Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-09-03

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

Thursday, September 03, 1998

Did US know about the Denktash plan?

YESTERDAY's papers continued to lead on the unanimous rejection of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash's controversial confederation proposals by the Greek side, and on international opinion on the issue.

Phileleftheros reported lukewarm reactions to Denktash's proposal by the European Union and the USA. the paper said that Washington and London both viewed some of the elements in the proposal as positive. A reaffirmation of Nicosia's position on the proposal was made with the statement: "The Turkish proposal does not bring us closer, but it pushes us further apart".

The paper also ran a story about plans to take Nicosia into the twenty- first century. The capital's GSP stadium is apparently to be transformed into a new hub for the city, housing, among other things, the country's new Stock Exchange and a hotel.

Alithia focused on President Glafcos Clerides' expected meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the sidelines of the non-aligned summit in South Africa. The paper says Clerides is expected to ask the Secretary- General and the UN Security Council to condemn Denktash's latest confederation proposal.

Haravghi highlights conflicting opinions on organised crime between Justice Minister Nicos Koshis and the Chief of Police, Andreas Angellides. Angellides maintains that organised crime on the island is under control, while Koshis admitted last week that the police were having difficulty facing this problem.

The paper also claimed that the United States had known about Denktash's settlement proposal all along, citing US Ambassador Kenneth Brill's non- committal response to the issue as well as comments by Disy leader Nicos Anastassiades that the US is examining Denktash's proposal.

Simerini goes one step further, claiming that the USA would promote Denktash's proposal. The paper did not rule out the proposal finding its way to the negotiation table, and said that Washington had had advance knowledge of the proposal. The anti-American line was echoed by Machi, which said the USA was encouraging Turkish intransigence in efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.

On a lighter note, the paper held out hope for sex-starved men impatient to get their hands on the impotence wonder drug, Viagra, looking at several medical alternatives to the drug, which it said were currently available on the market in Cyprus. Viagra is not expected to be licensed on the island until early next year.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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