Cyprus News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-12-04

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] US President - Greek Americans - Meeting

[02] Cyprus ancient settlement - UNESCO world heritage list

[03] Conference - Fraud

[04] Cyprus - UN - Turkish violations

[05] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[06] Peres - Cyprus

[07] Cyprus - UN - Genocide

0830:CYPPRESS:01

[01] US President - Greek Americans - Meeting

The Greek Americans met the US President, the head of the National Security Council Sandy Berger and other officials at the White House. President Clinton was at the meeting for thirty minutes, while Berger carried on the discussion for another half hour.

According to sources, the discussion was substantive and the participants remained with the impression that Bill Clinton knows the various aspects of the Cyprus problem well.

President Clinton expressed his intention to become personally involved and try to achieve something in the two years he will remain in office.

On their part, the Greek American leaders asked the US President to become personally involved in a Cyprus settlement and for a solution to Greco-Turkish differences, as he did in the Middle East and Northern Ireland peace efforts.

State Department Cyprus Coordinator Thomas Miller was among the American officials present at the meeting.

Efforts to reach a settlement in Cyprus, divided since Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37 per cent of its territory in 1974, have so far failed due to the Turkish side's intransigence.

The US has said it fully backs a fresh effort by UN resident representative Dame Ann Hercus for a settlement and the reduction of tension.

CNA DA/MA/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1200:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Cyprus ancient settlement - UNESCO world heritage list

The decision to add 30 sites from various countries to its list was taken this week, at the annual world heritage committee meeting, in Kyoto, Japan.

Speaking to CNA, Deputy Director of Cyprus' Antiquities Department Pavlos Flourentzos, stressed the importance for the whole region to include Choirokitia in this prestigious list.

He described the Choirokitia neolithic settlement as "one of the most important ancient site in Eastern Mediterranean."

A number of other ancient and religious sites are included in the UNESCO world heritage list.

According to Flourentzos nine Byzantine churches in the Troodos mountain range, Kato Paphos, and Aphrodite's temple in Palaipaphos, are under world protection as they are included in the UNESCO list.

The UNESCO world heritage list includes now 582 archaeological sites from 114 countries.

The settlement of Choirokitia is one of the oldest so far discovered in this Easter Mediterranean island, dating from about 5.800 BC (Neolithic Age).

Choirokitia was founded by a community or primitive farmers, whose origin is uncertain.

These people depended for their livelihood upon the cultivation of livestock (sheep, goat and pig), hunting of wild animals, and on trade with surrounding countries.

In the excavations which were started by the Cyprus Antiquities Department in 1936 many examples were found of primitive agricultural implements used by the inhabitants of domestic utensils, arrow-heads and of stone axes, adzes and chisels used in carpentry.

The people lived in "bee-hive" or "Igloo" shaped buildings with foundations laid in stone, mostly river pebbles, and superstructures of mud or sun-backed mud bricks.

CNA MEM/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1230:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Conference - Fraud

The Conference on "Fraud: Issues, Concerns and Future Directions" aims at looking at this "global" problem as the speakers described it, from different prospectives and at providing for thought and stimulating more debate.

Welcoming the participants, Professor Andreas Kapardis pointed out that even though "you do not hear much about 'white collar' crimes their cost is enormous".

Citing a US research he said the cost of "white collar" crimes was forty times that of ordinary crime, such as robberies or burglaries.

Kapardis expressed the hope the Conference would act as a catalyst for a coordinated response to the problem.

In his welcoming address, Justice and Public Order Permanent Secretary Andreas Panayiotou, speaking on behalf of Minister Nicos Koshis, described fraud issues as "a great challenge of present times," which, as he pointed out, the Cyprus government aims at facing.

"The government has introduced various measures in an effort to deal with this problem both domestically and internationally," and gave as an example the ratification of the European Convention on Money Laundering.

Attorney General, Alecos Markides, said the crime of fraud was old, but its sophistication was new.

"Enormous technological development of our times has been taken advantage of by modern criminals including organised crime," Markides remarked, adding that only through combined efforts of investigators and other experts can this problem be confronted successfully.

Markides expressed the hope that a proposal for the creation of a special fraud squad under the Attorney General's office will be adopted by the House of Representatives.

Key-note speaker to the Conference, University of Cardiff Professor, Michael Levi stressed the severe damage fraud can cost to both countries and individuals, giving the case of Nigeria as an example.

Levi also cited the results of a research in the UK which showed that the cost of fraud "dwarfs other types of crime".

He explained that fraud is not a coherent category and there are different types of fraudsters, which include "blue collar" infiltrators stealing data as well as "organised criminals" and corrupt politicians and officials.

Some of the issues to be addressed at the Conference concern, the aetiology of commercial fraud, investigating and prosecuting fraud offenders, legal aspects of tackling money-laundering, accountants and fraud detection and regulating fraud in society.

CNA MCH/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1250:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Cyprus - UN - Turkish violations

In a letter to UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the UN, Sotos Zackheos, protests against violations of Cyprus' national airspace on November 24, 25, 26, and 27 by 100 Turkish military aircraft.

Zackheos points out that "these airspace violations are a further reminder of Turkey's offensive disregard of international law, the UN Charter and all relevant decisions of the Organisation on the question of Cyprus."

He stresses that "these continuing overflights by the Turkish Air Force, as well as the presence of the Turkish military occupation forces on the island, constitute the underlying causes of tension in Cyprus."

The Cyprus ambassador's letter circulated yesterday as a document of the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.

CNA DG/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1500:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Cyprus Stock Exchange

      CSE General Index                          89.70 ( 0.63)

      Traded Value            CYP 1,632,711

      Sectural Indices

      Banks                   CYP   549,291     103.68 ( 0.12)
      Approved Investment
      Companies               CYP    90,921      59.33 ( 0.88)
      Insurance Companies     CYP   524,415      66.62 ( 3.70)
      Manufacturing Companies CYP    78,198      87.84 (-0.03)
      Tourism Companies       CYP    84,711      68.94 ( 1.31)
      Trading Companies       CYP    27,979      42.21 ( 1.69)
      Other Companies         CYP    77,370      82.94 ( 1.13)

CNA EC/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1505:CYPPRESS:06

[06] Peres - Cyprus

The certificates will be given at a reception on 15 December to coincide with the ceremony of "Hanukkah" candle lighting and the conclusion of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Israel.

During his short stay on the island, Peres will meet various dignitaries and address the reception.

He is expected to refer to the "peace process and the new business opportunities resulting from the progress in the peace process, regional joint ventures and the enhancing of Israel-Cyprus relations," an Israeli Embassy press release said.

Peres has visited Cyprus in the past as Foreign Minister and again earlier this year.

Relations between Cyprus and Israel were boosted in the past several years, particularly after Cyprus opened an embassy in Tel Aviv.

In early November Israeli President Ezer Weizman paid an official visit to the Republic at the invitation of his Cypriot counterpart, Glafcos Clerides.

CNA MM/EC/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1520:CYPPRESS:07

[07] Cyprus - UN - Genocide

The statement was made by Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the UN, Sotos Zackheos, before the UN General Assembly during a discussion on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

In his speech Zackheos noted that as recognised by the UN "genocide is the ultimate crime and the gravest violation of human rights", he said.

In Cyprus, he added, "having a vibrant, talented and entrepreneurial Armenian community we can appreciate, first hand, the trauma felt by this community for the serious injustices their ancestors suffered."

Unfortunately, he added, "the same policy has been applied against the people of Cyprus during and in the aftermath of the 1974 Turkish military invasion and occupation of 37 per cent of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, resulting in one third of the population being forced out of their homes and finding themselves as refugees in their own country".

He said the case of Cyprus "confirms what Jean Paul Sartre the noted author and philosopher wrote... that 'in some cases the occupying forces maintain their authority by the terror of a perpetual threat of massacre.'"

Zackheos said "Turkey's policy of ethnic cleansing against the population of Cyprus is further attested by the massive colonisation and systematic destruction of the religious and cultural heritage in the territory occupied by the Turkish army and by the inhumane conditions of life imposed on the few Greek Cypriots and Maronites still living in the occupied part of the island."

"There is no doubt that the aim is to turkify completely the occupied area and to erase any signs of the long historic Greek presence there," Zackheos said.

He also referred to the plight of the Armenian community who, "in the aftermath of the Turkish invasion in 1974, lost their homes and properties."

CNA EC/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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