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Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 99-09-21Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>CONTENTS
TUESDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 1999 [01] HEADLINESCyprus' President and Foreign Minister continue their official contacts in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly;Greece's Foreign Minister refers to a "new and historic opening" between his country and Turkey; US efforts towards a resolution of the Cyprus Issue are focusing on an end-of-the-month meeting between the US President and Turkey's Prime Minister; The Attorney-General of the Republic says that some of the island's laws are in need of radical change; Kurdish rebels allegedly ambush a Turkish patrol; An uneasy peace settles over East Timor; More than 11 hundred people are feared dead in a massive earthquake which hit Taiwan late last night; and... Football on CyBC's Second TV Channel tonight. [02] CLER NYPresident of the Republic Glafkos Clerides, in New York where he is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday, will today meet with the Jewish-American Committee within the framework of planned contacts.Yesterday, President Clerides met with Britain's Special Representative on the Cyprus Issue, Sir David Hannay, and categorically stated that the Greek-Cypriot side will not, under any circumstances, accept the terms set by Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash for the holding of direct talks. According to our New York correspondent, the British emissary had proposed an unconditional resumption of talks. [03] KAS NYForeign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides is also holding contacts on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, including a meeting with Sir David Hannay, scheduled for today.To date, Cyprus' Foreign Minister has met and discussed both international and regional issues with his Syrian, Palestinian and Iranian counterparts, while on the European front, he has had separate meetings with Luxembourg's Foreign Minister, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Austria and the Prime Minister of Norway. Foreign Minister Kasoulides also met with his Indian and Cuban counterparts yesterday. [04] PAP NYGreek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, speaking yesterday at a dinner held at the premises of his country's permanent delegation to the United Nations in New York, referred to a "new and historic opening" between Greece and Turkey, underlining that the primary target remains a solution of the Cyprus Issue and the island's accession to the European Union.He further stressed the decisive role which could be played by Greece towards peace and stability in the Balkans following the War in Kosovo, and also noted that the recent earthquakes in both Greece and Turkey have contributed towards new breakthroughs in the relations between the two countries. Today, the Greek Foreign Minister is scheduled to meet with Britain's Special Representative on the Cyprus Issue, Sir David Hannay. [05] US ECEVITUS diplomatic efforts towards a resolution of the Cyprus Issue appear to be focusing greatly on an upcoming meeting between President Bill Clinton and Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, scheduled for September 28th.As reported by our New York correspondent, the current initiative could well be the most serious undertaken by Washington to date, and will seek to establish, to the greatest possible degree, Turkish assurances that a new round of talks will be substantive and not end in stalemate. It is for this reason that both the US and Britain, while concurring that any invitations for talks should be extended by the UN Secretary-General, also maintain that such invitations should not be sent until after the Clinton-Ecevit meeting. [06] ATTGEN LAWSAttorney-General Alecos Markides has disclosed to our station that the Republic's laws governing the acquisition of shares by state functionaries and public personae are in need of radical change so that any loopholes may be closed.Mr Markides further said that he will carry out an in-depth investigation into whether or not certain civil servants acted impartially in relation to companies in which they are shareholders. On the acquisition of shares by public personae and state functionaries through private placement, Attorney-General Markides said that the two individuals in question did not act illegally. He did stress, however, that in his opinion, the Republic's institutions as regards share acquisition have been corroded, adding that the issue extends beyond mere legislation and also touches upon ethical matters. [07] TURKEY KURDSA Turkish security source announced this morning that Kurdish rebels killed two government soldiers late yesterday in an ambush in the southeastern province of Batman.The source, who asked not to be named, said that rebels affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers Party (or PKK) had opened fire on soldiers returning from patrol in the Kozluk region of the province, killing two and injuring another seven. Following the passing of the death sentence on captured Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan by a Turkish court last June, the PKK announced it would abandon its armed struggle for Kurdish self-rule in Turkey and pull its forces out of the country, but reserved the the right to self-defence against attacks by Turkish security forces. [08] MIDEASTPalestinian President Yasser Arafat arrived in Alexandria this morning to consult with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on recent negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.A Palestinian diplomat said that President Arafat would brief his Egyptian counterpart on talks he held with the Israeli Prime Minister in secret on Thursday night, as well as on the current prospects for a final peace settlement with Israel. The Palestinian President will then fly on to New York, where he will attend the UN General Assembly and meet with US President Bill Clinton at the White House on Thursday, their first meeting since Israel and the Palestinians signed a revised version of the Wye River interim peace deal. [09] E.TIMORHeavily armed Australian troops landed in bloodied East Timor this morning to the cheers of refugees sheltering on the quayside, while the force's commander, Major-General Peter Cosgrove, said that despite the scheduled arrival of more troops tomorrow, it will still take weeks to bring the territory under control.Australia, which is leading the United Nations force, said the troops had secured key installations around the capital Dili without facing any resistance, and would soon spread out into the stricken territory. Thousands of Timorese have taken shelter on the ruined city's waterfront, waiting to flee their Indonesian-ruled homeland after a bloody rampage by militias opposed to independence. East Timor was turned into a bloodbath by pro-Jakarta militias backed by elements of Indonesia's military after residents voted heavily in favour of independence in a UN-run referendum on August 30th. [10] TAIWAN QUAKEMore than 1,100 people were killed and nearly 3,500 injured in a massive 7.6 Richter earthquake which struck Taiwan late last night Cyprus time, knocking down buildings and causing power blackouts in many parts of the island.Officials fear the toll could rise dramatically, since over 1,000 people remain trapped in collapsed buildings. About 300 dead were reported central Taiwan's mountainous Nantou province, where the earthquake's epicentre was located. Power lines were cut and main roads were severely damaged by the earthquake and more than 1,000 aftershocks. Damage is believed to be extensive in various parts of the island, but details remain sketchy, more than 12 hours after the quake. [11] QUAKES OVERVIEWNortheastern Greece and northwestern Turkey were rocked by a 5.0 earthquake early this morning. According to Salonika's Aristoteleion University, the epicentre of the quake was located in the Sea of Marmara, near the Turkish city of Tekirdag (or Raidhestos in Greek).In what experts described as an unrelated activity, two light seismic tremors, measuring 3.6 and 3.2 on the Richter scale, hit Greece's Attica region yesterday, while residents of Limassol also experienced slight tremors last night. There were no reports of casualties or damage in any of the incidents. [12] WEATHERThe weather will be generally fair this afternoon, with the possibility of isolated thunderstorms, mainly over the mountains. Winds will be northwesterly to southwesterly, light to moderate, 3-4BF, on slight seas, while temperatures are not expected to exceed 31C inland, 30C in the south, 28C in the west and 23C at higher altitudes.Generally fair conditions are also forecast for tonight, with winds abating to northwesterly light, 2-3BF, on slight seas, and temperatures dropping to 19C inland and along the coasts, and 14C on the higher reaches of the Troodos mountains. The fire hazard is extremely high in all forest areas. Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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