Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-08-07

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[02] British soldiers plead not guilty in brutal beating case

[03] Political parties react to agreement

[04] Second round of Cyprus talks to begin Monday

[05] Cyprus chosen to host international meeting on mobile phones

1530:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Cyprus Stock Exchange

CSE All Share Index                    76.02 (-0.33)

Highest: 82.46 (2/1/97)
Lowest : 73.90 (30/1/97)

Sectural Indices

Banks                                  84.29 (-0.30)
Approved Investment Companies          64.61 (-0.71)
Insurance Companies                    59.96 (+0.02)
Industrial Companies                   79.02 (-0.06)
Tourist Industries                     64.41 (-0.03)
Commercial Companies                   48.53 (-2.31)
Other Companies                        61.47 (-0.44)

Trading Volume                         CYP 496644.298

CNA MA/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1645:CYPPRESS:02

[02] British soldiers plead not guilty in brutal beating case

Stuart Spencer, Tim Carter, and Steven Girvan, all 20, and Roger Bell and Steven Wolstencroft, both 26, denied in Famagusta District Court Thursday of assaulting three of their compatriots during a melee early Saturday morning outside a nightclub in the southeastern coastal town of Ayia Napa.

The five soldiers were charged by Cyprus police with causing grievous bodily harm to Shane Bell and Barry Ford, both 23, and actual bodily harm to Bell's 22-year-old girlfriend Claire Harbour. All three tourists are from south-east London.

The Court heard the incident occurred when the five soldiers ridiculed one of the tourists who was urinating outside the Ayia Napa nightclub.

When the tourist did not pay any attention to the ridicule, the soldiers got off their car and attacked him and his two friends.

Bell suffered a broken jaw in the attack and still remains in hospital, while Ford received 20 stitches to his face and suffered a broken wrist.

The three tourists, who vowed to remain on the island to give evidence in the trial, looked on in disgust as the five soldiers entered their plea.

The case was adjourned until Monday, August 11.

The five soldiers, all serving in the First Battalion Kings Regiment based at Sovereign British Area (SBA) Dhekelia, were each picked out of an identity parade in the parking lot of Ayia Napa police headquarters by the alleged victims of the attack.

The five, who remain confined to barracks until their next Court appearance, face a maximum sentence of seven years in jail.

After the incident, soldiers from the Kings Regiment were barred from going to Ayia Napa, one of the island's most popular holiday destinations for the approximately 2 million tourists who arrive to Cyprus each year.

The ban follows a similar out-of-bounds order by British Bases authorities on the island after the 1994 brutal murder of a female Danish tour guide by three drunken British soldiers in Ayia Napa.

Those soldiers are serving life sentences on Cyprus for sexually assaulting and bludgeoning to death Louise Jensen after a heavy drinking bout in Ayia Napa.

Approximately 3,500 British soldiers are serving here at SBAs Akrotiri and Dhekelia retained by Britain when Cyprus gained its independence in 1960.

CNA MAN/MH/AP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1745:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Political parties react to agreement

They also consider that the timing of the agreement, five days ahead of the start of UN-led face-to-face negotiations between President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, "creates an adverse climate."

However, in statements today party leaders stressed that the Greek Cypriot side should attend the five-day UN-sponsored negotiations aiming at a comprehensive settlement to the protracted Cyprus question.

Ankara and the self-styled Turkish Cypriot regime, illegally set up in the areas occupied by Turkey since its 1974 invasion of Cyprus, signed an agreement for "gradual economic and financial integration and partial integration on security, defence and foreign policy matters."

Ruling right-wing Democratic Rally (DISY) party leader, Nicos Anastasiades, pointed out the agreement aims to "create a fait accompli in Cyprus" and said its timing "is not a coincidence".

He also said Ankara's ultimate aim is to turn the areas it occupies "into its protectorate" and noted the agreement "legalises" what already exists between Turkey and the illegal entity, such as same telephone and postal codes, participation of Turkish Cypriots in Turkish delegations and the use of Turkish passports.

Anastasiades said the Greek Cypriot side today decided on concrete steps that should be taken so that "Ankara's and Denktash's aims do not succeed," but refrained from revealing them.

He also noted "an adverse climate is created" in efforts to achieve progress towards a Cyprus solution and said much depends on the stance the UN will take in the forthcoming negotiations.

Main opposition left-wing (AKEL) party General Secretary, Demetris Christofias, described the signing of the agreement as "provocative and part of a well planned Turkish scenario aiming at the final partition of the island."

AKEL leader rejected views that Ankara went ahead with the agreement "for internal reasons" and said the Greek Cypriot side "should always be on alert and prepared to react."

On his part, government coalition centre-right Democratic Party (DIKO) leader, Spyros Kyprianou, said the agreement was "a deplorable development which either aims to blackmail, in view of the negotiations, or another step to conclude the annexation of the Turkish-occupied areas."

Kyprianou expressed disappointment that while Turkey is making such moves only verbal condemnation is pronounced.

Socialist EDEK party leader, Vassos Lyssarides, called for an "immediate and effective" condemnation of the agreement in international fora, noting Turkey and the illegal entity in the occupied areas are "moving towards a step by step unification."

However, he expressed the view that at the stage Turkey does not wish to abolish the status of the pseudostate because it wants to use it to its own political benefit.

United Democrats President, George Vassiliou, described the agreement as "provocative" and said "it's part of a plan prepared by Turkey to give the impression this is her response to Cyprus' European Union membership prospect."

Noting the Greek Cypriot side should be cautious because the political situation on the island is "worsening", Vassiliou said the "most effective reply to Turkish threats lies with the international community's success in forcing Turkey to abandon its intransigence."

Liberal Party leader, Nicos Rolandis, said the agreement should be "examined carefully and taken seriously into consideration, as Turkey is not bluffing." He pointed out that Turkey did not bluff neither when it invaded Cyprus in 1974 nor when the pseudostate was illegally declared in November 1983.

New Horizons Vice-President, Christos Clerides, expressed deep concern over the agreement and pointed out "it does not allow much hope for success in the upcoming negotiations."

He also expressed the view that the Turkish side is not bluffing, noting "it is part of Ankara's expansionist policy which continues with a step-by-step integration of the areas it occupies in Cyprus."

CNA EC/MA/AP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1825:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Second round of Cyprus talks to begin Monday

A photo opportunity for a pool of media representatives will be organised at the hotel at the start of the talks and there will be no other media access at any time during the negotiations, the UN press release stated.

A press briefing will be held at the end of the talks, August 16, by the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Cyprus, Diego Cordovez, at the Palais des Nations.

This second round follows face-to-face talks opened on July 9, 1997, by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Troutbeck, New York, and chaired by Cordovez.

According to the press release, the objective of the direct talks is for the two communities to create "new constitutional and institutional structures which would allow the people of both Cypriot Communities to live together in peace".

It reminds of the UN Secretary-General's opening statement at the Troutbeck talks, that he proposed the start of a process of negotiations "leading to the incremental construction of the juridical framework within which the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities will forge a new partnership".

It also notes that in a statement to the press on July 14, Cordovez said he expected that the second round of the talks would be a "defining moment".

Cordovez said the two leaders had taken back for discussion suggestions about "the modalities for a sustained negotiating process, which would being after the elections in Cyprus".

Presidential elections in Cyprus are set for February, 1998.

CNA MH/MA/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2005:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Cyprus chosen to host international meeting on mobile phones

The responsibility for organising the Plenary Meeting, scheduled for September 17 - 19, has been assigned to the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA).

CYTA was chosen among applications submitted by numerous other countries expressing an interest in hosting the event.

Some 60 countries and 120 mobile telephone services providers and GSM MoU members will take part in the Plenary meeting and anniversary celebrations.

Participation is expected to be particularly high at this Plennary Meeting given the anniversary celebrations. It is estimated that over 400 individuals, including 100 representatives of companies manufacturing mobile telephone products and providing GSM services, will participate in the Plenary Meeting.

This event is particularly important because in will hold a seminar on the future course of GSM services, to which personalities from different international organisations, including the European Union, have been asked to attend. The fact that Cyprus has been chosen to organise the event is very important for the island as well as CYTA because for some time now, the authority has been actively involved with the GSM MoU organisation to host the best possible Plenary Meeting and to create the best impressions for Cyprus abroad.

CNA MH/../1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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