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/Night of terror in Belgrade/ YESTERDAY'S papers yesterday continued to
focus on the war in the Balkans, but most also gave front-page attention to
a wide range of local issues.
Haravghi's
headline was "A night of terror in Belgrade." The paper said "Nato forces
committed another crime against the Serbian people, just a short while
after Russian mediator Victor Chernomyrdin left Belgrade." Haravghi said
a hospital was hit by two Nato "smart" missiles, killing four people "in
their beds". The paper said that the hospital was very close to Yugoslavian
president Slobodan Milosevic's residence, which had already been heavily
bombed.
Phileleftheros'
lead said "100,000 dangerous drivers threaten our lives." The paper said
many people used "contacts" to pass their driving exam, with the
Association of Private Driving Schools saying this was one of the main
reasons for accidents. According to Phileleftheros, the Association also
put some of the blame on unsatisfactory road networks.
Simerini
said that "an orgy of secret diplomacy for the end of the war" in Kosovo
was currently taking place. The paper's correspondent in Belgrade said that
Chernomyrdin's meetings with Milosevic seemed to have had a positive
result. Simerini said that both sides agreed that the diplomatic
procedure should continue. On the local front, the paper said that the
previous day's National Council meeting had been "embarrassing." Simerini
said that, "instead of discussing pressing issues and our national cause,
the purpose for which the meeting was called, it focused on procedural
issues and lasted only an hour and a half." On Politis' front page were
reactions to the Central Bank's decision to squeeze loans issued by the
Housing Association this year. The paper said that the decision had the
effect of the freezing loans given out by the Housing Association.
Politis also said that the decision would have consequences especially on the middle and lower financial classes.
Machi had
an 'exclusive' on its front page. The paper claimed that "soft" drugs would
be legalised in Cyprus, supposedly in line with EU harmonisation. According
to the paper, a proposal on the issue was expected at the House soon.
Machi said that this would stop Cypriot drug-addicts from being taken advantage of. The paper also said that "tourists ending up in court on drug charges gave Cyprus a negative image."
Alithia continued on
the Kosovo issue, saying that a proposal from the seven most industrialised
counties in the world and Russia - the G8 - had made some progress but that
further effort was required. The paper said that a "marathon" meeting of
the eight had taken place from noon on Wednesday till 2am on Thursday
morning.
© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999
