas Christou said that irrespective of political and ideological differences, Karamanlis was an important personality who had left his stamp on history.

Edek president Vassos Lyssarides spoke of a "significant personality of Greek political life" and noted particularly Karamanlis' determined policy to take Greece into the European Union.

Michalis Papapetrou, first vice president of the United Democrats, said there were two periods to Karamanlis' political career - the early pre-1964 years when he was a staunch anti-communist and the post-1974 period when he worked for Greece's EU course and unity at home.

New Horizons president Nicos Koutsou said Karamanlis had linked his name with 50 years of modern Greek history.

[04] Reports of four-way meeting denied

According to Turkish press reports, Miller suggested the meeting, that would be held between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Greece and Turkey, to both Nicosia and Ankara.

But in a statement, Clerides said "no such thing was put to our side".

The plan was also denied by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, which said that in any case, quadripartite talks would be out of the question as it must first be determined how the two sides would talk between themselves.

Other reports in the Turkish press have quoted sources as saying that during a meeting with party leaders in the north, Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said he had received American assurances on "sovereignty, a separate state, guarantees, the EU".

In return, the Americans reportedly asked him to accept a "Dayton-type negotiation process".

In Athens, Greek Government Spokesman Demetris Reppas also denied that plans were afoot for a Dayton-style peace conference on Cyprus, despite the flurry of diplomatic activity emanating from the US.

He told reporters there had been no official proposal put to the Cyprus government for talks. Even if there were such a proposal, he said, Greece believed it would not be constructive.

"Such a proposal has been expressed as an idea a number of times in the past and we don't agree with it," Reppas said.

Greek newspapers have speculated for the past few days that Washington was working on a plan to bring together Greece, Turkey, and the two sides on Cyprus in a peace conference similar to the one that ended the war in Bosnia.

The rumours have arisen as US visits to the region have intensified, including the announcement that special US Cyprus envoy Richard Holbrooke will return to the island early next month.

US officials deny a Dayton-style plan is being proposed and categorise Holbrooke's return and diplomatic activity as simply keeping the communication lines open.

In Ankara yesterday Denktash renewed calls for international recognition of his breakaway state in an address to Turkey's parliament, Anatolian news agency reported.

"The Cyprus problem can be solved between two states... Greek Cypriots must give up seeing the island as Greek and recognise that they are not the government of the Turks," he said.

Denktash said nobody had the power to undermine Turkey's support for Turkish Cypriots.

[05] National Guard soccer team ready to take on Turkey

THE NATIONAL Guard is ready to lay down its guns and put on its football boots to confront the Turkish Army on the soccer field.

This most unlikely of scenarios could actually materialise after the National Guard's football team was drawn against its Turkish counterparts in a world tournament qualifying group.

Cyprus, who have not played Turkey at football, were drawn in the same group after France and Croatia withdrew from the competition.

The onus is on the Turkish army to meet its obligations as the match is to take place in Cyprus by September.

A Defence Ministry spokesman told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the National Guard was ready to play Turkey in spite of the adverse political climate.

"Once we accepted to play in the championship we knew there could be a possibility of playing against the Turkish army, and now that the situation has arisen we are ready," said ministry spokesman Andreas Harides.

But the political implications of such an event could mean Turkey will refuse to play ball.

"The way things are Turkey must now come to Cyprus and recognise the state by arriving at a legal airport," said Harides.

So far there has been no official response from the Turkish military on whether it will play the game or not.

If the Turkish army refuses to meet the National Guard on the football field it could face expulsion from the competition.

Other qualifying games against Germany, Lithuania and Holland should prove less problematic.

[06] Bases end Akamas live fire exercises

BRITISH troops ended two days of live fire military manoeuvres in the Akamas peninsula yesterday without hindrance from protestors.

Greens and members of the anti-bases lobby did, however, gather near the remote firing range to 'wave goodbye' to the 80 infantrymen when they began to move out late in the afternoon. No incidents were reported.

In the morning bases spokesman Mervyn Wynne-Jones said no protestors surfaced during yesterday's war games, despite claims by demonstrators that two teams had hidden out through the night.

On his way to the area earlier yesterday afternoon Diko deputy and active anti-bases lobbyist Marios Matsakis said: "I am on my way to the Akamas to say goodbye as they (the soldiers) leave. I hope they never come back."

Matsakis and several other protestors hid out in the exercise area on Wednesday in an effort to prevent the manoeuvres taking place.

He said the issue of the British exercises had been the focus of the first working session of the Joint Cyprus-EU Parliamentary Committee which opened in Nicosia yesterday.

Matsakis said the issue was raised by several Cypriot and foreign MPs and was directed at British High Commissioner David Madden, who was present at the session.

He said Madden had defended Britain's position on its rights to carry out exercises under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment. "All totally false," Matsakis said.

Under the Treaty which establishes the two British bases on the island the British are allowed 70 days' army training in the peninsula. They say they generally use only 35 such days.

However after protests by greens and others in recent years agreement has been reached that an alternative site will be found.

Discussions are under way and it is believed the government has proposed the National Guard site at Kalochorio as a suitable alternative.

[07] Bank denies pay-off in harassment case

THE BANK of Cyprus yesterday denied reports that it paid a female employee £120,000 to drop a sexual harassment charge.

It has been reported that two women have dropped sexual harassment charges against two managers at the bank in exchange for money.

According to Phileleftheros newspaper, one women was paid £120,000 and the second was offered promotion, other fringe benefits and a transfer.

Bank spokesperson Daphne Prodromou said last night that one woman resigned from the bank and received a payment for early retirement, "which was less than £120,000".

She said there was no pay-off "because the bank has never admitted to any case of sexual harassment".

Earlier another Bank of Cyprus source told the Cyprus Mail that no secret deals or arrangements were made.

"The story is inaccurate: no damages were paid for sexual harassment whatsoever," the source said.

The source added that any payment made by the bank was part of an early retirement scheme because one of the women had decided to leave.

"There were two complaints: one (woman) decided to stay and one decided to leave. In both cases the agreement was amicable," said the Bank of Cyprus source.

But sources close to the women involved said that the bank paid £120,000 to stop the case going to court and prevented any adverse publicity by means of a "gagging clause".

"They paid the money to buy off one of the women, to close the case quickly, especially with the bank's AGM coming up soon," said the source.

The source, speaking on behalf of the women, said the settlement was such because the harassment charges involved a senior official of the bank.

"The amount calculated for early retirement would be nowhere near the amount paid," the source said.

Both women who alleged sexual harassment by their male superiors are in their thirties, were earning more than £1,000 a month, and had good career prospects.

The men allegedly involved have denied any wrongdoing.

[08] Cyprus to EU: give us what you give the other applicants

FOREIGN Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides warned yesterday that the island's relative affluence should not be used to exclude it from accession-related financial assistance set to go to five Eastern and Central European states which, like Cyprus, opened accession talks with the European Union last month.

Addressing the opening session of a joint Cyprus-EU parliamentary meeting in Nicosia, Cassoulides also said that Cyprus hoped to receive special pre- accession help from the 15-nation group in 2000, and that it will be on par with that given to the other five applicants - Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Slovenia.

"Although our economy is well advanced... we believe our country must be included in the special package of financial assistance which is to be given to the other five candidates," Cassoulides said. The current fourth financial protocol between Cyprus and the EU, he explained, was due to expire in 1999.

Citing reduced revenue from import tariffs as a result of the island's Customs Union Agreement with the EU, the minister said the government needed the financial assistance to offset the resultant shortfall and to avoid the prospect of straying outside the Maastricht criteria.

"Our aim remains to be the entry into the EMU (European Monetary Union) and we believe that the relatively small assistance which is required at this stage would help to avoid larger problems later," said Cassoulides.

Cyprus is in an economic class well above its five fellow EU applicants. It enjoys an estimated per capita income average of $15,000, a well-developed infrastructure, a highly-skilled workforce and low, albeit rising, inflation and unemployment rates.

Recent weeks, however, have shown that the hole in the government's pocket was bigger than previously thought. The fiscal deficit is expected to hit six per cent of Gross Domestic product this year, while economists are speaking of a domestic borrowing level that looks set to cross the 60 per cent ceiling under Maastricht. It is said to be currently at 58 per cent of GDP.

Responding to the cash squeeze, the government - shackled by an election promise not to raise taxes this year - is making a frenzied effort to identify additional sources of income, persuade trade unions to accept a wage freeze for their members, and freeze recruitment in the public sector.

But the economy is set to grow by a respectable 4.5 per cent this year, according to government forecasts. This, however, is heavily dependent on generous expectations of a record year for tourism in 1998 actually materialising.

Also addressing the joint EC-Cyprus Parliamentary meeting, European Parliament member Philippe Monfils of Belgium warned Turkey and Turkish Cypriots that they stood to lose by opposing the island's EU accession process, and that Cyprus' future in Europe would not be held hostage to their policies.

"If there is a continuous refusal to negotiate and if on behalf of Turkey there is a continuous desire to link the entry of Cyprus to that of Turkey, then we would have to acknowledge that there is no reconciliation possible and accept the Republic of Cyprus... as a member of the EU," said Monfils, who shares the chairmanship of the meeting with Diko deputy Tassos Papadopoulos.

In opposing the island's accession, the Belgian legislator said, Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots made a choice for "disorder, insecurity and poverty".

[09] EU accession a 'new card' in solution search

CYPRUS' EU accession course is a new card to be played in the search for a solution to the Cyprus problem, Euro MP Pauline Green said yesterday.

Speaking after a morning meeting with President Glafcos Clerides, Green said they had spoken about maintaining the political momentum of the negotiations in order to maximise chances of the process leading to a solution.

She added that she was pleased she could "actually make a contribution" to the process in her role as a member of the European Parliament.

Commenting on the US positions on the EU accession process, as expressed by US presidential envoy Richard Holbrooke during his recent visit to the island, Green said that as far as the EU was concerned, there is "one Cyprus".

As such, she added, negotiating with Clerides as its leader is the "formal position and it's the right position".

She stressed however, that "Mr Holbrooke is trying to support and work towards a solution to the Cyprus problem" and had the support of the EU.

Asked if Holbrooke was using the country's EU accession course to try to further Turkey's relations with the European Union, Green said that the accession course was one of the few things which had changed in the Cyprus situation, and as such "is a factor that everybody is using".

She called Turkey's relationship to the EU "controversial and sensitive", and expressed regret that Turkey had reacted badly to the preconditions set at the Luxembourg summit for it to move closer to the EU.

[10] Upgrading defences 'will continue'

Speaking yesterday after a ceremony in honour of St George, President Clerides said measures to ensure the island's safety will continue.

"Preparations to safeguard the freedom and defence of the unoccupied areas of Cyprus will continue until a solution is sealed," he said.

Clerides said he was confident about National Guard preparation and military ability, adding the army had made "tremendous leaps forward", both in terms of weapon upgrades and manpower.

After talks with Greek Army Chief of Staff Athanasios Tzoganis yesterday, House President Spyros Kyprianou sounded a more cautious note. He said that although much work on defence had been done there was "still room for improvement".

The aim was to avoid military confrontation "while still being able to defend ourselves as effectively as possible", Kyprianou said, calling defence upgrades "a powerful negotiating weapon".

Tzoganis, who arrived on Wednesday for an official three-day visit, also met Defence Minister Yiannakis Omirou yesterday to discuss Cyprus-Greek defence capabilities.

Afterwards, Tzoganis said it was vital to maintain the joint defence pact between the two countries until agreements "safeguarding Cyprus and Greece's national interests were reached".

He called the pact "a prompt to both countries to undertake every effort to safeguard peace and stability in the region".

Omirou said Tzoganis' visit was symbolic in underlining Greek resolve to "stand by Cyprus against Turkish expansionism which is still a threat to us".

[11] Builders set to down tools

AROUND 70,000 workers in the building industry look set to take strike action in the next two weeks after mediators failed to breach differences between unions and employers.

Government mediators yesterday announced deadlock in discussions for the renewal of collective agreements in the industry.

Building unions were meeting last night to decide what strike action to take under the Industrial Relations Code. Under the code, they have to wait ten days before striking on behalf of the 70,000 workers in the sector.

Unions and employers have been discussing the renewal of the agreement under mediation for the past six weeks.

Labour Minister Andreas Moushouttas said yesterday it was necessary to declare deadlock because the differences between the two sides could not be narrowed.

"Both sides are sticking to their positions," Moushouttas said. "As things developed today there is no longer any room for the mediation of the Labour Ministry."

He said the two sides were now free to take whatever action they deemed necessary under the code.

Andreas Klitou, Sek unions representative for the building industry, blamed employers' insistence on a wage freeze for the impasse.

"In contrast to the employers, the unions made concessions," Klitou said. He added that the unions still believe mediation could close the gap.

"But the employers are insisting on their zero positions," he said. "This proves one more time that as unions we have the goodwill to end the conflict in a reasonable way, but given the stance of the employers we have no option but to follow the provisions of the code and take strike action."

Renewal of collective agreements in the building industry is seen as a forerunner to those in other sectors such as manufacturing which are also being reviewed.

When agreement is reached in the building sector other areas usually follow.

[12] Postal workers stage strike

Postal Services Department Director Vassos Vassiliou said 390 permanent postal employees were involved.

They included porters, cleaning ladies and clerical staff, all affiliated to the civil servants' union Pasydy.

Vassiliou said that 130 people, mostly hourly-paid delivery-men, did not observe the strike as they belonged to the Sek and Peo unions.

"The strikers' main aim is for there to be only one status for postal delivery men - that of civil servants belonging to Pasydy," said Vassiliou.

The dispute will be discussed next week by a joint committee of Pasydy members and government officials.

[13] Animal welfare laws 'need to be enforced'

BRITAIN'S Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) chief praised Cyprus laws on animal protection yesterday - but stressed they were not enforced enough.

RSPCA Director-general Peter Davies, who came to the island on Sunday, said a great deal of work had gone into Cyprus animal rights legislation, but it was very seldom implemented.

"The laws are good but they need enforcement, and that in turn needs more resources; it's a slow, hard process," he said.

He said there was a high level of co-operation between the RSPCA and the island's veterinary and animal welfare services.

Veterinary services director Pavlos Economides and Animal Welfare Department officer Clitos Andreou have both been "a great strength" said Davies, adding that the two invited him to the island in 1995 to offer the authorities his RSPCA know-how and assistance.

"I certainly did not want to come and say 'do this and do that'... just 'what are your problems and how can we help?'" Davies said.

He said this was RSPCA international policy, and society members had worked and trained nationals of countries all over the world, including the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Portugal and India.

The problems they found there were similar to those in Cyprus, he said, and included difficulties controlling stray cats and dogs and neglected racing animals or beasts of burden.

"Most cruelty to animals (in Cyprus) is not sadistic, it's neglect - through lack of care or ignorance," Davies said.

The RSPCA strategy for controlling strays includes neutering every animal leaving a shelter to prevent it reproducing, a move towards dog- registration, and concerted efforts to educate and change the public's attitude.

Davies said two of his RSPCA colleagues would be heading a four-and-a-half day series of intensive training workshops from April 27 to 30 in Limassol, for the benefit of animal welfare groups, government inspectors and vets.

"We hope to follow this up by a visit in June, running a course in animal welfare education aimed at teachers," he added.

The most important thing was to generate a national conscience towards animals, and to this end "good Cypriot volunteers were desperately needed" Davies said. Eighty per cent of Cyprus animal welfare work was done by UK and German ex-pats, he added.

Davies has received pledges from the president as well as Economides and Andreou that animal welfare will receive heightened attention, and he is optimistic progress will be made.

The RSPCA is the world's oldest animal welfare organisation, and offers financial support and guidance to 250 affiliated animal protection societies worldwide.

[14] Cat not feline great after seven-day deposit

A CAT which deposited itself in a Bank of Cyprus storeroom was suffering withdrawal symptoms yesterday after spending five days in the annex.

The cat, a black, white and ginger stray, is believed to have sneaked into the storeroom through an open toilet window more than a week ago.

The cat's discovery can be credited to a woman living nearby, who first realised last Sunday that the animal was trapped. While talking to a neighbour, she heard the cat mewing, and after checking on its wherabouts, realised it must have been trapped inside the store-room when the bank closed last Thursday for the Easter break.

Over the next two days, she slipped food under the door and when the bank reopened on Tuesday, called officials to tell them to let the cat out.

Unfortunately, nobody did so and yesterday she returned to the bank, where she and an employee finally freed the animal.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that it took half an hour to entice the terrified cat out, and when it finally emerged it was "emaciated and scared". But it soon regained its confidence and eventually disappeared into the undergrowth.

An official from the bank, situated off Makarios Avenue in Nicosia, confirmed that the animal must have entered through the toilet window, but denied reponsibility for the incident, saying: "We don't know whose cat it was, it's not ours."

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article