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Newsletter
January 2009
President: No Real Progress Achieved So Far at Cyprus Talks
Nicosia,
Jan 12 - President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias has said
that despite intensive efforts, no real progress is to be reported
regarding the ongoing direct negotiations, which began last September with
a view to reach a solution of the Cyprus problem and reunify Cyprus,
divided since the Turkish invasion of 1974.
"Unfortunately, despite our intensive efforts, after four months of work I
do not have real progress to report. A number of secondary issues have been
agreed but there remain, however, significant differences of approach to
the issue of the powers and functions of the central Government, the system
of governance as well as to the issue of foreign relations," the Cypriot
President said.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
Downer: No Artificial Deadlines in Cyprus
Talks
Nicosia,
Jan 10 – UN Secretary General's Special Advisor for Cyprus Alexander Downer
has said that there is momentum on the Cyprus peace talks and called on the
people to urge their leaders to continue to negotiate and come up with a
good solution.
Mr. Downer, who is back on the island for the direct negotiations, which
began last September in order to reach a solution of the Cyprus problem,
said one does not want to be setting artificial deadlines which will create
a crisis in their own.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
Cyprus
Finance Ministry Cuts its Economic Forecasts
Nicosia,
Jan 9 - Cyprus Finance Ministry cut on Friday its economic forecasts in the
wake of the global financial crisis.
Charilaos Stavrakis said that the Ministry projects economic growth of 2.1%
as its central scenario, and 2.6% as an optimistic scenario instead of 3.0%
provided for in the 2009 budget.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
Bicommunal Event to Support Children with
Special Needs Takes Place in Nicosia
Nicosia,
Jan 9 – With the aim to support all children with special needs in Cyprus,
Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot children 10-15 years old gathered on
Friday along the Venetian Walls in the heart of Nicosia to create a large
hoop and scatter light with specially designed lanterns.
The bicommunal event entitled "The Hoop of Love", aiming also to bring together the younger generations of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots
through humanitarian events, was organized under the auspices of the first
lady of Cyprus Elsi Christofia and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali
Talat's spouse Oyia.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
President Christofias and Talat Closer to
Agreement on Specific Issues
Nicosia,
Jan 16 - President of the Republic Demetris Christofias said Friday's
meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, in the context of
direct talks to solve the Cyprus problem, brought them much closer to
agreeing on issues regarding deadlock resolving mechanisms for the
legislative and the judiciary.
Returning to the Presidential Palace after the meeting, President
Christofias said that "a good step forward was made in the hierarchy of
laws."
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
President Christofias Congratulates New President of the
United States Barack Obama
Nicosia,
Jan 21 - President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias has sent
a letter of congratulations to new President of the United States Barack
Obama, saying that Cyprus looks to the new President to support efforts for
a political settlement of the Cyprus problem, which will terminate Turkey's
military occupation of the island.
He notes that Mr. Obama's message to the people was strong and clear, and
his reference to the sovereign equality of states, the support to
international law, the determination to abolish poverty, deeply impresses
and inspires the Cypriots.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
President
Urges International Community to Exert Pressure on Turkey
Nicosia,
Jan 20 - President of the Republic of Cyprus, Demetris Christofias, has
urged the international community to exert pressure on Turkey in order to
show the necessary flexibility and good will, thus contributing to efforts
towards a Cyprus solution.
Speaking at a memorial service of the late first President of the Republic
of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III, President Christofias said that the
Greek Cypriot side "pursues a commonly acceptable solution with our Turkish
Cypriot compatriots, based on UN Security Council resolutions,
international law and EU principles, with political equality, as described
in the relevant UN resolutions."
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
Photo Exhibition Illustrates Religious
Relics from Occupied Areas
Nicosia,
Jan 20 - Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus Chrysostomos II inaugurated on
Monday a photographic exhibition, titled "Hostages in Germany", in the
presence of President Demetris Christofias.
The focus of the exhibition is the looting of Cyprus's cultural and
religious heritage in the northern Turkish occupied areas of the country by
Turkish antiquities dealers and mainly the well known art dealer Aydin
Dikmen. The exhibition reveals the extent of looting at 50 churches in an
area from Karpass peninsula and Famagusta town on the east to Kythrea,
Nicosia, Karavas and Morphou, on the north and northwest of the island.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
President Christofias and Talat Conclude
17th Meeting on Property Issues
Nicosia,
Jan. 28 – The leaders of the two communities, President Christofias and Mr.
Talat held their 17th meeting in the framework of the UN-led direct
negotiations today.
The President was accompanied by Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou,
head of the working group on governance Andreas Mavrommatis, head of the
working group on properties Erato Kozakou Markoullis, member of the working
group on properties Andreas Symeou, and aides Toumazos Tsielepis and
Menelaos Menelaou.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
European Court Rules on Property Cases
Against Turkey
Nicosia,
Jan 28 - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled, by majority
vote, that Turkey violates the property rights of eight Greek Cypriots, who
own land and immovable property in Turkish occupied Cyprus.
The Court has asked all of the applicants – three from villages in the
occupied district of Famagusta on the east and five from villages in
Kyrenia district on the north – and the Turkish government to submit,
within three months from the date the Court judgment becomes final, their
written observations.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
US
Spokesman Says Cyprus Problem Among US priorities
Nicosia,
Jan 27 - The Cyprus question is a priority for the US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, US President Barack Obama and a priority for the
international community, US State Department Acting Spokesman Robert Wood
said during his daily briefing.
Invited to comment on UN Special Envoy for Cyprus Alexander Downer's
optimism that "there is a real possibility of reaching finally a
settlement" in Cyprus, Mr. Wood said "we certainly are hopeful and we hope
that there can be an agreement reached between the two parties."
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
Cyprus to Appeal to ECHR Over Turkish Actor Attila Olgac's Confession
Nicosia,
Jan 27 - The Cypriot government has decided to raise to the Council of
Europe's Committee of Ministers Attila Olgac's confession that he killed
ten Greek Cypriots during the 1974 Turkish invasion to Cyprus as well as to
lodge an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Government
Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou announced on Tuesday.
Mr. Olgac, a Turkish actor told a live TV show in Turkey last Wednesday
that during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus he killed ten Greek
Cypriots, one of them a 19-year-old soldier, taken prisoner of war, who was
killed in cold blood. Mr. Olgac subsequently retracted his confession,
claiming he was actually talking about a film scenario.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
President Christofias and Talat Conclude
17th Meeting on Property Issues
Nicosia,
Jan. 28 – The leaders of the two communities, President Christofias and Mr.
Talat held their 17th meeting in the framework of the UN-led direct
negotiations today.
The President was accompanied by Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou,
head of the working group on governance Andreas Mavrommatis, head of the
working group on properties Erato Kozakou Markoullis, member of the working
group on properties Andreas Symeou, and aides Toumazos Tsielepis and
Menelaos Menelaou.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
European Court Rules on Property Cases
Against Turkey
Nicosia,
Jan 28 - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled, by majority
vote, that Turkey violates the property rights of eight Greek Cypriots, who
own land and immovable property in Turkish occupied Cyprus.
The Court has asked all of the applicants – three from villages in the
occupied district of Famagusta on the east and five from villages in
Kyrenia district on the north – and the Turkish government to submit,
within three months from the date the Court judgment becomes final, their
written observations.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
US
Spokesman Says Cyprus Problem Among US priorities
Nicosia,
Jan 27 - The Cyprus question is a priority for the US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, US President Barack Obama and a priority for the
international community, US State Department Acting Spokesman Robert Wood
said during his daily briefing.
Invited to comment on UN Special Envoy for Cyprus Alexander Downer's
optimism that "there is a real possibility of reaching finally a
settlement" in Cyprus, Mr. Wood said "we certainly are hopeful and we hope
that there can be an agreement reached between the two parties."
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
Cyprus to Appeal to ECHR Over Turkish Actor
Attila Olgac's Confession
Nicosia,
Jan 27 - The Cypriot government has decided to raise to the Council of
Europe's Committee of Ministers Attila Olgac's confession that he killed
ten Greek Cypriots during the 1974 Turkish invasion to Cyprus as well as to
lodge an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Government
Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou announced on Tuesday.
Mr. Olgac, a Turkish actor told a live TV show in Turkey last Wednesday
that during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus he killed ten Greek
Cypriots, one of them a 19-year-old soldier, taken prisoner of war, who was
killed in cold blood. Mr. Olgac subsequently retracted his confession,
claiming he was actually talking about a film scenario.
To Read the Entire Article Please Click Here
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