Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 07-01-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] CYPRIOT FM UN US

[02] DEFENCE MINISTER - HEALTH

[03] CYPRIOT HOUSE SADDAM RESOLUTION

[04] CYPRUS WATER CUTS

[01] CYPRIOT FM UN US

The Minister was invited to comment on a statement made by US State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack that the UN have taken another look at the Cyprus issue and they may consider what it is that they might do``.

Officially, we have the agreement of the 8th of July. Our efforts now focus on achieving the necessary progress so that working groups and technical committees will be established in order to begin discussions, aiming to prepare the ground for a new initiative for a comprehensive settlement, he said.

Lillikas added that parallel to that, there should be a discussion on day to day issues, as agreed upon on July 8th.

Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed on July 8, 2006, during a meeting in the presence of UN Undersecretary General for political affairs Ibrahim Gambari, to begin a process of bicommunal discussions on issues that affect the day-to-day life of the people and concurrently those that concern substantive issues, both contributing to a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem.

This is the official UN policy, we are committed to that agreement and we will continue working with good will and with a cooperative spirit, he said.

The Cypriot Minister expressed hope that ``the Turkish Cypriot side will show the same good will as the Greek Cypriot side so that soon we will have the necessary results``.

Invited to comment on efforts made by the German EU Presidency regarding the European Commissions regulation for direct trade with the Turkish Cypriot community, Lillikas expressed the readiness of the government of Cyprus to resume negotiations on the issue which begun during the past EU Presidency.

I hope that the soonest possible we will have a mutual agreed regulation for trade with the areas of the Republic of Cyprus that are not under the effective control of the government. We are in consultations with the German government. The first meetings will take place on a technical level next week, he said.

Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied one third of its territory.

[02] DEFENCE MINISTER - HEALTH

The 68-year-old minister was admitted to Nicosia General hospital last Friday with symptoms of pneumonia. He suffered a heart attack while undergoing a biopsy on his lungs.

[03] CYPRIOT HOUSE SADDAM RESOLUTION

A resolution approved unanimously by all parliamentary parties in their first plenary session in 2007, said the Cypriot parliament demands that no more convicts are executed in Iraq and calls for an end to the death penalty in the country.

[04] CYPRUS WATER CUTS

The Minister also called on citizens to support the governments efforts to save water, adding that over-consumption will, from now on, be punished with fines.

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