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Friday, 19 April 2024
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Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-04-09Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>CONTENTS
1715:CYPPRESS:01[01] Kyprianou - Milosevic - MeetingNicosia, Apr 9 (CNA) -- House President Spyros Kyprianou, in Belgrade to try and secure the release of three Americans seized by the Yugoslav authorities last week, is currently meeting Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to discuss the issue.Kyprianou has been in Belgrade for 24 hours on a humanitarian mission and earlier this morning he visited bombed areas around the Yugoslav capital. At this stage it is not known whether Kyprianou will stay on in Belgrade for a second night or return home. The Greek air force has said it will provide him with an aircraft to take him back home. CNA MM/AA/1999ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY1930:CYPPRESS:02[02] Kyprianou - Milosevic - End of meetingNicosia, Apr 9 (CNA) -- A meeting between Cyprus House President Spyros Kyprianou and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic ended in Belgrade a while ago but no announcement has been made yet as to the possible release of three American soldiers Yugoslav army captured last week.Kyprianou is set to speak to the press in about an hour. At present he is consulting with his closest aides in his Belgrade hotel. Kyprianou flew to the Yugoslav capital on Thursday in a bid to secure the release of the three soldiers. CNA MM/GP/1999ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY2035:CYPPRESS:03[03] Kyprianou - StatementNicosia, Apr 9 (CNA) -- Cyprus House President Spyros Kyprianou has said in Belgrade that the release of the three American soldiers, held in Yugoslavia, has not been achieved.He noted that neither the US nor their allies have taken his mission seriously and said the overriding impression in Belgrade is that any gesture made by them does not achieve any results. Kyprianou expressed deep regret for not successfully concluding his mission and said that NATO bombing continued unrelentlessly in the past couple of days making his humanitarian mission more difficult. MORE LATER CNA MM/MA/1999ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY2200:CYPPRESS:04[04] Kyprianou - Belgrade mission - StatementNicosia, Apr 9 (CNA) -- The Yugoslav government cannot make any new gesture towards peace as it feels that any such attempt would not yield the desired outcome, Cyprus House President, Spyros Kyprianou, said in Belgrade after a meeting with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.He also indicated that NATO's bombing, which continued unabated during his humanitarian mission to the Yugoslav capital, did not facilitate his task and noted that the US and their allies did not take seriously into consideration the possible release of the three servicemen. Kyprianou's humanitarian mission with particular focus on efforts to free three American soldiers, seized last week by the Yugoslav army, did not meet its objective after a lengthy meeting today and other consultations with Yugoslav officials in the past 24 hours. Speaking to the world's press, Kyprianou said "during my talks it was pointed out that at the end of the day any gestures which tend to prove and assure that Milosevic and Yugoslavia want peace and a peaceful settlement to the crisis here, instead of improving the situation, they have the opposite outcome." The House President noted that although there was no obligation or commitment for a halt to the bombing during his stay, in spite of his appeals to that effect, "it was nevertheless natural to expect that we should see better behaviour until this effort was completed." "The conclusion is that there was no better behaviour. On the contrary, the situation took a turn for the worse," Kyprianou said. "Under the circumstances and in view of the fact that the Yugoslav leadership and the Yugoslav people believe that the bombing will continue unrelentlessly, they cannot make a fresh peace gesture," the President of the Cyprus House of Representatives said. The bombing, he said, was a lot more intense on his arrival and in the past couple of days 20,000 people were made homeless and hundreds of thousands lost their jobs. He said the overall feeling is that "every step made towards peace instead of creating better conditions, it is seen as a provocation." He said he did his utmost and would be willing to help again, if he could. Europe and the world need peace, stability, respect of borders and human rights, he added. "I would like to express my deep regret because we have not been able to achieve what we came here for. My talks on the matters we discussed was extremely interesting and one could say positive for Cyprus and Greece," he told journalists. Kyprianou did not exclude the possibility of another attempt being made if circumstances improve but expressed doubt about such eventuality, under the current conditions. Asked if the US do not want their men back, he replied "that is a matter of interpretation. It is obvious that neither the Americans nor their allies took seriously into account the possibility of seeing their men freed." Kyprianou will probably return to Cyprus tomorrow and he said he will brief the government and the political leadership and then talk to the press. CNA MM/GP/1999ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCYCNA ENDSCyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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