Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 96-07-24

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From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" <[email protected]>

CONTENTS

[01] Government denial over Israeli jets

[02] Clerides refuses a letter from Denktash

[03] Cyprus protests Turkish violations of air space

[04] Greek Cypriot fishermen detained by occupation regime

1045:CYPPRESS:01

[01] Government denial over Israeli jets

President Glafcos Clerides and Defence Minister Costas Eliades have said that Israeli planes were not involved in the air-space violation on Friday night and added that all five jets, who flew over Cyprus, were Turkish.

Clerides told the press ''new facts'' had emerged confirming this view.

In his comments on the matter, the Defence Minister said the National Guard, the Republic's armed forces, can identify aircraft overflying Cyprus.

Five jets were reported to have flown over the Karpass peninsula and the coastal town of Famagusta (on the eastern part of the island) in the Turkish occupied northern areas of Cyprus. Two of these were said to be Israeli aircraft on a joint exercise with Turkish fighters.

Israeli Embassy Spokesman Elazar Cohen told CNA Monday he had no official information on the matter and refrained from any further comment.

CNA AP/MM/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1605:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Clerides refuses a letter from Denktash

Government Spokesman Yiannakis Cassoulides said today the letter, sent through the UN last Monday, was written on paper with the heading of the illegal regime unilaterally declared in the Turkish occupied areas in 1983 and recognised only by Turkey.

Explaining the President's stance Cassoulides reminded that when President Clerides had sent a letter to Denktash, last summer, offering the Republic's assistance in putting out a fire in the occupied Pendadaktylos mountain range, he had written it on blank paper.

''Even though he (Clerides) is the President of an internationally recognised state, he had confined himself to sending a hand-written letter on blank paper, to show his goodwill'', Cassoulides added.

He noted that Denktash had nothing new to propose in his letter, other than negotiations for peace on the island.

The Spokesman said that if Denktash truly wished for peace, as the Greek Cypriot side does, he would have indicated to the UN his willingness to review his positions on the Cyprus issue, so that common ground could be found, enabling peace talks to begin.

CNA MA/MCH/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1905:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Cyprus protests Turkish violations of air space

The protest letter, which the UN circulated as an official document, said ''such actions increase tension on the island as UN Security Council resolution 1062 testifies.''

The resolution expresses ''serious concern about recent military exercises in the region, including overflights in the airspace of Cyprus by military fixed wing aircraft, which have increased tension.''

Last Friday, five Turkish jets flew over Cyprus' eastern tip, the Karpass peninsula, and the eastern coastal town of Famagusta. Both areas have been under Turkish occupation since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

The letter notes that the violations are ''an additional indication of Turkish provocative behaviour in that they took place on the eve of the 22 anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.''

In a separate move, the Republic's permanent mission to the UN lodged a ''strong protest'' over last week's visit to the island's Turkish occupied areas by Turkey's Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan.

Erbakan paid a one-day illegal visit to Cyprus to attend so-called celebrations in the occupied part of Cyprus marking the 22 anniversary of the Turkish invasion.

Cyprus has also made representations in writing to UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali about the visit.

CNA MM/MA/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

2000:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Greek Cypriot fishermen detained by occupation regime

Police investigations into the disappearance of the two fishermen, 22-year-old Yiannakis Hadjiyianni and 24-year-old George Nicolaou from Paralimni village, established that they were abducted while fishing out at sea in their small boat.

The government is trying to secure their release through the UN peace-keeping force.

This is not the first time fishermen have been detained by the Turkish occupation regime, purportedly for entering the illegal Turkish Cypriot self-styled state in the northern occupied areas.

CNA MM/MA/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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