Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-04-20

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cyprus-mail.com/>

Thursday, April 20, 2000

CONTENTS

[01] Eroglu pulls out of election in the northBy Jean ChristouDERVIS Eroglu, &gt;Prime

[02] Easter in Cyprus draws more and more Britons

[03] BoC plans bonus issue and Kermia spin-off

[04] Market volumes swell to six-month highs

[05] Cyprus takes a dusting

[06] 4,423 traffic violations

[07] 25 years after killing, military case dropped

[08]

[09] Logosnet sells 51% to Greek group

[10]

[11] Prisoner fights for his right to clean air

[12] Civil servants are promoted 'as a matter of course'

[13] Power lines risk: Aradippou demands 'What about us?'

[14] Ministers back tax breaks too offset rise in VAT

[15] Ridge the Bold will join the Beautiful for first pageant

[01] Eroglu pulls out of election in the northBy Jean ChristouDERVIS Eroglu, &gt;Prime Minister= of the breakaway regime in the north, yesterday pulled out of the &gt;presidential= race yesterday, assuring victory to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

The board is expected to meet today to declare Denktash the winner. He secured 43.7 per cent of the vote on Saturday, falling well short of the 50 per cent needed for outright victory.

Eroglu gave no clear reason for his decision to withdraw. AMay it be for the best... Pulling out is just as much a democratic right as entering elections,@ he told reporters, denying that he had been under any pressure from Turkey to withdraw in favour of Denktash, Ankara's clear favourite. AThere was no pressure and no threats,@ Eroglu said.

Eroglu, leader of the National Unity Party (NUP), later told a television station that the decision had been made by the party council. He said the aim had always been to prove the party could make it to a second round, and this had been fulfilled. ASo it's been a success,@ he said adding that his party would continue to fulfil its functions.

Speculation was rife earlier in the day that Eroglu would pull out because he was not willing to compromise his hardline stance on the Cyprus problem by making a deal for the votes of the more moderate Republican Turkish Party (RTP) led by Mehmet Ali Talat, who received 10.3 per cent of the vote on Saturday.

Earlier yesterday, prior to Eroglu's withdrawal, the Communal Liberation Party (CLP) of Mustafa Akinci, which is already in the coalition &gt;government= with Eroglu, urged its supporters to vote with their consciences in Saturday's expected second round of balloting. Akinci took 11.7 per cent of the vote last weekend.

Without the backing of the two parties, Eroglu could not have secured the 50 per cent needed to beat Denktash. AThe election is over,@ a buoyant Denktash told reporters during an impromptu street party outside his offices in occupied Nicosia last night. He said Eroglu's party had realised it was not going to win the second round. AHe got the point that the people were sliding towards me,@ said the veteran Turkish Cypriot leader. AAs a result he made a sound assessment and withdrew... The race ends here.@

Throughout his election campaign Denktash, 76, has been pushing his experience in the Cyprus issue to help secure his re-election.

He and President Glafcos Clerides are expected to begin a third round of UN- led proximity talks in New York on May 23. AWe are going to go to a critical and a crucial meeting on May 23,@ Denktash said yesterday. AOur goal is to have a sound and lasting agreement for our people, an agreement which cannot be torn up.@

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[02] Easter in Cyprus draws more and more Britons

TOURIST bookings from the UK for Easter are up 90 per cent over the holiday period last year, according to the latest statistics.

Many of the island's hotels also report being almost fully booked for Easter and many are not advertising weekend breaks because they have no available capacity.

A spokesman for the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) in London agreed that the 90 per cent figure appeared quite high but said it should translate into a realistic increase in Easter visitors of between 50-60 per cent compared to last year.

"Some specialist operators are taking advantage of the two Easters to issue package deals," the spokesman said. The Orthodox Easter falls on the Sunday following the Catholic and Protestant holiday, one which is this weekend.

Reports in the British press yesterday said the weather in the UK this month has been so miserable that even more people are heading abroad to escape and Cyprus is one of the top destinations.

The CTO spokesman said the increase is also down to the general popularity of Cyprus for Britons this year and the favourable exchange rate with the pound sterling. He also said many people did not go away for the millennium as predicted because of the high prices and were doing so now instead.

All this should be coupled with the fact that Cyprus has always been a traditional destination for Easter breaks, the spokesman said. "Hotels should expect to be full," he added.

His words were confirmed by Le Meridien General Manager John Wood who told the Cyprus Mail there is a heavy demand for Cyprus at the moment. "But bookings were going well before," he said.

Wood said Easter bookings last year were not as high because the holiday was at a different time, the beginning of the month rather than the end. "The three weeks difference has obviously had an effect, probably because the weather is more sure," he said.

Wood reported a 95 per cent occupancy for Easter this year compared to 70 per cent for the same time last year. He estimated that overall bookings should increase around 45 per cent.

Lefkos Phylactides, senior marketing official at the CTO said Cyprus features very high on the Easter breaks list. "The UK market in general is doing extremely well for us this year. We have had a big demand since the launch of UK brochures several months ago," he said.

He said that latest UK statistics show an increase in the overall UK market of seven per cent for summer 2000. "But Cyprus is up 31 per cent over last year and last year was a record year," he said. "One has to bear in mind that Cyprus is an early booking destination and a lot of people would have rushed to book in case there would not be any vacancies later on".

So while general bookings are up 30 per cent this will likely translate into a 15 per cent increase in tourists or an additional 120,000 tourists, Phylactides said.

Hoteliers Association director general Zacharias Ioannides said Easter in Cyprus has always been a traditional choice for Britons. "We have a good and positive start to the summer season, possibly because of Cyprus gaining popularity, especially from the UK," he said. "Easter in Cyprus is one of the popular choices".

Ioannides added that Cyprus is doing well in general this year especially from the UK. He also said that Nicosia hotels are enjoying a boom due to an increase in conference tourism and international seminars.

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[03] BoC plans bonus issue and Kermia spin-off

THE Bank of Cyprus said yesterday it planned a bonus issue for shareholders and that it also intended to spin off its property flagship Kermia.

The bank, Cyprus' largest, also unveiled plans to create a venture capital firm in Cyprus and set up a mutual funds company, ahead of legislation on the matter expected to be passed by parliament soon.

The decision to issue shareholders one bonus share for every five held was taken yesterday morning by the bank's board, group chairman Solon Triantafyllides told an annual general meeting in Nicosia. The proposal will need ratification by shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting to be convened on October 4.

Triantafyllides said Kermia, a group of companies dealing with real estate and investments, would be spun off. The group is comprised of Kermia Ltd., Kermia Properties and Investments Ltd., and Kermia Hotels. The precise method of spinning the units off would be decided soon, he said.

The bank has applied for a dual listing of its shares on the Athens Stock Exchange. Triantafyllides did not give a specific date for the listing, contrary to rumours which circulated on the Cyprus Stock Exchange this week. "What is important is that Bank of Cyprus will be the first foreign company which will make its debut on the Athens Stock Exchange. One could not expect that the authorities of Greece could be more specific, especially right now, because of the current circumstances there," he told shareholders.

Investors ditched shares the last time the bank failed to give a firm date for its Athens listing, but it has since rebounded. It was up two cents to nine pounds on the local bourse yesterday.

Triantafyllides reiterated that the date of the bank's debut in Athens was not important. "What is is the success of the issue on the one hand and the way the capital will be utilised on the other," he said.

On Tuesday, Bank of Cyprus announced that they had entered a preliminary agreement to take over Interbank, a small US-based bank, for 43 million dollars. Bank officials have said the move was incorporated in the bank's strategy to utilise the funds they will raise in Greece.

The bank plans an initial public offering of its shares in Greece to the equivalent of 12 per cent of its share capital, or up to 39 million shares with a nominal value of 0.50 Cyprus pounds.

The actual amount the bank plans to raise in Greece depends on its share price in Cyprus when the listing period approaches, though local dealers say it could be anything between 300 and 400 million pounds ($490-660 million).

The Athens Stock Exchange has a long list of companies waiting to make their debut on the market. Bank of Cyprus filed its application for a listing on December 22 1999.

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[04] Market volumes swell to six-month highs

TRADING volumes swelled to six-month highs on the equity market yesterday on strong buying interest from institutional investors who hopped from banking to smaller capitalised stocks in alternate profit-taking to speculative buying.

Commercial stocks, prodded by CTC, Woolworth and Ceilfloor gains, led advancing sectors with a 4.7 per cent jump, with the "other" category following with a 2.9 per cent rise.

The banking sector underperformed the broad uptrend, closing with a 0.5 per cent advance and paring stronger gains registered in pre-trading and early in the session. The all-share index ended 1.01 per cent higher to 559.26, see-sawing in a relatively narrow band of 565.25 and a low of 558.96.

"The market is going quite well. There is momentum on buying interest. It is good to see small steady steps," said Andreas Damianou, managing director of Argus Financial Services Group.

Traders said attention was focused on the annual general meeting of Bank of Cyprus which was held later yesterday afternoon. BoC opened some 28 cents stronger but was hit by strong pressure which saw it lose most of its intraday gains and close with a two cent increase to nine pounds.

There was also strong interest reported in Laiki after a report in a daily newspaper yesterday that it had taken over a Greek brokerage. The report was later confirmed by bank officials, who however declined to name the institution in Greece pending notification of Greek authorities.

Bank official Andreas Stylianou said the brokerage had a turnover of three trillion drachmas a year and had a significant segment of the Greek market. "This move is part of the bank's strategy to offer a full range of financial services in Greece," he said.

The purchase, the cost of which was not fully disclosed, would also have a positive effect on the bank's plans to list its share on the Greek stockmarket in future.

Laiki has said a dual listing of its shares on the Athens Stock Exchange is among its future plans, but have not set a specific date. It is speculated, however, that they target the first half of 2001.

They plan to first take their group share to the Greek stockmarket, and for that to be followed by subsidiary Laiki Hellas. Laiki posted a 13 cent increase in the price of its share to 13.07 pounds on a turnover of 369,826 shares.

Louis were back in prominence yesterday with 3.6 million shares changing hands, topping volume ranks and adding nine cents to £2.15. Droushia followed with 1.7 million shares traded as it retreated a cent to £1.02.

Aristo Investments, the investment arm of Paphos-based real estate developer Aristo Investments, made its debut on the market yesterday. It opened above its issue price at £1.15 and negotiated a band of 93 cents to £1.19 before closing unchanged at £1.15. The stock was heavily traded with a volume of 982,000 shares.

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[05] Cyprus takes a dusting

CYPRUS was shrouded in a thick cloud of African dust yesterday as sand storms whipped across Egypt and Libya.

Paphos was one of the worst affected areas on the island, with visibility at one stage yesterday morning so poor that three incoming flights from the UK had to be diverted to Larnaca, because conditions were too bad to land.

"The dust problem occurs every year in the eastern Mediterranean, though it is perhaps slightly denser this year," said Kleanthis Philaniotis, director of Cyprus Weather Services.

Limassol had an additional problem, when torrential rain and lightning mingled with the dust to produce a muddy downpour -- a blow for the recent influx of tourists.

The weather also affected people with respiratory problems. Yesterday morning, 10 people were admitted to the casualty unit at Nicosia General Hospital. Dr Kostas Antoniades advised people to take all necessary precautions and referred them to guidelines published by the Ministry of Health.

"Those with breathing problems should remain at home, unless they have a specific reason for going out. If they have to go outside then they should protect their mouth and nose," said Dr Antoniades.

Afternoon showers dampened the effects of the dust in the air, and as the winds changed course Philaniotis expected a distinct improvement in the weather today.

Paphos airport re-opened yesterday afternoon as the weather brightened.

But things looked set to remain bleak in North Africa until the end of the week. Visibility was down to only 200 metres in parts of Libya and Alexandria port stayed closed.

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[06] 4,423 traffic violations

During the same period police reported 4,423 traffic violations, while the courts tried 430 traffic-related cases.

Twenty-one drivers lost the right to hold or obtain a driver's licence while ,32,976 was paid in fines.

Police recorded 1,660 speeding offences, 574 drivers were booked for not wearing their seat-belts, and 237 for talking on a mobile phone while driving. Furthermore, 210 motorcycle and moped riders were booked for failure to wear helmets.

From the 323 drivers breathalysed eight were booked for drink-driving and two drivers were reported for excessive emissions from their vehicles.

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[07] 25 years after killing, military case dropped

THE Attorney-general decided to drop a 25-year-old homicide case due to lack of evidence, a military court in Nicosia heard yesterday.

The accused man was 46-year-old Michalakis Christofides, from Aglandja, who has been living in England for the past 25 years. The charges brought against Christofides were of premeditated murder and homicide of 19-year- old George Taliadoros, from Palouriotissa, on November 13, 1974.

Christofides had been a member of an army patrol which opened fire on a car in which Taliadoros was a passenger after it failed to stop for a check outside the old Pasydy building on Demosthenis Severis Street in Nicosia.

Yesterday the prosecutor told the court that the Attorney-general, after carefully examining the evidence, had decided not to pursue the case any further. Despite the seriousness of the charges the state had decided to suspend criminal prosecution.

Reports say that the medical examiner who had carried out the 1974 autopsy had died, thus depriving the state one of its key witnesses.

Around five minutes into the hearing, the judge ruled that Christofides should be discharged, but not before stressing that he was not acquitted and that the Attorney-general could decide to re-open the case in the future.

Outside the court the bewildered relatives of Taliadoros protested. They voiced their anger to reporters and spoke of 'burial' of the case and cover- up. A cousin of Taliadoros said the ruling was not fair, despite the suspect's claim that he was ordered to shoot.

According to reports, after the shooting in 1974 the members of the patrol were arrested and questioned by military authorities who determined that Christofides had pulled the trigger. But the suspects, led by a conscript officer, were all released after it was decided the patrol had followed required procedures, just months after the coup and the invasion at a time when tension remained high on the island.

Christofides moved to England, only to find out in 1976 that a warrant had been issued for his arrest after the incident was raised by a deputy of the House of Representatives. But the authorities appear never to have sought to carry out the warrant by requesting the extradition of Christofides from Britain.

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[08]

[09] Logosnet sells 51% to Greek group

The aim is to develop Logosnet Technologies' reputation as a pioneer Internet solutions provider in the Eastern Mediterranean region through a strategic alliance.

Lefteris Antoniades, general manager of Logosnet Technologies, and Ioannis Markopoulos, founder of Com-ToNet, announced the sale at a joint press conference in Nicosia.

Antoniades said Logosnet owes its current success and recognition to the hard work of the company's personnel. He said the company is so successful that 14 firms from four countries had shown an interest in investing in Logosnet or co-operating with the company.

"We strongly believe that this alliance with the Greek group of companies will... serve our long-term goals which include broadening our services and establishing our company in the Internet field as well as in the field of telecommunications within our region," Antoniades said.

Markopoulos stressed that his company had until recently focused on customers based in Greece but had been seeking an international partnership. He said the company was ready to compete with other firms offering similar telecommunications services. Cyprus, he said, made an ideal stepping stone for Com-ToNet's first venture outside.

Logosnet was founded in 1995.

[10]

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[11] Prisoner fights for his right to clean air

A NON-SMOKING prison inmate is campaigning for his right to breathe clean air, adding his name to the list of individuals fighting against passive smoking.

This is the second current case of an individual taking up the anti-smoking cause, following an ongoing demonstration outside the House of Representatives by Andri Olympiou. Olympiou quit her managerial position at an offshore company because she could no longer bear her colleagues' smoking and said she felt sick every day.

According to a report from the Ombudsperson, Andreas Onoufriou has filed a complaint against the Prisons Department saying he is being subjected to heavy cigarette smoke against his will.

Onoufriou says that his request to be moved to a clean air area have been ignored as there is no non-smoking prison wing at the Central Prison.

Ombudsperson Eliana Nicholaou's report continued that Onoufriou, who is serving an 18-month sentence for an unnamed offence, says he has already suffered damage to his health and, following medical advice, has begun using an inhaler pump.

"As Onoufriou described the situation, particularly during the evening hours when approximately 60 inmates smoke in a television room with the windows closed against the cold weather, a cloud of smoke is created in the hallway outside his cell, and extends into his cell."

Nicholaou's report said it was known that the prison was overcrowded and that a non-smoking wing "at least under current conditions, would be a luxury".

The Ombudsperson said that a solution recommended by Prison Director Haris Themistokleous, that Onoufriou be moved to a cell further from the television room had not been accepted by the prisoner. The wing housing Onoufriou is made up of 32 cells -- at the time of Nicholaou's investigation these held 63 prisoners.

He is currently living one cell and a staircase away from the television lounge.

Nicholaou said that radical changes would have to be made for Onoufriou's demand to be satisfied; an air circulation system would need to be set up in the wing, in the TV lounge and in the hall. She recommended that a study be carried out into whether similar systems were required in other wings.

The Ombudsperson was introduced in Cyprus in January 1991 and is filled by Presidential appointment. If an administration does not comply with the suggestions made in the Ombudsperson's report, a &gt;Special Report' regarding non-compliance may be issued to the Council of Ministers and the House of Representatives. It is then a matter for the Council of Ministers or House.

[12] Civil servants are promoted 'as a matter of course'

CYPRUS' public service was yesterday dubbed dysfunctional by the president of the Public Service Committee.

Presenting the committee's report, Andreas Kalogeorgis said that Cyprus' public service faced two serious problems -- promotions taking place as a matter of course and the process by which new public servants were employed.

In-service training was also criticised. "Reviewing does not only take place for promotional reasons, it's there to help the employee develop," said Kalogeorgis. "How will someone who gets five 'excellent' grades without any effort improve if no one tells him where he is going wrong?"

Kalogeorgis said he had presented the report to President Glafcos Clerides earlier yesterday and that Clerides had shown concern over the issue. He said Clerides had promised to call a special meeting on ways to improve the workings of the public service.

The committee, apart from its role in interviewing potential public servants, also acts as a disciplinary court. Kalogeorgis said that 12 disciplinary cases had come to the fore in 1999 and decisions had been reached on five of them. Without going into detail, Kalogeorgis said these cases had resulted in one dismissal (the most severe reprimand handed out by the committee), and one demotion, plus less serious reprimands in cases where employees were found guilty.

Kalogeorgis said that last year the committee had dealt with more work than ever before. He said that prospective public servants undergo a lengthy selection process whereby unsuitable applicants are weeded out, written exams are taken and interviews held. This final stage sees the most direct intervention of the committee which has the final say on who is appointed.

The committee also reviews supervisors' reports on public servants' performance, based on which promotions are awarded

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[13] Power lines risk: Aradippou demands 'What about us?'

THE Aradippou community near Larnaca was yesterday up in arms demanding the relocation of electric power lines they say could be causing leukaemia.

The outburst came in the wake of an Electricity Authority (EAC) decision to remove power lines from the Polemidia community in Limassol after fierce protests by inhabitants. Residents of the Limassol suburb claim the electromagnetic fields emitted by the lines are to blame for many leukaemia deaths in their community.

Now the Aradippou residents are protesting, asserting they are treated like second class citizens. They wondered why the authorities did not respond to their pleas a few years ago when they first brought up the issue.

The residents maintain that since the EAC decided to relocate the lines in Polemidia it meant something was, in fact, wrong and there could be a connection between electromagnetic fields and leukaemia.

Yesterday they demanded to be treated the same way as the Polemidia inhabitants, and affirmed their determination to fight for their rights.

Member of the Municipal Council Andreas Xiouroupas said: "It is unacceptable for Aradippou to be treated this way since it was the first community to protest against power lines in residential areas, but no one cared. We will do anything needed to be treated the same way because we have the same problems with leukaemia and cancer.

One resident, Andreas Christou, said the community will not accept being treated differently. "Why are they moving them from Polemidia and not here?" Christou said. "They (the authorities) did not even come here to tell us if the lines can cause cancer or not."

Another resident said they wanted a prompt solution for the problem. "We want our children to play with the certainty of not getting sick," she said.

Last week, the House Refugee Committee heard that 13 people who lived under the same electric power cable in Polemidia died from leukaemia in a six- year period. Although no connection between power cables and leukaemia has been proved beyond reasonable doubt, experts at the committee last week said that there should have been safety regulations prohibiting building under power cables.

Two weeks ago the Health Ministry announced that the government was launching an epidemiological study for the Polemidia area.

But membership of the committee handling the study has been disputed. It was claimed during the House committee's session last week that several members of the group appointed to carry out the study had in the past maintained that overhead power cables were not a danger.

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[14] Ministers back tax breaks too offset rise in VAT

THE Council of Ministers yesterday approved government proposals for tax breaks in view of the anticipated rise in Value Added Tax.

Finance Minister Takis Klerides last week said that the government proposed to return around £47.2 million in tax breaks from the £62 million it expected to reap from a two per cent rise in VAT, from eight to 10 per cent. VAT was last raised in 1994.

The government insists that it must increase the rate of VAT to eventually come into line with EU norms of 15 per cent while main opposition apart Akel says that the government is hiding behind the EU to introduce a policy harmful to the people.

The House plenum is expected to vote on the issue today following months of finance ministry and political party negotiations on the proposals.

Speaking after the Council of Ministers meeting yesterday Klerides said: "These decisions are the ones already agreed on by the political parties and which I announced last week... It seems that the issue (of VAT) will be closed by Thursday's Plenum."

The minister said that the government planned to introduce the measures and the VAT rise, provided they were approved by the House, from June 1 this year.

He said the Council of Ministers had yesterday given the green light for the tax-free income level to be increased to £6,000 from the current £5, 000. Annual incomes from £6,000 to £9,000 would be subjected to income tax of 20 per cent, £9,000 to £12,000 by 30 per cent and incomes over £12,000 by 40 per cent. Previously, the tax percentages had applied to salaries of £1,000 less in each group.

Klerides continued that refugees earning £10,000 or less would also have an additional tax break of £300 each.

Pensions are also set to be increased while a proposed abolition of inheritance tax could not be put before the Plenum before legal details of the proposal were clarified, Klerides said. The Council of Ministers, meanwhile, also gave approval for the scrapping of the CyBC levy, currently raised as a proportion of consumers' electricity bills.

Despite Klerides' assurances that the Plenum would take a decision on the VAT rise and compensatory measures today, some parliamentary sources yesterday said that the deputies were not planning to rush their decision and would only decide after the Orthodox Easter.

Thursday, April 20, 2000

[15] Ridge the Bold will join the Beautiful for first pageant

THE BOLD Ron Moss, alias hunk Ridge Forester from the American series The Bold and the Beautiful, will wash away his soap suds for the night to present the Miss Universe Millennium Presentation Show on Sunday, May 7, in Nicosia.

The show is the preliminary pageant, in which the 82 contestants will model their swimsuit, evening gown and national costume choices.

The panel of international judges will then select 10 Miss Universe finalists -- a decision that will remain under wraps until the finals, to take place on Saturday, May 13.

The Miss Universe event will be staged in the specially designed Eleftheria Stadium -- the set for the beauty contest was flown in from the United States yesterday.

Vice President of Miss Universe, Paula Shugart, said yesterday she was delighted that TV star Ron Moss had agreed to front the show. Tickets are selling fast, she said.

Moss, or rather Ridge, is particularly popular among the Cypriot public. The Bold and the Beautiful is screened every weekday evening on CyBC2.

<li>

For Millennium Presentation Show tickets, priced £30 to £70, and other Miss Universe events, contact DeLeMa Consultants, T: (02) 660300.</li>

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 2000

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