Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-04-05

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cyprus-mail.com/>

Thursday, April 5, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Government forced to think again after residents protest over gypsy detention centre

[02] Limassol aims to break record with giant kebab

[03] Iranian caught with heroin in stomach at Larnaca

[04] Savvides: we'll pay all preparatory costs for NHS

[05] Turkey using new methods to delay Loizidou compensation'

[06] Beach Committee puts off Anassa decision

[07] Icons missing from Apostolos Andreas

[08] Church trial formally suspended

[09] Fingers crossed as CyTA prepares for liberalisation

[10] DISY calls on parties to reveal stock market investments

[11] 'Serbian gold came in wooden crates'

[01] Government forced to think again after residents protest over gypsy detention centre

On Tuesday, the government said it would set up an emergency detention centre at a secret location outside Nicosia, but it was revealed yesterday that the centre would be set up at Kotsiatis, near the capital's main landfill.

Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou admitted yesterday the government had backed down after protests from local residents. He said a new location would be found by next Monday.

In the meantime, he said, the gypsies would be housed at different places, but under police watch until their identities were established.

Since the beginning of March, 137 Turkish Cypriot gypsies have crossed to the south. In the past week alone, 87 entered the free areas. Most have been relocated to Paphos, but many are still living in tents.

Labour Minister Andreas Moushiouttas said yesterday he could not rule out that the gypsies had come to claim state benefits and might return to the occupied areas.

"This has happened in the past," he said. "A year or two ago, a wave similar to this arrived. They stayed in the free areas for a while and then they left."

Moushiouttas said that the government had at the time put the gypsies up in hotels, then housed them in Turkish Cypriot properties and tried to find them work.

"Unfortunately, our previous experience shows they are unwilling to work," he said.

The gypsies say they are escaping from the economic woes besetting the breakaway Turkish Cypriot regime in the north.

Moushiouttas said there was a definite motivation for the gypsies to cross, when the standard of living on both sides was compared.

He said yesterday welfare had given the heads of each family �150 plus �50 for each dependent over the age of 14. There were also some additional benefits, he said, adding that for a family of four the average they would receive would be around �375. "These amounts would allow a family to live with dignity," he said.

The amounts stated by Moushouttas would be worth some 700 million Turkish lira. A source familiar with the standard of living in the north said that although the money would not be worth much more there than in the south, gypsy families could make it go a lot further.

Diplomatic sources said there had been little reaction in the north to the exodus of the gypsies and that the press was not particularly interested. "It seems to be a situation where no one cares," they said.

A Turkish Cypriot journalist told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that little had been reported on the issue. He said the 'foreign ministry' was waiting for reports from the UN and was doing little to halt the flow to the south.

He said gypsies were not listed as a separate community in the north and were included in the general population census as 'TRNC' citizens. No estimates were available, but a figure of 1,000 gypsies in the north has been reported.

The journalist said most of the gypsies lived in the Morphou area and were of mixed descent, including both indigenous and mainland Turkish gypsies. "They don't bother anyone and most Turkish Cypriots are indifferent to them, " he said. "They mostly work in manual labour or sell oranges from the back of trucks."

UNFICYP spokesman Charles Gaulkin said yesterday the UN had not been informed by the government about the new detention centre. UNFICYP personnel are mandated to visit Turkish Cypriots living in the south around twice a month, "to hear their complaints and see if there is anything they need," he said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Limassol aims to break record with giant kebab

Measuring one and a half by two metres, the giant kebab aims to smash the world record set in 1998 by Turk Kadir Cetinkaya at the Zurich Summer Festival. His lamb and veal skewer weighed 1,030kg and measured 1.2 by 1.6 metres.

Event organisers, which include Sam's Food restaurant, the Limassol Rotary Club and the Municipal Council of Limassol, will serve pieces of the kebab on Lebanese pitta-style bread with garlic and tahini for �1 each.

Sammy Eid, owner of Sam's Food, plans to use 1,500 chickens in the oversized skewer, which he will be prepare on a special machine, with help from 10 staff from his restaurant.

An additional three or four sponsors are expected to join the event, among them two local drink manufacturers and banks, Panicos Loizou, President of the Limassol Rotary Club told the Cyprus Mail.

"The money will be collected by Limassol Rotary Club and we will use it for charitable and community projects in Limassol and in Cyprus in general," Loizou said.

He estimates that the event will earn a minimum of �20,000, although he is not sure how the proceeds will be divided up between different causes. "We don't know how much will go for each purpose because we are still not sure how many people will buy from us."

The event will begin at around 10am, when the mayor of Limassol, Demetris Kontides, will come to weigh the cleaned kebab meat, following the Guinness book of Records procedure.

"He will testify that it is the correct weight and certify that all the meat will be put onto a special skewer," Loizou explained.

Afterwards, he said, they will begin cooking the meat and hope to begin serving it by 12.30pm.

The event will take place on Limassol's promenade near the old harbour, although the municipal committee, which is in charge of securing a venue, has yet to decide on the exact location.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Iranian caught with heroin in stomach at Larnaca

Police began questioning the 33-year-old on his arrival at Larnaca airport from Tehran around 9.20am. They also checked his baggage and arranged for the medical examination after the suspect agreed to it.

He was arrested once the drugs were spotted and was given medication to help him pass one of the bags, which was found to contain 22 grams of heroin.

The suspect will be kept under police guard until all the bags have passed through his system.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Savvides: we'll pay all preparatory costs for NHS

The government's proposal on the plan is set to appear before the House plenum this afternoon. Over the last week, it has undergone several amendments in efforts to find public consensus on the matter and avert any more civil service strikes.

The minister's comments followed the announcement on Tuesday that the government would not take any public contributions to the scheme until it was ready to deliver services, in approximately five years' time.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail yesterday, Savvides said: "All the overheads and funding needed to set up the organisation of the National Health Scheme, rents salaries etc, will be funded by government money.

"We will only start getting the income drawn from people's salaries once the plan is ready to deliver."

Savvides said that a five-year timetable had been drawn up for the plan's implementation, but that that it could be ready before that date.

The minister was unable to give an exact figure on how much the scheme would cost to set up, he said it would not be a significant amount.

"We are talking about basic overheads, the salaries of administrative staff and things like that."

He said that what was most significant was that the money would be paid from state coffers, "whether it is calculated into the Budget of the Health Ministry or the Finance Ministry."

The Health Ministry's budget this year was �1.35 million.

The Minister also insisted that other health projects would not be sacrificed to pay for the setting up of the plan.

The Health Ministry's decision to amend the bill and delay public payments until the scheme was up and running came after the government on Monday agreed to exempt civil servants and bank and electricity authority employees from paying until then.

The agreement came amid efforts to avert a 48-hour strike threatened by public service and banking unions, who feared they would lose out on benefits provided by their own schemes. The government insists they will continue to enjoy any extra benefits they receive from their current schemes.

Under the proposed scheme, all employees would contribute two per cent of their wages to the plan. The employer would contribute a further 2.55 per cent and 4.5 per cent would be footed by the state.

The government will be presenting the bill to the House Health Committee today and hopes to have a plenum vote on the matter this afternoon.

If the bill does not appear before the plenum today, the government hopes it will appear by April 19, the plenum's last session before it dissolves ahead of the May parliamentary elections.

Only DIKO still opposes the scheme, while AKEL has asked for two amendments to be included in the proposal. Their demands are for employees' contribution to be reduced and for representatives of the public to be present on the board set up to co-ordinate the scheme.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Turkey using new methods to delay Loizidou compensation'

The resolution, which follows earlier resolutions issued in October 1999 and July 2000, is expected to be discussed at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg today.

Quoting exclusive sources, CyBC yesterday said Turkey had been trying to delay the third resolution by implying that it was making efforts to comply with the ruling.

According to CyBC, a document had been floated saying that the occupied areas had agreed to pay the compensation under certain conditions, the first of which was to put the compensation into an account in Strasbourg from which Loizidou would be paid once the Cyprus problem was resolved.

The document also urged that the matter be viewed as a political issue and not become a precedent for other cases.

Loizidou had taken Turkey to the European Court of Human Rights claiming that her right to enjoy her property in the occupied areas had been violated by the continued presence of the occupying Turkish army.

On July 28, 1998, the Court ordered Ankara to allow Loizidou access to her property and pay her damages of $900,000 (approximately �570,000), saying Loizidou was and must be regarded as the legal owner of her property.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] Beach Committee puts off Anassa decision

Alecos Papaioannou, general-secretary of the Committee, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that no final decision had been reached. "The matter will be given further consideration," he said. "The Committee decided to visit the area possibly next week."

The controversial luxury complex in the Akamas, which opened in 1998, has been the centre of a long-running battle between the Michaelides family and environmentalists, after the company, Thanos Hotels, was granted relaxations to build.

Environmentalists fear for the future of the endangered green turtle, which nests on the Asprokremmos beach in front of the Anassa.

The conditions under which the Anassa was allowed to go ahead included a prohibition on sunbeds, umbrellas and water sports on the beach in front of the hotel. The hotel was also obliged to add special lighting to ensure the turtles continued to use the beach, but has complied with none of the conditions. Government sources said last month that they had "done exactly the opposite".

The conservation service of the Agriculture Ministry asked the Attorney- general's office to give its opinion on whether the Berne Convention, which has been ratified by Cyprus, would allow the Central Beach Committee to approve the current set-up at the Anassa.

The resulting opinion issued last month states that Articles 4-6 of the convention oblige Cyprus to take all the necessary measures to protect and maintain the species listed in the agreement, plus their eco systems. The list includes the green turtle.

The government said the committee has no option but to take action on the Anassa and demand the sunbeds be removed.

But Papaioannou said that until a final decision was taken, the Anassa would be allowed to keep the sunbeds and umbrellas on the beach. "We will try to find some solution which will not affect the environment if at all possible," he said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Icons missing from Apostolos Andreas

Koullias said the icons and the jewellery, given as ex-voto offerings, had been at the monastery since well before 1974.

"Seven years ago, the Turkish Cypriot authorities moved the items to a property belonging to the Monastery, a building in Rizokarpasso. But soldiers later removed the items from there after beating up a man who tried to stop them. I only found out about all this a few days ago from people living in the occupied areas, but when I asked the authorities where the items were, they refused to tell me citing security reasons," Koullias said.

"I fear the heritage may have been smuggled to Europe to be sold on the black market," he said.

Koullias said the icons and the jewellery were items of national heritage and pleaded with the government to try to locate them.

The Antiquities Department had told Koullias it was unaware of the matter, the deputy said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] Church trial formally suspended

Archimandrites Andreas Constantinides and Chrysostomos Argyrides had been on trial since February.

The decision to suspend proceedings had been announced by Attorney-general Alecos Markides on Sunday.

Yesterday, the state prosecutor filed the request, which was duly accepted by the judge who formally discharged the defendants.

But the show was stolen by defence lawyer Demetris Pavlides, who complained his clients had not had the chance to prove their innocence.

"With your permission your honour. We respect this position; it is the Attorney general's right.

"I want to declare that my clients did not get the chance to prove their innocence through the procedure."

But judge Fivos Zomenis seemed to have had enough.

He told Pavlides that he had requested for the case to be suspended so that he would have the chance to appeal for the case to be dropped altogether.

"In light of this, Mr. Pavlides' position today is incomprehensible and unacceptable," Judge Zomenis said.

"I have nothing more to say."

After the end of the hearing, the two archimandrites were jubilant, talking to reporters and handing out their statements in writing.

Argyrides said he felt a winner because he was innocent.

"I'm innocent," said the typed statement, followed by three exclamation marks.

The statement issued by Constantinides was less triumphant, but like his lawyer he said: "I believe and feel that I'm innocent despite being deprived of the chance to prove my innocence through the trial."

"I feel a winner," he added.

But the two clerics may not be off the hook yet.

Both have been suspended by the Holy Synod for alleged involvement in immoral practices.

Constantinides has been accused of fathering an illegitimate child, while Argyrides was suspended after it emerged that he could be involved with homosexuals.

The Attorney-general's decision to suspend the case did not go by without criticism.

Bishop Chrysostomos of Paphos, who has been accused of supporting the archimandrites, on Monday lambasted Markides for not allowing the case to proceed.

"Since the archimandrites were charged with conspiracy is it right that the case be stopped and not completed so that the public can see if there really was a conspiracy or not?" Chrysostomos wondered.

Markides countered that he had not taken any sides in the "battle that affected the Church of Cyprus".

"I only did my duty," he said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[09] Fingers crossed as CyTA prepares for liberalisation

Minister of Communications and Public Works Averoff Neophytou headed the conference to support the liberalisation, essential if Cyprus is to join the European Union.

Under the banner "Dynamism in a new era", computer generated images of "an average forty-something woman" despairing over the confusing and time- consuming labyrinth of the old CyTA, were traded in for pictures of a new CyTA, building its way to success.

But under the glossy veneer of spin, CyTA General Manager Nicos Timotheou yesterday fended off criticism that his organisation was ill equipped to face a cutthroat private sector in less than 21 months time, provided Parliament approves the bill to strip the organisation of her semi- governmental status.

He told the Cyprus Mail that the legislation was the most important hurdle to overcome, saying that CyTA had been working towards the goal of going public since the early 1990s.

Timotheou said the current process of hiring even just 20 new staff could take up to two years before government approval was granted by all the necessary bodies: the Communications and Finance Ministries, the Planning Department, the Council of Ministers and Parliament.

Customer service, greater efficiency and better use of new technology are at the centre of the efforts to turn CyTA into a successful public company.

A voluntary early retirement scheme was set up in the early 1990s to weed out employees over 54 and make way for younger staff with qualifications better suited to the new technology.

This scheme shed some 100 employees last year, reducing the total number of staff to 2,400 - vacancies Timotheou says will be filled soon.

New salaries will be supplemented by rewards and incentives, which have already been piloted.

Once CyTA goes public, six per cent of shares will be made available to employees.

Employees reluctant to join the private sector will retain their civil service salaries, working as sub-contractors for the new CyTA.

"Thank God, I think we are optimistic. The network is very modern after we have replaced them all with a digital one. Our mobile system is very good, though sometimes we get complaints about coverage and at the same time, the early retirement scheme has made the staff more entrepreneurial, in line with private companies," said the general manager.

But a CyTA insider yesterday admitted that no timetable had yet been drawn up for the massive overhaul of the organisation, due to completed in less than 21 months.

"But, everything will be completed by January 1, 2003," he said.

The government tried to quash criticism that CyTA would flounder in the private sector, with statistics from EU countries that have already liberalised their telecommunication sectors.

Private companies other than the former state authority have not cornered any of the Danish, British or Spanish markets; just four per cent in Italy and 19 per cent in Portugal. The figures in Belgium, France and Germany were 50 per cent, 54 per cent and 58 per cent respectively.

Only a Swedish experience would have wiped CyTA off the face of the earth: private companies there have cornered 90 per cent of the market.

CyTA said yesterday that they were aware of three Greek companies and one French company that have investigated joining the Cyprus market in 2003.

"But it's a very small market. CyTA already has a 35 per cent penetration of the mobile market, but nobody knows what's going to happen," said Timotheou.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[10] DISY calls on parties to reveal stock market investments

Centre-right DIKO responded by issuing its own details later yesterday. DISY released details of its CSE dealings on Monday, parliamentary spokesman Panayiotos Demetriou said. He said the party had not acted illegally by buying shares on private placement, although it had come under fire at the time.

"It was the opinion of some members that it was wrong, but these members were not able to say how we could face the party's financial problems," he said. "We carried out a completely legal action. We didn't conceal anything or hide behind dummy companies. We made these investments in a straightforward manner."

Demetriou added that there were other political parties, which had been hiding behind companies for years. "And if you ask them, they say they don't have any businesses," he said. "They are parties in capitalist businesses presenting themselves and pretending they are against this kind of behaviour."

DIKO general secretary Andreas Angelides said yesterday that the party had discussed the issue on Tuesday night and would also release its details He also said the party had financial difficulties.

"It is a fact that the parties in Cyprus cannot function satisfactorily and even we are trying to limit our expenses to the bare minimum every month," he said.

DISY'S STATEMENT

The 375,000 shares were bought at 40 cents each at total cost to the party of �150,000. They were purchased with a loan from Laiki Investments, the statement said. DISY was given 37,500 free warrants with the shares.

On December 17, 1999 when the Louis shares and rights split, the party had a total of 937,500 shares and 93,750 warrants.

Between December 27 and 29, 1999 Laiki Investments sold 238,638 shares for �700,564.89, which resulted in net takings of �695,310.60.

The party said �158,135.48 had been paid to Laiki to cover the loan, interest and handling fees, while �520,000 was paid towards a party loan from Laiki Bank and another �17,172.12 left with Laiki Investments.

"Today, Revolution has 698,862 shares from the original issue, 37,500 warrants from the rights issue last year and 93,750 warrant from the original investment."

DIKO'S STATEMENT

In June 1999, MTE Investments Ltd. purchased 375,000 shares in Louis Cruise Lines at 40 cents each by means of a loan of �154,372.20 from Laiki Investments using its shares as collateral. Along with the purchase of the shares, 37,500 free warrants were also given to the party. Since then and up until August 2000, MTE Investments Ltd. sold 15,000 shares before the split and 166,037 afterwards making a net amount of �345,013.56. It also sold 35,200 rights and made a net total of �24,208.79.

No further transaction has been carried out since August 2000, the statement said.

"The total amount received from the sale of shares and rights has been used towards DIKO's obligations to banks, various creditors and to pay salaries and other operational costs of the party," it added.

MTE still has 734,763 shares and 93,750 rights in Louis, which are still used as collateral for Laiki Investments. The rest of the loan to Laiki Investments on March 31 2001 came to �152,902.40 and the value of the shares and rights at the moment is �267,069.40.

DIKO considers that the setting up of MTE Investments was completely legal since the law allows for political parties to acquire property as long as they are able to cover its costs.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[11] 'Serbian gold came in wooden crates'

SERBIAN gold flew into Larnaca airport in sealed wooden crates between 1995 and 1998, where Laiki Bank staff collected it, deposited it in their safes then meted it out to offshore Serbian companies in Cyprus - according to a front-page report in Alithia yesterday.

The information was attributed to an anonymous officer who served in the Rapid Reaction Unit at Larnaca Airport during the period in question.

The source said that "three or four wooden crates laden with gold" and sacks full of dollars were taken to the Larnaca Airport branch of Laiki Bank, where they were documented.

He said they were then loaded into a Volkswagen van owned by Laiki and driven under armed police escort to the Bank's branch opposite Larnaca Police Headquarters.

Alithia says a representative of Laiki Bank confirmed that other banks also handled the gold and sacks of dollars, which was paid to offshore Yugoslav companies, who used it to buy products on behalf of Belgrade.

The former Rapid Reaction Unit officer said those responsible for the operations were senior Laiki employees and some Yugoslavian men.

But the Governor of the Central Bank, Afxentis Afxentiou, told the Cyprus Mail last night that he doubted the report was correct.

"There is nothing to our knowledge about gold coming into Larnaca airport. I don't think that this information can be true because the import of gold to Cyprus requires a special permit, given only by the Central Bank. Indeed, the Chief Executive of Laiki called me this morning to express his amazement about the article," he said.

Alithia's police source said no police records were kept about the use of police cars in this capacity, and that "after two or three times" he refused to participate in the armed escort.

The report followed hot on the heels of revelations made by the same paper nine days ago that millions of dollars flew from Belgrade to Larnaca in sacks, between 1995 and 1998.

The information was attributed to a police officer and customers official.

The Central Bank has admitted to knowing about imports of dollars from Belgrade earmarked for "Yugoslavia's needs" after 1995, when the UN embargo against the country was lifted, but denied knowing who received the money and what happened to it after that.

The Yugoslav Central Bank and The Hague War Crimes Tribunal are investigating claims that Cyprus was the main port of call for money laundered out of Belgrade between 1991 and 1994.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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