Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-11-05

Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] EU CYPRUS

[03] EU CYPRUS

[04] TURKEY CYPRUS EU

[05] DENKTASH LETTER

[06] IACOVOU PRESCOTT

[07] MIDEAST

[08] IRAQ

[09] WEATHER INDONESIA

[10] WEATHER WEDNESDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2003

[01] HEADLINES

It also examined the reports of the remaining nine acceeding countries, and the three candidate states, including Turkey.

The reports will be presented at 4.30 this afternoon at the European Parlaiament by Commission President Romano Prodi and Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen.

-- Turkey has appealed to the European Commission to avoid making any link between its EU candidacy and the Cyprus problem in an annual progress report due to be published today And

--Palestinian officials sought today to resolve an impasse between President Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie over security powers that has delayed a renewal of peace moves with Israel.

[02] EU CYPRUS

It also examined the reports of the remaining nine acceeding countries, and the three candidate states, including Turkey.

The reports will be presented at 4.30 this afternoon at the European Parlaiament by Commission President Romano Prodi and Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen.

According to CyBC's correspondent in Brussels, Cyprus and Slovenia are described as the best students in their accession progress.

[03] EU CYPRUS

He also said Turkey's report is expected with great interest. Most countries, he said, stress the need for a Cyprus settlement until May 2004.

[04] TURKEY CYPRUS EU

Turkish officials have been rattled by the wording in a leaked copy of the Commission's report which suggests the lack of a settlement on Cyprus could still prove "a serious obstacle" to Ankara's European Union aspirations.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul rang European Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen on Tuesday evening to urge him to suppress the wording, a Foreign Ministry official told Reuters.

"If there is such a statement on Cyprus in the report, the European Union would be contradicting itself," the official quoted Mr. Gul as telling Mr. Verheugen.

Turkey's Sabah newspaper said Gul had also spoken with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and that Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan phoned Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

[05] DENKTASH LETTER

The letter, dated 9 October, is a reply to the positions of Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos expressed during his speech to the General Assembly. The letter was handed to the UN Secretary-General by Turkey's Permanent Representative to the UN.

In his letter, Mr. Denktash claims that Turkey had the right to invade Cyprus based on the 1960 guarantees and criticised the Greek cypriot side that it maintains a negative stance on the Cyprus problem by refusing to accept the partnership based on the equality of two states.

He also claimed that Turkish Cypriots are ready for a solution and accession to the EU, as long as the guarantor powers will be members are member of the EU.

Regarding the missing persons' issue, he claimed the Greek Cypriot side is hiding the truth and that more people were killed during the coup and that he is ready to cooperate within the framework of the UN committee for missing persons.

Finally, Mr. Denktash said he will discuss with UNFICYP demining in the Nicosia suburbs.

[06] IACOVOU PRESCOTT

Addressing last night a dinner hosted here by the Cypriot Brotherhood, on the occasion of Cyprus' Independence anniversary, Mr. Iacovou also expressed the wish that the main European powers, including the United Kingdom, will reiterate to Turkey what the EU Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen had said, that it is impossible for Turkey to join the EU without solving the Cyprus problem and that it is impossible for an applicant state to occupy the territory of an EU member state and not legally recognise the existence of a member state.

During the dinner, attended by British MPs, members of the House of Lords and journalists, Mr. Iacovou said ''it is time for the European nations to come out loudly'' and ''Turkey must be told clearly that it will help itself by solving the Cyprus problem in the fist half of 2004.''

[07] MIDEAST

Mr. Arafat and Mr. Qurie were due to meet at a central committee session of the president's Fatah movement later in the day to try to overcome their differences.

Mr. Arafat converted Mr. Qurie's eight-member "emergency" cabinet into a caretaker government on Tuesday hours before its 30-day term expired at midnight, allowing more time to overcome sharp disagreement on division of security powers.

The continued infighting held up a resumption of high-level talks proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that might revive a stalled, U.S.-backed "road map" to peace.

[08] IRAQ

The explosions shook the city, with the concussion felt by reporters at a hotel on the opposite side of the river Tigris.

American military combat casualties also climbed to 252 since the invasion when a roadside bomb killed one soldier and wounded two troops in Baghdad. British combat deaths rose to 52 with the report of a Royal Marine killed by hostile fire during a military operation last Friday.

And in a setback to American hopes of stabilising Iraq, key political ally Spain said it was recalling some embassy and other staff following last week's bombing of the Red Cross headquarters and three police stations in Baghdad in which 35 people were killed.

[09] WEATHER INDONESIA

The president, who often declines to talk publicly about pressing issues, spoke as rescuers searched for dozens of people still missing in the Gunung Leuser national park, about 80 km west of the city of Medan on Sumatra island.

She joined a growing chorus of environmentalists and politicians pointing the finger of blame at rampant illegal logging and overdevelopment for the disaster.

Flash floods swept through the park's resort village of Bukit Lawang in the early hours yesterday when most residents and tourists were asleep.

A huge torrent of logs, mud and boulders swept through the village destroying buildings, bridges and roads.

Figures on the number of victims have varied. The governor of North Sumatra province said at least 170 people had been killed. Others put the figure at more than 100, with at least the same number missing and presumed dead. Five foreign tourists are known to have died.

[10] WEATHER

Winds will also be westerly light, three beaufort and the sea slight. Temperatures will reach 28 C inland and on the south coat, 26 C on the west and 18 over the mountains.

Tonight the weather will be partly cloudy with thin mist and low cloud. Winds will be variable light, two to three beaufort and the sea slight. Temperatures will fall to 14 C inland, 17 C on the coasts and 13 over the mountains.

The fire hazard remains high in all forest areas.

Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article