Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-09-27

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

Sunday, September 27, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Corruption probe against two more politicians

[02] People losing heart for struggle, says the archbishop

[03] Sirius waves green flag in Cyprus

[04] Collapsed UK tour firm owes £400,000 to Cypriot hotels

[05] Crime tally shows fall

[06] Judge Pigot dies, aged 77

[07] CyServ '98 at the Euro crossroads

[08] Offshore congress victim of unsettled markets

[01] Corruption probe against two more politicians

HOUSE Watchdog Committee chairman Christos Pourgourides yesterday said he was in the process of investigating two more politicians in relation to corruption charges.

The two men being investigated are not part of the current government, said Pourgourides. One is from his own party, right-wing Disy, and the other from the "orthodox centre".

One of the cases, said Pourgourides, involves gun trafficking.

Pourgourides said he believes that the way businessmen contribute to political parties in unethical. He claimed that some businessmen give large amounts of money to the parties in bags, to avoid it being shown on official records. He said that all donations should be published.

Pourgourides also forecast further developments in the accusations of corruption against Minister of the Interior, Dinos Michaelides, before the Auditor-general completes his report. The watchdog committee chairman says he has new evidence to contribute.

Sunday, September 27, 1998

[02] People losing heart for struggle, says the archbishop

ARCHBISHOP Chrysostomos told radio listeners yesterday that he believed the Cypriot people, and especially the refugees, had given up the struggle to return to the parts of the island held by the Turkish occupation forces.

Speaking on state radio, Chrysostomos said: "I don't see events, demonstrations". He described the refugees as living "in a lethargy".

The archbishop argued that demonstrations should be held outside all foreign embassies on the island to remind the international community of the Cyprus problem.

During the interview, Chrysostomos said that Archbishop Makarios had told him, on the day before his death, that he felt he had been misled into signing the bizonal agreement between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot side after Cyprus independence. He said that Makarios had also told him he had been discussing the building of a military, naval and air base in Paphos with the then Minister of Defence.

The archbishop repeated his belief that a solution to the Cyprus problem must be found within the framework of the United Nations resolutions, quoting the second paragraph of resolution number 3212: "Urges the speedy withdrawal of all foreign armed forces and foreign military presence and personnel from the Republic of Cyprus and the suspension of all foreign interferences in its affairs."

Asked about a federal solution to the Cyprus problem, Archbishop Chrysostomos said he thought it would result in the loss of Hellenism on the island.

Sunday, September 27, 1998

[03] Sirius waves green flag in Cyprus

THE Greenpeace ship Sirius will arrive in Cyprus this week as part of its annual tour of the eastern Mediterranean, the international environmental group announced yesterday.

Greenpeace announced that the Sirius will dock in Limassol on Tuesday and remain until October 5. The ship has already visited Portugal, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Israel on a voyage which began in June.

This is the ninth year that the Sirius will visit Cyprus. Greenpeace has waged a long campaign for the protection of the Akamas peninsula and of the green turtle which it fears is in danger from development in the region.

The international group will join local environmental organisations in calling for President Clerides to implement legislation to put into practice the World Bank recommendations on declaring the Akamas a national park.

During their visit last year, several Sirius crew members were arrested in Nicosia after chaining themselves to the gates of the Agriculture Ministry. After much bad publicity over the incident here and abroad, the charges were dropped.

In addition to their active concern for the Akamas, Greenpeace has also recently launched a campaign against the dumping of toxic waste in the eastern Mediterranean by an Israeli company. It is also involved in campaigning against Turkey's plans for a nuclear power plant on it southern coast.

As part of this year's visit to Cyprus, Greenpeace is organising a concert at the Phinikoudes area of Larnaca.

The public may also visit the Sirius at Limassol port on Wednesday from 3- 7pm and on Thursday from 10am to 1pm and from 3-7pm.

From October 2, the Sirius will be docked at Larnaca where the public may visit it on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 1pm and from 3-7pm.

Sunday, September 27, 1998

[04] Collapsed UK tour firm owes £400,000 to Cypriot hotels

IT may be World Tourism Day, but more than 40 Cypriot hotels are not celebrating. They have losses totalling £400,000 after the collapse of a UK- based tour operator on Friday.

And elsewhere, some Tourism Day messages included an exchange of barbs over differences, rather than statements of total co-operation and harmony.

The collapse of Dayrise Holidays, a small Cypriot-owned operator, has left 42 of the island's hotels with total debts of £400,000, according to local agents Memodays.

The company specialised in selling packages to Greece and Cyprus and its customers were yesterday being warned to contact the British Civil Aviation Authority for advice.

Those already abroad were told that they could continue their holidays and be covered by the company's £1m bond.

According to Louis Marangos of Memodays, Dayrise have around 1,000 tourists on the island at the moment who were brought in on charter flight s from Gatwick and Manchester. "Everyone will be able to finish their holidays," Marangos said.

He said, however, that some hoteliers in Ayia Napa, Protaras and Paphos will be owed money, but described it as a "small loss" which they will be able to reclaim from the travel bond. He said most of the hotels had been prepaid and that the company had contributed substantial amounts in revenue to the tourism sector in the past.

Some of those involved in the tourism sector yesterday issued their own statements for World Tourism Day, the theme of which is "working co- operation between the public and private sector as the key to tourism development and promotion".

While all sides called for co-operation they were apparently unable to resist a reference to their own particular gripes.

In its statement yesterday, the Hoteliers Association said the main way of developing tourism is to secure the spirit of co-operation.

"But so far it has been proven that this spirit doesn't exist," the association said, referring to the relationship between the private and public sectors. "However, to avoid generalising we have to say that in the last few years there has been admirable co-operation between local authorities in some areas and we hope that this is followed by other areas."

The unions, following brief strike action, recently reached an agreement with hoteliers to secure industrial peace in the sector for the next four years. In a statement yesterday said yesterday they said that all involved parties have to show responsibility and respect for the agreement "which without a doubt was made only to keep alive and healthy the goose that lays the golden egg".

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation, in its message, said that one teaching period in all schools on one day would be devoted to tourism.

Sunday, September 27, 1998

[05] Crime tally shows fall

THE number of serious crimes reported to the police fell by 619 cases in 1997, compared to 1996, a decrease of 13.6 per cent.

According to the 1997 Ministry of Justice and Public Order report, which has just been released, the decrease is due to additional police crime prevention measures and intensive monitoring of the criminal element.

While serious crimes fell, other exceptions included felonies by minors, drug and moral crime, stealing and acts causing grievous bodily harm.

While 10 murder and manslaughter cases were reported in 1996, as in 1995, the number fell to seven in 1997. Attempted murder cases also dropped in 1997, with seven reported instances, as against double that number in the previous year.

Reported break-ins fell from 1,318 cases in 1996 to 1,080 in 1997. In 1997, according to the report, 75.13 per cent of serious crimes reported were solved.

Sunday, September 27, 1998

[06] Judge Pigot dies, aged 77

Judge Pigot's most famous case was the 1972 "Lady in the Lake" trial, involving an airline pilot who strangled his unfaithful wife and dumped her body in a lake. He was cleared of murder on the grounds of provocation but found guilty of manslaughter. Pigot sentenced him to four years.

For 20 years, Pigot made several trips each year to the SBA, first as Deputy Senior (non-resident) Judge, then from 1984 to 1990 as Senior Judge.

Shortly after completing a report on child evidence, Pigot suffered a stroke and took early retirement.

Sunday, September 27, 1998

[07] CyServ '98 at the Euro crossroads

CyServ '98 aims to highlight current and future co-operation between Europe and the Mediterranean, in particular Cyprus.

Six countries will be taking part in the exhibition which involves 32 companies and business organisations. Besides Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon and Malta, the European Union will also be taking part.

CyServ organisers are optimistic that by the year 2000 all Mediterranean countries, as well as participants from other areas, will be taking part.

CyServ '98 events include a lecture by IBM Italia, Cyprus Branch, entitled "Getting Ready for Electronic Business: Vision-Trends-Reality", a lecture by Rams Advanced Management Solutions (Israel) on "Project Management: a New Approach Based on the Theory of Constraints" and a panel discussion on "Promotion of the Export of Services".

The organisers say: "Through CyServ, Cyprus becomes a crossroad of meetings of a wide circle of businessmen and a bridge for Euro-Mediterranean co- operation".

President Glafcos Clerides will open the event on Thursday, October 8 at 4pm.

Sunday, September 27, 1998

[08] Offshore congress victim of unsettled markets

TURMOIL in the world's economies has forced local organisers of an international business conference to postpone the event.

Cyprus was to host the conference, Business Centres of the Future, advising other countries how to compete as a successful business centre.

But organisers said yesterday that foreign businessmen who has shown an interest in taking part had decided that with global markets being so unsettled it was better for them to remain at home "where they can make decisions". "The conference has just been postponed, not cancelled," said the organisers.

The event was being organised by the Central Bank, the Bar Association, the Offshore Enterprises Association, the Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Employers Federation.

The conference was unusual in the sense that it was designed to advise other countries on how to be a successful offshore centre, putting them in direct competition with Cyprus.

Over 100 foreign delegates were expected at the conference.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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