Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-11-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] Major Synod set to meet today

[02] Deputies seek ways to keep tabs on brokers

[03] 'Deficit will bankrupt the economy'

[04] Unethical treatment at fertility clinics, Matsakis claims

[05] Pourgourides hits out at mayor over birds

[06] Safety fears as 21 hurt on day one of hunting season

[07] CSPCA slams government for the 'massacre' of strays

[08] Residents up in arms over new road plan

[09] New 10-year deal for French radio transmitter

[01] Major Synod set to meet today

The last Major Synod was held in 1973, when three Bishops were defrocked for challenging Archbishop Makarios. Today's Major Synod was called by Archbishop Chrysostomos to resolve the festering crisis in the Church of Cyprus, brought on by allegations of homosexuality against Bishop Athanassios of Limassol.

A three-member committee set up by the local Holy Synod to examine the allegations suffered a serious setback after Bishop Athanassios, who vehemently denies the accusations, refused to testify, claiming two of the members were biased. The case against Athanassios was dealt a further blow after two witnesses claimed they had been bribed to testify against him.

Archbishop Chrysostomos was yesterday adamant the Major Synod would go ahead today, despite the obstacles laid by those who opposed it. Several members of the Holy Synod claim the Archbishop breached Church rules in convoking the Major Synod without the approval of the local hierarchy.

Paphos Bishop Chrysostomos yesterday broke Church protocol and did not attend the Archbishop's name day celebration at Saint John's cathedral in Nicosia. The Paphos Bishop, accused of masterminding the campaign against Athanassios, has been vocal in his criticism of the Archbishop's decision to summon the Major Synod.

Instead of coming to Nicosia, Bishop Chrysostomos held a service in Paphos, flanked by suspended Archimandrite Andreas Constantinides, who first levelled the allegations against the Bishop of Limassol, and one of the main witnesses against Athanassios, Greek hairdresser Christos Stangos. In Nicosia, one of the three bishops tasked to investigate Bishop Athanassios, Bishop Neophytos of Morphou, said his committee's findings were not complete. “Anything we have will be submitted to the so-called Major Synod, ” he said.

[02] Deputies seek ways to keep tabs on brokers

The proposals, aimed at lifting the Cyprus Stock Exchange out of the doldrums, came before the Finance Committee on the day the index plunged over six per cent to a new year-low of 264.59. Investors' Association President Alkis Argyrides used the occasion to call for a freeze on new companies listing on the market.

“We want no new listed companies to take advantage of people's money. That would be the only way to tackle the problem,” he told the committee yesterday. Argyrides accused stockbrokers of playing mind games with investors, deciding on the movement of prices according to their own ulterior motives.

A proposal to monitor broker activity has already been presented before Parliament, but was put on hold by the Finance Ministry, which disagreed with the whole idea. The Committee's proposal now provides for the division of brokers into three categories: those who provided financial advice to investors and carry out transactions, the ones who merely operate as mediators between investors and listed companies, and the ones representing an investment company, who operate as brokers and investors.

According to the bill, brokers in the first two categories should be barred from carrying out transactions to serve the interests of anyone other than their clients, while brokers in the third category should not take advantage of information obtained from clients to carry out transactions to their own benefit.

The Committee suggested that a close eye should be kept on broker activity to catch any offenders, who would be banned from carrying out transactions for up to a year. But the Stock Brokers Association's President, Christodoulos Ellinas, said there regulations on the matter already existed. “If you think the existing law is not in effect, then implement it, ” he told deputies.

On the other hand, Security and Exchange Commission President, Andreas Charalambous, favoured the Committee's proposal. There was unanimity, however, on the idea of banning investment companies from receiving investor's money before their Initial Public Offering had been approved.

Charalambous said: “It is important to set up a mechanism to prevent investment companies from using investors' money before they enter the CSE.” Registrar of Companies Maria Kyriacou also backed the proposal, saying it was in line with European regulations. Discussion of the two proposals continues next week.

[03] 'Deficit will bankrupt the economy'

The state is doing little to cut down the deficit, which according to official forecasts will reach 6.9 per cent of GDP this year (well above the three per cent Maastricht target), the House Finance Committee complained yesterday.

For Cyprus to join the Euro zone after its accession to the European Union, the country's fiscal deficit must not exceed three per cent of GDP. A proposal tabled before the Committee by the chairman of the committee Marcos Kyprianou of DIKO and party president Tassos Papadopoulos says the House should be freed of responsibility for the public deficit, which should be handled exclusively by the government.

According to the proposal, deputies would only discuss deficit-related issues if the government implemented measures to reduce it to two per cent of GDP by 2005. “We are always forced to vote on unpopular taxation or public loans to cut down the deficit. But, according to the Constitution, the government is the one to set up mechanisms to protect the country's economy, but it keeps coming up with unrealistic state budgets, leaving us with difficult dilemmas.

We do not want to vote on unpopular bills and be held responsible afterwards,” the proposal said. Papadopoulos said raising new loans was not the solution to the fiscal deficit problem. “Big loans have put the economy on the line. There is a limit to making loans and we have to draw the line right now.

The government should take drastic measures to cut down on the deficit. It must at last make realistic decisions concerning the budget. There are development projects that simply have to be put on hold. It must prioritise its spending.” The Committee agreed with Papadopoulos that the government and the legislature must co-operate better when it comes to the public deficit.

But the deputies appeared sceptical about the proposal and asked for the Attorney-general's view to find out whether the plan was in line with the Constitution DISY deputy Christos Rotsas said it was not legal provisions that would help the economy back on its feet, but restrictions on public spending.

The United Democrats' Androulla Vassiliou said: “We must work together with the government better and not change the legal framework. We must simply raise our voices and not succumb to government pressures when they want us to vote on unpopular taxation.”

“The Committee will continue its discussion on this tremendously important issue. We will also wait to hear the Attorney-general's point of view,” Committee President Marcos Kyprianou said.

[04] Unethical treatment at fertility clinics, Matsakis claims

The former state pathologist is calling for legislation to govern invitro fertilisation and the creation of an ethics committee to monitor the issue. “There are about 10 fertility clinics in Cyprus and they are operating without any rules or regulations,” Matsakis told the Cyprus Mail.

“The government promised legislation but it hasn't been done, so now I have no option but to come out publicly.” Matsakis said not only was there no legislation, but that a number of clinics were operating unethically.

“Some cases came to my attention in which sperm was used from donors without the consent of the couple or of at least one of them,” he said. “Apart from the ethical issues, there are serious medical considerations because if you don't know who the donor is there can't be a proper assessment if they are carrying genetic diseases.”

He said the clinics sis not carry out tests or screen donor sperm and that he had come across cases where embryos had suffered serious genetic disorders, which were not present in the father but were present in tests on the donor father.

Matsakis said some couples where the problem arose from the father's low sperm count were not even told that donor sperm was mixed in with the father's. “There has to be proper control of this issue and I intend to raise it again with the Health Committee,” Matsakis said.

“We need urgent legislation on this and the formation of a committee to look at the ethical issues involved.” He said couples were spending thousands of pounds on fertility treatment and that he had even heard of one woman who had serious problems during the pre-fertilisation treatment.

Matsakis also questioned why the government has not already established a fertility centre at the Makarios hospital. “It's the largest maternity hospital in the country,” he said. “Why don't they want the public sector to do it? Are there political pressures from the private clinics? There are hundreds of thousands of pounds involved in this.”

But endocrinologist Krinos Trokkoudes, one of the first to offer fertility treatment in Cyprus, said Matsakis had approached the problem in the wrong way. “He is doing a lot of damage,” he said.

Trokkoudes said all clinics were governed by standard medical practice and that if Matsakis had evidence of malpractice he should report it to the Medical Association. Referring to the cases cited by Matsakis, Trokkoudes said: “This is very serious and if this was the case then it comes under medical practices.”

[05] Pourgourides hits out at mayor over birds

“It is with great surprise that I hear of you maintaining that the capture of ambelopoulia and their serving up as meze in tavernas survived periods of Turkish and English rule and is something that must continue because it is a tradition,” Pourgourides states in a letter sent to Vlittis.

Pourgourides points out to Vlittis that the cruel trapping techniques were declared illegal by a 1974 law. “You must realise that your opinions encourage citizens to break the law,” Pourgourides charged the Paralimni mayor.

Despite the ban, the trapping continues to be both widespread and blatant, particularly in the southeast of the island. With a single pickled bird selling for £1.50, the trapping is a multi-million pound industry. Once a traditional, small-scale activity, it has been turned into a high-tech industry, with tape lures often being used to attract migrants to their doom.

Pourgurides also notes in his letter to Vlittis that a number of deputies from the Famagusta area have expressed opposition to his proposal to tighten up the law on lime sticking and mist netting. He describes this stance from his colleagues as “distressing”.

The DISY deputy, a seasoned anti-corruption campaigner, yesterday also sent a letter to Justice Minister Nicos Koshis, urging him to order an immediate police clampdown on the trapping Environmentalists insist police are not doing enough to enforce the bans, and the evidence “on the ground” suggests trappers have little fear of being penalised.

Police point to records of arrests, but admit that tackling the trappers is not their top priority. The Times, the Daily Express and the Daily Mail have all recently carried stories about the widespread and blatant bird killing.

The Daily Mail described Cypriots as “the most merciless bird killers in the Mediterranean”. Britain's powerful Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) last week called on Brussels to block Cyprus's entry unless the lime sticking and bird trapping is halted.

The RSPB call came after its under-cover officers estimated, on a recent visit to the island, that some 20 million songbirds fall foul to lime sticks and mist nets every year in Cyprus. The bad press prompted the local Hunting Association - which is keen to cultivate a green image - to echo the RSPB's call for the EU to make Cyprus's accession conditional on the stamping out of the illegal trapping.

[06] Safety fears as 21 hurt on day one of hunting season

Laws aimed at keeping the island's 50,000 hunters away from homes are strict. No hunter is allowed to fire his gun anywhere within 300 metres of a built-up area or anywhere within 150 metres of an isolated home.

But the stipulations are often ignored. “I do not remember a single such case this year,” a police spokesman said yesterday when asked how many hunters had been arrested for letting off too close to a home.

Chief Game Warden Pantelis Hadjiyeros said the problem was that villagers traditionally liked to shoot close to home. Most complaints about shooting near homes came from foreigners living in villages who did not understand “local attitudes”, Hadjiyeros said.

“Locals like to hunt near their homes, it is traditional. Older hunters from villages start their shooting expeditions from their homes,” Hadjiyeros said. The Game Warden added that the problem was worse on days like Sunday, when thousands of hunters headed for the fields for the opening day of a shooting season.

But Hadjiyeros said the village habit of shooting near homes did not result in injuries to bystanders. “Accidents do occur, but they are always between hunters,” he said. Sunday's statistics back up Hadjiyeros's theory.

All of the 21 people hurt in incidents across the island were hunters. Three of them had to operated on to remove pellets embedded in various parts of their bodies, while the rest were released after first aid treatment alone. Three hunters were hit in the eye, but none of them lost an eye.

Most incidents involved hunters being hit by other hunters' pellets, but one case involved an 18-year-old hunter whose gun went off in his own hands. Health Minister Frixos Savvides commented late on Sunday that such injuries would be the norm “for as long as hunters continue to shoot at anything that moves”.

Local shooters have a reputation for firing at all feathered creatures, irrespective of whether they are legitimate game or protected species. But Hadjiyeros yesterday said the local hunting fraternity had made huge leaps forward when it came to being less “trigger-happy”.

“We have seen a huge difference over the past 10 years, hunters have become far more sensitive on the issue,” the Chief Game Warden insisted. “People used to be ill-informed. For example, they believed, like people did in many countries, that birds of prey were harmful, whereas now we know that they are actually beneficial.”

Local ornithologists estimate that about 20 million birds are killed by shooting and illegal mist netting and lime sticking activities on the island every year. Hadjileos said a new hunting law was now being drawn up.

He said the new legislation would tighten up all aspects of hunting control, allowing, among other things, for the immediate confiscation of guns belonging to persons caught poaching and for on-the-spot fines for other violations.

On Sunday, 10 people were arrested by game wardens for suspected poaching or for carrying a loaded gun in a no-hunting area. A Paphos man who was reported missing while out hunting with two friends on Sunday had returned home unharmed later in the day, police reported yesterday.

[07] CSPCA slams government for the 'massacre' of strays

Speaking at a news conference yesterday, society president Toulla Poyadji passionately described what she said was an unacceptable state of affairs, where authorities engaged in the extermination of strays, particularly dogs, without taking any measures against the owners who abandoned them.

Poyadji said many dog owners abandoned their pets without caring about their fate. The dogs would end up being shot. She also attacked the proposed Dog Law, saying it had flaws and went against relevant European conventions.

“The state does not respect the law or the various European conventions concerning the welfare and protection of animals, whether they are pets or wildlife,” Poyadji said. The bill talks about “putting dogs down”, but does not specify how it would be done.

This, according to Poyiadji, allowed anyone with a licence to kill strays to use any means possible, the usual being a shotgun. “The only accepted method of putting a dog down is with intravenous injection, administered by a registered vet,” she said.

“Thousands of dogs are shot every year, with the excuse that they are dangerous or that it was impossible to catch them. “The Veterinary Service's furnace operates from 7.30am until 2.30pm, and the smell of burning animal carcasses permeates the atmosphere in the area,” Poyadji claimed.

She branded as dictatorial a stipulation in the bill, which gives the right to the authorities to intervene any time a dog “looks dangerous”. “This gives the right to the relevant authority to decide on its own and seize the animal and put it down,” she said. Senior Veterinary Official Klitos Andreou, who was present at the news conference, bore the brunt of the animal welfare society's attacks, but defended his department, saying it was doing whatever it could to fight abuse.

Andreou sought to put the problem in perspective, saying the public were not sensitive on animal welfare issues and that it would take years for people to change. He added the CSPCA and other animal welfare groups should train and educate the public in such issues and not expect hefty fines or penalties from the courts to be effective.

“The courts will not solve the problem; only training and education will,” Andreou said. Andreou doubted the bill was not in line with EU conventions, adding that Brussels left national governments to pass their own legislature to deal with such issues. He said there would be further discussion on the bill, and that ways of overcoming obstacles would be sought, together with animal welfare groups.

[08] Residents up in arms over new road plan

They say they are ready to fight tooth and claw in order to block government plans to expand the road's two lanes into four. Residents have criticised the government for failing to consider pedestrian safety, quality of life and the commercial value of property in its mission to tackle traffic problems.

Nicosia mayor Lellos Demetriades urged the need for pedestrian protection alongside efforts to deal with the traffic problem earlier this month. He was unavailable for comment yesterday. But one regular commuter, whose doctor lives on Kalipoleos Street, welcomed the proposed changes. “It's awful. I think it's dangerous. The road is so narrow because people park outside the shops. It makes it just impossible to get down there,” she said yesterday. But she doubted that a four-lane road would make the road any safer.

“People would drive faster then and if I was a resident I wouldn't be pleased. What they need is a proper two-lane road, so that the parked cars don't squeeze the traffic,” she added.

The Town Planning Department told Politis newspaper yesterday that rebuilding the avenue would upgrade the area without causing environmental damage, would improve the architecture and make the street more aesthetic.

Incoming traffic from Limassol now joins up with Makarios Avenue, often a bottleneck during the rush hour. Transport Minister, Averoff Neophytou yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that all road refits were the domain of local authorities, adding they only became the responsibility of the government once work went ahead.

He was unable to comment about the specific case. Plans for the road have already been drawn up and the House Communications Committee is expected to discuss the issue soon. Strovolos residents made a similar fuss in September after the Town Planning Department sought to turn Archibishop Kyprianou Avenue into a pedestrian zone and redirect traffic through the residential back streets.

Archbishop Kyprianou Avenue is also narrow. Constant traffic pollution has eroded some of the buildings and accidents are frequent. Residents filed a petition and a decision to review the plans was taken last week.

[09] New 10-year deal for French radio transmitter

CYPRUS and France yesterday renewed an agreement regarding the broadcasting of programmes by French radio to the Middle East.

The transmitter used by Radio France Internationale (RFI) is at Cape Greco, in the Famagusta district, where it has been in operation since 1970. The agreement was renewed for 10 years for the sum of £1.7 million, and was signed by Transport and Communications Ministry Permanent Secretary Vassos Pyrgos and the President of RFI, Jean-Paul Cluzel.

An official statement said the agreement was yet another step in the direction of promoting Cyprus as a service hub to the Middle East by utilising the island's strategic location.

Cyprus Mail 2000

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