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Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 00-02-29Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>CONTENTS
TUESDAY 29 FEBRUARY 2000 [01] HEADLINES--- UN Special Adviser for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, arrives in Cyprus later today.--- Three British diplomats arrived on the island last night for talks with both sides, regarding the Cyprus problem. --- Austrian far-right leader, Joerg Haider, has resigned as leader of the Freedom party. --- Russian troops have crushed rebel resistance in the last major separatist stronghold in Chechnya. And --- The Philippines' Mayon volcano has erupted, shrouding distant towns with ash, knocking out power supplies and forcing thousands of villagers to flee their homes. [02] SOTOThe UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, arrives in Cyprus tonight, on his first visit since he was appointed last November.During his stay on the island, Mr. de Soto will engage in intense diplomatic activity on the Cyprus problem, with various visits all over the island. In the Turkish occupied areas, Mr. de Soto will visit the Karpass peninsula, Famagusta and the Apostolos Andreas monastery, and will meet with Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash. After his visit to Cyprus, Mr. de Soto will fly to Ankara and Athens for talks. [03] KASOULIDESThree British diplomats, who arrived on the island yesterday to be briefed on the Cyprus problem, began talks today in Nicosia.Director of the South Europe department in the Foreign Office Jeremy Hill, Assistant director of the Cyprus desk Stewart Summers, and EU desk director for Euro-Cyprus and Euro-Turkish relations Sally Axworthy, were received this morning by President Glafcos Clerides. Earlier on, the diplomats met with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Kasoulides. Later on, they will meet with political leaders and will visit the Turkish occupied areas of the Republic, were they will hold talks tomorrow morning. [04] VERHEUGENEU Commissioner on Enlargement, Gunter Verheugen, reaffirmed that the head of the EU delegation in Cyprus, Donato Chiarini, had not negotiated anything with the Turkish Cypriots.A spokesman for Mr. Verheugen said that Mr. Chiarini had not negotiated with the Turkish Cypriot side behind the scenes, at the same time as official negotiations were being carried out with the Republic of Cyprus. He said that Mr. Chiarini had visited the Turkish occupied areas of the Republic to prepare the ground for Mr. Verheugen's visit. During his visit, Mr. Chiarini met with Turkish Cypriot businesspeople, at their invitation, and discussed various issues, including EU enlargement. [05] MISSINGCo-Chairman of the Committee of relatives of persons missing since the 1974 Turkish invasion, Nicos Theodosiou, said that identifying remains has been delayed, due to the lack of 20 percent of genetic material needed for this purpose.Through an interview with CyBC, Mr. Theodosiou urged the families of missing persons to give samples for DNA tests as soon as possible, so that the procedure may be concluded. Mr. Theodosiou also said that the Committee would make an effort to approach about 350 families which have not yet given a sample. [06] BOOKSMinister of Education and Culture, Ouranios Ioannides, said that school books in Cyprus did not promote hatred and chauvinism.Commenting on yesterday's meeting between Greek and Turkish specialists on school books, Mr. Ioannides told CyBC that he was not a historian, but that the Republic's school books presented a true picture of history. He said that if there were indications in the books that another approach was being used, then the historians would be called on to solve the problem. Mr. Ioannides said his Ministry was not requested to participate in these meetings, adding that the Ministry was in close contact with the Greek Ministry of Education regarding school books. He noted that so far no book in Greece or Cyprus has been found to contain elements of hatred. [07] HAIDERAustrian far-right leader Joerg Haider has unexpectedly resigned as leader of the Freedom Party, but friends and enemies alike saw the decision as a tactical move aimed at helping him become chancellor in future.The 50-year-old populist firebrand announced last night that he was handing over the party leadership to Susanne Riess-Passer, vice-chancellor in the three-week-old centre-right coalition led by conservative Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel. Mr. Haider said he wanted to help the new government, which has been isolated by Austria's 14 European Union partners, to function smoothly and to demonstrate that Freedom Party ministers were not simply puppets under his control. He will remain governor of Carinthia. [08] CHECHNYARussian troops today crushed rebel resistance in the last major separatist stronghold in Chechnya.Colonel-General Gennady Troshev, deputy commander of Russian forces in Chechnya, was quoted as saying the fall of Shatoi, 60 km south of the regional capital Grozny, effectively sealed victory in the five-month campaign. Shatoi, in the centre of the Argun gorge, was the last heavily fortified rebel stronghold in Chechnya after the remnants of their forces withdrew to the southern mountains following the Russian seizure of Grozny earlier this month. The rebels have promised to launch a guerrilla war against Russian forces in Chechnya, a tactic which helped them win the 1994-96 campaign during which Moscow also claimed full control over the region but was eventually forced to withdraw. [09] WORLDAnd now for a look at developments around the world in brief.- - - - European Union president Portugal said it saw no quick restoration of normal relations between Austria and its 14 EU partners after Joerg Haider stepped down as leader of the far-right Freedom Party. - - - - Russian reporter Andrei Babitsky, who went missing for a month in Chechnya after being handed over by Russia to Chechen rebels, has returned to Moscow. - - - - Exhausted helicopter crews resumed their airlift of Mozambicans trapped by rising floodwaters, and President Joaquim Chissano appealed to the outside world for more help. - - - - Scores of people were killed in rioting in southeast Nigeria in a backlash to last week's northern religious blood-letting as violence in Africa's most populous nation appeared to be spinning out of control. - - - - The Israeli government has sent Syria fresh signals over the Golan Heights after the US administration apparently failed in its latest effort to coax Israel and Palestinians back to the negotiating table. - - - - Twenty Iranian police officers went on trial in a military court for their alleged part in an attack on student protesters that provoked the worst unrest since the aftermath of the Islamic revolution. - - - - Indonesia's reformist President Abdurrahman Wahid apologised for Jakarta's often harsh 24-year occupation of East Timor, but his landmark visit was marred by gunshots and angry protests. - - - - The Afghan capital Kabul was rocked by a bomb blast last night, the fourth explosion in a month, but little damage was caused. [10] WHALEA killer whale which swam upriver into a Japanese city returned to the ocean today, after a two-day rescue operation and to the cheers of thousands who lined the river bank to catch a glimpse of the unusual visitor.The five-metre-long young male orca swam back to the open sea after local authorities and aquarium officials led the way out with metal pipes in hand. The pipes were used to create metallic sounds which killer whales are believed to hate. The whale had swum five kilometres up the Hori river into Nagoya, a city of two million located 300 kilometres west of Tokyo, causing traffic jams as people flocked to see it. Local aquarium officials said they believed the orca wandered towards the big lights of the city after losing touch with its pod, or family, while chasing a school of fish near the river. [11] NUDEStark naked Austrians braved chilly temperatures to take up a clothing chain's offer of 385 dollars in free outfits if they entered the store in the nude.Kleider Bauer said it would reward the first five strippers of the week at each of its 40 department stores as long as they streaked from the street as far as the checkout counter. In a nation not averse to baring all in public, dozens of naked shoppers huddled outside the store on Vienna's main shopping street waiting for the doors to open. Shoppers beaten out of the first five in the streak received a consolation prize of 35 dollars and a towel to cover up. The promotion gag will last until March 18. [12] STOCKThe Cyprus Stock Exchange general price index closed at 600 units today, compared to 608 yesterday.Total dealings dropped by 2 million pounds, reaching 15 million 668 thousand pounds. [13] ROADBoth lanes of the Nicosia-Limassol highway, at the point between the Strovolos industrial area and the Kalogiros bridge, towards Limassol, will be closed for three days, due to road works.Traffic will be diverted to one of the two lanes towards Nicosia. The Police have urged motorists driving in the Limassol direction to use the old Nicosia-Limassol road, and filter into the highway at the Latsia junction. [14] WEATHERThis afternoon will be cloudy with local showers and snow on the mountains.Winds will be easterly to southeasterly, moderate, four to five beaufort, over moderate seas. Tonight, there will be local showers and snow on the mountains. Winds will be southeasterly, light, three beaufort, over moderate seas. Temperatures will drop to 5 degrees inland, to 8 along the coast, and to minus 2 over the mountains. Tomorrow will be unsettled with rain, which in some places will be heavy, and snow on the mountains. 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