Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-02-17

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From: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] PAPADOPOULOS ELECTIONS

[03] PAPADOPOULOS CLERIDES STATEMENT

[04] PAPAPETROU STAT

[05] SIMITIS PAPADOPOULOS

[06] ANNAN CLERIDES

[07] DENKTASH

[08] PAPADOPOULOS GREEK AMBA

[09] HOUSE OFFICIAL CEREMONY

[10] ANGELIDES HOUSE

[11] WORLD NEWS

[12] WEATHER MONDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2003

[01] HEADLINES

-- Outgoing President of the Republic, Glafcos Clerides, will be available for President-elect Tassos Papadopoulos for whatever he needs him, but will not take part in the scheduled meetings of the National Council.

-- Alvaro de Soto, UN Secretary General's special adviser on Cyprus, met today with outgoing President Glafcos Clerides and president-elect Tassos Papadopoulos. He said that there will not be any delay in the procedure to solve the Cyprus problem.

-- Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, commenting on the presidential results, said Mr. Papadopoulos' election is a triumph for the intransigent positions of the Greek Cypriot side. And, -- Divided European Union leaders gather in Brussels for a tense emergency summit on Iraq, most of them stressing war can only be a last resort and seeking more time for U.N. arms inspections.

[02] PAPADOPOULOS ELECTIONS

Speaking late last night to jubilant supporters after he was declared officially President of the Republic, he said he does not want to deprive the Turkish Cypriots of their rights but wants to ensure that the island's two communities have a workable plan that would last.

Mr. Papadopoulos, who got 51.51 per cent of the vote ousting President Glafcos Clerides, thanked the Greek government and the opposition in Greece for their wishes and support and expressed appreciation to Mr.Clerides and his other opponents in yesterday' poll.

He said it "is our commitment and our duty to continue the negotiations with flexibility and good will to bring about the necessary improvements to the UN peace plan under discussion so that it becomes a workable and viable solution.''

Mr. Papadopoulos stressed that he wants negotiations not to deprive the Turkish Cypriots of their rights but to ensure that both communities have before them a workable plan that would last.

He appealed to the Turkish Cypriots to judge him by what he is and not by what they are told he is.

Addressing the thousands of people who turned up for the official ceremony at the ''Eleftheria'' indoor stadium, in the capital Nicosia, to declare him the new president, he assured that his efforts at the negotiating table aim at proving his good will and show that he wants a society that respects equality.

Mr. Papadopoulos said that there will be no discrimination in the new society he wants to set up and there will be no second class citizens because of political affiliations, stressing that he would not tolerate such behaviour.

[03] PAPADOPOULOS CLERIDES STATEMENT

In statements after meeting Mr. Clerides at the Presidential Palace this morning, Mr. Papadopoulos said he intends to make full use of Mr. Clerides' knowledge and experience and everything that the outgoing president has done in the negotiations for a Cyprus settlement. He said "we are continuing efforts for a Cyprus settlement".

For this reason, he asked Mr. Clerides to convene a meeting of the National Council the soonest.

Asked whether he will UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Mr. Papadopoulos said Alvaro de Soto conveyed to him Mr. Annan's wish to meet him but this will be decided later.

[04] PAPAPETROU STAT

Government Spokesman michalis Papapetrou said Mr. Clerides will be available for Mr. Papadopoulos to meet him whenever the latter wishes, but when his term in office ends, he will be a private citizen and it will not serve any purpose to take part on a permanent basis in the National Council.

[05] SIMITIS PAPADOPOULOS

Speaking to journalists, Mr. Simitis publicly congratulated Mr. Papadopoulos noting he is "very suitable to lead the people of Cyprus at this stage". Mr. Simitis is in Brussels where today he will chair a meeting, which will focus on developments in Iraq and the Middle East.

He said the new Cypriot president is a politician who has closely monitored all developments in the Cyprus problem and has great experience and knowledge of the situation.

Asked whether Mr. Papadopoulos' election might bring a change to the Cyprus position regarding the national issue, Mr. Simitis replied that he has talked with Mr. Papadopoulos on several occasions about the Cyprus problem. "

Referring to outgoing President Glafcos Clerides, Mr. Simitis said he would like to acknowledge his work, adding he has managed to change the facts on the Cyprus problem and successfully led efforts for the island's accession to the European Union.

Mr. Papadopoulos received the congratulations of Foreign Minister George Papandreou, New Democracy Party leader, Costas Karamanlis and Coalition President, Nicos Konstantopoulos.

[06] ANNAN CLERIDES

Answering to questions on today's cancelled meeting in the context of the UN-led direct talks between the island's two communities, Alvaro de Soto said that he will be informing the media later on the talks schedule. He also said that there will not be any delay in the procedure to solve the Cyprus problem.

Mr. De Soto will travel to Ankara today for talks with Turkish officials.

[07] DENKTASH

Speaking on Television in the Turkish occupied north of Cyprus, Mr. Denktash called on the government of Cyprus to take a realistic stance on the Cyprus problem and abandon its dreams which do not serve efforts to find a settlement

[08] PAPADOPOULOS GREEK AMBA

He described the meeting a symbolic event which shows that cooperation with Greece will continue and strengthen.

Mr. Panagopoulos echoed the same conviction, noting that both the new president's and Greece's wish is to arrange a meeting between the president-elect and Prime Minister Costas Simitis.

[09] HOUSE OFFICIAL CEREMONY

House Director, Costakis Christoforou said that all arrangements are underway so that everything will be ready by the date.

Andreas Angelides will also be sworn in deputy, replacing Mr. Papadopoulos. The House will reopen on March 6.

[10] ANGELIDES HOUSE

Mr. Angelides was the first runner up in the DEKO ballot paper in the Nicosia district during the 2001 Parliamentary elections.

[11] WORLD NEWS

Divided European Union leaders gather for a tense emergency summit on Iraq, most of them stressing war can only be a last resort and seeking more time for U.N. arms inspections.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, first to arrive for the high-risk conference, said he expected the leaders to agree war may be necessary but only after all peaceful options to disarm Baghdad are exhausted.

- - In Washington, despite persistent resistance in the United Nations and protests from millions around the world, U.S. President George W. Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said consultations were continuing over a possible additional U.N. resolution to ensure Iraqi President Saddam Hussein eliminates weapons of mass destruction programs.

[12] WEATHER

Temperatures will rise to 15 C inland, 17 C on the coasts and five over the mountains.

Tonight, there will be increased cloud with local rain. Winds will be easterly moderate to strong, four to five beaufort and locally very strong, six beaufort. The sea will be moderate and rough in windward areas.

Temperatures will fall to eight degrees inland, 11 on the coasts and three over the mountains.

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