Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-04-25

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

Saturday, April 25, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Wartime lovechild meets Cypriot siblings

[02] Israel offers hi-tech know-how

[03] Clerides upbeat after Miller meeting

[04] Denktash fires integration torpedo

[05] Tzoganis inspects Paphos base

[06] Shacolas flagships forecast a bright 1998

[07] Dreams of instant EU riches in serious doubt

[08] Joint Cyprus-EU committee to visit Akamas

[09] Building dispute may lead to industrial chaos

[10] Seminar to focus on racism

[11] Kick the weed and win a wad

[12] The world of children's TV comes to Cyprus

[13] Apollonas in title clash with champions

[01] Wartime lovechild meets Cypriot siblings

THE SON of a Cypriot man and a German woman thrown together as prisoners in World War II was yesterday united with his five half-brothers and -sisters in Larnaca.

Tragically, both Karl Kouserman's parents died in 1994, his father in Cyprus and his mother in Germany, 49 years after their wartime affair produced a son.

He never got to meet his father Philippos Philippou.

Yesterday, however, Karl, now 52, was greeted with hugs and kisses at Larnaca Airport by Dimitroulla Philippou, 76, his father's Cypriot wife, and by his five siblings, the family he never knew he had until four years ago.

Dimitroulla told journalists how her husband had joined the British army and gone to the front at the beginning of the war, leaving her with a small child.

Philippou, originally from Paphos, was captured with his regiment. Because he was registered as British he was held as a prisoner of war.

He met Karl's mother when they both worked as forced labourers at a porcelain factory in Berlin. Karl was born just at the close of the war when they were separated.

His German mother was reviled for having a child with an "English soldier".

After the war, Philippou was listed as missing. But he was eventually located and brought back to Cyprus by the Red Cross.

Dimitroulla said she had believed he was dead. When the war ended she began to prepare a memorial service for her husband.

The couple were eventually reunited and Dimitroulla went on to have another ten children, only five of whom survived.

They all turned out at the airport yesterday to greet their long-lost brother, of whom they had heard their aged father speak but didn't believe him, assuming "something happened to the old man during the war", as one relative put it.

Ironically, back in Germany, Karl's mother had continued over the years to write to Philippou asking him to acknowledge their son. But the letters were put away unread in a chest by Dimitroulla because her husband was illiterate.

It was only when his mother died that Karl discovered his father was Cypriot.

It then took him four years and several trips to Cyprus before he was finally able to make contact with the Philippou family with the help of the Cypriot War Veterans' Association. He first spoke with one of his siblings at Christmas.

Karl will stay on the island for a week and will return again in the near future with his family from Germany.

He could not be contacted last night.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail by phone, Dimitroulla said he had gone out to eat with his brothers and sisters.

[02] Israel offers hi-tech know-how

Speaking at a press conference in Nicosia at the end of a one-day visit, Bentsur was referring to one area in which co-operation between the two countries could be expanded.

"We would like to see our relations extended on virtually all areas but the most prominent opportunity is in hi-tech," he said.

"We are already in the process of getting businessmen interested in this to promote it."

Bentsur also said he could not rule out the possibility of a defence agreement with Cyprus similar to the one Israel currently has with Turkey, but he said that the idea had never been raised. "If somebody proposes it, it will surely be explored and looked into but I think it had not been raised by our hosts (Cypriot officials) and probably they have a reason why they did not raise it," he said.

He said the controversial plan to deploy Russian S-300 missiles on the island was not discussed during his contacts.

Bentsur stressed that the defence pact Israel has with Turkey has no bearing whatsoever on Cyprus. "It is designated only to enhance relations with Turkey and it absolutely has no intention to affect in any way our relations with Cyprus which are very close and warm," he said.

Commenting on the recent unauthorised overflight by an Israeli military plane, for which his government apologised to Cyprus, Bentsur said there had been no intention to violate the airspace of Cyprus. He said he assumed the flight was routine.

"If there was one violation recently we regretted it... and emphasise in the strongest possible terms that none of those flights is in any way intended to affect the security of Cyprus and they should never be considered as such."

Earlier yesterday Bentsur met his Cypriot counterpart Alecos Shambos and Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides.

[03] Clerides upbeat after Miller meeting

PRESIDENT Clerides yesterday took back statements he had made earlier in the day about Turkish intransigence after a meeting with US State Department Co-ordinator Thomas Miller.

After being briefed by Miller on arrival at Athens airport, Clerides said that what he heard from the US envoy was good enough for him to retract his earlier statements.

When he left Cyprus yesterday morning Clerides said there was still no sign that Turkey or the Turkish Cypriot side would respond positively and attend a resumption of the intercommunal talks.

"There is still no indication of a positive response on behalf of the Turkish side," Clerides had said. "On the contrary, all (Turkish) statements leave no room that they will respond positively to anything related to a Cyprus settlement."

But after meeting Miller, Clerides said that what he heard from the US envoy was good enough for him to change his mind. He was quoted on state radio as saying Miller would be bringing (to Cyprus) "a lot more than expected".

Miller said on Thursday it was time Greek and Turkish Cypriots showed the creativity and flexibility displayed by negotiators in Bosnia, the Middle East and Northern island, to restart deadlocked talks.

"All others have demanded those ingredients," he said.

But although the United States is prepared to stay the course, Miller said, "we can't want a solution more than the partners".

He discussed his latest regional effort to restart deadlocked reunification talks with Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis.

"We support the American initiative because we believe it can bear fruit and pressure the other side for a just and viable solution," said the Cyprus-born Kranidiotis.

Before going to the Greek capital, Miller also had a series of meetings with Turkish government leaders in Ankara and with Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials in Nicosia.

During his trip, Miller was helping to prepare the ground for what he has called a "very, very important visit" on May 1 to Nicosia by Richard Holbrooke, architect of the Dayton accord on Bosnia and President Bill Clinton's special envoy on the Cyprus.

"It will be an open-ended visit. I can't say how long we will stay," Miller said. "It's important not to have artificial time constraints on this."

Efforts to restart talks have stuck on the demand by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash that the international community recognise his breakaway self- declared state in northern Cyprus.

[04] Denktash fires integration torpedo

ANOTHER 'integration pact' by the Denktash regime and Ankara has torpedoed current efforts in the peace process, the government charged yesterday.

On Thursday, Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and Turkish President Suleyman Demirel signed a new Joint Declaration pact in Ankara.

Government Spokesman Christos Stylianides called it a negative move which smacked of political expediency and was a cause for concern.

"It torpedoes current efforts," he said.

At a news conference in Turkey Denktash declared that his regime would establish closer links with Ankara in response to the island's European Union accession bid.

"If the Greek Cypriot administration is a state then so am I. The Cyprus problem has not been solved for 34 years because the principle of equality was not accepted. If it were, the problem would be settled within three months," Denktash is reported as saying.

The hardline stance by Denktash and Ankara is also linked to the proposed deployment of S-300 missiles.

The Joint Declaration alleges that the Greek Cypriot side, encouraged by Greece, wants to be part of Greece and is achieving that aim, indirectly, through EU accession.

Denktash believes that only by striking what he calls a "special relationship" with Turkey can Turkish Cypriots feel secure and the "TRNC continue as an independent and sovereign state".

This latest declaration follows similar ones in January and July of last year.

"Not Cyprus, but the Greek Cypriot republic of southern Cyprus may have been integrated. We, in turn, are exercising our right to make things even. We are advancing towards integration with Turkey, and we will continue to advance on this path. No one can block this path," said Denktash.

[05] Tzoganis inspects Paphos base

Tzoganis ended his three-day visit to the island by visiting the Andreas Papandreou Base, the jewel of the defence pact with Greece, for an official inspection.

The base has courted controversy and protests from Turkey which is against the Russian S-300 missiles being deployed there.

At midday the Greek army chief flew into the base by helicopter, accompanied by the National Guard top brass.

Tzoganis was briefed on the base's facilities and operational capabilities.

He said his visit, the first by a Chief of Staff, underlined how seriously committed Greece was to the defence pact and to helping Cyprus defend itself.

Defence Minister Yiannakis Omirou described the visit by Tzoganis as not just a token gesture, but a significant step towards closer co-operation with Greece.

[06] Shacolas flagships forecast a bright 1998

WOOLWORTH and the Cyprus Trading Corporation, two flagship companies from the Shacolas business empire, announcing their 1997 results yesterday, said their operations were negatively affected by last year's depressed economic conditions but predicted bright 1998 prospects.

Both companies, whose retail activity covers a wide range of products, have been involved in a series of major acquisitions which left them busy reorganising their structures in 1997 and dented their financial resources.

But interest in the shares of the two companies have recently witnessed a major revival, although some traders still regard them as somewhat undervalued.

Other traders and analysts, however, dismiss the notion that the stocks are under-performing, saying the two companies have greatly extended themselves with the latest acquisitions, some of which performed below expectations.

CTC shares ended trade yesterday at £1.325 apiece, down 3.5 cents on Thursday's close but some £0.45 more than their value at the end of 1997. Woolworth shares, which traded at a mere £0.60 apiece at the end of last year, closed unchanged yesterday at £0.875 but on a huge turnover of more than 300,000 shares and 11.3 per cent of total volume.

CTC said its net sales in the first quarter of 1998 were up by 17 per cent and that its 1997 pre-tax profits increased by 23 per cent to £1.5 million from £1.22 million in 1996.

After-tax profits, a CTC statement added, rose to £1.29 million in 1997 compared to £698,000 in 1996.

"The results are considered satisfactory, particularly under the conditions of economic depression which prevailed in 1997, the amount of reorganisation required following the acquisition of CD Hay and DOMS, and the negative parity in the exchange rate between sterling and the dollar," CTC said.

CTC, whose activity covers the sale of products as diverse as heavy-duty Caterpillar diggers, breakfast cereal and Jaguar cars, said the impressive rise (+17%) in sales during the January-March period of this year was a precursor for an even better performance for the entire year.

It said it planned to suggest to the company's next General Annual Meeting the issue of a free warrant for every 30 fully-paid shares.

CTC last year acquired a majority stake in CD Hay, sole agents for the South Korean cars Hyundai, 50 per cent in Christie's Dairies together with DOMS,

the sole agents of Philips products on the island.

Market analysts said CTC spent most of 1997 restructuring and absorbing the impact of the acquisitions on its finances.

Taking a majority stake in CD Hay, for example, was designed to give CTC a share in the market for relatively cheap passenger cars, but a change in import regulations allowing thousands of second-hand Japanese cars to flood the market in recent months has meant that demand for brand-new Hyundai vehicles shrunk.

CTC are the agents for Britain's Jaguar and Sweden's Saab cars, both luxury marques beyond the reach of most Cypriots.

Woolworth, which has acquired retailers Next and Zako, said its 1997 turnover was £39.05 million, up from 37.11 in the previous year. Operating profits sharply rose from £888,000 in 1996 to £1.5 million last year.

It said the results were significant given what it called the marked increase of competition in the retailing sector.

In a statement, Woolworth said it was recommending a 10 per cent dividend on the nominal value of its shares.

[07] Dreams of instant EU riches in serious doubt

THOSE who for years dreamt of raiding the EU coffers once the much-heralded start of accession talks began might have had their illusions of instant riches shattered over the past two days.

A two-day meeting in Nicosia of the EU-Cyprus joint parliamentary committee, the first to be held since the island's accession negotiations officially opened on March 30, has driven home the truth that hopes of immediate affluence bankrolled by the EU's 'legendary' funds are nothing but the stuff of dreams (the kind that never come true).

If what was said in the meeting which ended yesterday reflected the truth, then Cyprus is set to benefit very little, if at all, from the EU accession process it has coveted for years - and whose start has long been a major objective of the island's foreign policy.

"It is true that many Europeans think that Cyprus is a rich country," said Philippe Monfils, a Belgian member of the European Parliament and the co- chairman of the EU-Cyprus parliamentary committee. "That is both true and untrue," he told a news conference yesterday.

Fears that the island's relative affluence could cost it some, or even most, of the accession-related assistance programmes set to be made available to other applicants were voiced on Thursday by Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides in an address to the joint EU-Cyprus committee.

"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 (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Slovenia)," he said.

A statement issued at the end of the two-day meeting was ambiguous on the question of what Cyprus might be given in the pre-accession period. "The possibility for Cyprus to benefit from further financial aid (including structural funds) in the pre-accession strategy was discussed and the JPC (joint parliamentary committee) was aware of the economic burdens put on Cyprus as a result of the Customs Union Agreement with the EU."

Outlining the various sources of EU funds, Monfils said Cyprus came into the accession talks at a time when a freeze on the EU's budget is in force. He also cited the high per capita income of Greek Cypriots in terms of GDP (71 per cent of the Union's present average) as a fact which might determine the island's eligibility for Structural Funds. "During pre- accession, the island could, and I stress could, benefit from subsidies under the agricultural and structural (environmental and transport sectors) instruments," he said.

Cyprus' use of the Cohesion Fund, Monfils added, was in doubt because the fund's own future was being revised by the Union.

There won't be any increase in the Cohesion Fund, he explained, something which leaves its current beneficiaries - Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain - fighting to maintain their share at the present level.

A report by Konstantinos Hatzidakis, a member of the European Parliament, echoed similar views on the island's slim chances of receiving any significant pre-accession assistance, but added that the post-accession picture will be different.

"The prospects for post-accession aid is rosier," said the report, made available during the meeting.

"Once the accession procedure is completed and Cyprus has joined the European Union as a member state, it will be more or less entitled to funds under the Union's structural and regional policies," it said.

Cyprus is not expected to be formally admitted to the EU before 2002.

[08] Joint Cyprus-EU committee to visit Akamas

THE JOINT Cyprus-EU parliamentary committee will visit the Akamas peninsula on its next trip to the island, Belgian co-chairman Philippe Monfils said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference to round off two days of talks, Monfils said: "We will visit the Akamas area with the aim of trying to find ways to improve the situation."

He also made it clear that the issue of the British bases is an internal Cypriot matter.

In its official round-up the committee said it discussed the issue of the British military exercises in the Akamas "and its serious consequences for the environment".

It welcomed British High Commissioner David Madden's commitment that the British and Cypriot governments were actively seeking an alterative site within a year.

The bases this week carried out two days of live fire exercises in the remote western peninsula which were marked by protests from environmentalists.

There had been an offer from the government for the one-off use of a site pending a longer term solution, but the area in question was found to be unsuitable.

Current discussions are focusing on the possibility of the bases being able to use the National Guard range at Kalochorio.

The bases issue formed a significant part of discussion during the Cyprus- EU committee's working sessions.

Pauline Green, leader of the European parliament Socialist Group, asked Madden to explain exactly what the British government's position was since the previous ones "kept telling me they had never received any complaints from Cyprus about the manoeuvres".

Madden said: "We are eagerly looking for an alternative so that we do not need to make use of our Treaty (of Guarantee) right for live firing in the Akamas."

The bases are allowed to use the area for 70 days each year. They say they use only around half that.

Last year it was used for only ten or 11 days, Madden said.

"British troops are aware of the need to protect the environment and not to do unnecessary damage," he said. "I think in some ways the level of environmental damage has been exaggerated."

Green admitted that there now seemed to be a serious attempt to deal with the issue, and that the current British government recognises there is a problem. "But I think it should be dealt with as quickly as possible," she added.

[09] Building dispute may lead to industrial chaos

IF THE construction industry fails to break the deadlock over renewal of its collective agreement, the wider economy could be plunged into chaos.

This was the stark warning from Labour Minister Andreas Moushiouttas yesterday after mediation efforts broke down on Thursday, thereby paving the way for strike action.

"This is the first mediation process before the ministry, and whether we want it or not, it will predetermine the fate of other disputes pending before us," Moushiouttas said.

He fears that if the construction industry, the island's biggest employer, is unable to secure a new collective agreement and a strike results, then other sectors will follow suit.

More than 100,000 jobs across the industrial spectrum are regulated by collective agreements. Building sector pay bargaining negotiations therefore set the pace which is followed by the rest.

Following Thursday's declared deadlock, both sides now have a ten-day grace period to resolve their differences behind the scenes, before the threat of strike action looms.

Peo union chief Avraam Antoniou added a gloomy note yesterday by saying that a serious industrial crisis was on the horizon because employers were sticking to a wage freeze policy.

He blamed the government for supporting and encouraging what he called "a hostile approach by employers" at the negotiating table.

Moushiouttas has urged both sides to settle their differences amicably for the sake of industrial peace.

Peo construction union boss Michalis Papanicolaou said an agreement could be achieved if employers budge from their position of zero tolerance on wage demands.

"The union has made big concessions, and it is now the turn of employers to do likewise," Papanicolaou said.

But so far the employers have shown little sign of changing their initial stance.

The unions are also worried about the high unemployment rate in the sector (at around 10 per cent, it is three times more than the average) and blame the hiring of illegal foreign workers for the situation.

Moushiouttas promised that permits for foreign workers would not be renewed, and said the door would be closed on hiring any more in order to help relieve high unemployment in the sector.

[10] Seminar to focus on racism

The seminar titled 'Different But Equal' is the first undertaking by the newly-formed Immigrant Support Action Group (ISAG).

"It is the starting point of a scientific approach to the subject," ISAG said. "Other more practical measures will follow, such as the set-up of a support centre... for the benefit of those people who for one reason or another live on our island but it as workers or students, pensioners or visitors".

The seminar, under the auspices of the European Commission, will be opened on May 8 by the European Commission delegation and by Nicosia Mayor Lellos Demetriades.

Criminologist Professor Andreas Kapardis will also address the opening along with Esther Beatty, president of the Philippine Community Association in Cyprus.

Subjects to be covered include global and European racism, and racism in Cyprus, and the island's laws and other issues relating to immigrants. A cultural programme, including film and photography exhibition will run parallel to the seminar.

Speakers will come from Cyprus, the UK, and Germany.

ISAG is a voluntary citizens' group whose members aim to contribute to the safeguarding the human rights of immigrants and to improve the working and living standards of foreigners in Cyprus.

[11] Kick the weed and win a wad

THE government hopes smokers will try to kick the habit by taking part in an international competition offering a first prize of £720.

Health Minister Christos Solomis yesterday said that in the third international 'Win as you Quit Smoking' contest, smokers pledging to give up nicotine also stood to win second and third prizes of £475 and £365.

The island's three winners, who will be chosen by lot, will have to successfully avoid the dreaded weed between May 2-29.

In order to win they have to complete a pledge form, have it signed by two witnesses, and send it to the ministry by April 30 - in advance of the great give-up.

The forms are available from hospitals, anti-cancer organisations and youth centres.

Competitors will have to have been "smokers for at least a year and be over 18," Solomis said yesterday.

He said participants would also be liable to random breath and urine tests to ensure their one-month smoking ban was being adhered to.

"Providing at least 300 Cypriots participate, we will be able to enter the competition on an international scale," the minister said. The name of the island's first-prize winner would then be entered in a worldwide $10,000 draw.

Solomis urged the public to take up the challenge, pointing out that the competition had already been proved successful in helping many people to kick the smoking habit permanently.

Fifty countries are taking part in this year's competition which was first run in 1994, sponsored by the European Union and the World Health Organisation.

"Around 20 per cent of competitors will be able to avoid smoking thereafter... so if at least 300 Cypriots take part, 60 of these will stop smoking," Solomis said.

It is estimated that over the next 25 years, the number of smoking-related deaths per year worldwide will have increased from 3 million to 10 million.

[12] The world of children's TV comes to Cyprus

THE EUROPEAN Children's Television Centre (ECTC) announced yesterday that its 1998 meeting of professionals in the children's TV industry will be held in Cyprus.

Agora '98, a five-day event beginning on June 26, is intended to allow creators, production experts and researchers to explore different aspects of their field, exchange information and co-operate on projects.

Participants include companies from Australia, Britain, the US and most European countries.

Angled towards the future, this year's event includes an exhibition of internet-based innovations aimed at children. Seminars on several subjects, including the role that small countries can play in the international market and the relationship between the industry and the children themselves, will also be held.

Within the framework of the event, the ECTC is also organising the 'Kids for Kids' project, in which children from around the world are being invited to submit five-minute videos entitled 'My World'. The project is open to children aged 12-15 and a large number of those participating will be invited to attend Agora '98 to shoot and edit a video about 'Kids for Kids' to be screened at the end of the event.

Videos can be in any language, but if not in English they should be accompanied by a title in both the original language and English. Any video format is acceptable, and all entries should be accompanied by the name of the children involved, their age and sex, the name of the organisation they represent, a synopsis of the video in English, production dates, and the conditions under which the video was produced.

The closing date is May 10.

Videos should be sent to Kids for Kids Festival, Vicky Georgiadou, 1 Zefxidos Street, 54622 Salonica, Greece. More information is available on 003031-240109.

[13] Apollonas in title clash with champions

APOLLONAS will need to take all three points from tonight's game at league leaders Anorthosis if they are to maintain their slim chances of winning the league championship.

Tradition does not allow too much room for optimism for the Limassol side who have failed to win in their last 10 visits to Antonis Papadopoulos stadium, where they have lost seven times.

For champions Anorthosis, even a defeat would not be disastrous, as the likelihood is that the league title will be decided in next weekend's clash in Nicosia with Omonia. Victory next weekend would secure the title for Anorthosis who are two points in front of Omonia.

Of course Anorthosis' players will feel much less pressure if they win tonight and go into next weekend's game knowing that a draw would be enough to win them the title.

The two clubs will meet again next month in the Cyprus Cup final, but tonight's televised encounter should be an even more tense affair.

Omonia, who thrashed Apop 8-1 in their last outing, tonight travel to in- form Paralimni without the injured Kalotheou brothers and suspended Kaiaphas and Sakis.

They will however rely on the finishing of the league's top scorer, Rauffman, who hit the net five times against Apop to take his tally to 39. Anything less than victory will greatly diminish the Nicosia side's title chances.

The situation is as interesting at the other end of the league table with six teams threatened by relegation, three games before the season's conclusion.

Apop who have 22 points, only two above a relegation place, will need to beat Paphos rivals Evagoras this afternoon. Recent form favours Evagoras who have won their last five games and climbed to ninth place on 26 points. They are still not safe though.

Salamina, just above the relegation zone on 22 points, will need to at least a point from their visit to Ael who are not entirely safe themselves - they are in eighth place with 26 points.

Second from bottom on 20 points, Anagennisis will be hoping to inflict Apoel's ninth defeat of the season this afternoon in Nicosia. Anagennisis club will be without three key players, but Apoel are a club in total disarray.

Alki, third from bottom and also on 20 points, could also escape the drop if they beat relegated Ethnikos Ashias to claim their third successive win. However Ashia have a knack for beating sides from Larnaca. Their two wins in their first ever season in the top flight have been against Alki and Aek.

Aek, another club in disarray, have suffered six defeats in a row Today they are at home to fourth-placed Ethnikos Achna, who, after an impressive run, have now gone six games without a win.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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