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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-09-03
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Wednesday, 03 September 2003 Foreign Minister returns from Syria
[02] Interior Ministry awaits political decisions on issue of Euro-
elections, says Interior Minister
[03] Euro MPs condemn expulsion of Greek Cypriot teachers and call for
immediate reopening of Rizokarpaso High School
[01] Foreign Minister returns from Syria
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Georgios Iacovou, returned yesterday
afternoon from Damascus, Syria, where he had paid an official visit at the
invitation of his Syrian counterpart, Mr Farouk Al-Shara. During his stay,
Mr Iacovou held talks, inter alia, with the Syrian President, Mr Bashar Al-
Assad, the Syrian Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister, Mr Mohammad Mustafa
Miro, the Speaker of the Syrian Parliament, Mr Mohammad Naji Al-Otri, and
the Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius IV. Speaking to the press upon his
arrival at Larnaca Airport, Mr Iacovou said that the primary purpose of his
visit to Damascus was to brief Syrian officials on the Cyprus problem, in
light of the Islamic summit which would take place in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, in October. In addition, Mr Iacovou discussed with his interlocutors
the issue of bilateral agreements which would have to be amended in view of
Cyprus' accession to the European Union on 1 May 2004.
EU-Syrian relations were also discussed and in particular Syria's pursuit
for the signing of an Association Agreement with the European Union, the
Foreign Minister added. Asked to comment on the latest move by Turkish
Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to call on Greek Cypriots to return to the
occupied town of Famagusta under Turkish Cypriot administration, Mr Iacovou
cited the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions 550 and 789 as
indicative of the international community's position on how the issue of
Famagusta should be settled and expressed the belief that the international
community would not change its position. "Surely I expect various games by
Mr Denktash starting from now and until the so-called 'elections' in the
occupied areas at the end of the year. As he has done many times in the
past, I believe he will use Famagusta as a pawn in his games", Mr Iacovou
added.
[02] Interior Ministry awaits political decisions on issue of Euro-
elections, says Interior Minister
The Minister of Interior, Mr Andreas Christou, has noted that his Ministry
was waiting for political parties to take decisions on the disputed issue
of participation in the June 2004 European Parliament elections before it
could complete its work preparing for the elections. "These elections will
be held for the first time in Cyprus and we hope for the biggest possible
participation of Turkish Cypriots and foreign citizens nationals of EU
member states, who will be allowed to vote, since they live in Cyprus,
either for the Cypriot delegation to the European Parliament or for the
delegation of their country of origin", Mr Christou told reporters
yesterday. He further said that the President of the Republic, Mr Tassos
Papadopoulos, had already contacted all the parliamentary parties
requesting that they decide on their participation in the elections.
[03] Euro MPs condemn expulsion of Greek Cypriot teachers and call for
immediate reopening of Rizokarpaso High School
The Greek and British Euro MPs, Mr Demetris Tsatsos and Ms Theresa Villiers,
speaking at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on
Monday, have condemned the expulsion of two Greek Cypriot teachers and
their children from the occupied village of Rizokarpaso by the illegal
regime in the Turkish-occupied areas of the island. They both called on the
European Parliament President, Mr Pat Cox, to put pressure on Ankara and
its puppet regime in occupied Cyprus to allow the reopening of the
Rizokarpaso High School as soon as possible. The Greek MEP, Mr Tsatsos,
conveyed to his colleagues the fears of the Karpass Coordinating Committee
about the possible expulsion of all remaining enclaved Greek Cypriots,
starting with the families with children in high school. He added that the
occupation regime was threatening to close down the Rizokarpaso Primary
School as well, which was the only Greek school operating in the occupied
areas. On her part Ms Villiers said, "Mr Denktash's refusal to reopen the
school - without any reasons given - forces children living in the occupied
areas to attend High Schools in the free areas. This leads to the break up
of families and is an attempt by Mr Denktash to force those in the occupied
areas to leave their homes and villages. It is shameful that children are
being manipulated in this way. The right to an education is a humanitarian
issue - it is a disgrace that Mr Denktash puts dogma before the educational
interest of these children."
The British MEP also noted that in light of the Turkish Cypriot leader's
intransigence, she had written to both British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
and EU Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen calling on them to do all
they could to see the Rizokarpaso High School reopened as soon as possible.
"Closure of secondary schools in enclaved Greek Cypriot communities was one
of the matters that the European Court of Human Rights declared was a
breach of human rights by the Turkish government in Ankara", Ms Villiers
stressed in her letters to Mr Straw and Mr Verheugen.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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