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Cyprus News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-09-29Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>CONTENTS
0900:CYPPRESS:01[01] Polish driver clinches European Champion titleNicosia, Sep 29 (CNA) -- Krzystof Holowezyc of Poland won the 25th Cyprus Rally to take the European Rally Championship crown, the first Pole to hold the coveted title for 26 years.Holowczyc, who led the rally from start to finish, broke the record of seven of the twenty special stages and won every single one of them. Torrential rain over the weekend turned tracks into muddy quagmires but the Pole never lost his rhythm in the Stomil Olsztyn-Mobil 1 Subaru Impreza 555 and despite slowing down on Sunday, he maintained his position. Cypriot driver Andreas Tsouloftas, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 111, finished the arduous event second overall, first of the Cypriot crews, a result which secures him the Cyprus championship. His compatriot Andreas Peratikos, also in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 111, finished third and first in Group N category. He is now the Cyprus Group N champion. Lebanese driver Jean-Pierre Nasrallah secured fourth overall position in his Team Astra Lancia Delta HF. First in the Formula 2 (two-wheel-drive) category was Savvas Andreou in a Seat Ibiza GTi. A total of 31 cars of the 78, which started the 1000-kilometre rally on Friday night, arrived back at the finish on Sunday. CNA MM/GP/1997ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY1000:CYPPRESS:02[02] Cyprus situation must be rectifiedLondon, Sep 29 (CNA) -- Britain believes the Cyprus issue is a matter of justice which has to be put right, according to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.In his remarks at a reception in Brighton on Sunday, Prescott said "there are issues of justice about Cyprus that we have got to correct and I hope you feel that the Labour government now has begun to direct itself to that particular priority." The Prime Minister, he said, "certainly has it very much in his mind." Prescott also said Britain is in a position "to give it the kind of priority we think it should have." Meanwhile, British Euro MP Pauline Green, speaking on the eve of the Labour party's annual conference, warned Turkey that its blackmailing tactics over Cyprus' accession prospects can backfire. "The Council of Ministers, the European Commission and the European Parliament are in one mind that there will be negotiations with Cyprus according to plan at the beginning of March 1998." She said "we will not be blackmailed by any country. Turkey, by the blackmail they are trying to carry out, is damaging its own relations with the European Union," Green pointed out. CNA KT/MM/GP/1997ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY1035:CYPPRESS:03[03] New judges sworn in, others rebel over appointmentNicosia, Sep 29 (CNA) -- As two new members of the Supreme Court were sworn in today, district judges were meeting to decide how to respond to the appointment of a non-member of the judiciary to the bench.A bitter row broke out when President Glafcos Clerides decided to appoint government attorney Rallis Gavrielides to be one of the two new members of the Supreme Court. The second appointee is judge Andreas Krambis. The constitution gives the President the right to appoint judges to the 13-bench Court at his discretion. Judges abstained from work on Sunday and several suspects walked free as the courts did not sit. The President stood by his decision and said his choice of judges was made after a lot of consideration. "I am sure that you will respond in a positive manner to your obligations," the President said at this morning's swearing in ceremony. The newly-appointed judges said they will do their best to exercise their duties as these are prescribed by the law. Attorney General Alecos Markides said the President exercised his constitutional right and no-one can question this. He called on the district judges to return to work and expressed the hope that they would not resign en masse. "Judges are not above the constitution, they cannot be on strike and refuse to exercise this authority. Their attitude is far from serving justice and they have to rethink about what they are doing," Markides said. CNA MM/GP/1997ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY1130:CYPPRESS:04[04] Judges resign over new appointmentNicosia, Sep 29 (CNA) -- The overwhelming majority of Cypriot judges decided today to hand in their resignations in protest to a presidential decision to appoint a government attorney to the Supreme Court.The President of the Union of Judges Efi Papadopoulou told the press after this morning's meeting that 34 judges voted in favour of mass resignation and ten against. The resignation letters were handed to Supreme Court President George Pikis. Two new judges were sworn in early this morning amid growing discontent on the part of the judges for the appointment of the attorney, Rallis Gavrielides. Attorney General, Alecos Markides, the top legal authority in Cyprus, said the judges were wrong in abstaining from the duties, as they did over the weekend. CNA RM/MM/GP/1997ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY1240:CYPPRESS:05[05] Judges to continue workingNicosia, Sep 29 (CNA) -- Cypriot judges, who resigned earlier today in protest against a Supreme Court appointment, said they will continue working as normal until the situation is sorted out.The Union of Judges said in a statement after an extraordinary meeting here its 34 members, who handed in their resignations to the Supreme Court president, "will exercise their duties normally in anticipating of developments." Another ten members who attended Monday's meeting refused to resign. The resignations came after President Glafcos Clerides appointed government attorney Rallis Gavrielides to the bench of the Supreme Court. Traditionally only judges are appointed to the Supreme Court but the President has the constitutional right to appoint other person than a judge. The judges considered this move as being "outside the bounds of normal practice" applied so far, because the new judge is not a member of the judiciary. "The practice adopted to date is the only one that safeguards the independence of the judiciary," the statement said. The judges said they would back any measures the Supreme Court would take to ensure the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. Earlier today Attorney General Alecos Markides called on the judges, who abstained from work during the weekend, to return to their duties. CNA RM/MM/GP/1997ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY1320:CYPPRESS:06[06] Turkish water in occupied Cyprus, Israel, LibyaNicosia, Sep 29 (CNA) -- Turkey intends to transfer water to Cyprus' occupied areas, and sell water to Israel and Libya, according to the Turkish Cypriot press.Turkey's President Suleyman Demirel approved a cabinet decision to transfer water from Turkey to the northern part of the island, which Turkey occupies for the past 23 years since its troops invaded Cyprus. A report in the Turkish Cypriot daily "Halkin Sesi" says Turkey stands to gain some 300 million dollars annually from the transfer and sale of water. Infrastructure work for the project, estimated to cost around 122 million dollars, is expected to be ready by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. The decision provides also for the sale of water to Israel and Libya, the paper says. Three million cubic metres of water will be transferred in the next two years. The paper says a Swiss company has already signed a contract to hire a water balloon, with a capacity of 10,000 cubic metres of water. The transfer of water with balloons will begin in October, the paper adds. CNA MM/GP/1997ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCYCNA ENDCyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |