Cyprus News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-01-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] EU - Cyprus - Talks

[02] Kasoulides - Clerides' letter to Annan

[03] Cyprus Stock Exchange

1430:CYPPRESS:01

[01] EU - Cyprus - Talks

Maurer, on a brief visit here, called on Cyprus to liberalise its telecommunications as soon as possible and said the EU is interested to see the people of Cyprus benefit from the accession process.

Speaking at the House of Representatives, he praised the work of the House Committee for Foreign and EU affairs, which he had just met, noting that the Parliament has a major role to play in the harmonisation process.

The Austrian official had an encouraging word for the serious approach Cyprus shows towards accession negotiations and warned that "you will have hot and cold showers" during this process.

"You are treated now not only as a normal member state but as an ideal state," he told reporters, and noted that Cyprus has to understand that "sovereignty will come to Brussels" and Cyprus will be in a position to influence decisions in Brussels.

"You will have to be aware that in the next few years we will treat you not with very much love but there is the objective that Cyprus should become a member of the EU," he said.

He described the current division and partial occupation of Cyprus by Turkey as a "big problem in Cyprus" and said Europe "want to understand the problem to act also in a good way for your country because we are interested that this process and the accession of Cyprus is a positive step for your people that you may benefit and become part of EU."

Referring to his mission, he said after the start of substantive talks in November last year, there are two chapters still open, telecommunications and foreign and security policy.

"We would like to convince you that you should liberalise a little bit earlier than you had proposed in your negotiating position, I mean liberalise as soon as possible," he said.

He said part of his mission is to present a progress report in mid- February on four chapters, including freedom of movement, company law, competition policy.

The second goal of our mission, he explained, is to prepare the second round of talks, for which Germany, the current EU presidency, is keen to introduce into negotiations further eight chapters.

Cyprus, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion, applied for EU membership in July 1990. It signed an association agreement with the European Community in 1972 and a customs union protocol in 1987.

It started substantive membership talks in November 1998, together with other European states, namely Estonia, Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

CNA MM/GP/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1440:CYPPRESS:02

[02] Kasoulides - Clerides' letter to Annan

Speaking after a meeting with Chinese Deputy Health Minister, Longde Wang, Kasoulides stressed that the "main aim of the letter was to state formally to the UN Secretary-General our side's acceptance of Security Council resolution 1218".

A second aim, he added, "was to state that our side reserves the right to proceed with its arms purchase programme unless the Turkish side accepts resolution 1218".

Security Council resolution 1218 of December 1998 requests the UN chief to work intensively with the two sides on the island on "an undertaking to refrain from the threat or use of force or violence as a means to resolve the Cyprus problem" and "a staged process aimed at limiting and then substantially reducing the level of all troops and armaments on Cyprus".

In his letter to Annan, Clerides said that in order to comply with the provisions of 1218 he has taken "unilaterally the decision not to import and deploy in Cyprus the S-300 anti-aircraft missiles".

He adds, however, that he "cannot postpone indefinitely" the completion of certain agreements for the purchase of arms and military equipment necessary for the defence of the Cyprus Republic.

"I therefore hope that I will within a reasonable time hear from your excellency that the other (Turkish) side has accepted in toto and not selectively operative paragraphs 4 and 5 of Security Council Resolution 1218 of 1998," Clerides concludes.

Kasoulides revealed that copies of Clerides' letter have also been delivered to the Greek government and distributed to Cypriot diplomatic missions abroad and UN Secretary-General's resident representative, Dame Ann Hercus.

Foreign diplomatic missions in Cyprus and in New York also have copies of the letter, he added.

Turkish troops have been occupying 37 per cent of Cyprus territory since 1974, in violation of repeated UN resolutions calling for their withdrawal.

CNA AA/MCH/GP/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1530:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Cyprus Stock Exchange

      CSE General Index                          96.30 ( 0.47)

      Traded Value            CYP 4,548,491

      Sectural Indices

      Banks                   CYP 1,409,877     111.38 ( 0.75)
      Approved Investment
      Companies               CYP   145,206      60.36 (-0.05)
      Insurance Companies     CYP 1,205,907      77.92 ( 0.12)
      Manufacturing Companies CYP   371,247      89.78 (-0.43)
      Tourism Companies       CYP   233,383      73.57 ( 1.95)
      Trading Companies       CYP   353,752      45.29 (-1.86)
      Other Companies         CYP   244,057      84.89 ( 0.28)

CNA MCH/1999

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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