Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-11-28

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

Saturday, November 28, 1998

Will they come or won't they?

THE COMMON line taken by all yesterday's papers was President Glafcos Clerides' visit to Greece. Wide speculation was made over what Clerides and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis would discuss about the S-300 missiles.

Alithia was pessimistic about the arrival of the Russian-made missiles with the headline: "A new delay for the S-300s will be decided today." The paper said Simitis had given a clue about the missile's future when he said that the missiles were not an end in themselves and that a decision had to be taken within the broader framework of what was best for Hellenism.

Machi was more optimistic about the S-300 deployment, saying "Clerides insists on bringing them." The paper continued that, according to its sources, Clerides would insist that the missiles be deployed, but concede to not having all their radars fully operational.

The paper meanwhile joined Alithia in a report that the House of Representatives had vetoed an order for Israeli manufactured bullet-proof vests for the National Guard. The two papers blame the political issue that has arisen since the recent capture of two Israeli spies at Zygi for the decision.

Haravghi also zoomed in on Simitis' comment that the missiles were not an end in themselves, interpreting this as meaning that Greece would argue for the missiles to be deployed in Crete.

The paper also gave front-page attention to a "Dramatic lack of buildings in Technical Education", leading to hundreds of prospective students having to attend the more academically oriented Lyceums.

Simerini also led on the missiles, saying: "The S-300s are trapped in four scenarios." The paper believed that yesterday's Athens discussion would focus on bridging the two countries' conflicting opinions on the missile issue.

The paper also picked up on a report shown on Sigma television the previous night that alleged that pregnant Romanian women were coming to Cyprus to give birth and then sell their babies to Cypriot couples unable to have children of their own. The article said the government in Bucharest had demanded investigations, with the Ambassador in Nicosia claiming that this issue "hurts Romania's image in Cyprus".

Phileleftheros said that the Athens discussion would be on all aspects of the Cyprus problem, including lessening tension in the area.

Meanwhile the paper also claimed an exclusive from the head of the Limassol Lawyer's Association, George Charalambides, saying that there were some lawyers in the town that were not ethical in their practices and that these few ruined the image of Limassol lawyers in general.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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