Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 96-07-22

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CONTENTS

[01] UN working for military dialogue

[02] President briefs party leaders on military talks

[03] Additional measures needed to comply with EU criteria

2100:CYPPRESS:01

[01] UN working for military dialogue

Feissel believes that, if successful, such a move could be conducive to creating a good climate for a political dialogue.

Speaking after a 45-minute meeting here today with President Glafcos Clerides, Feissel said the talks centred on the agreement between the military, announced last week by US permanent representative to the UN Madeleine Albright during her brief visit here.

''The date for the meeting is being worked out by the military and the objective is to have the meeting in July,'' Feissel said after the meeting.

Asked if Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has set any preconditions for this meeting, the UN envoy replied ''the agreement calls for the UN to invite the two commanders to meet and I was told by the US that this has been accepted.''

''I am not aware of any preconditions,'' he added.

The invitation to the meeting, he said, has not yet been sent.

''The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the agenda as this is defined by the relevant clause of UN Security Council resolution 1062. Any other issues mentioned in the resolution are not part of the agenda,'' Feissel explained.

Resolution 1062 calls on ''the military authorities on both sides to enter immediately into intensive discussions with UNFICYP with a view to extending the 1989 unmanning agreement to cover all areas of the buffer zone where the two sides are in close proximity.''

The resolution calls for talks with a view to ''adopting reciprocal measures to prohibit along the ceasefire lines live ammunition or weapons other than hand-held weapons.''

Resolution 1062 was adopted in June, in the aftermath of a killing of an unarmed Greek Cypriot soldier by a Turkish Cypriot soldier in the UN controlled buffer zone.

Asked if the military talks will be a step towards a political solution in Cyprus, Feissel stressed that the meeting should be seen ''as discussions on purely military matters, as these are defined in the relevant part of resolution 1062.''

''If these talks succeed it would make things easier along the ceasefire line and it would have a psychological spin off, which no doubt would help in that area,'' he added.

However he pointed out that this meeting ''has nothing to do with an overall settlement of the Cyprus question, or any other issue except those very specific technical military questions set out in the resolution.''

The proposed meeting between the National Guard Commander, Lieutenant General Nicolaos Vorvolakos, and the Commander of the Turkish occupation forces, Hasan Kundaksi, will be the first since the cease fire was declared in 1974 after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

Asked to comment on a one-day visit to Cyprus' occupied areas by Turkey's Premier Necmettin Erbakan to attend events marking the 22 anniversary of the Turkish invasion, Feissel said the visit was not helpful and added ''the UN position on the matter is well known and it is outlined in its resolutions. There is no need to repeat it.''

CNA MM/MA/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2145:CYPPRESS:02

[02] President briefs party leaders on military talks

During the 90-minute meeting, Clerides informed the political leadership about the details of the agreement, achieved by the US permanent representative to the UN, Madeleine Albright, during her brief visit to Cyprus last week.

The agreement provides for a military dialogue, the first of its kind since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, under the auspices of the UN Commander on the island.

Party leaders refrained from commenting on the meeting and said they will outline their views on the matter at next week's meeting of the National Council, the island's top advisory body to the President on the handling of the Cyprus question.

CNA MA/MM/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2205:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Additional measures needed to comply with EU criteria

He also said the island's private sector has to be better informed on EU issues, noting it still has a long way to go.

Christodoulou was speaking after a meeting of the Finance Consultative Committee, that deals with preparing the island's economy for EU accession and its conformity with the acquis communautaire.

Cyprus applied for EU membership in July 1990 and accession talks are scheduled to begin six months after the end of the Inter-governmental Conference.

The meeting decided to involve the private sector in preparing a strategy on Cyprus' harmonisation with EU directives and in training programmes on EU matters.

Outlining the government's economic policy, in view of Cyprus' EU entry, the Minister noted the rate of growth, which is more than double of that of European countries, should be maintained.

''This year we estimate there will be a slight drop in the rate of growth, expected to range between 3,5 per cent and 4 per cent. This however is not beyond our objectives,'' he added.

Christodoulou has also stressed the importance of compliance with the Maastricht criteria.

CNA MA/MM/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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