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Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-02-18

Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cyprus-mail.com/>


Tuesday, February 18, 2003

CONTENTS

  • [01] DISY calls emergency meeting to discuss fate of rebelsBy a Staff ReporterDISY'S Central Committee last night decided against immediate action to expel the five party members who had backed Attorney-general Alecos Markides' unsuccessful bid in Sunday's presidential elections, but called an emergency meeting for Saturday to discuss their fate.DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades has blamed the split in DISY ranks for President Glafcos Clerides' first round defeat by DIKO leader Tassos Papadopoulos. Before the votes had even been counted, a furious Anastassiades called for the five dissenters - Prodromos Prodromou, Demetris Syllouris, Rikos Erotocritou, Eleni Vrahimi and Sofoclis Hadjiyiannis - to be kicked out.Ugly scenes erupted outside the DISY offices before the two-hour meeting when a handful of party faithful jeered the rebels as they arrived, lambasting them as traitors.Speaking after the meeting, DISY spokesman Tassos Mitsopoulos told reporters it had been decided to convene an extraordinary meeting of the committee on Saturday to discuss Anastassiades' proposal to expel the five dissenters. He said there were no plans to strike them off at present.Mitsopoulos also said the general party congress would be brought forward from June to March.
  • [02] Over 1,000 entries in flag and anthem competitionsBy a Staff ReporterUNFICYP has received over 1,000 entries for the flag and anthem competition for a new Cyprus, spokesman Brian Kelly said last night as the deadline for submissions closed.“We have received upwards of 1,000 entries and still counting,” Kelly said, adding that some were multiple entries from schools. He said that entries had been received from 15 countries “including Cyprus” but said it was too early to make a distinction yet between how many were flag entries and how many contained a new Cyprus anthem.Last month, incumbent President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who were engaged in discussions on a UN settlement plan, authorised the UN to set the ball rolling for a new flag and anthem.Kelly said the UN would probably not announce any winner until an agreement has been signed on the Cyprus problem.
  • [03] Bloodbath at DISYBy Elias HazouREELING from Sunday's heavy election defeat, right-wing DISY was yesterday in the throes of a full-blown crisis, with some of the party's top brass being threatened with expulsion.The fall- out came sooner than expected. On Sunday night, as poll results were still coming in, a visibly furious Nicos Anastassiades announced live on television that he would be recommending the expulsion of five senior party officers for undermining the Clerides candidacy. Anastassiades followed up with scathing criticism and name-calling, saying that the so-called “dissenters” should be ashamed of themselves.Political pundits yesterday pointed to a crisis simmering for a while amid DISY ranks; Sunday's defeat was the last straw, it seemed.Anastassiades blamed the dissenting deputies for alienating socialist KISOS boss Yiannakis Omirou, who from DISY's one- time candidate returned to the fold of the opposition alliance. KISOS' vote was considered crucial in tipping the scales in favour of Papadopoulos and allowing him to win the elections from round one.Reaction to Anastassiades was quick and bitter. Sofocles Hadjiyiannis, a member of DISY's Political Bureau, launched a full-scale attack on the party boss, blaming the election defeat on Anastassiades' personal ambition. In a five-minute-long outburst on a TV panel, Hadjiyiannis' description of his party boss was less than flattering.“What you saw here tonight was nothing compared to his tantrums at Political Bureau meetings. He literally flies off the handle, shouts like mad, bangs his fists on the table, throws ashtrays… this is what Anastassiades is all about.”A slightly calmer Hadjiyiannis then blamed Omirou's alienation from DISY on a power grab, saying this was not the first time Anastassiades was acting out of pure self-interest.For their part, deputies Prodromos Prodromou and Demetris Syllouris urged Anastassiades to assume his responsibilities for the defeat and resign as party leader. Failing that, they predicted that the next party congress in June would move to replace Anastassiades as chairman.“Any leader of a European party would have quit by now,” said Prodromou, who supported the candidacy of independent candidate Alecos Markides. “What has happened is due to his own scheming and wheeling-and-dealing. If you ask me, he didn't really care if Clerides won the elections.“He messed up, and now he wants our head on a platter,” remarked deputy Rikos Erotokritou.The debates degenerated into rows as pro-Anastassiades party deputies joined the panels, while live TV feeds showed jubilant Papadopoulos fans celebrating in towns across the island.Stelios Stylianou, a former DISY deputy, opted for sarcasm: “We congratulate Papadopoulos for his victory. At the same time, I think we should also congratulate Anastassiades who, in his own inimitable way, greatly contributed to Papadopoulos' success.”Tension on the panel was somewhat relieved when television showed Papadopoulos fans holding up a cut- out in the shape of a hand reading “Papapetrou, go home!” Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou joked: “OK, I think that means me.”By yesterday there appeared to be some second thoughts. Prominent DISY figures appeared on radio and TV shows appealing for calm and unity. Still, a meeting of the Political Bureau was set for late in the afternoon; any decision for expulsion would require a majority in the 10-member body.Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides, slated as a possible successor to the DISY leadership, advised common sense. “It was an emotional night for everyone in the DISY camp… and I think that a civilised debate is now in order.”Meanwhile former Attorney-general Markides was considering his own options in the election aftermath. Markides, supported by DISY big guns Prodromou and Syllouris, was rumoured to be thinking about setting up a political movement. Pundits suggested that Markides' decision would to a large extent depend on the developments in DISY. A statement by Markides indicated that he would not leave his supporters in limbo.One of the major issues being debated is whether Markides, a former long-time member of DISY, actually hurt President Clerides' chances of re-election. Looking at the figures, Clerides got 38.8 per cent, while Markides received slightly less than seven per cent. Combined, the numbers would still fall well short of Papadopoulos' 51.5 per cent. It has also been suggested that Clerides' was a lost cause, since he was up against five parties.
  • [04] Denktash: we wouldn't have had a solution with CleridesBy Jean ChristouTURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said yesterday it was unlikely he and outgoing president Glafcos Clerides would have achieved a Cyprus agreement and blamed the UN for interference in the talks.In an interview with Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio yesterday, Denktash claimed Clerides had rejected the Annan plan.“I am aware that Clerides rejected the Annan plan, regardless of the fact that he pretended to accept it. I regret to say that the Greek Cypriots who oppose an agreement have achieved victory,” Denktash said. “I do not believe that Clerides would have solved the Cyprus problem with me. He proved through his approach that he would not be able to do so and, in fact, would not do so.”Criticising the UN, Denktash said UN envoy Alvaro de Soto had told the leaders he would just “take notes and that we should see him like a fly on the wall”.“But he acted like a referee and tried to place the talks under his control. He began to use pressure on us as much as he could to impose an agreement that was drawn up by other entities. That is why an impasse emerged in the talks,” Denktash said.“We lost the opportunity because two things would have come to light through face-to-face talks. We would have been able to establish whether an opportunity existed for talks on a realistic basis. Furthermore, we would have been able to establish whether we would be able to reach an agreement.”The Turkish Cypriot leader slammed president elect Tassos Papadopoulos' message that the Cyprus problem could not be solved until Karpasia was retaken and all refugees returned to their homes. “He said that the Karpass peninsula is a Hellenic area, the return of the Hellenic people to their places is unavoidable, all the refugees must return to their places, and the problem of missing persons must be solved,” Denktash said. “Mr Papadopoulos claimed that he will take up his duties as the president of the whole Cyprus. In view of that, I cannot congratulate him. As the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, it is impossible for me to congratulate a person who claims to be the president of the entire island. However, I congratulate him in his capacity as the leader of the Greek Cypriot side.”Denktash said Papadopoulos had contributed to the conditions that divided Cyprus as much as Clerides had in the past, “in fact even more than Clerides”.“He must refrain from telling lies by claiming that the Turkish military forces divided Cyprus into two parts and that they are an occupying entity on the island. Claiming that all the Greek Cypriots will return to their former places as if nothing has happened is meaningless,” he said.
  • [05] Kyprianou brushes off Cabinet speculationBy Alex MitaDIKO deputy Marcos Kyprianou yesterday waved off suggestions that he would be appointed as the new Finance Minister, saying what was important at present was the implementation of newly-elected President Tassos Papadopoulos' programme, not the people who would be appointed. He also refused to comment on speculation he might take over as DIKO chairman, if Papadopoulos stood down to concentrate o nthe presidency, as he said he would during the campaign. Asked whether he would be interested in following in the footsteps of his late father Spyros Kyprianou, who founded DIKO, Marcos Kyprianou merely said the party had a chairman and that when the position became vacant, the electoral office of the party would take the relevant decisions as to who would succeed Papadopoulos as head of the Democratic Party. “The scenarios were there before the elections, what is important today is Mr Papadopoulos' victory,” Kyprianou said. “The President will first consult with the parties which support him, on how they will co-operate on a political level, and then he will decide together with the parties on who will be appointed and where,” he added.“As for who will be DIKO's new leader we will have to wait and see. All these matters will be resolved in a few days, and we will have specific answers and indications.” Deputy chairman Nicos Cleanthous said the issue of who would succeed Papadopoulos had not been under discussion. “We are not in a hurry; when the issue comes up we will be able to solve it through democracy,” he said.“We have been trough many a hard time in our party but today we are more united than ever and we feel the responsibility that we have undertaken.”Papadopoulos' now vacant seat at the House of Representatives will automatically be filled by the party's Permanent Secretary Andreas Angelides, who is DIKO's next in line for the Nicosia district in terms of preference votes cast at the 2001 parliamentary elections. Asked whether he would chose the House or a Ministry, Angelides said it was his duty to the electorate to take up his seat in Parliament.“I would be honoured if the President called upon me to exercise other duties, but I feel it is my duty to the people to fulfil my duty at the House,” Angelides said. “What is important now is who will succeed Mr Papadopoulos at the House, it is a difficult task and I hope I can rise to the challenge,” he added.
  • [06] Smiling Clerides welcomes Papadopoulos to the PalaceBy Alex MitaA JUBILANT smile lit the face of newly-elected President Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday as he stepped out of his black Jaguar and shook hands with Pantelis Kouros, Undersecretary to outgoing President Glafcos Clerides.Kouros welcomed the president elect on the steps of the Presidential Palace while a pack of journalists were kept at bay behind a blue ribbon by security.Papadopoulos arrived at around 10am in a three-car convoy and swept in to the Presidential Palace to meet Clerides without making any comments to the waiting media. Clerides welcomed Papadopoulos cigar in hand; the two men embraced and sat down, while photographers engaged in a scrum to get 'the shot'. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as neither of the two spoke and then suddenly Clerides, in surprisingly good cheer, told Papadopoulos: “Say something or else they'll think we are angry at each other.”The rest of the meeting took place behind closed doors.On his way out, Papadopoulos fended off questions by journalists, who wanted to know when he was planning to form the new government and whether he had formed a new negotiating team for the Cyprus problem, saying all would be revealed soon. There were smiles all round DIKO headquarters as staff exchanged hugs and kisses and congratulated each other for the election of their leader, and telephone lines were blocked from the hundreds of telephone calls from supporters wanting to congratulate Papadopoulos. Outside, a few of Papadopoulos' supporters waited eagerly to catch a view of the newly elected president, as he stepped out of his car to meet with UN Special Envoy Alvaro de Soto. Papadopoulos was cheered as he stepped into his office where more supporters embraced and kissed him and then disappeared behind the doors of a conference room, where he met with De Soto. The meeting, which lasted for more than 30 minutes, was followed by brief comments by both men. Papadopoulos again refused to reveal any plans for a new Cabinet and new negotiating team, but assured reporters he had asked for Clerides' help and experience in the talks. There was no comment from either Papadopoulos or De Soto on when the talks would resume.
  • [07] What chance of a solution now?By Jean ChristouWITH only 11 days to go before the UN deadline for reaching an agreement on the Cyprus problem, the question on analysts' and diplomats; lips yesterday was not so much how quickly or to what extent president-elect Tassos Papadopoulos would take on the mantle of Glafcos Clerides, but how Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash would react.Either way, the February 28, deadline, already on the rocks due to Denktash's opposition, now looks doomed - if only for logistic reasons - despite an imminent visit by UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan, author of the controversial UN plan.Yesterday, Denktash expressed regret over Papadopoulos's victory in Sunday's election, saying it signalled the opposition of the Greek Cypriot people to the plan, and warned that unless the DIKO leader approached the talks in a realistic manner there would be no reason to continue with the settlement process.Last month, the Turkish Cypriot leader was more vocal with his opinion of Papadopoulos. Turkish Cypriot press quoted him as saying he would also prefer to negotiate with Clerides. “The main opponent of Clerides is an extremist EOKA-ist. He is the lawyer who in south Cyprus laundered Slobodan Milosevic's money,” Denktash said.“In my opinion, if Papadopoulos is elected the solution avenues will be closed altogether.”Papadopoulos is no stranger to the 'hardline' tag, but seriously toned down his rhetoric during his election campaign, although he slipped up during his victory speech on Sunday night saying he would “fight for the right of all the displaced persons to return in conditions of safety,” when in fact the Annan plan provides for the return of only half of refugees.“This was really absurd in the circumstances,” said analyst Sofronis Sofroniou. “It's like rejecting the whole Annan plan, although I suppose it was old rhetoric that got the better of him. I don't think it was his considered opinion,” he added.All analysts and diplomats agree the election of Papadopoulos could provide Denktash with more excuses to stay away from the negotiating table.“One could take a cynical view and say he is overjoyed by this because this is just the sort of smokescreen that he can now use to very good effect,” said political analyst Dr James Ker-Lindsay. “It's quite clear that if Denktash wanted to sit down he could sit down and he could talks with Papadopoulos. Denktash is a hardliner and if he is sincere about coming to the table and negotiating then why shouldn't another person who he is characterising as a hardliner be able to do exactly the same.”Sofroniou also said Denktash was exploiting Papadopoulos' reputation as a hardliner so it would be up to Papadopoulos to prove him wrong. “We will have to see how he chooses,” he said. “Very soon he will have to show his spots.”In the end, however, Ker- Lindsay said it would be up to Ankara. “Frankly, the real concern is whether Ankara is going to put the pressure on Denktash to come to the table. At the moment you could say that it's neither here nor there what any Greek Cypriot politician wants because the reality is that the talks process is being stalled by Denktash,” he said. “At this stage until we can actually see Papadopoulos in action it's very difficult to paint him as anything.”Sofroniou said that so far Papadopoulos was showing willingness towards moderation as he promised, “but I don't know how far he will succeed since he has already made some ambiguous statements”.He also agreed in part with Denktash's estimation that many Greek Cypriot voters had opted for Papadopoulos because they believed he would oppose the Annan plan. “Some voted for that reason, but not everybody,” he said. “I think that Clerides wasn't really very convincing in his arguments about the 16 months with an uncertain outcome and also people did want a bit of a change, even a change of faces, and the division in DISY had its effect,” he said.Ker- Lindsay said Papadopoulos was only in power through the support of AKEL, which he said has traditionally been seen as more conciliatory. “Speaking with Turkish Cypriots, they have been disappointed to hear the rhetoric from AKEL (during the election campaign), and actually DISY has come to be seen rather ironically by Turkish Cypriots as the more conciliatory, but nonetheless now the elections have been won maybe we will see AKEL revert to its more traditional rhetoric on this and this may be an influence on Papadopoulos if he does take a hardline stance,” he said.However, whatever way the talks go, the February 28 deadline for an agreement now appears further out of reach than ever.The tightly framed plan was designed to give time for separate referenda on March 30 and aimed at a united Cyprus signing the EU accession treaty in April. This timetable is now unlikely to be met, both for practical reasons and due to the political uncertainty and the shadow of war with Iraq, which Ker-Lindsay said would draw Ankara's attention away from Cyprus.Sofroniou said the chance was already gone, unless Annan came up with something spectacular when he visited the island next week.“It will be difficult to bring in a new negotiating team and it's going to take a little time for them to find their feet,” Ker-Lindsay said. “Really February 28 is looking more and more unlikely as a date.”However, one international source close to the talks said there was no technical reason the deadline could not be met. He said Papadopoulos was already on the National Council and was more than familiar with what had been going on in the talks. “The plan is all there. There is nothing new to learn,” the source said, adding that the only danger was that if Papadopoulos sought extensive changes - and the UN has said there is no room for any - that “if one side opens up vast areas of substances in the plan it will be open to the other side to do the same”.“That is the danger,” he said. “If Papadopoulos is going to be a hardline Denktash for the Greek Cypriot side, we're a long way from a solution. Denktash is asking the impossible and Papadopoulos might also ask the impossible.”
  • [08] First round win proves the pollsters rightBy Sofia KannasTassos Papadopoulos is the new President-elect after a resounding first-round victory in Sunday's elections.The 69-year-old lawyer and politician was proclaimed President after the majority of the 431,690 citizens who visited polling stations on Sunday cast their vote in his favour.According to official results, Papadopoullos won an overwhelming 51.51 per cent of the vote for a comfortably win over outgoing President Glafcos Clerides, who took 38.8 per cent of the votes. The margin of victory was the third greatest in the Republic's history, with only George Vassiliou (1988) and Spyros Kyprianou (1983) winning by a bigger margin, with 51.6 and 56.5 per cent respectively.Papadopoulos' win was also the first round-one victory on the island in 20 years --the last time a President won in the first round was in 1983, when Spyros Kyprianou was elected without the need for a second round.Of the other nine candidates standing for election on Sunday, Attorney-general and former advisor to Clerides Alecos Markides - standing as an independent - took 6.6 per cent of the vote, and Nicos Koutsou with a distant 2.1 per cent.The final results put paid to the pre-election controversy surrounding opinion polls, after politicians from the Clerides and Markides camp claimed poll findings had been engineered and invalid. In a poll published two weeks ago, poll company AMER predicted quite accurately that Papadopoulos would get 51.9 per cent of the votes, enough to secure a first-round win over Clerides.Meanwhile, results for individual electoral districts showed that most votes for Papadopoulos came from Paphos, where the new President won 58.5 per cent of the votes. This was followed by the districts of Limassol (52.8 per cent), Larnaca (52.75 per cent), Nicosia (49.79 per cent) and finally Famagusta with 48.18 per cent.The DIKO leader's win was met with apprehension by some sections of the international community, amid fears that his election may limit the chances of a settlement being reached by 28 February, the deadline set by the UN for a solution.However, in a victory speech at the Eleftheria Stadium on Sunday night, Papadopoulos told euphoric supporters he would display flexibility and good will at the negotiating table to achieve a comprehensive and viable settlement to the Cyprus problem.In his speech, Papadopoulos also appealed to his “Turkish Cypriot compatriots”.“I want to convey a message of co-operation to my Turkish Cypriot counterparts for a just and viable solution… we will exert every effort to see a reunited Cyprus join the EU,” he said.
  • [09] Cabinet agrees reduced military service term for boys with foreign father opting for citizenshipBy Alexia SaoulliCHILDREN born to a foreign father and Cypriot mother will now only have to serve six months in the National Guard if they want to obtain Cypriot citizenship, Defence Ministry spokesman Andreas Yiorkas said yesterday.“In the past, children with a foreign father and Cypriot mother had to complete the full 26 months' military service if they wanted citizenship,” he said. “This service has now been minimised to six months for these conscripts.” The decision was approved by the Cabinet last week and became effective immediately, he said.Children born to a Greek father stand to gain from this revision to the law. Boys with Greek fathers only have to complete six months' military service in Greece if they are permanent residents abroad. So until now, boys born to Greek fathers had a choice of completing six months military service in Greece or 26 months in Cyprus if they became Cypriot citizens, he said. “Because of this, a lot of boys that grew up here and wanted to become Cypriot did not. When faced with a choice of over two years military service or rejecting citizenship, they opted for the latter,” said Yiorkas. “Now, they will only have to do six months here or six months in Greece to fulfil their military service obligations, therefore more boys will be willing to apply for citizenship.” By becoming Cypriot citizens, they would be eligible to all benefits, including jobs in the civil service, he said.“A lot of young men have grown up here their whole lives and want to become citizens. They even want to work for the government and are told they can only do so if they are citizens. But, the idea of 26 months in the National Guard puts them off,” said Yiorkas. Because of a bilateral agreement between Cyprus and Greece, a boy choosing to do his military service here would be exempt from serving in Greece, he added. “We do not have the same agreement with other countries,” he said. “If military service is compulsory in, say, Syria, then boys would still have to complete it there, irrespective of whether or not they'd done six months here.”This change in the military service law applied to all men of all ages with a foreign father and Cypriot mother.
  • [10] Kidnap fears in search for missing brothersBy Alexia Saoulli POLICE were yesterday investigating the disappearance of two brothers from a Larnaca district village, after they were last seen at lunchtime on Saturday.“Everything is under investigation. We are looking at all the possibilities,” police spokesman Demetris Demetriou told the Cyprus Mail.Nicholas Sinesi, 31, and his 27-year-old brother Kyriakos, were seen leaving for their junkyard located in Panayia ton Ampelion in Kofinou at around 10.30am on Saturday, police said. A local herder last saw them three hours later.Concerned family members started calling the two men on their mobile phones throughout the day, but neither one answered. At 6pm, Kofinou police were officially notified of their disappearance and search parties were sent out to find them, without uncovering any evidence of their whereabouts.On Sunday, Rapid Reaction Unit police and a police helicopter were used to comb surrounding dams and the greater Kofinou area. Criminal investigation division police, criminology officials and ballistics specialists all gathered evidence from the area where the two brothers were last seen.At the junkyard, police found the two men's cars with their keys in the ignition and Kyriakos' mobile phone and cigarettes. Although Nicholas had also left his cigarettes behind, his mobile phone could not be found. Nevertheless, when police called him on it, there was no answer. However, investigations said they picked up signals from Nicholas' phone in Mazotos near Larnaca and police were expected to search the sea region yesterday.A third brother, Andreas along with Kyriakos' wife, Demetra, said they believed the duo had been kidnapped. Demetra maintained that her husband always took his mobile phone and cigarettes with him wherever he went and would never have left them behind in the car.This was a very serious case “and all possibilities were being investigated thoroughly,” police said. Despite family members' fears, reports said yesterday there was no evidence to suggest the two brothers had been kidnapped, although police themselves had not yet ruled out foul play.

  • [01] DISY calls emergency meeting to discuss fate of rebelsBy a Staff ReporterDISY'S Central Committee last night decided against immediate action to expel the five party members who had backed Attorney-general Alecos Markides' unsuccessful bid in Sunday's presidential elections, but called an emergency meeting for Saturday to discuss their fate.DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades has blamed the split in DISY ranks for President Glafcos Clerides' first round defeat by DIKO leader Tassos Papadopoulos. Before the votes had even been counted, a furious Anastassiades called for the five dissenters - Prodromos Prodromou, Demetris Syllouris, Rikos Erotocritou, Eleni Vrahimi and Sofoclis Hadjiyiannis - to be kicked out.Ugly scenes erupted outside the DISY offices before the two-hour meeting when a handful of party faithful jeered the rebels as they arrived, lambasting them as traitors.Speaking after the meeting, DISY spokesman Tassos Mitsopoulos told reporters it had been decided to convene an extraordinary meeting of the committee on Saturday to discuss Anastassiades' proposal to expel the five dissenters. He said there were no plans to strike them off at present.Mitsopoulos also said the general party congress would be brought forward from June to March.

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

    Tuesday, February 18, 2003

    [02] Over 1,000 entries in flag and anthem competitionsBy a Staff ReporterUNFICYP has received over 1,000 entries for the flag and anthem competition for a new Cyprus, spokesman Brian Kelly said last night as the deadline for submissions closed.“We have received upwards of 1,000 entries and still counting,” Kelly said, adding that some were multiple entries from schools. He said that entries had been received from 15 countries “including Cyprus” but said it was too early to make a distinction yet between how many were flag entries and how many contained a new Cyprus anthem.Last month, incumbent President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who were engaged in discussions on a UN settlement plan, authorised the UN to set the ball rolling for a new flag and anthem.Kelly said the UN would probably not announce any winner until an agreement has been signed on the Cyprus problem.

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

    Tuesday, February 18, 2003

    [03] Bloodbath at DISYBy Elias HazouREELING from Sunday's heavy election defeat, right-wing DISY was yesterday in the throes of a full-blown crisis, with some of the party's top brass being threatened with expulsion.The fall- out came sooner than expected. On Sunday night, as poll results were still coming in, a visibly furious Nicos Anastassiades announced live on television that he would be recommending the expulsion of five senior party officers for undermining the Clerides candidacy. Anastassiades followed up with scathing criticism and name-calling, saying that the so-called “dissenters” should be ashamed of themselves.Political pundits yesterday pointed to a crisis simmering for a while amid DISY ranks; Sunday's defeat was the last straw, it seemed.Anastassiades blamed the dissenting deputies for alienating socialist KISOS boss Yiannakis Omirou, who from DISY's one- time candidate returned to the fold of the opposition alliance. KISOS' vote was considered crucial in tipping the scales in favour of Papadopoulos and allowing him to win the elections from round one.Reaction to Anastassiades was quick and bitter. Sofocles Hadjiyiannis, a member of DISY's Political Bureau, launched a full-scale attack on the party boss, blaming the election defeat on Anastassiades' personal ambition. In a five-minute-long outburst on a TV panel, Hadjiyiannis' description of his party boss was less than flattering.“What you saw here tonight was nothing compared to his tantrums at Political Bureau meetings. He literally flies off the handle, shouts like mad, bangs his fists on the table, throws ashtrays… this is what Anastassiades is all about.”A slightly calmer Hadjiyiannis then blamed Omirou's alienation from DISY on a power grab, saying this was not the first time Anastassiades was acting out of pure self-interest.For their part, deputies Prodromos Prodromou and Demetris Syllouris urged Anastassiades to assume his responsibilities for the defeat and resign as party leader. Failing that, they predicted that the next party congress in June would move to replace Anastassiades as chairman.“Any leader of a European party would have quit by now,” said Prodromou, who supported the candidacy of independent candidate Alecos Markides. “What has happened is due to his own scheming and wheeling-and-dealing. If you ask me, he didn't really care if Clerides won the elections.“He messed up, and now he wants our head on a platter,” remarked deputy Rikos Erotokritou.The debates degenerated into rows as pro-Anastassiades party deputies joined the panels, while live TV feeds showed jubilant Papadopoulos fans celebrating in towns across the island.Stelios Stylianou, a former DISY deputy, opted for sarcasm: “We congratulate Papadopoulos for his victory. At the same time, I think we should also congratulate Anastassiades who, in his own inimitable way, greatly contributed to Papadopoulos' success.”Tension on the panel was somewhat relieved when television showed Papadopoulos fans holding up a cut- out in the shape of a hand reading “Papapetrou, go home!” Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou joked: “OK, I think that means me.”By yesterday there appeared to be some second thoughts. Prominent DISY figures appeared on radio and TV shows appealing for calm and unity. Still, a meeting of the Political Bureau was set for late in the afternoon; any decision for expulsion would require a majority in the 10-member body.Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides, slated as a possible successor to the DISY leadership, advised common sense. “It was an emotional night for everyone in the DISY camp… and I think that a civilised debate is now in order.”Meanwhile former Attorney-general Markides was considering his own options in the election aftermath. Markides, supported by DISY big guns Prodromou and Syllouris, was rumoured to be thinking about setting up a political movement. Pundits suggested that Markides' decision would to a large extent depend on the developments in DISY. A statement by Markides indicated that he would not leave his supporters in limbo.One of the major issues being debated is whether Markides, a former long-time member of DISY, actually hurt President Clerides' chances of re-election. Looking at the figures, Clerides got 38.8 per cent, while Markides received slightly less than seven per cent. Combined, the numbers would still fall well short of Papadopoulos' 51.5 per cent. It has also been suggested that Clerides' was a lost cause, since he was up against five parties.

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

    Tuesday, February 18, 2003

    [04] Denktash: we wouldn't have had a solution with CleridesBy Jean ChristouTURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said yesterday it was unlikely he and outgoing president Glafcos Clerides would have achieved a Cyprus agreement and blamed the UN for interference in the talks.In an interview with Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio yesterday, Denktash claimed Clerides had rejected the Annan plan.“I am aware that Clerides rejected the Annan plan, regardless of the fact that he pretended to accept it. I regret to say that the Greek Cypriots who oppose an agreement have achieved victory,” Denktash said. “I do not believe that Clerides would have solved the Cyprus problem with me. He proved through his approach that he would not be able to do so and, in fact, would not do so.”Criticising the UN, Denktash said UN envoy Alvaro de Soto had told the leaders he would just “take notes and that we should see him like a fly on the wall”.“But he acted like a referee and tried to place the talks under his control. He began to use pressure on us as much as he could to impose an agreement that was drawn up by other entities. That is why an impasse emerged in the talks,” Denktash said.“We lost the opportunity because two things would have come to light through face-to-face talks. We would have been able to establish whether an opportunity existed for talks on a realistic basis. Furthermore, we would have been able to establish whether we would be able to reach an agreement.”The Turkish Cypriot leader slammed president elect Tassos Papadopoulos' message that the Cyprus problem could not be solved until Karpasia was retaken and all refugees returned to their homes. “He said that the Karpass peninsula is a Hellenic area, the return of the Hellenic people to their places is unavoidable, all the refugees must return to their places, and the problem of missing persons must be solved,” Denktash said. “Mr Papadopoulos claimed that he will take up his duties as the president of the whole Cyprus. In view of that, I cannot congratulate him. As the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, it is impossible for me to congratulate a person who claims to be the president of the entire island. However, I congratulate him in his capacity as the leader of the Greek Cypriot side.”Denktash said Papadopoulos had contributed to the conditions that divided Cyprus as much as Clerides had in the past, “in fact even more than Clerides”.“He must refrain from telling lies by claiming that the Turkish military forces divided Cyprus into two parts and that they are an occupying entity on the island. Claiming that all the Greek Cypriots will return to their former places as if nothing has happened is meaningless,” he said.

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

    Tuesday, February 18, 2003

    [05] Kyprianou brushes off Cabinet speculationBy Alex MitaDIKO deputy Marcos Kyprianou yesterday waved off suggestions that he would be appointed as the new Finance Minister, saying what was important at present was the implementation of newly-elected President Tassos Papadopoulos' programme, not the people who would be appointed. He also refused to comment on speculation he might take over as DIKO chairman, if Papadopoulos stood down to concentrate o nthe presidency, as he said he would during the campaign. Asked whether he would be interested in following in the footsteps of his late father Spyros Kyprianou, who founded DIKO, Marcos Kyprianou merely said the party had a chairman and that when the position became vacant, the electoral office of the party would take the relevant decisions as to who would succeed Papadopoulos as head of the Democratic Party. “The scenarios were there before the elections, what is important today is Mr Papadopoulos' victory,” Kyprianou said. “The President will first consult with the parties which support him, on how they will co-operate on a political level, and then he will decide together with the parties on who will be appointed and where,” he added.“As for who will be DIKO's new leader we will have to wait and see. All these matters will be resolved in a few days, and we will have specific answers and indications.” Deputy chairman Nicos Cleanthous said the issue of who would succeed Papadopoulos had not been under discussion. “We are not in a hurry; when the issue comes up we will be able to solve it through democracy,” he said.“We have been trough many a hard time in our party but today we are more united than ever and we feel the responsibility that we have undertaken.”Papadopoulos' now vacant seat at the House of Representatives will automatically be filled by the party's Permanent Secretary Andreas Angelides, who is DIKO's next in line for the Nicosia district in terms of preference votes cast at the 2001 parliamentary elections. Asked whether he would chose the House or a Ministry, Angelides said it was his duty to the electorate to take up his seat in Parliament.“I would be honoured if the President called upon me to exercise other duties, but I feel it is my duty to the people to fulfil my duty at the House,” Angelides said. “What is important now is who will succeed Mr Papadopoulos at the House, it is a difficult task and I hope I can rise to the challenge,” he added.

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

    Tuesday, February 18, 2003

    [06] Smiling Clerides welcomes Papadopoulos to the PalaceBy Alex MitaA JUBILANT smile lit the face of newly-elected President Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday as he stepped out of his black Jaguar and shook hands with Pantelis Kouros, Undersecretary to outgoing President Glafcos Clerides.Kouros welcomed the president elect on the steps of the Presidential Palace while a pack of journalists were kept at bay behind a blue ribbon by security.Papadopoulos arrived at around 10am in a three-car convoy and swept in to the Presidential Palace to meet Clerides without making any comments to the waiting media. Clerides welcomed Papadopoulos cigar in hand; the two men embraced and sat down, while photographers engaged in a scrum to get 'the shot'. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as neither of the two spoke and then suddenly Clerides, in surprisingly good cheer, told Papadopoulos: “Say something or else they'll think we are angry at each other.”The rest of the meeting took place behind closed doors.On his way out, Papadopoulos fended off questions by journalists, who wanted to know when he was planning to form the new government and whether he had formed a new negotiating team for the Cyprus problem, saying all would be revealed soon. There were smiles all round DIKO headquarters as staff exchanged hugs and kisses and congratulated each other for the election of their leader, and telephone lines were blocked from the hundreds of telephone calls from supporters wanting to congratulate Papadopoulos. Outside, a few of Papadopoulos' supporters waited eagerly to catch a view of the newly elected president, as he stepped out of his car to meet with UN Special Envoy Alvaro de Soto. Papadopoulos was cheered as he stepped into his office where more supporters embraced and kissed him and then disappeared behind the doors of a conference room, where he met with De Soto. The meeting, which lasted for more than 30 minutes, was followed by brief comments by both men. Papadopoulos again refused to reveal any plans for a new Cabinet and new negotiating team, but assured reporters he had asked for Clerides' help and experience in the talks. There was no comment from either Papadopoulos or De Soto on when the talks would resume.

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

    Tuesday, February 18, 2003

    [07] What chance of a solution now?By Jean ChristouWITH only 11 days to go before the UN deadline for reaching an agreement on the Cyprus problem, the question on analysts' and diplomats; lips yesterday was not so much how quickly or to what extent president-elect Tassos Papadopoulos would take on the mantle of Glafcos Clerides, but how Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash would react.Either way, the February 28, deadline, already on the rocks due to Denktash's opposition, now looks doomed - if only for logistic reasons - despite an imminent visit by UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan, author of the controversial UN plan.Yesterday, Denktash expressed regret over Papadopoulos's victory in Sunday's election, saying it signalled the opposition of the Greek Cypriot people to the plan, and warned that unless the DIKO leader approached the talks in a realistic manner there would be no reason to continue with the settlement process.Last month, the Turkish Cypriot leader was more vocal with his opinion of Papadopoulos. Turkish Cypriot press quoted him as saying he would also prefer to negotiate with Clerides. “The main opponent of Clerides is an extremist EOKA-ist. He is the lawyer who in south Cyprus laundered Slobodan Milosevic's money,” Denktash said.“In my opinion, if Papadopoulos is elected the solution avenues will be closed altogether.”Papadopoulos is no stranger to the 'hardline' tag, but seriously toned down his rhetoric during his election campaign, although he slipped up during his victory speech on Sunday night saying he would “fight for the right of all the displaced persons to return in conditions of safety,” when in fact the Annan plan provides for the return of only half of refugees.“This was really absurd in the circumstances,” said analyst Sofronis Sofroniou. “It's like rejecting the whole Annan plan, although I suppose it was old rhetoric that got the better of him. I don't think it was his considered opinion,” he added.All analysts and diplomats agree the election of Papadopoulos could provide Denktash with more excuses to stay away from the negotiating table.“One could take a cynical view and say he is overjoyed by this because this is just the sort of smokescreen that he can now use to very good effect,” said political analyst Dr James Ker-Lindsay. “It's quite clear that if Denktash wanted to sit down he could sit down and he could talks with Papadopoulos. Denktash is a hardliner and if he is sincere about coming to the table and negotiating then why shouldn't another person who he is characterising as a hardliner be able to do exactly the same.”Sofroniou also said Denktash was exploiting Papadopoulos' reputation as a hardliner so it would be up to Papadopoulos to prove him wrong. “We will have to see how he chooses,” he said. “Very soon he will have to show his spots.”In the end, however, Ker- Lindsay said it would be up to Ankara. “Frankly, the real concern is whether Ankara is going to put the pressure on Denktash to come to the table. At the moment you could say that it's neither here nor there what any Greek Cypriot politician wants because the reality is that the talks process is being stalled by Denktash,” he said. “At this stage until we can actually see Papadopoulos in action it's very difficult to paint him as anything.”Sofroniou said that so far Papadopoulos was showing willingness towards moderation as he promised, “but I don't know how far he will succeed since he has already made some ambiguous statements”.He also agreed in part with Denktash's estimation that many Greek Cypriot voters had opted for Papadopoulos because they believed he would oppose the Annan plan. “Some voted for that reason, but not everybody,” he said. “I think that Clerides wasn't really very convincing in his arguments about the 16 months with an uncertain outcome and also people did want a bit of a change, even a change of faces, and the division in DISY had its effect,” he said.Ker- Lindsay said Papadopoulos was only in power through the support of AKEL, which he said has traditionally been seen as more conciliatory. “Speaking with Turkish Cypriots, they have been disappointed to hear the rhetoric from AKEL (during the election campaign), and actually DISY has come to be seen rather ironically by Turkish Cypriots as the more conciliatory, but nonetheless now the elections have been won maybe we will see AKEL revert to its more traditional rhetoric on this and this may be an influence on Papadopoulos if he does take a hardline stance,” he said.However, whatever way the talks go, the February 28 deadline for an agreement now appears further out of reach than ever.The tightly framed plan was designed to give time for separate referenda on March 30 and aimed at a united Cyprus signing the EU accession treaty in April. This timetable is now unlikely to be met, both for practical reasons and due to the political uncertainty and the shadow of war with Iraq, which Ker-Lindsay said would draw Ankara's attention away from Cyprus.Sofroniou said the chance was already gone, unless Annan came up with something spectacular when he visited the island next week.“It will be difficult to bring in a new negotiating team and it's going to take a little time for them to find their feet,” Ker-Lindsay said. “Really February 28 is looking more and more unlikely as a date.”However, one international source close to the talks said there was no technical reason the deadline could not be met. He said Papadopoulos was already on the National Council and was more than familiar with what had been going on in the talks. “The plan is all there. There is nothing new to learn,” the source said, adding that the only danger was that if Papadopoulos sought extensive changes - and the UN has said there is no room for any - that “if one side opens up vast areas of substances in the plan it will be open to the other side to do the same”.“That is the danger,” he said. “If Papadopoulos is going to be a hardline Denktash for the Greek Cypriot side, we're a long way from a solution. Denktash is asking the impossible and Papadopoulos might also ask the impossible.”

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

    Tuesday, February 18, 2003

    [08] First round win proves the pollsters rightBy Sofia KannasTassos Papadopoulos is the new President-elect after a resounding first-round victory in Sunday's elections.The 69-year-old lawyer and politician was proclaimed President after the majority of the 431,690 citizens who visited polling stations on Sunday cast their vote in his favour.According to official results, Papadopoullos won an overwhelming 51.51 per cent of the vote for a comfortably win over outgoing President Glafcos Clerides, who took 38.8 per cent of the votes. The margin of victory was the third greatest in the Republic's history, with only George Vassiliou (1988) and Spyros Kyprianou (1983) winning by a bigger margin, with 51.6 and 56.5 per cent respectively.Papadopoulos' win was also the first round-one victory on the island in 20 years --the last time a President won in the first round was in 1983, when Spyros Kyprianou was elected without the need for a second round.Of the other nine candidates standing for election on Sunday, Attorney-general and former advisor to Clerides Alecos Markides - standing as an independent - took 6.6 per cent of the vote, and Nicos Koutsou with a distant 2.1 per cent.The final results put paid to the pre-election controversy surrounding opinion polls, after politicians from the Clerides and Markides camp claimed poll findings had been engineered and invalid. In a poll published two weeks ago, poll company AMER predicted quite accurately that Papadopoulos would get 51.9 per cent of the votes, enough to secure a first-round win over Clerides.Meanwhile, results for individual electoral districts showed that most votes for Papadopoulos came from Paphos, where the new President won 58.5 per cent of the votes. This was followed by the districts of Limassol (52.8 per cent), Larnaca (52.75 per cent), Nicosia (49.79 per cent) and finally Famagusta with 48.18 per cent.The DIKO leader's win was met with apprehension by some sections of the international community, amid fears that his election may limit the chances of a settlement being reached by 28 February, the deadline set by the UN for a solution.However, in a victory speech at the Eleftheria Stadium on Sunday night, Papadopoulos told euphoric supporters he would display flexibility and good will at the negotiating table to achieve a comprehensive and viable settlement to the Cyprus problem.In his speech, Papadopoulos also appealed to his “Turkish Cypriot compatriots”.“I want to convey a message of co-operation to my Turkish Cypriot counterparts for a just and viable solution… we will exert every effort to see a reunited Cyprus join the EU,” he said.

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

    Tuesday, February 18, 2003

    [09] Cabinet agrees reduced military service term for boys with foreign father opting for citizenshipBy Alexia SaoulliCHILDREN born to a foreign father and Cypriot mother will now only have to serve six months in the National Guard if they want to obtain Cypriot citizenship, Defence Ministry spokesman Andreas Yiorkas said yesterday.“In the past, children with a foreign father and Cypriot mother had to complete the full 26 months' military service if they wanted citizenship,” he said. “This service has now been minimised to six months for these conscripts.” The decision was approved by the Cabinet last week and became effective immediately, he said.Children born to a Greek father stand to gain from this revision to the law. Boys with Greek fathers only have to complete six months' military service in Greece if they are permanent residents abroad. So until now, boys born to Greek fathers had a choice of completing six months military service in Greece or 26 months in Cyprus if they became Cypriot citizens, he said. “Because of this, a lot of boys that grew up here and wanted to become Cypriot did not. When faced with a choice of over two years military service or rejecting citizenship, they opted for the latter,” said Yiorkas. “Now, they will only have to do six months here or six months in Greece to fulfil their military service obligations, therefore more boys will be willing to apply for citizenship.” By becoming Cypriot citizens, they would be eligible to all benefits, including jobs in the civil service, he said.“A lot of young men have grown up here their whole lives and want to become citizens. They even want to work for the government and are told they can only do so if they are citizens. But, the idea of 26 months in the National Guard puts them off,” said Yiorkas. Because of a bilateral agreement between Cyprus and Greece, a boy choosing to do his military service here would be exempt from serving in Greece, he added. “We do not have the same agreement with other countries,” he said. “If military service is compulsory in, say, Syria, then boys would still have to complete it there, irrespective of whether or not they'd done six months here.”This change in the military service law applied to all men of all ages with a foreign father and Cypriot mother.

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

    Tuesday, February 18, 2003

    [10] Kidnap fears in search for missing brothersBy Alexia Saoulli POLICE were yesterday investigating the disappearance of two brothers from a Larnaca district village, after they were last seen at lunchtime on Saturday.“Everything is under investigation. We are looking at all the possibilities,” police spokesman Demetris Demetriou told the Cyprus Mail.Nicholas Sinesi, 31, and his 27-year-old brother Kyriakos, were seen leaving for their junkyard located in Panayia ton Ampelion in Kofinou at around 10.30am on Saturday, police said. A local herder last saw them three hours later.Concerned family members started calling the two men on their mobile phones throughout the day, but neither one answered. At 6pm, Kofinou police were officially notified of their disappearance and search parties were sent out to find them, without uncovering any evidence of their whereabouts.On Sunday, Rapid Reaction Unit police and a police helicopter were used to comb surrounding dams and the greater Kofinou area. Criminal investigation division police, criminology officials and ballistics specialists all gathered evidence from the area where the two brothers were last seen.At the junkyard, police found the two men's cars with their keys in the ignition and Kyriakos' mobile phone and cigarettes. Although Nicholas had also left his cigarettes behind, his mobile phone could not be found. Nevertheless, when police called him on it, there was no answer. However, investigations said they picked up signals from Nicholas' phone in Mazotos near Larnaca and police were expected to search the sea region yesterday.A third brother, Andreas along with Kyriakos' wife, Demetra, said they believed the duo had been kidnapped. Demetra maintained that her husband always took his mobile phone and cigarettes with him wherever he went and would never have left them behind in the car.This was a very serious case “and all possibilities were being investigated thoroughly,” police said. Despite family members' fears, reports said yesterday there was no evidence to suggest the two brothers had been kidnapped, although police themselves had not yet ruled out foul play.

    Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003


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