Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 09-08-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] ZERIHOUN IACOVOU NAMI KATO PYRGOS

[02] AIDES VISIT LIMNITIS AREA

[03] JULY INFLATION - NEGATIVE

[01] ZERIHOUN IACOVOU NAMI KATO PYRGOS

The visit was decided in the framework of the two leaders talks and its purpose was to examine the preparations underway to enable the opening of the Limnitis crossing point.

UN Secretary-General`s Special Representative in Cyprus Taye-Brook Zerihoun said that he was very pleased to visit the area and witness with the citizens of both villages this very welcome development, noting that this is a very important visit.

I know you have waited a long time. They say good things come to those that wait he noted and pledged that the UN would do everything possible for the smooth opening of the road.

He said that this is an important day not because of the crossing only but because that it opens a new way of looking at these crossings, adding that since I have been here this is one crossing where the two communities have been at the forefront of the effort to have it open.

Zerihoun went on to say that there are many people should be credited for the opening of this crossing, noting that the two muhtars deserve credits because they have kept the issue alive.

He also said that the two representatives and the two leaders also have given a high priority to this issue and we, the United Nations have tried to facilitate as best we could and I am personally very pleased to be here today with the two representatives on this occasion.

He expressed the view that this is the beginning of a long chapter, pointing out that the opening of crossings and bringing the communities together will not end with this.

He also expressed the hope that more openings would occur so that the communities can get together and support the efforts of the two leaders to reunify this island.

He reiterated that the UN will issue the tender document this week inviting proposals for the improvement of the 6, 5 Km road between Limnitis and Kato Pyrgos, through the EU funded UN Development Programme Partnership For the Future (UNDP-PFF).

In addition, he said that we have to be mindful that the work that is needed is challenging both in terms of the engineering but also in terms of the financing, noting that the UN will do their best to assist with the whole process in cooperation with the aides of the two leaders.

Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou said that the citizens of this area have suffered a lot over the last decades and its its time to offer an assistance for all the region by opening of the Kato Pyrgos - Lomnitis - crossing point the sooner possible.

He added that the aim of opening the checkpoint will be to ease the region and have wider repercussions on the Cyprus issue.

He also said expectations are that last weeks ambulance test-run from Limnitis to Nicosia General Hospital, which took one hour and 45 minutes to be less than one hour.

The Kato Pyrgos Limnitis will be open, it is agreed to open, Iacovou pointed out while he urged patience.

On his part, Turkish Cypriot aide Ozdil Nami said that he was also very glad to be there, noting that this is a historic day and I am confident that this is just another step for the bigger historic day that we all are working to achieve and that is a comprehensive settlement .

This is a step in the right direction. Our two leaders are engaged in serious efforts to settle the Cyprus problem and the opening of Limnitis crossing was very significant, he stressed.

He noted that the two leaders deserve our support and we will continue to deliver concrete results, saying that people are working very seriously to have this opening as soon as possible.

I hope that this will lead to reconciliation between our two sides for a better future, he pointed out.

Both community leaders of Kato Pyrgos and occupied Limnitis Costas Michaelides and Yoksen Kaparan respectively, welcomed the visit of the officials in their region and wished for the opening of the crossing point as soon as possible.

On June 26th, during their 34th meeting in the framework of the direct negotiations, Christofias and Talat reached an agreement on the opening of Limnitis crossing point.

The agreement the leaders of the islands two communities have reached provides that in emergency cases fire engines and ambulances can cross to and from Cyprus northern Turkish occupied areas to the southern part of the country, which is under the control of the Republic of Cyprus.

The opening of Limnitis will facilitate movement between the islands northern Turkish occupied areas and the southern government controlled part of the country.

For the past 45 years, Greek Cypriot residents in the area of Limnitis, on the northwest, have to travel to Paphos, on the western coast, and Limassol, on the south, in order to reach the capital Nicosia.

Opening a crossing point at Limnitis would make this journey far shorter. In the recent past, several crossing points to and from the islands northern Turkish occupied areas have opened to facilitate the movement of people.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Direct negotiations between Christofias and Talat began in September 2008.

[02] AIDES VISIT LIMNITIS AREA

Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou and Turkish Cypriot leaders advisor Ozdil Nami together with UN Secretary-General`s Special Representative in Cyprus Taye-Brook Zerihoun traveled on Monday to Limnitis from the UN headquarters in Nicosia to experience the journey first-hand.

On June 26th, during their 34th meeting in the framework of the direct negotiations aiming to solve the Cyprus problem, the leaders of the two communities, President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat reached an agreement on the opening of Limnitis crossing point.

The agreement provides that in emergency fire engines and ambulances can cross to and from Cyprus northern Turkish occupied areas to the southern part of the country, which is under the control of the Republic of Cyprus.

[03] JULY INFLATION - NEGATIVE

According to the Statistical Service, a year earlier, in July 2008, the rate was 5,3%.

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