Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-07-11

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

Friday, July 11, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] Dumped and pregnant: sad end for eloping army couple

[02] House tackles over 100 bills in marathon session

[03] Limassol flyovers to be ready by 2006

[04] Government slams DISY for shunning ‘unity rally’

[05] Minister to meet Turkish Cypriot family in bid to avert lawsuit over visa fiasco

[06] Government launches free breast cancer screening programme

[07] Police seize over 11kg of cannabis in raid

[08] British diplomat appointed to focus on Cyprus

[09] 45 per cent of Cypriots think Christofias running the country

[10] CY to launch Dubai-Colombo flights

[11] CyTA to be granted 20-year mobile licence with liberalisation

[12] Orphaned children to be brought up by their aunt

[13] Government pondering English School scholarships for Turkish Cypriots

[01] Dumped and pregnant: sad end for eloping army couple

A ‘PIN-UP’ British female soldier, who went AWOL from the UN in Cyprus in July 2001 with her sergeant lover, has found herself pregnant and dumped by her boyfriend who has since married an old flame.

Lance Bombardier Heidi Cochrane was serving with the Royal Artillery when she ran away with Sergeant Jason Archer, her immediate superior, deserting their respective spouses and the army, and failing to contact other family members.

They gave themselves up seven months later and pleaded guilty to charges of being absent without leave. Archer was sentenced to six months detention while Cochrane received 112 days. They were also reduced in rank to privates.

Now Cochrane, who had in the past been used by the British Ministry of Defence in an advertising campaign for women in the army, has told the Bristol Evening Post that Archer dumped her while she was pregnant.

She said that shortly after Jason found out she was pregnant, he left her for an old flame, Mandy Jones, and 10 weeks later they were married.

From the flat in Shrewsbury, which she used to share with Jason, Heidi said: "I'm devastated. Jason told me he wanted to start a family. We'd even decided on names: Ethan for a boy and Olivia for a girl,” said Cochrane.

She said the couple’s romance had gone well until the beginning of this year when Archer’s mood changed. She said she then found a text message from a woman called Mandy on his mobile phone and he admitted she was an old flame that he had bumped into.

Cochrane said Archer then left her without warning and shortly afterwards she took a pregnancy test, which came up positive.

After the couple had given themselves up back in 1991, Archer told the News of the World: “Every morning when the key turns in the door of our separate cells we will close our eyes, say each other’s name and whisper, ‘I love you’. And every evening at lights out, as they turn the keys in our cell doors, we’ll whisper each other’s names and say, ‘I love you’. We’ll know exactly the moment we are thinking of each other.”

Cochrane joined the army straight from school. She disappeared on her birthday shortly after her promotion from private soon after her arrival for a six-month stint with UNFICYP. She was part of the 300-strong British UN contingent monitoring the Nicosia Green Line.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[02] House tackles over 100 bills in marathon session

MORE than 100 bills were brought before the Plenum for approval in yesterday’s last regular session before the summer recess, which lasted around six hours.

Out of the 108 bills, two were allocated to their respective House Committees for further discussion, while 20 were withdrawn. Around 90 of the remaining bills, which were mostly part of the island’s harmonisation to the acquis communautaire were approved either unanimously or by majority.

Among the bills passed was a £4 million government package to aid cash- strapped football clubs, hard-pressed to meet UEFA solvency criteria.

The move came after appeals by club owners desperate to get their accounts in order to attain the financial standards set by UEFA, or face crippling sanctions, most notably exclusion from European competitions as of the 2003- 2004 season, or even a bar on foreign signings.

The passing of the bill was opposed by EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou, who slammed football clubs for overspending.

“Citizens are not willing to bear the financial consequences arising from thoughtless spending in the football sector,” he said.

The plenum also approved a bill that would see professional vehicles travelling within the EU to be subject to technical scrutiny as part of the island’s harmonisation with the acquis.

Also passed unanimously was a bill concerning civil marriages between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, regardless of their religion as well as allowing Turkish Cypriots to marry, divorce or cancel a marriage according to the law.

An extraordinary meeting was also scheduled for Monday, July 14, where the plenum is due formally to ratify the EU accession treaty.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[03] Limassol flyovers to be ready by 2006

COMMUNICATIONS and Works Minister Kikis Kazamias yesterday pledged that works to turn the Limassol roundabouts into flyovers would be completed by 2006.

Speaking after a visit to Limassol, where he discussed issues with the local authorities, Kazamias said he was pleased that the contractors were keeping the deadlines on the project.

“We were given the opportunity to inspect the works together with the Public Works Department and I was pleased to discover that work is going ahead as scheduled,” he said.

Kazamias said the cost of converting the last two roundabouts into flyovers amounted to £11 million, and that the works would be funded by the European Union.

“We are hopeful that by 2006 all the works will be completed,” he said.

“The works will be beneficial to the public and will ease the flow of traffic to and from Paphos.”

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[04] Government slams DISY for shunning ‘unity rally’

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday accused DISY of not being interested in national unity after the opposition party’s heavy criticism of a planned all-party rally to condemn the 1974 coup and Turkish invasion.

DISY opposes the rally, arguing it would hurt the current climate of rapprochement between the island’s two communities, as well as do a disservice in the unity of Greek Cypriots.

In the past, such events have caused trouble among party supporters because of the slogans being chanted. DISY has always been accused of giving political shelter to people who played instrumental roles in the July 15 1974 coup against President Makarios.

Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides yesterday said that if DISY cared about unity it would participate in the July 17 rally at Eleftheria Square.

“Apart from preserving the historic memory of the twin crime of 1974, the rally will send a message of unity to all the Cypriot people and messages of reconciliation and co-operation with our Turkish Cypriot compatriots for the reunification of Cyprus,” Chrysostomides said.

He rejected DISY chief Nicos Anastassiades’ argument that the rally would wreck national unity, maintaining that all parties - government and opposition - were participating.

“The goal is the reunification of our country, despite its past; to overcome this negative past so that we proceed in a spirit of co-operation and reconciliation for the reunification of Cyprus within the EU framework, ” the spokesman said.

House President Demetris Christofias said it was every party’s right to make its choice, adding there was no disrespect or lack of decency in organising a mass rally.

“I don’t want to burden anyone with the responsibility; there is the will now to exhibit the Cypriot people’s unity through this rally, which is done with decency and determination to reunify our country,” Christofias said.

He added: “We should not compromise with the occupation to show decency, neither we should forget that a coup took place in this country.”

Anastassiades reiterated yesterday that his party would have no objection if the rally was being held to send a message - as the Turkish Cypriot opposition had done with the UN plan.

“We are ready to co-operate with President (Tassos) Papadopoulos and the governing parties if the goal concerning the solution of the Cyprus problem, EU accession and modernisation will be common,” Anastassiades said.

Replying to criticism against him, the DISY chief said: “I refuse to follow mentalities or slogans of the past.

“If people want to preserve themselves with the past, that’s their problem; we live in the present and want to hope in the future,” Anastassiades said.

He added: “Unity is not achieved by abusing the opposition.”

Former agriculture minister and United Democrats general secretary Costas Themistocleous said the current political environment dictated a continuation of the past policy of not organising such rallies.

He said such events had ceased because they turned into a focus for conflict instead of serving their purpose, which was to condemn the coup and invasion.

Themistocleous said the people remembered and knew, adding that today, more than ever, “we should be careful and sensitive in issues concerning political developments”.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[05] Minister to meet Turkish Cypriot family in bid to avert lawsuit over visa fiasco

INTERIOR Minister Andreas Christou said yesterday he would meet the father of a Turkish Cypriot woman who was turned back on arrival at Larnaca airport from Lebanon despite having all the necessary paperwork, in a bid to convince the family not to lodge an appeal before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The government has already launched an investigation into the fiasco, which was handled by officers of the immigration department, who apparently failed to consult their political superiors.

In what has developed into a huge embarrassment, the woman is now threatening the government with a lawsuit after it became that the government had been misled by those handling the case at the airport into thinking that the woman did not have the necessary visa.

Gulsevin Chah had arrived on the island with her two children on Saturday.

Instead of helping her through, the officers at the airport detained her and the children for 24 hours and then put them on a plane back to Lebanon.

Yesterday, Christou said there had been “abuse of authority” in the case, adding, however, that the incident should not overshadow the work done by the state services to assist Turkish Cypriots since the partial lifting of restrictions on the freedom of movement in April.

Christou said he was meeting the woman’s father today in an effort to convince the family not to appeal to the ECHR.

The minister assured that there was an ongoing investigation into the issue and that responsibility would be assigned.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[06] Government launches free breast cancer screening programme

A breast cancer screening programme was introduced in Cyprus yesterday,

in accordance with European Union recommendations.

The programme aims to secure a 25 per cent decrease in incidences of breast cancer in Cyprus by 2008.

On average, about 300 new cases of the disease are recorded in Cyprus every year.

Speaking at the launch of the screening programme in Nicosia yesterday, Health Minister Dina Akkelidou said letters had been sent out to women aged 50-69 inviting them to attend a free mammogram session at the Health Centre in Aglandja, which houses a state-of-the-art mammograph machine funded by the EU.

Akkelidou said initially that 2,000 letters would be sent out per month, but stressed that the ultimate goal was to screen 100,000 women in two years.

Mammogram results will be sent to women by post, and those needing biopsies will be advised accordingly.

Stella Kyriakidou, President of the Cyprus Breast Cancer Movement, Europa Donna, said the screening programme was an “essential offer of life to every Cypriot woman,” noting “we all know that this is a vital initiative within European guidelines.”

About 216,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in EU countries every year, 79,000 of whom die of the disease. The cancer is the biggest killer of women aged between 35 and 55.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[07] Police seize over 11kg of cannabis in raid

POLICE said yesterday said they were searching for more drugs following the seizure on Wednesday night of over 11 kilograms of cannabis from a flat in the village of Dhali near Nicosia.

A 43-year-old man was remanded in custody for eight days in connection with the case.

Costas Charalambous was arrested his brother, who was subsequently released without charge, after police searched his flat and found 11.23 kilograms of cannabis neatly packaged in plastic wrapping and tape.

It was the second big drug seizure by police in three days.

On Monday, police seized 1,185 cannabis plants of various sizes, which were being cultivated on a steep forested area in the Limassol district. Two suspects are in custody in connection with that case.

The man arrested yesterday faces charges of illegal import, possession, and possession with intent to sell the drugs, which police believe were part of a larger haul imported to the island eight months ago.

The court heard that the drugs arrived in a container from an unknown country, packed in furniture that is thought to have been dispersed in several locations on the island.

The police operation kicked off at around 8.20pm, with officers raiding the suspect’s flat.

Drug Squad officer Andreas Eleftheriou told the court that Charalambous had initially given up a plastic bag with 70 grams of what looked like cannabis.

He was arrested and later led police to the big stash, which had been hidden in a small attic in his brother’s room.

Speaking at a news conference later in the day, drug squad operations deputy chief said two cardboard boxes were found containing the blocks of cannabis.

Hariton Yiangou said the drugs had been packed in two couches and an armchair that were found in the suspect’s flat.

He said that from a rough estimate of the size of the packages and the space in the couches, there could have been around 20 kilograms of drugs in the shipment.

Police believe that around 60 kilograms of cannabis could have been transported in the furniture container and dispersed around the island in the same manner.

Yiangou said police believed the suspect was part of a larger ring of drug traffickers, adding although he had named some contacts in Cyprus, he had refused to name his collaborators abroad.

The suspect had been a permanent resident of Bulgaria for a long time, Yiangou said.

During the remand hearing yesterday morning, police said they were trying to find the drugs’ point of origin as well as the suspect’s link.

Eleftheriou said they have contacted Interpol and requested help to investigate leads in two European countries.

Michalis Stamataris, defending, had no objection to the police request to remand his client in custody for eight days.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[08] British diplomat appointed to focus on Cyprus

BRITAIN has replaced its special envoy Lord David Hannay with a senior Foreign Office official Dominic Chilcott.

Although the British High Commission said Chilcott would not be ‘Britain’s Special Envoy for Cyprus’, the title Hannay held for seven years as an international mediator on the Cyprus problem, the Foreign Office official could be involved in the negotiations if it is “appropriate”.

Hilcott is the director of the Mediterranean Europe desk at the Foreign Office’s EU policy department.

The outspoken and not-always-popular Hannay quit as Cyprus envoy last month following the collapse of negotiations between the two sides in The Hague in March. The British diplomat laid the blame squarely at the door of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who refused to take a UN plan to referendum.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said after his resignation that Hannay would not be replaced unless the need arose.

Yesterday, Chilcott met government and party officials in Nicosia.

On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said his government would continue its efforts to restart talks on Cyprus.

He told the House of Commons he hoped the international community would be able to mount a “constructive attempt” to get the sides back to the negotiating table.

The international community wants a Cyprus solution by May 2004 so that a united island can join the EU.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[09] 45 per cent of Cypriots think Christofias running the country

THE government has brushed aside an opinion poll showing that 45 per cent those asked believed House President Demetris Christofias was running the country, spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday.

The poll, conducted by company CSB, showed that 45 per cent of participants believed Christofias was running the government, as opposed to 43 per cent who did not. But President Papadopoulos’ popularity was shown to be climbing, as 67 per cent of those asked were satisfied with his presidency.

However, just 10 per cent of poll participants declared themselves “very satisfied” with the new government.

“What has been made public is satisfactory for the government… especially given that the government has only been in power for four months,” Chrysostomides said. “Our government is one of works not promises.”

The spokesman said the opposition’s stance was “clearly nihilistic,” showing the opposition itself was “at a loss” as to what to do now they were no longer in power.

He noted that within the next few months, the government’s programme would become clearer to the public, increasing their satisfaction with the government.

“The government has a five-year programme, and in four months it was impossible for all changes to be implemented in that short time.”

Asked whether the government was concerned that 45 per cent of those polled declared Christofias and AKEL were running Cyprus, Chrysostomides said most of this 45 per cent “was drawn from DISY supporters”, which he said was “natural given the immobility of the opposition and the fact that they were trying to persuade their supporters that AKEL was governing.”

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[10] CY to launch Dubai-Colombo flights

CYPRUS Airways (CY) is from November planning to start flights from Dubai to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, with a new market strategy that is also targeting Bombay, airline spokesman Tassos Angelis said yesterday.

Angelis said CY was taking advantage of Dubai’s open skies policy, which allows the airline to carry passengers in and out of Dubai from third destinations, not necessarily including Larnaca.

He said CY had already begun operating twice-weekly flights between Dubai and Beirut and hoped to up the number of these flights by September.

“We are planning the Dubai-Colombo flights for November and we are in negotiations with the Indian side for flights to Bombay,” he said. But Angelis could give no definite date for the start of Bombay flights. “There are some problems that need to be addressed, but there is much interest from the Indian side,” he said. “They are keen to see it happening.”

The new strategy means CY will be able to carry passengers to Sri Lanka and Bombay from Larnaca via Dubai or pick up passengers in Dubai. The system is akin to the EU’s open sky policy, where member states can operate flights anywhere within the bloc.

"The Dubai-Beirut route is a new chapter in our history,” said Angelis. The A320 flight operates on Mondays and Thursdays and carries on to Larnaca.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[11] CyTA to be granted 20-year mobile licence with liberalisation

THE CYPRUS Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) will be granted a radio and telecommunications licence for 20 years for the provision of mobile phone services when the market becomes liberalised, the government announced yesterday.

The government yesterday invited bidders to participate in an auction for a mobile phone licence, which it is hoped will be operational by May 1, 2004, the date of EU entry.

Potential bidders have until September 2 to submit expressions of interest, while bidding will start at £6.8 million for the 20-year licence, according to the contest rules issued yesterday by the office of Telecommunications Regulator. The auction itself is slated for October 30, the deadline set by the EU for Cyprus to open up the market.

“To ensure fair and equitable competition” CyTA will pay the same radio licence fee with the new entrant.

CyTA, which currently operates a second-generation (2G) mobile service and has a 65 per cent market share, will also be given the right to establish and operate a third-generation (3G/UMTS) mobile public telecommunications network and provide 3G/UMTS mobile public telecommunications services.

Second generation added some data services like fax and email to basic voice services, short message service (SMS), and WAP. Third generation mobile communications (3G), in addition to conventional voice, data and fax services, promises to offer multimedia services, mobile office, virtual banking and Internet access.

UMTS, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, is a member of the IMT- 2000 global family of “third generation” mobile communications systems. UMTS will play a key role in creating the future mass market for high- quality wireless multimedia communications that will approach two billion users worldwide by the year 2010. 3G/UMTS networks in particular are expected to play key roles in the development of Cyprus as it moves from a monopoly environment to a competitive market.

“The terms and conditions of the CyTA licences will be similar to those of the new entrant’s except from additional obligations, where necessary, arising from the fact that CyTA has been declared as having significant market power to implement the policies set out in this document related to mobile number portability and national roaming,” the document said.

Applicants for the new licences will not be allowed to have any direct or telecommunications agreement with CyTA or any other government or semi- government organisation in Cyprus. However, after licensing, operators may establish such agreements with the approval of the Council of Ministers.

The only agreements that the new entrant will be allowed to form with the incumbent operator are those provisioned in the regulatory framework to provide end-to-end services and facilitate competition, that is, agreements related to interconnection, national roaming, colocation of facilities and facilities sharing.

Applicants must have demonstrated experience in mobile telephony by having at least three years of experience in operating a network in a competitive environment. The subscribership of the participating operator for the most recent three-year period must be more than 100,000 in a specific country in each year

They also must submit a notarized declaration that they have no relation or affiliation with mobile operators in the occupied areas.

Operators will be encouraged to share towers due to aesthetic and environmental reasons.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[12] Orphaned children to be brought up by their aunt

THE TWO British children orphaned on a holiday in Cyprus when their parents drowned on Tuesday will be brought up by their aunt, the Scottish Daily Record reported yesterday.

Callum and Catriona Rainey, aged nine and six were flown back to the UK on Wednesday, a day after they watched their parents Peter, 49, and Alison, 41, drown when their dinghy capsized in rough seas and strong winds off Peyia. It was the last day of their holiday.

Callum who had also been aboard the dinghy, almost lost his life with his mother and father, but was rescued first and regained consciousness. He was discharged form hospital on Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning Alison Rainey had taken her son out on the inflatable dinghy, leaving her daughter and husband on the beach. But when the dinghy turned over Peter Rainey rushed to rescue them and managed to right the craft and haul everyone aboard.

However, the dinghy capsized for a second time on the way back to shore throwing all three family members in the water, causing the mother and father to lose their lives. None of the family was wearing life jackets and they were on a non-designated beach, authorities said.

The Scottish Daily Record said yesterday that Alison Rainey’s sister Amanda Watkin would raise the two children, who were flown back to Glasgow Airport on Wednesday night, accompanied by their parents` best friends Tim and Kim Allan who had gone on holiday with them.

A family friend said: “We just wanted the children home. Doctors said they were fit to fly, although they were still in shock. The children are in a pretty bad way. They both keep asking for their mum and dad and when they will be home. Peter and Alison were such devoted parents and we just don’t know how the children will cope. At least they will have loving relatives to care for them.”

A post-mortem on Peter and Alison on Wednesday confirmed they had drowned. The bodies are expected to be flown home within the next couple of days. While still in Cyprus the traumatised children were given psychological counselling.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

[13] Government pondering English School scholarships for Turkish Cypriots

ENGLISH School Headmaster Robert Swan yesterday played down reports that Turkish Cypriot students starting at the private school in September would not have to pay their fees themselves.

“I know nothing about this,” he said. “Any Turkish Cypriots residing in the government areas have (so far had) their fees paid for them on the basis that it is no reasonable for them to attend a Greek lyceum.

“But the situation had now changed and we have asked the government to clarify its position.”

Swan said the government has stated that scholarships would be made available to Turkish Cypriots, but has not yet clarified “to whom and under what circumstances.”

“We are waiting for the Council of Ministers to make this clear,” he said.

Education Minister Pefkios Georgiades said on Wednesday that scholarships should be given to Turkish Cypriots wishing to attend the English School because the government “must show that it is trying to support our Turkish Cypriot compatriots.”

“We must appear generous to the other community and we must grasp the fact that we must help the Turkish Cypriots if they are to have the same living standards as we do.”

Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides echoed Georgiades’ view yesterday, noting that scholarships for Turkish Cypriot students could be seen as a gesture forming part of the government’s wider aim to cultivate an atmosphere of rapprochement between the two communities.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

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