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06.12.2005 PAPADOPOULOS - LEDRA STREET The Turkish actions in the buffer zone near Ledra Street in Nicosia do not aim at building bridges of reunification, but bridges of separation, President of the Republic of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos pointed out today, adding that the United Nations are aware that the Turkish occupation army is violating the buffer zone in the area. "Our position is clear. We will not accept the occupation of the buffer zone and whoever says that the United Nations have a different view, is wrong," the President said. Noting that the only way to solve the problem is through dialogue, he said that the dialogue continues but reminded that, despite the UN Security Council decision about the violation of the status quo in the Strovilia area, the Turkish forces have not withdrawn yet. He added that the United Nations are aware of the fact that there is a violation of the buffer zone by the Turkish occupation army and said that the Greek Cypriot side would not accept the violation even by one metre. "The UN know that there is a violation. It is not important if the violation stretches to one, two or five metres. It is a matter of principle. If we accept here the violation at one meter, two or three, then more bad things will follow," he pointed out. President Papadopoulos added that the Turkish Cypriot side is making efforts to give the impression that it is interested in the reunification of the two sides on the island, "whereas by the nature and the type of works they conduct, instead of building a bridge of communication and reunification, they are building a bridge of separation." Answering questions, President Papadopoulos said that the Greek Cypriot side has submitted to the United Nations in full and in detail all the changes it wishes to see in the UN-sponsored plan for a solution of the Cyprus problem.

06.12.2005 Potato protest comes to Nicosia AROUND 70 potato growers marched from the Larnaca roundabout to the gates of the Presidential Palace yesterday, where they camped out all day in hopes of securing their demands for subsidies and compensation. The farmers returned to their ‘red village’ homes at nightfall, not only tired but also visibly frustrated and disappointed, which suggests that the government has not budged on its position. Head of the Potato Farmer’s Organisation Nicos Vasilas said that the potato farmers would tonight announce the content of yesterday’s meeting with the Trade Minister, Works Minster, and Agriculture Minster and also decide on whether or not they would continue their demonstrations. The farmers set off four kilometres before the Larnaca roundabout at around 8am and arrived at the Presidential roundabout at around 2.30pm. Fatigued farmers could take breaks on the bus that accompanied them. The farmers faced criticism from some who suggested that they bussed most of the way and only walked in a few symbolic places. But Xylofagou potato farmer Stavros Tofalli told the Cyprus Mail the rumours were a lie, claiming that he and most of the others had walked around 50km. “And look at me, I’m 100 kilos”, Tofalli said. “We’re used to work,” Tofalli said, although he then added that when he woke tomorrow he would “really feel it”. The hike, Tofalli said, “demonstrates our decisiveness to claim the just and logical measures that we request.” The farmers did look like they had been walking a long way, many of them limping about with walking sticks, and others sprawled supine on the pavement, their legs propped up against the wall. The police blocked off the road by the exit and entrance to the Presidential Palace, which led to major traffic congestion that snaked out kilometres in every direction. The farmers, who were camped right off the roundabout, held up a sign towards the drivers: “The potato producers supported you in difficult times. Now we are asking your support.” Few of the drivers were sympathetic. “Is this our fault and you are making our lives more difficult?” a young woman yelled out of the passenger window. “Ma’am, take your complaint to the President”, replied one of the potato farmers, while another shouted back, “It’s the police who closed the road, not us!” “They don’t love us”, the farmer added, as the woman drove off. “What are we going to do? The people don’t love us.” The farmers claim they have not been paid for any of their potatoes that went to export since Spring. “Since March, when our potatoes started going out, we haven’t been paid one cent”, one farmer said. “Black and miserable, my friend. These times are black and miserable.” “You are a journalist”, he continued. “What happens if you don’t get paid for one month, then a second, then a third month? And you don’t even have the sort of expenses we have.” Potato Farmer Petros Demetriou told the Cyprus Mail that some of the farmers pay up to £30-£40,000 each year in expenses, adding that the cost to grow 110 50-kilo sacks of potato spores amounts to £12,000 or more. When asked what he gets paid per kilo for his potatoes, Demetriou laughed: “Right now, nothing.” Although their mood dropped at the end of the day, the farmers were in generally high spirits throughout the course of the day. One farmer was handing out some thick plate-sized mushrooms that he had picked along the march. Demetriou pointed to the bag of giant mushrooms. “I was once out looking for mushrooms with a friend. We didn’t find any, but in the process we got stuck up on a ledge. “So I jacked the truck up and told my friend to go drag over a huge stone that was sitting by his foot to prop up the truck with.” “Well the stone turned out to be one of these mushrooms. We cooked it three times just to eat it.” A sandwich van also accompanied the potato protestors, providing free sandwiches and drinks on the way. A farmer said that the grandfather of the young man driving the van came from his village, Sotira, and had offered up the van to help with the march. The driver, Christophoros Christophi, leaned against the wall of the van, grinning. “If it wasn’t for me, they would have all died today.”

15.11.2005 UNDP – CYPRUS PROGRAMME With an aim to promote island-wide initiatives that allow Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot organizations to take joint action in areas such as environment, education and cultural heritage, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched a new initiative in Cyprus entitled “Action for Cooperation and Trust”. Speaking at a press conference, at Ledra Palace in the buffer zone, Programme Manager Andrew Russel said that “Action for Cooperation and Trust is a inter-communal initiative with a mandate to create opportunities for all of Cyprus’ different communities to work together on concrete projects that will benefit all people on the island, while at the same time promoting tolerance and mutual understanding.” He noted that the programme will receive US$ 26.5 million in funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UNDP, and will be managed directly by UNDP.

01.09.2005 EJC Seminar: Cyprus a bridge between EU and Middle East Nicosia Sep 1 (CNA) -- Cyprus, a European Union member-state since May 1, 2004, could act as a bridge between the 25-member bloc and the countries of the Middle East, a representative of the European Commission Representation to Cyprus said here Thursday. Addressing a European Journalism Centre seminar entitled ''Cyprus, the new border to the South-eastern Mediterranean'', Klimentini Diakomanoli on behalf of the EC Reprentation said that the implementation the European Neighbourhoud Policy (ENP) allows Cyprus to play the important bridge function between the EU and the Middle East.

03.08.2005 Chairman of the EPP-ED Group calls on Turkey to recognise Cyprus Chairman of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering stressed today the need for Turkey to recognise the Republic of Cyprus, noting that it is common sense for Cyprus not to agree to the start of Turkey’s accession negotiations with the EU. “I think we must be rational. Negotiations with countries that wish to become members of the EU are based on negotiations and their relations with the 25 member states”, Poettering told the Greek service of the BBC. “Therefore, if a country wants to become a member, it is rational to recognise all member states. You cannot negotiate with someone you do not recognise”, he added. Poettering pointed out that he is not expressing personal views whether Turkey must become a member or not. Instead, he added, his statements “concern a procedure that must have some logic”. “I think it is logical for Cyprus not to agree with the start of Turkey’s accession negotiations”, said the Chairman of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, noting that this is not solely Cyprus’ problem. “Cyprus is an EU member and we should not leave her unaided on this issue”, he stressed. Nicosia, Poettering added, should demand the solidarity of the other EU member states. At the same time, the German Euro MP warned that the European Parliament’s role should not be underestimated adding that it can decide on a candidate state after the end of its accession negotiations. “At this stage we are not discussing whether Turkey should become a member. We are discussing the logical argument that for Turkey to become a member, it must recognise the Republic of Cyprus”, Poettering concluded.

04.06.2005 Minister says Cyprus aims at solution the soonest possible Nicosia, Jun 4 (CNA) - Cypriot Minister of Defence Kyriakos Mavronicolas said today that the Greek Cypriot side's strategic aim to reach a Cyprus settlement has not changed, noting that the Greek Cypriot side is working systematically and soundlessly in order to create the preconditions that would safeguard substantive and constructive talks, leading to a negotiated solution in the EU framework. Speaking at the funeral of Georgios Ktori, who was killed during the 1974 Turkish invasion of the island and whose remains were identified through the DNA method, Mavronicolas said ''we proved that we are reasonable and realists and ready for a painful but dignified compromise.'' He added that ''we want and pursue a Cyprus settlement more than anyone else, the soonest possible, because we are still the victims of the continuing Turkish occupation and violation of fundamental human rights.''

04.06.2005 Cyprus still holds the lead in GSSE medals list Andorra, Jun 3 (CNA) - Cyprus still holds the lead in the medals list of the 11th Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) taking place in Andorra. Cyprus remains in the top place of the medals list with 27 gold, 21 silver and 16 bronze, followed by Iceland with 22 gold, 16 silver and 20 bronze.

23.05.2005 Cyprus President: No timeframes have been set Nicosia, May 22 (CNA) -- No timeframes have been set regarding the Cyprus problem, Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos stressed here today, adding that the visit of UN Deputy Secretary General for political affairs Sir Kieran Prendergast in Cyprus would be very useful. ''Neither UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, nor anyone else have set any timeframes and we do not accept them either. Annan will decide in the light of the consultations to follow, whether the conditions are created to start a new initiative and how will it look like'', President Papadopoulos noted, invited to comment on press reports that a new initiative for Cyprus would start this autumn.

06.05.2005 Cyprus President expects Turkey to respond to goodwill moves Nicosia, Μay 6 (CNA) -- Turkey must respond to the goodwill displayed by the government of Cyprus, President Tassos Papadopoulos said here today, adding that the Republic's accession to the European Union and Ankara's start of membership talks provide a framework for normal bilateral ties and a political settlement. Papadopoulos reiterated his commitment to a solution of bicommunal bizonal federation and said he will spare no effort to find a solution that would meet the hopes and expectations of all Cypriots. Receiving the credentials of the first Ambassador of Mauritania to Cyprus Yahya Ngam, stationed in Rome, he said the Cyprus problem has never had anything to do with religious conflict.

06.05.2005 Property issue raised with US senior official The exploitation of Greek Cypriot property in Turkish occupied Cyprus was one of the issues President Tassos Papadopoulos has raised with a senior US State Department official, according to Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides. ''President Papadopoulos pressed on with this issue most forcefully at his meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary Laura Kennedy, saying that exploitation of Greek Cypriot properties, which seems to have the tacit approval of the Turkish Cypriot leader, proves that he is not sincere in his protestations that he is genuinely seeking a solution,'' the spokesman said.

13.01.2005 No new initiative likely before May THE government is pushing for an early resumption of the Cyprus peace talks, but reports suggest a new initiative is unlikely before May, in view of elections to be held in the Turkish-held north in February and April. Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said President Papadopoulos was planning a diplomatic drive in Europe and contacts with the UN, in order to discuss a possible framework for new talks.

10.01.2005 Adapt or Die%3f Financial Mirror Online Friday, January 07, 2005, 16.30 Recent lead editorials in Financial Mirror have commented on the economic woes of Cyprus and, in particular, the fact that, with tourist revenues in decline, only the artificial property bubble stands between current discomfort and deep recession. As redundancies and job losses gather apace, and the prospect of the property bubble bursting increases by the month, there is an almost desperate need to find a new formula for maintaining Cyprus's prosperity. One theme, as a Financial Mirror editorial rightly suggested, is the creation of new small businesses centred on IT and other high value services that have not only a local market but, more importantly, an export potential. Seems far fetched%3f Pie in the sky%3f Well believe it or not Cyprus is already home to a small but thriving IT services industry. For example, Card Services in Nicosia provides credit card authorisation systems around the world against some pretty stiff competition. And there are a growing number of individual IT specialists many of whom, such as Serge Sergiou's Microland based in Oroklini, have considerable experience in Europe, Australia and elsewhere.

07.01.2005 Cyprus raises Θ500,000 for tsunami disaster.AT least Θ500.000 in cash donations, is estimated to have been raised through the government, municipalities, organisations, and individual donations, to aid of the victims of the tsunami disaster. The Cabinet’s approved $370,000 and the Red Cross has raised Θ166.000 from deposits made in its bank accounts, which will go to its headquarters in Geneva for distribution in the affected areas.

01.12.2004 Cyprus expects improvement of EU summit draft conclusions Nicosia, Dec 1 (CNA) - Cypriot Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said today that everyone is expecting improvements to the draft conclusions of the December 17 European Council, noting that the Cypriot government was making ''titanic efforts'' to inform EU governments and institutions on its positions and demands in relation to Turkey's bid to join the Union. Commenting on Ankara's reactions to the conclusions, which say Turkey is obliged to recognise the Republic of Cyprus, Chrysostomides said this was merely a repetition of Ankara's positions.

02.08.2004 HOTELIERS yesterday came out strongly in favour of creating golf courses in Cyprus to attracting a better class of tourists and to put an end to the chronic problem of seasonality. The Cyprus Hotel Association and the Cyprus Tourism Business Association (Stek) expressed support for the government's idea for more golf courses, provided it was in line with the provisions of the CTO strategic plan to create 130,000 extra beds by 2010 and is environmentally-friendly.

31.07.2004 The government is doing everything possible to block Greek Cypriot property in the Turkish-held north from being sold off to foreigners amid a reported boom in real estate sales there. Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said authorities are keeping a close eye on the matter, but no specific complaint has been made so far that would warrant investigation.

28.07.2004 Cypriot Minister says EU regulations subject to consent. Nicosia, Jul 27 (CNA) - European Union regulations on financial assistance for the Turkish Cypriots and on direct trade with the Turkish occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus would be subject to the consent of the Republic,

23.07.2004 NICOSIA yesterday staved off EU plans to establish direct trade with the north, giving it valuable time to win over additional support for its case. But with Brussels reportedly determined to honour its pledge to end the economic isolation of Turkish-Cypriots, the battle for hearts and minds in Europe continues.

21.07.2004 Nicosia, Jul 21 (CNA) -- Cyprus Foreign Minister George Iacovou and Foreign Minister of the Holy See, Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, discussed the current phase of the Cyprus problem and prospects of its settlement during a meeting they had yesterday in the Vatican.


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