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CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY, 96-05-14Cyprus News Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Panayiotis Zaphiris <pzaphiri@glue.umd.edu>CONTENTS
[01] NEW U.N. ENVOY TO CYPRUS PLANS JUNE TRIP TO NICOSIA BY JAMES DELIHASUNITED NATIONS, MAY 13 (CNA) -- THE NEW UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CYPRUS, HAN SUNG-JOO, SOUTH KOREA'S FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER, SAID HE WOULD MAKE HIS FIRST TRIP TO NICOSIA IN THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE.IN A 45-MINUTE INTERVIEW WITH CNA, HAN SAID HE ALSO EXPECTS TO VISIT OTHER CAPITALS ''INCLUDING ATHENS AND POSSIBLY ONE OR TWO OTHERS.'' HE IS TO STOP BEFOREHAND IN NEW YORK TO CONFER WITH U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI AND OTHERS. REACHED BY TELEPHONE AT HIS HOME IN SEOUL, HAN BARELY TWO WEEKS INTO HIS ASSIGNMENT FELT HE COULD NOT SPEAK YET TO THE SPECIFICS OF THE CYPRUS PROBLEM AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. BUT HE PROVED FORTHCOMING ON A NUMBER OF MATTERS AND WHAT HE WAS ABLE TO SAY NONETHELESS PROVIDED GLIMPSES INTO HIS PERSONALITY AND HOW HE MIGHT BE EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE ISSUE. ''AT THE RISK OF BEING THOUGH IMMODEST'', HE SAID, ''I CONSIDER MYSELF A QUICK STUDY WHICH WAS A HELPFUL ATTRIBUTE TO HAVE WHEN I WAS IN THE FOREIGN MINISTRY OF SOUTH KOREA.'' CNA JD/GP/1996ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY[02] CYPRIOT PRESIDENT TO MEET U.N. CHIEF IN GENEVANICOSIA, MAY 13 (CNA) -- CYPRUS PRESIDENT GLAFCOS CLERIDES WILL MEET U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI ON JUNE 12 IN GENEVA.THIS WAS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED HERE TODAY BY GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN YIANNAKIS CASSOULIDES. ORIGINALLY THE GHALI-CLERIDES MEETING WAS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE IN NEW YORK, WHEN PRESIDENT CLERIDES WILL VISIT THE UNITED STATES IN MID-JUNE. BUT THE U.N. CHIEF WILL BE ABROAD DURING THAT PERIOD. AFTER GENEVA, THE CYPRIOT PRESIDENT WILL FLY TO WASHINGTON WHERE HE WILL HOLD TALKS WITH U.S. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, ON JUNE 18, AT THE WHITE HOUSE. THE CYPRUS PROBLEM AND VARIOUS EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE A BREAKTHROUGH IN THE PRESENT STALEMATE IS EXPECTED TO BE DISCUSSED BY PRESIDENT CLERIDES AT HIS MEETINGS WITH BOUTROS-GHALI AND CLINTON. U.S. OFFICIALS HAVE REPEATEDLY STATED THAT 1996 WILL BE THE ''BIG PUSH'' FOR CYPRUS. CYPRUS HAS BEEN DIVIDED SINCE 1974 WHEN TURKISH TROOPS INVADED AND OCCUPIED 37 PER CENT OF ITS TERRITORY. TURKEY HAS IGNORED NUMEROUS U.N. RESOLUTIONS CALLING FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF ITS OCCUPATION TROOPS FROM THIS EAST MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND. CNA EC/GP/1996ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY[03] CYPRUS TO REPLY TO U.N. CHIEF ON MISSING PERSONSNICOSIA, MAY 13 (CNA) -- THE GOVERNMENT AND THE RELATIVES OF THE PERSONS MISSING SINCE THE 1974 TURKISH INVASION REACHED HERE MONDAY A UNANIMOUS DECISION REGARDING THEIR REPLY TO THE U.N. CHIEF'S SUGGESTION FOR THE DISBANDING OF THE INVESTIGATORY COMMITTEE FOR THE MISSING PERSONS, IN 18 MONTHS, DUE TO LACK OF PROGRESS.HOWEVER, THE CONTENT OF THE DECISION WAS NOT ANNOUNCED TO THE PRESS. CNA KPK/GP/1996ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY[04] CYPRUS MOVES TO AVERT SALE OF OCCUPIED CHURCHNICOSIA, MAY 13 (CNA) -- THE CYPRUS AUTHORITIES ARE MOVING TO AVERT THE PROPOSED SALE OF A CHURCH IN THE NORTHERN TURKISH OCCUPIED PART OF CYPRUS, FOLLOWING AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THE TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS TO ATTRACT PROSPECTIVE BUYERS.''ANY ATTEMPT TO SELL ANY CHURCH IN OCCUPIED CYPRUS WOULD BE A VERY SERIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND IF A SALE GOES AHEAD WE WILL PROTEST SUCH MOVES TO ALL WORLD BODIES,'' GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN YIANNAKIS CASSOULIDES SAID HERE TODAY, COMMENTING ON THE PRESS REPORTS. THE AUTHORITIES, HE ADDED, WOULD ALSO LOOK INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF TAKING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST ''CESKIN AND SMITH'', A LONDON-REGISTERED COMPANY, OF BRITISH AND TURKISH CYPRIOT OWNERSHIP, WHO PLACED THE SALE ADVERTISEMENT IN THE TURKISH CYPRIOT ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY ''CYPRUS TODAY.'' THE BYZANTINE CHURCH OF ''PANAYIA TIS CHRYSOTRIMITHIOTISSAS'', DEDICATED TO VIRGIN MARY, IS IN TRIMITHI VILLAGE, SOME SEVEN KILOMETRES SOUTH WEST OF THE OCCUPIED PORT OF KYRENIA, ON THE NORTHERN COAST OF THIS EAST MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND. THE CHURCH LIES WITHIN THE AUTHORITY OF THE KYRENIA BISHOPRIC. CASSOULIDES SAID INFORMATION RELATING TO THE CHURCH, INCLUDING OWNERSHIP PAPERS AND A DETAILED DESCRIPTION BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTIQUITIES, HAS ALREADY BEEN SENT TO THE REPUBLIC'S DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ABROAD WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO PROTEST THE PROPOSED SALE IN A BID TO AVERT IT. SIMILAR PRESS REPORTS RELATING TO PROPOSED SALES, THEFT OR PILLAGE OF GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCHES IN OCCUPIED CYPRUS HAVE SURFACED IN THE PAST IN THE TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS. ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS ACTS OF ILLICIT ANTIQUITIES TRADE IS THE CASE OF SIX PRICELESS MOSAICS FROM ''PANAYIA TIS KANAKARIAS'' CHURCH IN THE OCCUPIED VILLAGE OF LITHRANGOMI, WHICH WERE RETURNED TO THE CHURCH OF CYPRUS AFTER A LEGAL BATTLE IN THE AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM AGAINST THE ART DEALER WHO HAD BOUGHT THEM ILLEGALLY FROM EUROPEAN ART DEALERS. TODAY'S EDITION OF THE DAILY TURKISH CYPRIOT ''KIBRIS'' SAID THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF ANTIQUITIES WERE TAKEN ABROAD DURING THE 1980S. ''SOME ART TREASURES WERE TRANSPORTED IN TRUNKS, OTHERS IN LORRIES AND MANY IN LUXURY YACHTS BELONGING TO WEALTHY PEOPLE PRETENDING TO BE TOURISTS,'' THE PAPER SAID. REFERRING TO THE KANAKARIA MOSAICS, THE PAPER SAID THESE WERE DUE TO BE SOLD IN NEW YORK WHEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS INTERVENED AND OBTAINED AN INJUNCTION PREVENTING THE SALE. ''KIBRIS'' ALSO ADMITS THAT 13 ICONS OF THE 18 AND 19 CENTURIES DEPICTING CHRIST'S BIRTH, STOLEN IN JULY 1994 FROM THE MUSEUM OF ICONS IN KYRENIA, ARE YET TO BE DISCOVERED. ANTIQUITIES IN THE TOWN OF MORPHOU, ON THE NORTH WESTERN PART OF CYPRUS ALSO DISAPPEARED. PENALTIES FOR ILLICIT ART TRADING ARE NOT A DETERRENT TO PROSPECTIVE THIEVES, THE PAPER NOTES. CNA MM/MA/1996ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY[05] EU COUNCIL PREPARES COMMON APPROACH ON CYPRUSBRUSSELS, MAY 13 (CNA) -- EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN MINISTERS, MEETING HERE TODAY, REACHED A COMPROMISE POSITION IN VIEW OF TOMORROW'S EU-CYPRUS ASSOCIATION COUNCIL.FOURTEEN EU MEMBER-STATES ABANDONED THEIR PREVIOUSLY HELD VIEW THAT CYPRUS' ACCESSION TALKS WITH THE EU, DUE TO START SIX MONTHS AFTER THE IGC (INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE) IN ACCORDANCE WITH AN EU DECISION IN MARCH 1995, SHOULD BE LINKED TO TURKEY'S EU CUSTOMS UNION AGREEMENT. TODAY'S DECISION IS PARTLY DUE TO GREECE'S SOFTENING OF ITS POSITION ON THE EU MEDA PROGRAMME, WHICH PROVIDES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO 12 OF THE EU'S NEIGHBOURS BORDERING THE MEDITERRANEAN. GREECE HAS ALLOWED THE MEDA PROGRAMME TO BE REFERRED TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, BY ABSTAINING DURING THE VOTE FOR THE REFERRAL. THE PROGRAMME WILL RETURN TO THE EU COUNCIL FOR FINAL APPROVAL AFTER ABOUT TWO MONTHS. UNANIMITY IS REQUIRED FOR APPROVAL. IT IS EXPECTED THAT TOMORROW'S ASSOCIATION COUNCIL WILL NOTE THAT THE EU MARCH DECISION, WHICH ALSO REFERS TO THE CONCLUSION OF TURKEY'S CUSTOMS UNION AGREEMENT, WAS TAKEN IN THE FRAMEWORK OF A COMPREHENSIVE DISCUSSION AND NOT A COMPREHENSIVE ''COMPROMISE'' AS PREVIOUS TEXTS READ. CYPRUS FOREIGN MINISTER ALECOS MICHAELIDES IS IN BRUSSELS TO ATTEND TOMORROW'S EU-CYPRUS ASSOCIATION COUNCIL. THIS EAST MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND REPUBLIC APPLIED FOR FULL MEMBERSHIP IN JULY 1990. IT SIGNED AN ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY IN 1972 AND A CUSTOMS UNION AGREEMENT IN 1987. CNA NB/MM/GP/1996ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCYCyprus News Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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