Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 99-04-07

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

Wednesday, April 07, 1999

Aradippou murder 'had underworld links'

THE MURDER of 55-year-old father of two, Fotis Petrakides, whose body was found in Aradippou dam, yesterday competed for front page space with war in Yugoslavia.

Politis reported that Petrakides had been kidnapped at the village of Kosi and driven to Aradippou where he was shot dead with a hunting rifle, put in plastic bag and thrown into the dam. The crime, which was reportedly underworld-linked, had been committed in the last 48 hours, even though the victim's wife had reported him missing to police last Friday.

The paper said that the victim had in the past worked as a police informer - he had supposedly passed on information about smuggling from the north - and had a licence to carry a gun. It was also suggested that he had worked as a special constable, dealing with smuggling, but police did not confirm this.

Machi reported that Petrakides' licence to carry a gun had been withdrawn, but gave no explanation as to the reasons for this. It said the victim had taken part in the police operation to arrest two Turkish Cypriot smugglers in October 1997.

Phileleftheros carried a story from its correspondent in New York who reported that the Cyprus problem would also be affected by the Kosovo crisis. An unnamed US official said it was impossible to say when there would be a US peace initiative; he also mentioned there were certain "worrying phenomena" linked to the war in Yugoslavia.

Meanwhile, an unnamed State Department official expressed concern about the anti-American feeling prevailing in Cyprus. The US was unhappy with last Saturday's anti-Nato rally in Nicosia and had made "strict reprimands" to the Cyprus government which was being accused - not for the first time - of "peculiar economic links with Serbs and Russians".

The same American diplomat claimed that "Cyprus maintains suspicious relations with the Milosevic regime". Two reports on American television claimed that "economic and military assistance was being sent to Yugoslavia through Cyprus". This matter was expected to be raised by Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot in his talks with the Greek government.

Alithia gave prominence to the speech to the nation by Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, who announced that Greece would not participate in any of Nato military operations against Yugoslavia, as it supported the need for a political settlement to the dispute.

Simitis said that the continued use of violence could not yield a solution. He said Yugoslavia should grant autonomy to Kosovo, respect human rights and seek a peaceful compromise with the Kosovars; he also condemned the policy of ethnic cleansing pursued by the Serbs.

Simerini in a front-page editorial said that the trials of the Serbs and the tragedy suffered by the Kosovars had achieved one thing. "They have united the Greeks in Greece and Cyprus and have distanced them from their respective leaderships."

It added: "A distance that will continue to widen for as long as the two governments obey all the conditions set by the Americans and, at the same time abandon their positions, one after the other." This tendency had resulted in the stationing of Greek troops in Albania and Skopje "with a front against the Serbs".

Haravghi reported that strike action was being threatened at three insurance firms - Interamerican, Paneuropean and Philiki - after 52 employees had been made redundant. The three firms had recently be bought by the Popular Bank.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999

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