Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-09-04

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

Friday, September 04, 1998

'Holbrooke the brain behind the Denktash plan'

THE PAPERS continued to devote great attention to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash's confederation plan, announced at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem in occupied Nicosia on Monday.

Simerini called the plan a "US trap (created) with (US Special envoy Richard) Holbrooke's inspiration". The paper asserted that Holbrooke, as well as Thomas Miller, the US State Department's Special Co-ordinator on Cyprus, had known about the controversial plan in advance, and that Holbrooke may even have contributed to it.

Machi goes one step further, leading with a report that claims Holbrooke was in fact the "brain" behind Denktash's proposals.

Haravghi leads with Communist party Akel's demand for a complaint to be made to the international community about Turkey's "latest provocation", referring to the Denktash plan. The paper says Turkey's generals had given their consent to Denktash's settlement proposal, and says confederation is seen as "the final step before unification (with Turkey)".

Phileleftheros claims that Denktash's proposal is a deliberate ploy by Ankara to heighten tension on the island. The paper reports that Ankara moreover intends to "link the proposal with the S-300 issue".

Front page attention is also given to the threat of the millennium computer bug, with reports that it could present serious danger to the economy and defence if serious measures are not taken soon.

Alithia is the only paper to lead with Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Nicos Rolandis' demands for the Board of the Electricity Authority to stand down. Rolandis is "enraged" with the EAC Board over the sale of Limassol Church land to the Authority for 15 to 20 per cent more than the property was worth. The paper says that EAC is as much to blame in the affair -- as it did not get a second estimate on the property -- as the Limassol bishopric, which is itself enmeshed in a web of allegations of financial impropriety.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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