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Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-12-06

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

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


Wednesday, December 6, 2000

CONTENTS

  • [01] Annan highlights restrictions on UNFICYP
  • [02] UN confirms it received Turkish threats over Pyla
  • [03] Would you have a third child for £5,000?
  • [04] Cyprus will follow EU lead on bonemeal ban
  • [05] German bank offers £100 million for market stabilisation fund
  • [06] Is the market on the road again?
  • [07] Deputies offer to mediate in schools crisis
  • [08] AKEL blasts procedure for helicopter procurement
  • [09] Ministers seek to double traffic fines
  • [10] Deputies to draw up fox protection plan
  • [11] `Officials have not done their homework on MOT bill'

  • [01] Annan highlights restrictions on UNFICYP

    By a Staff Reporter

    U.N. Secretary-general Kofi Annan yesterday recommended the renewal of the UNFICYP mandate for another six months. In his half-yearly report on the force's activities in Cyprus, Annan said the situation along the ceasefire line has remained generally stable, but he said restrictions imposed on UNFICYP last June had affected troop movements significantly. "As a result the operational effectiveness of UNFICYP has suffered, response times have increased and combined logistic and administrative movements have lengthened significantly," Annan's report said. In addition to the well- known restrictions at crossing points, Annan's report said that since October the Turkish side has prevented UN personnel from moving along the Famagusta-Dherynia road. Annan also mentions Strovilia where Turkish troops moved their positions forward last year to encompass the Greek Cypriot village, ostensibly to prevent UN access to the north. "My urgent call to rescind the restrictions and to restore the military status quo at Strovilia has not so far met with a positive response," Annan said. The report also draws attention to air violations over the 180-km long buffer zone. Violations by Turkish aircraft rose to 47, compared with seven in the same period last year, the report said, while violations by Greek Cypriot military and civilian aircraft decreased to 10 compared to 18 last year. The figure includes three violations by Greek aircraft during the recent `Nikiforos' exercises. From June to December UNFICYP also dealt with more than 400 incidents involving incursions into the buffer zone, mostly by Greek Cypriot hunters "who were often aggressive and sometimes violent". "In the prevailing circumstances I continue to consider the presence of UNFICYP essential for the maintenance of the ceasefire on the island," Annan said.

    [02] UN confirms it received Turkish threats over Pyla

    By a Staff reporter

    THE UN yesterday confirmed that the Turkish Cypriot regime had issued an ultimatum for the return of a Turkish Cypriot arrested in the free areas on suspicion of heroin trafficking on Saturday, threatening the Greek Cypriots in Pyla if they didn't get their way. The demand was dispatched to UNFICYP on Saturday, hours after Omer Tecokul was picked up outside Pyla in possession of two kilos of heroin. "If Greek Cypriot police are engaging in a new policy of kidnapping suspects from the UN-controlled buffer zone, Turkish Cypriot police will respond in a similar manner," said the letter from the `ministry of foreign affairs' in the north. The letter went on to add that unless Tecokul was returned by noon on Monday, "Greek Cypriots in Pyla will disappear". The village of Pyla lies within the UN controlled buffer zone, where neither Greek nor Turkish Cypriot police have any jurisdiction. According to police, Tecokul was arrested outside Pyla, in government-controlled territory, after his car left the village. UN spokeswoman Sarah Russell said yesterday UNFICYP were investigating what had happened and the charges levelled against the suspect. The UN acts as a go-between the government and the authorities in the occupied areas. UN personnel visited him in Larnaca, where he is being held, and confirmed that he was in good health. Turkish Cypriots gave no indication that the man would face criminal charges if he was returned to the north. Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said yesterday the authorities were working in full co-operation with the UN and the British Sovereign British Base Areas.

    [03] Would you have a third child for £5,000?

    YOU MIGHT soon be offered £5,000 to have a third child if the Cabinet and the House approve a Labour Ministry proposal. But would you have a third child for that sort of money? Some couples say they would consider taking up the offer, but admit the amount is nowhere near what is needed to raise a child. The Labour Ministry has proposed the one-off £5,000 payment in an effort to tackle the low birth rate. Currently, only families with four or more children receive child benefit of £26.64 per month per child. The payments continue as long as the children are dependent, and until their mid-twenties if they do their military service and then go on to university. Elena Ioannidou, 31, a shopkeeper, who is married with two children told the Cyprus Mail she would consider having another child if the Ministry went ahead with its plan. "The offer is an attractive one and I would consider taking it, as many others would, I think." Twenty-nine- year old Savvas Savva, a barman engaged to be married also favoured the idea. "I do not have children yet, but I am planning on having them at some point. I think I could be talked into having a third child if I was offered £5,000," he said. Sotiris Lagos, 29, a photographer, said the amount was not enough to raise a child and added that the government did not offer enough benefits to large families. "But I would consider the offer as an extra incentive to have a child. I have two children at the moment and I am thinking of having a third one. Five thousand pounds would definitely help me make up my mind!" Pavlina Pavlou, 27, an unmarried shop owner said: "I am planning on getting married sometime in the future. The offer would get me thinking about having an extra child if I already had two, although the money would not be adequate to raise it, not by a long shot. I would like to add that families with four or more children complain that the government fail to subsidise them sufficiently. But it would help to have £5,000 to start taking care of a newly born. I hope they go ahead with the plan." But 38-year-old Michalakis Nicolaides, who works at a café, said a decision to have a child had no price. "I have two children already. No one and nothing could convince me to have another one if I did not feel like it. Neither five, nor 11 nor 20,000 would be enough if I did not really want another child." Jane Michael, 40, a divorced mother of two teenagers, said £5,000 was very little to raise a child. "It is not easy raising a child. And when they reach puberty it becomes even harder. Five thousand pounds would not motivate me to have another child." A 27- year old woman, married, with one child said £5,000 was no incentive, taking into account that £1,000 alone would be spent on clinic and labour expenses. The Labour Ministry is planning to table its proposal before the Cabinet for approval, despite the Finance Ministry's concerns that the plan would cost the state £8-10 million. The Association for Large Families, which only represents families with four or more children, has said even the fourth-child allowance is inadequate compared to other European countries. Some families who already have three children have requested a meeting with Labour Minister Andreas Moushiouttas, demanding that they too should be covered by a payment plan.

    [04] Cyprus will follow EU lead on bonemeal ban

    CYPRUS yesterday said it would follow the EU's lead and ban the feeding of meat and bonemeal to farm animals for six months. The ban was agreed by the 15 EU member states in an emergency meeting on Monday in an effort to stop the spread of `mad cow' disease or BSE. Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous said an emergency meeting of all relevant government departments was being called for today to discuss ways of minimising the impact of the ban. The feeding of meat and bonemeal to cows has been blamed for the spread of BSE in Europe. Cyprus, which has no recorded cases of BSE, has banned the use of meat and bonemeal for cattle but still permits it for pigs, poultry and fish. "Even as a temporary measure the ban creates a number of issues that must be decided, it creates a problem concerning refuse from slaughter-houses. At this moment, a thousand tonnes of refuse a day from slaughter houses go to make meat meal," Themistocleous said. "There is a huge environmental problem here, what will we do with this stuff? Will we burn it? Will we bury it? There is a crucial issue here." On Monday, hours before the EU ban was decided, the Cyprus Consumers' Association pleaded with the government to ban the use of slaughterhouse leftovers in meat meal "before it is too late". Themistocleous said other tricky issues to be decided at today's meeting included what pig, poultry and fish farmers would feed their charges and what would become of the islands sole bone and meat meal production plant. "We will need a procedure for adjustment of all animal keepers to this new reality, we will have to find substitutes," the Minister said. "So far, we have not been told whether the EU ban covers exports to third countries, we need to get clarifications on this for the sake of the production unit operating in Cyprus," he added. The ban comes into effect on January 1. Despite government assurances that local beef is safe, the BSE scare has slashed sales by a third in recent months. The mad cow crisis resurfaced two months ago when with an increase in cases in France. Things were made worse by the appearance of the first cases in Germany and Spain, suggesting existing containment measures - such as a ban on feed containing animal protein for cattle - were inadequate. At the heart of the scandal is the fear that mad cow disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, can spread to humans through the brain-wasting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Two people in France and 80 in Britain have died from the human form of the disease.

    [05] German bank offers £100 million for market stabilisation fund

    THE CABINET yesterday approved a preliminary proposal by a foreign bank to set up a £100 million `stabilising fund' for the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE). Finance Minister Takis Klerides made the announcement after yesterday's meeting of the Council of Ministers. "I think this proposal shows the trust that foreign organisations have in the long-term future of the CSE," Klerides said. He did not say which bank had made the proposal, only that it was EU-based. He added he would discuss the details in full with the House Finance Committee and the political parties, and if their response was positive "we will proceed to fulfil this agreement". Klerides said that the fund would give the ability to those handling it "to intervene in the Cyprus Stock Exchange, by investing on a long-term basis". He said the specific bank would bring money to Cyprus, which would be invested in "low risk shares", if need be. Klerides did not specify which bank was behind the possible deal, but Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou later told the Cyprus Mail the proposal had come from a well- known German commercial bank. "The money will be invested over a certain period of time in specified stocks," he said. Meanwhile, the Investors Association said yesterday it was advising anyone with a complaint against companies still refusing to give back money to take their case to the police. Unconfirmed reports yesterday suggested police were already investigating some 20-25 companies out of the 150 or so waiting to list on the CSE. The companies are accused of having failed to return investors' money by a November 30 deadline. Investors' Association president Alkis Argyrides said he could not put a figure on the number of companies involved, but said there were "quite a few". "What we are doing now is advising people to claim back the money, and, if they get a negative response, to send it to the Attorney-general," he said. Attorney-general Alecos Markides on Friday instructed police to investigate complaints by investors under a new law passed in October to target companies who had not yet listed but were hanging on to millions in investor cash without issuing the share title deeds. The law says companies that had not issued title deeds by October 18 had to return investors' cash by the end of November. Most companies complied, but a handful appear to have tried to circumvent the law. Argyrides said the law was a positive step, but some of the provisions were not clear. Companies say the date of issue of the shares is what counts, while investors say what matters is the day they receive them in their hands. Argyrides claimed a lot of the companies involved had resorted to deceit to save themselves from having to return investors' cash. "We say that unless a company has floated on the stock market there can't be any `issued shares' as such," Argyrides said.

    [06] Is the market on the road again?

    A STRONG opening yesterday led to a massive sell-off which plunged the index back into negative territory from which it only just recovered to close 0.72 per cent up on Monday's five per cent gain. Trading started on an optimistic note at over 236 points compared to the previous day when the index ended at 232. However at the first signs of life jittery investors began to offload, mostly banking stocks, sending the index into a step slide. By mid-session it was one per cent under but managed to rebound to finally close at 233.6 points on a volume of £11.8 million. The FTSE/CySE- 20 also showed minor gains of 0.65 per cent, ending at 1035 points as some confidence bloomed in the blue-chip sector. Most sectors gained yesterday apart from `other' companies, fish farms and financial services firms. Winners outpaced losers 108 to 42 completely reversing last week's trend. Although the gains were not much to write home about, analysts hope that two upward movements in a row might herald at least a slight return of investor confidence. "But only time will tell," one said. Bank of Cyprus (BoC) was the most traded share of the day adding three cents to close at £4.08 on a volume of £2 million. Laiki jumped six cents to end at £3.00 with a volume of £1 million. Last week both banks had dropped well under the £4 and £3 marks respectively. Three weeks into its Athens listing BoC dropped 1.54 per cent yesterday ending at £4.26 while the ASE banking sector gained a modest 0.39 per cent. Back home GlobalSoft, which has just announced nine-month results the company said exceeded all expectations, added another six cents to close at £5.26 on a volume of £1.62 million. The company recorded an increase in revenue of 768% to £32.5 million, while pre tax profits increased by 719% to £11.27 million. After tax profit clocked in at £9.69 million, a 631% increase over 1999.

    [07] Deputies offer to mediate in schools crisis

    THE HOUSE Education Committee yesterday offered to act as mediator in the schools crisis, by bringing all factions to the table today in a bid to avoid disruptive strike action. Primary and nursery school teachers, represented by the POED union, are threatening to continue strike action begun last month with all-day strikes tomorrow, on Tuesday and Wednesday next week and on December 20. POED are demanding that primary and nursery school teachers get the same pay as their secondary school colleagues. Secondary school teachers, represented by the OELMEK union, are boycotting extra-curricular school activities, refusing to produce end-of-term reports and planning a two-hour work stoppage for Monday OELMEK are striking in protest at the Education Ministry and POED discussing the primary school teachers' demands in their absence. Parents' associations yesterday pleaded with everyone involved in the growing crisis to "cool it" in order to minimise disruption to lessons. Education Minister Ouranios Ioannides repeated a call for both unions to come and talk with him. "There can be no solution without discussion," he stated. The parliamentary education committee said it was calling the minister, his officials and both unions to meet with it this morning to try to talk over and iron out differences. But neither union showed any sign of softening its stance yesterday. POED chairman Sofoklis Charalambides said the fresh strike action had been called because the Minister had gone back on his promise to present an outline of a pay deal thrashed out last week to the union by midday on Monday. Ioannides complained that POED had refused, on Monday, to grant a "small extension" to the original deadline for tabling the draft agreement. The draft has since been handed to POED, who yesterday said they were considering it. OELMEK chief Andreas Stavrou repeated that POED and the Ministry were guilty of shutting them out of pay discussions that "concerned OELMEK members too". Minister Ioannides said OELMEK's interests had not been compromised during discussions with POED. "There has been no discussion of equal treatment of primary and secondary school teachers, what we have discussed is pay rises for primary teachers," Ioannides said. POED and OELMEK again accused each other of trying to undermine the other, and of acting in a "non-unionist" manner. Despite the wrangling, all parties appeared set to accept the House education committee's invitation for today.

    [08] AKEL blasts procedure for helicopter procurement

    THE SAGA for the procurement of four transport helicopters for the National Guard was set to drag on yesterday as main opposition party AKEL vowed it would not approve the funds needed for the purchase. Two other House parties, DIKO and KISOS, have also voiced their disagreement for the specific purchase, leaving ruling DISY alone in insisting that it was the right choice. DISY, however, cannot muster a majority by itself to force the issue through. The Defence Ministry decided the Bell-412EP was the best option for the National Guard, prompting opposition parties to question its judgement and the tender procedures followed. The main reason for the uproar was that the helicopters under consideration were not the military version of the type and could only be fitted with search and rescue equipment similar to the one carried by the police Bell 412. This was due to a long-standing embargo imposed on Cyprus by the United States, forbidding the sale of military equipment. Despite assurances from Defence Minister Socratis Hasikos about the transparency of the tender procedures and the suitability of the helicopters, House Defence Committee member AKEL deputy Doros Christodoulides was adamant yesterday. "We will not vote for this provision," he told the Cyprus Mail. Christodoulides said his party judged that the tender procedure followed had not been satisfactory, and that the helicopter offered to Cyprus was not a military craft. "It does not have any armour, weapons, and means of self protection," Christodoulides said. "It cannot even undertake the missions specified by the National Guard - ability to transport eight to 15 Special Forces troops with complete gear," he added. The size and capabilities of the specific helicopter would make it difficult to carry four soldiers with full gear, Christodoulides said. Modern military helicopters carry at least the basic armour to protect crew and passengers, and could be fitted with missile protection systems, and even electronic counter measures. Military experts cite the case of two Turkish helicopters shot down by Kurdish rebels several years back, killing the troops on board and sending Turkey's brass scrambling to acquire missile protection systems. Christodoulides charged that no bids had been requested from those who could provide a suitable type of helicopters. Hasikos on Monday said his ministry had requested tenders from 12 factories, but only four had replied. But Christodoulides suspected foul play during the tender procedure. "We think that different specifications were asked in the beginning and then they changed to fit the Bell option," he added. "We will vote against the provision because we consider it scandalous to approve the funds for the Bell helicopters," Christodoulides said. The other option mooted during the fracas was the Russian-made Mil Mi-17 helicopter, which comes in any configuration demanded by the customer. The Mil Mi has a range of 1,900 kilometres compared to Bell's 745km, and carries 32 troops, double the number carried by the Bell 412 - 13 plus two pilots, as specified by the manufacturer. In addition, the Mil Mi is armed with a 50mm machine gun, four to six anti- tank missiles, and six 57mm rocket pods.

    [09] Ministers seek to double traffic fines

    By a Staff Reporter

    THE CABINET yesterday approved an increase in on-the-spot fines for traffic offences, with the maximum out-of-court fine raised from £50 to £100. Though details of the fine increases, which must be approved by parliament before being implemented, were not announced yesterday, fines of £50 are currently payable for driving without a seat belt or without both hands free (while eating or using a mobile phone). Such offences could now cost a stinging £100 if approved by the House. Police have long campaigned for fines for driving offences to be made tougher, and fines were only recently raised from £30 to £50. Cyprus has one of the worst road safety records in Europe, with over 100 people being killed on the roads in an average year.

    [10] Deputies to draw up fox protection plan

    THE CYPRUS fox is on the brink of extinction, with five in six fox nests uninhabited, according to a study conducted by a group of Ayios Ioannis High School students this year. But the fox will be declared a protected species if a relevant House Environmental Committee proposal is adopted by Parliament. The stark results of the study were presented to the Committee yesterday by the Takis Ioannides, the teacher who directed the research. No official population studies have been carried out until now. "Out of the sixty nests we had traced in the Paphos, Nicosia and Limassol areas, only eight to ten were inhabited. Every time we went back to those few foxes, we found more and more of them dead," Ioannides told the Committee. Foxes enjoy no legal protection and are routinely shot and poisoned as vermin, particularly by hunters who fear the animals will attack their game and by farmers trying to protect their animals. "Our foxes are classified as `dangerous' under the law and openly killed. We must create a legal framework to protect them," Akel deputy Takis Hadjigeorgiou suggested. The Committee decided unanimously to table a proposal before the Plenum to protect the unique local variety of the species. Agriculture Ministry officials present at the Committee said animal poisoning was illegal with the exception of rat poisoning. They said fox hunting was permitted only on a limited scale and that the state should draw up a plan to conserve the local fox. Foxes were no threat to game because they usually looked for food at night, they added, and farmers should fence their farms to protect their animals instead of killing foxes. Ioannides complained that people were prejudiced about foxes. "I once found a wounded fox, bleeding profusely in the middle of a street, and took it with me to take care of it. Everyone who saw me holding it advised me to kill it. Unfortunately, almost all non-comestible animals are considered dangerous both by society and by the state. It is time to change these perceptions and one way of doing that is by teaching youngsters about the Cyprus' fauna," he proposed. DISY deputy Kate Clerides asked the student group to present their findings to the Education Ministry to help it draw up a plan to raise awareness about the species among students.

    [11] `Officials have not done their homework on MOT bill'

    By a Staff Reporter

    HOUSE Communications' Committee Chairman Nicos Pittokopitis yesterday accused the Communications' Ministry of tabling an incomplete bill before the Committee on mandatory vehicle inspections. The Ministry's plan aims to cut down on the number of road deaths. "The bill hardly touches on any issue other than the setting of fees that drivers will have to pay to have their vehicles inspected," Pittokopitis told reporters at the House following a ten-minute meeting attended by ministry officials. "The officials themselves have admitted the bill has yet to be approved by other government departments. We could never take a decision on it under these circumstances. We would be ridiculed. It would be like setting a non- existent legal framework. We have sent the ministry officials back to do some homework and come back when they are ready to present us with a complete proposal. "We need the ministry to give us more details about which and how many garages will be assigned with the project. We are yet to be briefed about the procedures and other issues in order to be convinced that the plan will be effective and operational," he said. Neophytou said last week the increase in road accidents on the island was partly down to the fact that there were too many poorly-maintained vehicles on the road. If the House approves the scheme, vehicles deemed dangerous because of mechanical or other flaws will be banned.

    Cyprus Mail 2000


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