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/ Nato bombing dashes hopes for peace
/
YESTERDAY'S papers gave most of their attention to the continuing Nato
bombardment of Yugoslavia and the trial of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan
in Turkey.
Locally, they reported on elections for senior positions in Disy, the
governing right-wing party and discussions between President Glafcos
Clerides and government doctors.
_Machi
led on Yugoslavia, saying "hopes for a peaceful solution are lost." The paper said at least 20 people were killed and dozens injured in the Nato bombing of a hospital in the Yugoslav town of Surdulica on Monday morning. Machi_
said that it was the second time the hospital had ben hit since bombing
began.
Locally, the paper said that Clerides and break-away government doctors'
union Pasyki would be discussing demands such as the lowering of the number
of years before retirement and changes in hospital organisation.
_Simerini
_ said that interested parties would be submitting their candidacies for
senior places in Disy yesterday. The paper said that there were three
candidates for the position of vice-president, and many more for the 12
positions in the party's political office. The three-day elections are set
to start on June 20.
On a different tack, the paper said that "Cyprus has been flooded with
counterfeit cheques." According to Simerini, a gang from Syria had
purchased a large amount of goods and obtained cash, to the value of
approximately £100,000. The paper said that two arrests had been made and
that police were looking for at least three more people in connection with
the case.
_Haravghi
_ accused Nato of "murdering defenceless people in cold blood." The paper
reported on the hospital bombing and said that foreign journalists had also
been injured when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit. The
journalists' Serbian driver was killed.
_Haravghi
_ reported that Ocalan was being tried in a "glass cage." The paper said
that in Monday's first day of the trial, 138 pages of charges were read out
against Ocalan, who was set to be questioned by the court yesterday.
_Politis
_ said that because of international pressure, the Turkish government would
be replacing the military judge with another civilian one.
_Alithia
_ said Ocalan had promised peace in exchange for his life. The paper
continued that Ocalan had been shown on Turkish television dressed in a
brown suit and speaking slowly.
_Phileleftheros
_ reported that bullying school children were operating "protection
rackets" at certain schools.
According to the paper, a Greek pupil of Russian descent had forced another
pupil to buy his lunch every day while another Cypriot pupil took a younger
child's school saving account money every week.
The paper also reported that the police were on the tracks of a gang that
remodelled stolen cars before re-selling them.
© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999
