Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 97-07-01

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

News Update

Tuesday, 01/07/97

CONTENTS

• [01] President Clerides says Athens talks will focus on strategy
• [02] New public appointments
• [03] Amathus excavations completed

[01] President Clerides says Athens talks will focus on strategy

The meeting, which lasted some 45 minutes, was described as a courtesy call and no statements were made afterwards.

Speaking at Larnaca airport before his departure yesterday, President Clerides dismissed press reports that he would be taking to Athens any documents on the basic aspects that the Greek Cypriot side will negotiate at the direct talks due to be held next week near New York or on good will measures regarding the military dialogue.

He said he had asked to be briefed by National Guard Commander, Lieutenant General Nikolaos Vorvolakos, on his views about the ongoing "military dialogue", between the National Guard and the Turkish occupation army, under UN auspices, "and not on the Cyprus solution or confidence building measures."

He also said he did not think an agreement on the military dialogue was possible before his face-to-face talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

Asked to comment on press reports that an agreement on Cyprus could be reached before the February 1998 presidential elections in Cyprus, President Clerides said that at this moment, there is no indication on the existence of any prerequisites leading to a Cyprus solution through the direct talks.

President Clerides said he was visiting Athens in order to co-ordinate and discuss with the Greek government issues "on the strategy of handling the Cyprus question, given the fact that Greece will be in the wings of the talks" and not any change of position.

He reiterated his belief that a document to be presented by UN chief's special representative for Cyprus, Diego Cordovez, at the start of the talks would refer to procedural issues rather than matters of substance on the Cyprus question.

President Clerides said his information on the role of the US during the talks is that "it has the appropriate leverage to press for a Cyprus solution, but it is up to the US to decide when the time is right."

[02] New public appointments

Former deputy Auditor-General, Spyros Christou, takes over as Auditor- General and Andreas Skordis, who has served for many years in the Auditing Service, becomes deputy Auditor-General.

Christou pledged to safeguard the independence of the Auditing Services and to remain "objective and professional."

The new Chairman of the Public Service Commission is Andreas Karagiorgis, former educationalist. Former judges Sotos Demetriou and Andreas Anastasiou, outgoing Auditor-General Theofilos Theofilou and former elementary education director Dimitrakis Stylianou make up the rest of the Commission.

[03] Amathus excavations completed

The first phase of the Palace of ancient Amathus, one of the eleven city- kingdoms of ancient Cyprus, dates at the earliest to the Cypro-Geometric III B period.

The excavations carried out by the mission of the French Archaeological School of Athens, under the direction of Thierry Petit, aimed to finish the study of the north-western corner of the area which started in 1989 and 1992.

Unearthed movable material, including a temple-boy's head and fragments from limestone painted sphinx-thymiateria, confirms that the north-west of the palatial stores constituted a place of worship.

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

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