Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 97-01-20

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

News Update

Monday, 20/01/97

CONTENTS

• [01] Unanimous agreement between Cyprus and Athens on current and future moves
• [02] Left wing parties support measures to reduce tension on the island
• [03] Rise in foreign workers in Cyprus
• [04] French archaeological exhibition in Cyprus
• [05] News in Brief

[01] Unanimous agreement between Cyprus and Athens on current and future moves

On his return to Cyprus on 18 January, President Clerides said the current issues concerned the purchase of the Russian anti-aircraft missiles, which he said the Greek government fully supports, believing they are necessary for Cyprus' defence.

He said they had also discussed and reached unanimous decisions on the military dialogue, as well as the question of the ban on military flights over Cyprus.

"There is no agreement on such a ban", he said. He added that "a ban on overflights would have existed if we had concluded such an agreement with Turkey or with another country that no flights should take place over Cyprus. No such agreement has taken place and nor will it".

However, he said that if at some stage we were to judge that a Greek flight exercise over the island would harm ongoing peace negotiations then we would decide for ourselves whether we should refrain from having them do so. "That does not mean that there is a ban", he said.

The President also said that as regards future handlings of the Cyprus problem the two governments had reached unanimous decisions on all issues, both in the event that talks are held and in the event they are not.

He said that the US initiative is expected sometime in mid-April adding that from then up until the end of August it will become clearer whether or not there is progress towards a settlement.

The Greek Premier Costas Simitis, speaking after the meeting with President Clerides on 17 January, had said that the two governments had also decided to promote President Clerides' proposal for demilitarisation. He reaffirmed Greece's "undivided support for the struggle of Cyprus and its defence efforts", adding that the joint defence pact between the two countries provides "the most stable choice for both countries".

He also said that in order to create the proper climate for holding talks, the international community should warn Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side to stop maintaining sterile tension and threats which are against international law.

"On our part we are ready to contribute to the achievement of such a climate, but only if there is a prospect for a solution and on condition that fundamental rights will not be violated or the security of the Cyprus Republic or its people affected", he said.

[02] Left wing parties support measures to reduce tension on the island

The statement goes on to call on all interested parties "to discuss and agree upon measures to decrease tension and create the proper conditions for a constructive, substantial and fruitful dialogue".

The two parties express support for the UN measures proposed for reducing tension, saying that acceptance of them will constitute a significant step towards creating favourable preconditions for a peaceful, just and viable solution of the Cyprus problem.

[03] Rise in foreign workers in Cyprus

He said that furthermore it is estimated that there are about 10 thousand illegal workers on the island and that anyone found to employ them will be punished with up to three years imprisonment and/or a fine of five thousand pounds.

Speaking at a press conference on 17 January on the activities of the Immigration Department and the Registration Service, the Minister said that marriages between Cypriots and foreigners, had doubled, reaching 2.300, with women twice as likely as men to marry a foreigner.

[04] French archaeological exhibition in Cyprus

The exhibition consists of 12 models of ten sites that the French School has dug up in the region. The School, originally founded in 1846, is the oldest French scientific institute abroad and has dug up more than 100 sites around the globe. It has been working in Cyprus for nearly 30 years.

Cyprus is represented by two models showing the acropolis of Amathus with the temple of Aphrodite and the basilica of the proto-christian era. The models are accompanied by magnificent photographic material, with explanatory text about the exhibits. Each exhibit area was supervised by one archaeologist and one architect, with the help of technicians and other research assistants.

"The purpose of staging this exhibition is to inform and educate the public at large about our work here and in Greece and the great civilisation reflected through the finds we have unearthed ", the Director of the School in Athens, Roland Etienne, who is Cyprus for the exhibition, told Cyprus News Agency.

"Cyprus has been a very important archaeological site and will remain so, especially in terms of its links with the people and civilisations in the Mediterranean and the world at large", he said. "Finds unearthed in Cyprus have often led us to other places or have helped us in our excavations elsewhere in this part of the globe".

After Nicosia, the exhibition, which was inaugurated in Athens in September, will travel to Europe. The models will then be returned to the sites they represent to be on permanent display.

[05] News in brief

From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/

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