Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-12-09

Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Wednesday, December 9, 1998

Repas speaks the US lingo

THE VISIT of Greek Minister of the Press, Demetris Repas, was given prominent coverage, although the welcome was not very warm and his comments were linked to the missiles.

Simerini said that Repas "spoke the American language with a Greek accent", with regard to the S-300 missiles, after his meeting with President Clerides. A few days before a final decision would be taken about the missiles, Repas wondered whether they genuinely bolstered Cyprus' defence.

This view had been conveyed by Thomas Miller to a gathering of Greek Americans and was repeated by US ambassador Kenneth Brill, a week ago. The paper noted that Repas had calculatingly avoided mentioning the possibility of stationing the missiles in Crete, which is his government's position.

Alithia reported that the efforts of the international community to prevent the deployment of the missiles in Cyprus would be stepped up in the next few days. Leading these effort was the US.

Apart from consultations at UN headquarters, aimed at including a reference about the missiles in the Security Council decision for the renewal of Unficyp's mandate, Richard Holbrooke would be visiting Athens and Ankara. President Clinton's involvement in these efforts was also being considered.

Phileleftheros claimed that the Cyprus-Turkey issue was at the centre of EU consultations under way in Brussels, with Athens having to fight on both fronts at the EU summit in Vienna. The Austrian presidency, in its conclusions, notes that the continuing division of the island poses problems to the accession course, although it did not consider the settlement a condition for full membership.

Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis was in Bonn for talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who said there would be no new decisions about EU enlargement at the Vienna summit.

Haravghi claimed that the Attorney-general Alecos Markides was dithering over whether to press charges against the former Bishop of Limassol, Chrysanthos.

Markides had been given the case file by the police, who had completed all their investigations and believed that there were grounds to prosecute Chrysanthos. The paper speculated that Markides' procrastination may be the prelude of a cover-up.

Machi reported that the communist party Akel was going to vote against the government's budgets when they are tabled for House approval.

This was the line of the Akel leader Demetris Christofias, who was "waging a merciless war" against the government. He had hardened his position after suggestions that Edek would approve the budgets.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article