|
|
|
Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-12-08
Friday, December 8, 2000
CONTENTS
[01] Minister resumes Akamas consultations
[02] OAPs march for better pensions
[03] Denktash turns up the heat ahead of UNFICYP mandate renewal
[04] Progress in education crisis
[05] Cows can eat GM soya instead of bonemeal
[06] How hotels can save energy and water
[07] Iraqi immigrants arrested near Dhekelia
[08] Government warning on loan rates
[09] Refinery deal could free Larnaca seafront by 2013
[01] Minister resumes Akamas consultations
SIX MONTHS after a final decision on the long-running Akamas saga was due,
the government yesterday kicked off yet another round of talks with local
villagers aimed at deciding the future of the remote peninsula. On March 1
this year -- more than a decade after the pristine area was earmarked for
national park status -- the Cabinet approved a controversial plan to allow
"mild and controlled" tourism development, preserving only the Akamas state
forest and the Lara and Toxeftra turtle-nesting beaches. A ministerial
committee chaired by Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous was given
three months in which to talk to all interested parties and come up with a
final formula for implementing the Cabinet plan. With Akamas area villagers
attacking the March 1 plan as too restrictive and greens condemning it as a
"sell-out" to developers, the ministerial committee has failed to achieve
the desired consensus on a final plan. Yesterday, Themistocleous began a
two-day tour of the area during which he will have fresh discussions with
all the local communities. Once a united front, the villages have now
decided they each want to fight their own corner, forcing Themistocleous to
schedule separate talks with each community. As he set off on his tour
yesterday, the minister promised, for the umpteenth time, that a final
decision on Akamas was near. "We will talk with the communities; we will
tell them exactly how the ministerial committee and the Cabinet see the
issue and we will hear their positions so that we can, by putting all these
things together, arrive at a final decision," he said. The resumption of
talks yesterday represented a minor breakthrough for the minister, as the
villages have, for the past five months, been refusing to discuss the issue
in protest at how the state Environment Service interpreted the March 1
decision. Akamas area residents insist that only the 58 square kilometres
of the Akamas state forest should remain development-free. They also want
the government to define what it means by "mild and controlled" tourism
development. Another factor holding up implementation of the Cabinet plan
has been the insistence of the biggest Akamas landowner, Photos Photiades,
that his plot of land in the area is twice as big as Land Registry records
say it is. The size issue is crucial as the Cabinet plan allows Photiades
to develop an area half the size of his plot, without "mild and controlled"
stipulations. Environmentalists have long been campaigning to preserve the
peninsula with dramatic scenery, rare lowland scrub and turtle-nesting
beaches. The European Commission has also called for protection of the
area.
[02] OAPs march for better pensions
ABOUT 300 pensioners protested outside the House of Representatives
yesterday demanding bigger pensions and warning deputies that if they did
not address the issue by election time in May, pensioners would "require an
explanation". "It is time to put an end to this injustice," members of the
Union of Cypriot Pensioners chanted, blocking the entrance to the House for
over an hour before submitting a petition to House President Spyros
Kyprianou and to party parliamentary spokesmen. According to Labour
Ministry statistics for 1999, 85,000 pensioners lived on state pensions of
just £151 per month, while 8,000 received a mere £131 a month. The Union
blamed the small pensions partly on the fact that self-employed did not
contribute enough to Social Insurance funds. A bill seeking to address the
issue is pending House approval. "The House has discussed the matter
several times but it has not begun resolving it yet. It is about time to
deal with it once and for all," Union Secretary General Michalis Panayi
told reporters outside the House. One of the demonstrators, Vassilis Cadis,
77, a handicapped man living in Nicosia, told the Cyprus Mail he and his
wife could hardly get by, struggling on £300 per month between them. "We
receive a pension of £150 each per month. The fact that we pay rent forces
us to count every single cent. We find fruit and vegetable prices very high
and we wish we could buy food for half their price." Seventy-five-year old
Ioannis Kyprianou, living in the Larnaca district, likewise said the
pension he received was inadequate. "I get a monthly pension of £167 and my
wife receives £125 per month. We cannot afford much other than our food. We
should enjoy benefits like reductions in bus fares, cinema tickets and tax
cuts like elderly people in Europe do. Pensioners in Cyprus are neglected
by society and the state." Pensions today are eight per cent lower in real
terms than they used to be a few years ago, the Union complained, calling
for a mechanism to ensure self-employed people made contributions to Social
Insurance based on how much they really earned. "Most people living under
the poverty line are pensioners. We ask the House of Representatives to
halt this social injustice. Elderly people have offered a lot to society.
Now it is society's turn to help the elderly. "Cyprus should start getting
into line with European Union regulations on the matter," Panayi said.
[03] Denktash turns up the heat ahead of UNFICYP mandate renewal
By a Staff Reporter TURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash yesterday issued
an ultimatum to the UN to either accept that UNFICYP needed his regime's
permission to function in the north or continue to suffer restrictions. The
comment adds to the brewing row over the renewal of the force's six-monthly
mandate at the Security Council on December 15. Denktash said the reasons
why his regime had imposed the restrictions on UNFICYP last year were very
clear. "The TRNC exists. No one should expect us to act as if there was a
legitimate Cyprus government in charge of the entire island, to confirm the
existence of this fake government and to accept UNFICYP into our bosom,"
Denktash said, adding it would be "very easy" to rectify the situation.
"The working conditions of UNFICYP will return to normal when the United
Nations accepts that it can function in the north with the approval of the
TRNC and in line with the conditions put forth by the Turkish Cypriots." UN
Secretary-general Kofi Annan on Tuesday recommended the renewal of the
UNFICYP mandate for another six months, but noted that the restrictions had
affected troop movements significantly. Denktash has signalled that his
side may even impose additional restrictions if the wording of the new
UNFICYP mandate does not satisfy him. The Greek Cypriot side insists it
will never allow Denktash to have a say in the renewal of the force, as
this would be tantamount to recognition of his regime. The catch-22
situation may force the UN to summon both sides to the Security Council to
settle the dispute, diplomats said on Tuesday.
[04] Progress in education crisis
By a Staff Reporter THERE were signs of progress in finding a solution to
the education crisis yesterday, as secondary school teachers suspended
their industrial action, and their elementary school colleagues accepted a
deal put forward by the ministry. In a marathon meeting, the secondary
school teachers' union OELMEK decided to suspend its measures, which had
included a boycott of extra-curricular school activities, a two-hour
stoppage for Monday, and not handing in end-of-term reports. OELMEK has set
a Sunday deadline when its central board will reconvene to take decisions
according to developments in their dialogue with the ministry. Yesterday,
elementary school teachers' union POED unanimously agreed to accept the
ministry's proposal concerning the issue of pay. POED members went on
strike to demand equal pay scales as their secondary school colleagues. But
OELMEK claimed POED was stitching up a deal with the government behind its
back and embarked on action of its own. The two unions earlier this week
accused each other of trying to undermine the other. Parents' associations
have pleaded with everyone involved in the growing crisis to "cool it" in
order to minimise disruption to classes.
[05] Cows can eat GM soya instead of bonemeal
By a Staff Reporter THE GREEN Party yesterday condemned government plans to
use genetically modified soya and corn as an alternative to bonemeal and
other meat products in the manufacturing of livestock feed. The protest
came after Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous said this week's EU
ban on meat and bonemeal in animal feed, which Cyprus is following, meant
genetically modified soya might have to be used as a worthy alternative.
"It's use is not banned by the EU," he added. The EU ordered the ban in an
effort to halt the spread of BSE, or mad cow disease. The Greens responded
with an announcement, suggesting the government itself had "gone mad" and
said that Themistocleous' statement had "terrified consumers". "The
Minister is spreading panic and fear with his statements. We can't
understand why bonemeal has to be replaced with genetically modified soya
and corn. The Minister and his officials know very well that there are
countries that do not allow the cultivation of genetically modified goods.
So there is every reason for animal feed without any modified ingredients
to be used." The Party suggested that local farmers be encouraged to
produce natural products to be used in animal feed.
[06] How hotels can save energy and water
A PIONEERING series of international conferences on the hotel industry and
the environment kicked off in Limassol yesterday. The two-day conference,
which is being organised by the Swiss Federation of Travel Agencies and the
Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO), focuses on the need for protecting the
environment through the latest technological developments. "This makes
sense not only from an ecological point of view but may well lead to
substantial cost savings in a short time," the CTO said. "In the areas of
water and energy consumption in particular one can detect a significant
savings potential that can be realised by many hotels." The CTO said such
modifications need not always be costly for the hotels involved and that
impressive results could be achieved with minor investments and partial
solutions. The conference aims at presenting a number of different
approaches for innovative solutions and state-of-the-art products, and also
to act as a forum for the exchange of views and ideas for planners.
Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Nicos Rolandis told delegates at
the conference that the development of new environmentally friendly
technologies was a priority area and that its success could have important
effects on the tourism sector. He said solar energy use in Cyprus
contributed cuts of some four per cent from the island's energy needs.
Today, more than 92 per cent of households and 50 per cent of hotels and
hotel apartments use solar water heaters, he said. "I am convinced that
renewable energy sources are capable of making a significant contribution
to the island's energy needs whilst at the same time preserving the natural
environment," he said. Rolandis said that in June 1999 the government had
introduced a scheme for the provision of financial incentives for the
implementation of investments in the field of energy conservation and the
substitution of conventional fuels and electricity with renewable energy
sources. "The scheme is also applicable to the hotel sector," he said. The
Minister said the rising number of tourists had resulted in increased
energy demand. "The increase, coupled with the high prices prevailing in
the international oil market lately, are burdening the island's economy
while at the same time posing an environmental challenge," he said. Last
year, 2.4 million tourists visited Cyprus compared to 2.2 million in 1998.
This year, some 2.7 million will have holidayed on the island, and are
expected to generate some £1.15 billion. Since 1997, tourist arrivals have
increased by 29 per cent and tourism revenues by 38 per cent. A pilot
project is currently under way for the introduction of environmental
management systems in the industrial and tourism sectors. "It is hoped that
in due course more and more of our hotels will recognise the value of such
systems," Rolandis said.
[07] Iraqi immigrants arrested near Dhekelia
By a Staff Reporter EIGHT illegal immigrants were detained yesterday after
they were found on the side of the Larnaca to Dhekelia motorway. Police
said the eight Iraqi men were arrested between six and seven in the morning
near Aradippou while trying to hitch a lift. With the help of a translator
the men allegedly pointed out on a map their point of departure in Lebanon,
but refused to reveal when they had come to Cyprus. Police believe the men
arrived in Larnaca on 8pm on Wednesday. Despite emergency measures taken by
the authorities, a steady flow of illegal migrants continues to arrive
undetected onto the island. Last month, police arrested several groups of
immigrants of Arab origin who arrived in Cyprus on ramshackle boats, often
paying hundreds of dollars for the hazardous trip that they thought would
land them in EU members Italy or Greece.
[08] Government warning on loan rates
By a Staff Reporter THE FINANCE Ministry yesterday issued a warning to the
public on the likely changes to loan accounts with the liberalisation of
interest rates from January 1. The current ceiling on interest rates is
nine per cent, but the ceiling will disappear from the New Year, the
Ministry said. "Interest rates will move freely and will be set by the
market in accordance with prevailing conditions." The Ministry said those
with housing loans would have a choice either to stick with the current
nine per cent for a transitional period until the end of December 2002 or
switch to market rates. After that date, outstanding loan interest will be
subject to the new liberalised rates. However, if customers choose the nine
per cent, they will be bound to it for the transitional period, whether
market rates are higher or lower. The Ministry reminded borrowers that the
current interest rate for housing loans was eight per cent. Borrowers
wishing to retain the nine per cent rate must inform their banks in writing
within a month of the new interest rate legislation's implementation.
[09] Refinery deal could free Larnaca seafront by 2013
A COUNTDOWN to the removal of the oil refinery from Larnaca's shores began
yesterday, following an initial agreement between the Commerce Ministry and
the town's Municipality. Announcing the move late on Wednesday, Commerce,
Industry and Tourism Minister Nicos Rolandis said that even though the
House Commerce Committee would have the final say, the move was expected to
be completed by January 1, 2013. "On December 14, we will be having a
meeting with the relevant House Committee at which I will brief members. I
would like to believe that all those involved will work together so that we
can achieve this great vision to free this area of the refinery and return
it where it belongs -- to Cyprus tourism and to the town of Larnaca." But
deputies are thought to be concerned about the amount of money needed for
the changes. Speaking after a Wednesday afternoon meeting with Larnaca
Municipality's improvement board, Rolandis said that by the end of the
timetable, a new, more environmentally-friendly refinery would be up and
running at the Vassiliko Chemical Industries location outside Limassol.
Until then, the current refinery will also be upgraded, Rolandis said.
"This improvement will cost, we estimate, between $35 and $40 million. It
is unavoidable because without the upgrade we will not have products
falling into line with EU requirements. And the cost across the board of EU
energy harmonisation will be much greater, probably rising to about $450
million." The complete changes to bring about harmonisation in the energy
sector would include building storage tanks for 90 days, in line with EU
requirements. The fuel produced is currently well below EU specifications.
The Municipality has asked for £1 million to rehabilitate the three-
kilometre area once the refinery is moved.
Cyprus Mail 2000
|
