Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-04-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[02] T/C politicians under fire about Pyla incident

[03] Turkish occupation regime forces T/C to hand in passports

[04] Cyprus mourns late Greek Orthodox primate

[05] Cyprus will attend any UN-led process, says Spokesman

[06] National Bank of Greece-Cyprus-expansion

1545:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Cyprus Stock Exchange

CSE All Share Index                    91,76 ( 0,75)

Sectural Indices

Banks                                 105,55 ( 0,66)
Approved Investment Companies          66,78 (-0,46)
Insurance Companies                    66,85 ( 1,21)
Industrial Companies                   84,65 ( 1,27)
Tourist Industries                     75,48 ( 0,20)
Commercial Companies                   54,83 ( 1,86)
Other Companies                        79,25 ( 0,28)

Trading Volume                         1.734.315

CNA MCH/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1605:CYPPRESS:02

[02] T/C politicians under fire about Pyla incident

In an article, Ali Baturay, said the painting of the bust of the founder of the Turkish secular state, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, on the eve of a pilgrimage by some 1.300 Turkish Cypriots to the free areas of the Republic "was not coincidental."

Blue paint was sprayed on the bust of Ataturk and a Turkish flag was removed from its pole at the entrance of the Turkish Cypriot school in Pyla village, last Wednesday.

Pyla is situated in the UN-controlled buffer zone and is inhabited by Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

The Cyprus government condemned this act of vandalism, saying it was "provocation" and describing as "nonsense" claims by Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, who blamed the Greek Cypriot side.

Baturay did not rule out such a possibility, but posed a lot of questions on several acts of vandalism in the Turkish-occupied area for which Turkish Cypriots were responsible.

"Why do we rule out the possibility of a Turkish Cypriot who does not wish peace being involved in the Pyla incident," he wondered.

"Are we to blame the Greek Cypriots for the assassination of Kutlu Adali or the planting of bombs at the offices of Turkish Cypriot political parties," he added.

Adali, a journalist who consistently criticised Denktash's illegal regime, was assassinated outside his house in Turkish occupied Nicosia, on July 6 1996. There have been no arrests so far.

Baturay criticised Turkish Cypriots who tried to use the Pyla incident to show that Greek and Turkish Cypriots cannot live together in peace.

"Avrupa", another daily in the occupied areas, was today also critical of Denktash and the Turkish Cypriot leadership.

Columnist, Sener Levent, asked Mehmet Ali Talat, leader of the leftist Turkish Republican Party, to reveal the sources that informed him Greek Cypriots were the culprits behind the Pyla incident, as he had claimed last week.

He described Denktash and Taner Etkin, the puppet regime's so-called "foreign minister", as "Indian astrologists" who are aware of everything happening worldwide.

Levent also asked Talat to say whether he was an "eye-witness" to the Pyla incident, since he was adamant to state the vandalism was an "act by Greek Cypriot fanatics."

He criticised Turkish Cypriot politicians as trying to spread nationalism among their community, in the light of forthcoming elections in the pseudostate.

"To achieve this, all you had to do was to blame Greek Cypriots for barbarities," Levent pointed out.

CNA SA/AP/MCH/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1720:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Turkish occupation regime forces T/C to hand in passports

Stylianides was commenting on reports in the Turkish Cypriot press, according to which the so-called cabinet of the self-styled regime in the Turkish occupied north of the island has approved a Bill forbidding Turkish Cypriots from possessing passports and identity cards of the Republic of Cyprus.

According to Turkish Cypriot daily "Avrupa (Europe in Turkish) people in the occupied north protested strongly at the new measure, denouncing also the opposition parties' stance on the issue.

If the so-called parliament in the Turkish occupied north passes the Bill, thousands of Turkish Cypriots possessing a Cyprus passport will be automatically considered as having committed an offence, the report said.

According to the same report, offenders will be jailed for at least six months.

The leader of the Turkish Cypriot "Democratic Party", Serdar Denktash, said holders of passports and identity cards of the Republic of Cyprus should submit them to the so-called authorities of the occupation regime within 90 days.

The move comes after a decision by Britain last January, to impose strict measures on Turkish Cypriot non holders of the Cyprus Republic passport, who apply for entry to the country.

Turkish troops have been occupying 37 per cent of Cyprus' territory since 1974, in violation of repeated UN resolutions calling for their withdrawal.

CNA GG/MCH/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1840:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Cyprus mourns late Greek Orthodox primate

President Glafcos Clerides and primate of the Cyprus Orthodox Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos, visited today the Greek embassy here and signed a book of condolences, opened for Seraphim.

The Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church died aged 85 overnight last Thursday and was buried in Athens today.

Archbishop Chrysostomos praised Seraphim's contribution to Greece's national and religious struggles.

"Throughout his life he fought for the consolidation of the Christian Orthodox Church and the survival of Hellenism," he said.

Government Spokesman Christos Stylianides today expressed the government's regret for the loss of Seraphim.

The Cyprus government was represented at his funeral by Education and Culture Minister, Lykourgos Kappas.

Ministers, party leaders and foreign ambassadors in Cyprus also signed the book of condolences.

CNA AP/MCH/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1850:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Cyprus will attend any UN-led process, says Spokesman

He also stressed that peace talks for a Cyprus settlement should be held between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, in the framework the UN Secretary-General's good offices mission.

The Spokesman was asked to comment on reports alleging that in their forthcoming visits here, US Presidential Emissary, Richard Holbrooke, and State Department's Special Co-ordinator for Cyprus, Thomas Miller, will try to promote a Dayton or a Camp David type of process.

"We wish to reiterate we are ready to take part in any process aiming at a Cyprus solution, which in no way will mean undermining the legitimacy of the Cyprus Republic," Stylianides said.

He told his daily press briefing Monday this stance is "clear and categorical".

"The dialogue for a Cyprus solution should remain bicommunal within the UN framework and the Secretary-General's good offices mission," the Spokesman pointed out.

UN resolutions provide that peace talks on Cyprus should be held between the island's Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.

However, Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, refuses to attend the talks unless the breakaway entity he declared in the northern Turkish- occupied areas is recognised, demanding that the dialogue is held between two equal states.

Only Turkey recognises the puppet regime, unilaterally declared in November 1983, and the UN itself has called on all states "not to recognise" the self-styled entity and "not to facilitate or in any way assist the aforesaid secessionist entity."

The Spokesman acknowledged "there is a momentum and an initiative" on Cyprus, but urged for confidentiality.

Asked whether there is a conflict between an initiative by the US and a Russian one, Stylianides said this cannot happen once these initiatives are within the framework of UN resolutions.

"We believe that any discussion on Cyprus by the UN Security Council helps towards curbing Turkish intransigence," he said.

The Spokesman said he could not confirm press reports alleging that Miller's visit will be on April 20 and Holbrooke's on May 2.

"It's a fact that Miller is expected here right after Easter (April 19) and Holbrooke in early May," he said.

Stylianides confirmed that an all-day National Council meeting (top political advisory body to the President) will be held on Wednesday to discuss issues related to the tactic and strategy to be followed on the Cyprus process.

The National Council, he added, will convene again after Easter to discuss issues possibly pending from Wednesday's meeting.

CNA MM/AP/MCH/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2025:CYPPRESS:06

[06] National Bank of Greece-Cyprus-expansion

Speaking today at a press conferencce, the Greek Group's Vice-President and President of the Group's subsidiary insurance company "Ethniki", Theodoros Pantalakis, said the Group will never leave Cyprus because of the existing national links between the island and Greece.

Pantalakis pointed out the Group, valued on December 1997 at 9,8 trillion drachmaes, "will turn Cyprus into its administrative centre for East Mediterranean and the Middle East" (one US dollar is equal to 320 drachmaes).

On his part, Michalis Tagaroulias, Director of the National Bank of Greece (Cyprus), the Group's subsidiary bank in Cyprus, said the Bank has returned to profitability in the last years, reversing its past trend.

In 1997 the Bank, having 23 branches and five exchange offices on the island, presented profits of 543 thousand Cyprus pounds, compared to 256 thousand the year before, he noted (one Cyprus pound is equal to 1,88 US dollars).

Tagaroulias said the Bank, with a 4,5 per cent market-share in Cyprus, has already set up a special branch to meet offshore companies' needs in Nicosia, and is planning to set up a second one in Limassol.

He said the National Bank of Greece (Cyprus) in co-operation with the Shacolas Group of Companies has also formed a mutual-funds company, expected to come into operation before the end of the month.

Pantalakis noted that the Bank, which operates since 1994 as an independent bank, will bring its own stockbroking company into operation in about a week's time.

National Bank of Greece is Greece's largest bank with more than 600 branches in the country and another 100 abroad. CNA GG/.. /1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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