Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 04-09-14

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From: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] IRAQ

[03] MIDEAST

[04] TURKEY PARLIAMENT

[05] PETROS FUNERAL

[06] ARSENIOS BURIAL

[07] ANNAN CYPRUS

[08] SCHOOLS BESLAN

[09] GRAPES OK

[10] WEATHER TUESDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2004

[01] HEADLINES

-- The funeral service of the Patriarch of Alexandria Petros, of Cypriot origin, will be held at Athens Cathedral tomorrow in the presence of President Costis Stephanopoulos and the political leadership.

-- The funeral service of Bishop of Macheras Arsenios will take place today at the Monastery in Cyprus. And

--UN Secretary General Kofi Annan does not see a basis for resuming his good offices in Cyprus at this stage but instead wants a broad reassessment of the full range of United Nations Peace Keeping Force activities on the island.

[02] IRAQ

The U.S. army and Iraqi Interior Ministry said the blast was a car bomb attack on a police station in Haifa Street, a Baghdad area known as a haven for guerrillas and criminals.

The Health Ministry said 39 had been killed and 96 wounded.

The Interior Ministry and witnesses said there may have been at least two simultaneous car bomb blasts. Witnesses said mortars may also have been fired at the same time.

Rescuers pulled bodies from mangled market stalls. The area was littered with shoes, clothes and body parts, as well as scattered fruit and vegetables from the market.

Bloodstained corpses lay on pavements strewn with chairs, glass and rubble from blown-out shopfronts. Dazed bystanders vainly checked bodies for signs of life.

Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib visited the site of today's blast and condemned the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, a blast that hit a pipeline supplying fuel to a power station in Baiji, north of Baghdad, knocked out electricity to the town.

The blast occurred in the early hours today. It was not immediately clear if the blast was the same as one which hit a northern oil export pipeline, which an official said had halted Iraqi crude exports to Turkey.

[03] MIDEAST

Mr. Sharon told the daily Haaretz in a Jewish new year holiday interview that he had rejected a U.S. overture for Israel to renew peace talks with Syria last year.

He said it would be "very dangerous" for Israel to resume talks at the point where they broke off in 2000, before he took office. Israel at that time had agreed to cede parts of the Golan Heights seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War.

His remarks come after recent international signals of efforts to revive Israeli-Syrian dialogue.

[04] TURKEY PARLIAMENT

"It would be inconceivable for us to remain silent on a question which at the end of the day, however long the process may take, cannot be agreed without parliament's assent," Josep Borrell told the legislature in his inaugural address.

He said the 732-member assembly -- the EU's only directly elected institution -- would issue an advisory opinion after the executive European Commission reports on whether Turkey has met the bloc's criteria on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. That report is expected on Oct. 6.

EU leaders then will decide in December whether and when to start negotiations.

The parliament is split on Turkey, echoing divisions in European public opinion over the sprawling, poor and mainly Muslim state of 70 million citizens.

[05] PETROS FUNERAL

The Patriach's relics, who was killed on Saturday along with Cypriot Bishop Arsenios of Macheras and fifteen other clergymen and laymen when the helicopter they were on board crashed as it was approaching Mount Athos, in northern Greece, will be transported to Cairo on a military plane where at five in the afternoon the burial service will take place at the Greek Orthodox cemetery, just as it was his wish.

President Stephanopoulos will attend the burial, as well as the Ecumenical Patriarch and Athens Archbishop as well as other dignitaries.

[06] ARSENIOS BURIAL

His remains were transported to Cyprus yesterday on a greek military aircraft.

[07] ANNAN CYPRUS

Referring to the last negotiations for a Cyprus settlement that led to the rejection of his peace plan by the Greek Cypriot side, he expressed hope that the Greek Cypriots ''will reflect on their position so that future efforts can have a chance to succeed''.

[08] SCHOOLS BESLAN

A minute's silence was also observed in schools throughout the rest of the EU today to convey the message of determination to wipe out terrorism and for conditions of peace and security to prevail.

[09] GRAPES OK

Agriculture Minister Timis Efthimiou announced the decision to the agricultural organisations. He said the government will financially assist the wine industries, making use of the only way through the EU to solve the problem.

[10] WEATHER

Tonight it will remain clear with north-westerly to north-easterly light winds, two to three beaufort and the sea calm to slight. Temperatures will fall to 17 C inland, 19 C on the coasts and 14 over the mountains. The fire hazard remains extremely high in all forest areas.

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