CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY, 96-05-23

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From: Panayiotis Zaphiris <pzaphiri@glue.umd.edu>

CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY, 96-05-23

CONTENTS

[01] COUNTDOWN TO CYPRUS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

[02] U.S. CONGRESSMEN REAFFIRM CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR CYPRUS

[03] TURKEY OPPOSES CYPRUS' EU ENTRY

[04] GHALI'S IDEAS NOT BASIS FOR OVERALL AGREEMENT, SAYS SPOKESMAN

[05] REPRESENTATIONS TO NORWAY FOR IMPORTS FROM THE OCCUPIED AREAS

[01] COUNTDOWN TO CYPRUS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS BY MARIA MYLES

RECORD NUMBERS OF PARTIES (SEVEN PLUS A COALITION) AND CANDIDATES (413, 55 OF THEM WOMEN) ARE CONTESTING SUNDAY'S ELECTIONS, TO BE HELD UNDER THE SYSTEM OF DIRECT PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION FOR THE FIRST TIME.

DEPUTY RETURNING OFFICER GEORGE THEODOROU HAS TOLD CNA ''EVERYTHING IS IN LINE FOR SUNDAY'S POLL. DISTRICT OFFICERS RECEIVE YESTERDAY THE BALLOT PAPERS AND POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THE LIST OF VOTERS.''

REFUGEES WILL VOTE FOR CANDIDATES WHO REPRESENT THEIR OWN DISTRICT IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR PLACE OF RESIDENCE. ENCLAVED GREEK CYPRIOTS, 549 MOSTLY ELDERLY PERSONS LIVING IN THE NORTHERN TURKISH OCCUPIED PART OF THE ISLAND, WILL BE TRANSPORTED BY RED CROSS BUSES TO POLLING STATIONS IN THE FREE AREAS TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE.

NEARLY 410,000 PEOPLE, OVER THE AGE OF 21, WILL VOTE IN SUNDAY'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, FOR A 56-SEAT HOUSE, AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF 1,200,000 CYPRUS POUNDS (ONE POUND IS ABOUT TWO U.S. DOLLARS).

NICOSIA DISTRICT WITH 151.539 WILL ELECT 21 DEPUTIES, LIMASSOL, ON THE SOUTH, WITH 85.031 WILL ELECT 12 MP'S AND FAMAGUSTA ON THE EAST WITH 80.908 WILL ELECT 11. LARNACA ELECTS FIVE, PAPHOS FOUR AND KYRENIA THREE.

THE COALITION OF THE RULING RIGHTWING DISY PARTY WITH THE LIBERAL PARTY, LEFTWING AKEL, CENTRE-RIGHT DIKO, SOCIALIST EDEK, AND ADISOK, AN AKEL SPLINTER PARTY, ARE FIGHTING FOR SEATS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, NOT FOR THE FIRST TIME.

NEW COMERS IN THIS YEAR'S ELECTIONS ARE THE FREE DEMOCRATS MOVEMENT (KED) OF FORMER CYPRUS PRESIDENT GEORGE VASSILIOU, NEW HORIZONS LED BY NICOS KOUTSOU AND THE ECOLOGISTS LED BY GEORGE PERDIKIS.

ALL PARTIES, EXCEPT THE ECOLOGISTS, ARE FIELDING A FULL BALLOT OF 56 CANDIDATES. THE ECOLOGISTS HAVE 17 CANDIDATES. THERE ARE ALSO FOUR INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES.

MEMBERS OF THE TWO OUT OF THE THREE RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN CYPRUS, ALSO REPRESENTED IN THE HOUSE, LATINS, MARONITES AND ARMENIANS, WILL ELECT THEIR REPRESENTATIVES ON SUNDAY.

TWO ARMENIANS ARE CONTESTING THE POST OF THE ARMENIAN REPRESENTATIVE AT THE HOUSE AND SEVEN CANDIDATES FROM THE MARONITES. LATIN REPRESENTATIVE BENITO MANTOVANI WAS ELECTED UNOPPOSED.

THE NEW ELECTORAL SYSTEM, THEODOROU EXPLAINED, MEANS THAT THE ELECTORAL THRESHOLD IS BETWEEN 6.500 AND 6.800 VOTES OR 1,8 PER CENT OF VALID VOTES, DEPENDING ON THE DISTRICT.

DIRECT PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION SEEMS TO GIVE THE SMALLER PARTIES A BETTER CHANCE OF GETTING A SEAT IN THE HOUSE SINCE ALL PARTIES WILL TAKE PART IN THE FIRST DISTRIBUTION OF SEATS.

THE PREVIOUS ELECTORAL SYSTEM NECESSITATED A PARTY TO GARNER MORE THAN 8 PER CENT OF THE VOTE AND ONE SEAT IN THE FIRST DISTRIBUTION OF SEATS TO ENTER THE HOUSE.

POLLING WILL TAKE PLACE AT 850 POLLING STATIONS ISLAND-WIDE, SIX MORE THAN IN THE 1991 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.

AFTER THE 1991 ELECTIONS, DISY, THE LARGEST PARTY, HAD 20 DEPUTIES IN THE OUTGOING HOUSE, AKEL 18, DIKO 11 AND EDEK SEVEN. ADISOK, WHICH ALSO CONTESTED THE ELECTIONS, GOT 2,40 PER CENT OF THE VOTE BUT DID NOT SECURE A SEAT.

A TOTAL OF 2000 POLICEMEN WILL TAKE POSITIONS ON SUNDAY TO KEEP ORDER.

CNA MM/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

[02] U.S. CONGRESSMEN REAFFIRM CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR CYPRUS

THE PLEDGES WERE MADE AT A RECEPTION CYPRUS' AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. ANDREAS JACOVIDES HOSTED ON TUESDAY EVENING TO MARK THE BEGINNING OF THE SEVENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE - JUSTICE FOR CYPRUS (PSEKA).

CONGRESSMAN MICHAEL BILIRAKIS (R-FL) AND CONGRESSWOMAN CAROLYN MALONEY (D-NY), CO-FOUNDERS OF THE CAUCUS, WERE HONOURED BY PSEKA IN RECOGNITION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CAUCUS.

MALONEY PLEDGED TO ''CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO HOLD TURKEY ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS ILLEGAL INVASION AND OCCUPATION OF CYPRUS AND TO BRING ABOUT AN ACCOUNTING OF THOSE MISSING FROM THIS TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.''

SHE SAID THE CAUCUS DEALS WITH THE CYPRUS QUESTION BUT ALSO FOCUSES ON ARMS SALES TO TURKEY, THE CONFLICT OVER SOME AEGEAN ISLET BETWEEN GREECE AND TURKEY, AND OTHER BILATERAL ISSUES.

BILIRAKIS SAID HE WOULD CONTINUE TO WORK WITH MALONEY ''ON ISSUES OF CONCERN TO THE GREEK AND CYPRIOT COMMUNITY.''

''FORMATION OF THIS CAUCUS GIVES THE HELLENIC AND CYPRIOT CAUSES ADDITIONAL CLOUT SO THAT, ALONG WITH THE GRASSROOTS EFFORTS OF GREEK-AMERICANS EVERYWHERE, WE CAN BETTER SUCCEED IN OUR CONSTANT ENDEAVOUR TO ACQUIRE JUSTICE FOR CYPRUS,'' BILIRAKIS SAID.

ADDRESSING THE DELEGATES, JACOVIDES THANKED PSEKA AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO CYPRUS' JUST CAUSE AND CALLED ON THEM TO INTENSIFY THEIR EFFORTS.

HE ADDED A CYPRUS SOLUTION WITH ACTIVE AMERICAN CONTRIBUTION WOULD MARK AN IMPORTANT SUCCESS IN U.S. FOREIGN POLICY.

DELEGATES, INCLUDING BRITISH AND CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS AND CYPRIOT COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM THE U.S., CANADA AND BRITAIN, ARE SCHEDULED TO MEET SELECT SENATORS CRUCIAL TO ISSUES OF CONCERN TO CYPRUS AND GREECE.

THEY WILL ALSO MEET THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF SOUTHERN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS, CAREY CAVANAUGH, SPECIAL CYPRUS COORDINATOR JAMES WILLIAMS AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS ALEXANDER VERSHBOW.

PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE MEETINGS WITH MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE FOREIGN OPERATIONS APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE AND THE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE.

THE PSEKA CONFERENCE ENDS ON THURSDAY.

CNA DA/MM/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

[03] TURKEY OPPOSES CYPRUS' EU ENTRY

TURKEY ALSO BELIEVES THAT THE U.S. AND THE EU SHARE THIS VIEW, CONTRARY TO PUBLIC STATEMENTS MADE BY EU HIGH RANKING OFFICIALS.

SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HERE ON TUESDAY, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER EMRE GONENSAY SAID ''I THINK THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TURKISH POSITION, THE UNITED STATES POSITION AND ALL THE OTHER EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER COUNTRIES' POSITION: THAT UNLESS THERE IS A POLITICAL SOLUTION ON THE ISLAND, ON THE BASIS OF A BIZONAL, BICOMMUNAL FEDERATION, BASED ON EQUAL POLITICAL RIGHTS, BY THE CONSENT OF THE TURKISH COMMUNITY, CYPRUS WILL NOT ACCEDE AS A FULL MEMBER TO THE EUROPEAN UNION.''

GONENSAY'S POSITION IS CONTRARY TO THE EU POSITION ON CYPRUS AS THIS WAS OUTLINED BY EU COMMISSIONER FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS HAND VAN DEN BROEK, WHO TOLD A MEETING IN CYPRUS IN MARCH THAT ''CYPRUS' ACCESSION WITHOUT AN AGREED SOLUTION IS POSSIBLE BUT NOT PREFERABLE''.

HE SAID THE EU ''CANNOT DELAY INDEFINITELY THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE OF CYPRUS'' AND STRESSED THAT THE EU DECISION TO START MEMBERSHIP TALKS WITH CYPRUS SIX MONTHS AFTER THE IGC (INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE) ''SHOULD NOT BE PUT INTO DOUBT.''

REFERRING TO EU-TURKISH RELATIONS, VAN DEN BROEK SAID THE EU WANTED TO STRENGTHEN ITS TIES WITH TURKEY AND ADDED ''THIS HOWEVER CAN NEVER MEAN THAT TURKEY HAS A VETO FOR EVER ON CYPRUS' ACCESSION TO EUROPE.''

STRIKING A DIFFERENT NOTE, THE TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER TOLD THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB ''THIS (NO EU MEMBERSHIP UNLESS THERE IS A SETTLEMENT) IS A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF ALL THE PARTIES, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES.''

BUT, HE ADDED, IF THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THIS UNDERSTANDING, THEN ''THIS WILL PROVIDE THE DISINCENTIVE FOR THE GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE TO SIT DOWN AND NEGOTIATE WITH THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS.''

GONENSAY SAID ''IF THE GREEK CYPRIOTS THINK THAT THEY CAN BECOME A MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, THEY WILL NEVER NEGOTIATE.

''THEREFORE, I THINK THE COMMON POSITION IS JUST THE OPPOSITE, THAT IS, THAT THERE WILL BE NO MEMBERSHIP, FULL MEMBERSHIP UNTIL - UNLESS THERE IS A POLITICAL SOLUTION,'' HE SAID.

INVITED TO COMMENT ON HIS TALKS ON CYPRUS WITH HIS U.S. COUNTERPART WARREN CHRISTOPHER, THE TURKISH MINISTER REFERRED TO A U.N. FRAMEWORK, A SET OF IDEAS SUBMITTED BY THE U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL.

''WE THINK THERE ARE THE BEGINNINGS OF A SOLUTION THERE WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK, AND THE UNITED STATES IS INTERESTED IN USING THEIR GOOD OFFICES TO HAVE A SOLUTION TO THE CYPRUS PROBLEM,'' HE REMARKED.

''WE TOLD THEM THAT WE WOULD WELCOME SUCH AN INITIATIVE BY THE UNITED STATES, IF IT IS BUILT UPON THIS SET OF IDEAS. THE TURKISH CYPRIOT SIDE WANTS TO NEGOTIATE WITHIN THIS FRAMEWORK, WHICH IS A BICOMMUNAL, BIZONAL FEDERATION, BASED ON EQUAL POLITICAL RIGHTS,'' HE CONCLUDED.

TURKISH TROOPS HAVE BEEN OCCUPYING 37 PER CENT OF CYPRUS TERRITORY SINCE 1974, IN VIOLATION OF REPEATED U.N. RESOLUTIONS CALLING FOR THEIR WITHDRAWAL.

CYPRUS APPLIED FOR EU MEMBERSHIP IN 1990. IT SIGNED AN ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY IN 1972 AND A CUSTOMS UNION AGREEMENT IN 1987.

CNA DA/MM/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

[04] GHALI'S IDEAS NOT BASIS FOR OVERALL AGREEMENT, SAYS SPOKESMAN

CASSOULIDES WAS COMMENTING ON A STATEMENT EARLIER TODAY BY U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CYPRUS RICHARD BOUCHER THAT THE SET OF IDEAS OF THE U.N. CHIEF STILL REMAINS PART OF THE NEGOTIATING PROCESS TO REACH AN OVERALL SETTLEMENT IN CYPRUS.

THE SPOKESMAN NOTED THAT THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CYPRUS PROBLEM ARE THE CENTRE OF ALL CONTACTS OF THE CYPRUS GOVERNMENT AND NO REFERENCE IS MADE TO THE CONTENT OF BOUTROS-GHALI'S SET OF IDEAS.

''FOR THREE YEARS NOW THE GHALI IDEAS HAVE NOT BEEN USED DURING DISCUSSIONS AS THE FRAMEWORK FOR A SOLUTION TO THE CYPRUS PROBLEM'', CASSOULIDES SAID.

AS SOON AS THERE IS AGREEMENT ON THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CYPRUS PROBLEM, THIS WILL FORM THE FRAMEWORK IN WHICH FURTHER DETAILS OF THE CYPRUS PROBLEM WILL BE DISCUSSED, HE ADDED.

CYPRUS HAS BEEN DIVIDED SINCE 1974 WHEN TURKISH TROOPS INVADED AND OCCUPIED 37 PER CENT OF ITS TERRITORY.

CNA MCH/GP/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

[05] REPRESENTATIONS TO NORWAY FOR IMPORTS FROM THE OCCUPIED AREAS

''WE HOPE THAT THE MATTER WILL BE DEALT WITH ACCORDINGLY BY THE NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT AT OUR INDICATIONS THAT THE (HEALTH) CERTIFICATES OF THE TURKISH OCCUPATION REGIME ARE ILLEGAL AND SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED,'' CASSOULIDES STRESSED.

SINCE LAST WEEK, CYPRUS' AMBASSADOR ACCREDITED TO NORWAY, TASOS PANAYIDES HAS HAD CONTACTS IN OSLO WITH THE COUNTRY'S FOREIGN AND AGRICULTURE MINISTRIES.

REPRESENTATIONS HAVE ALSO BEEN MADE BY THE ISLAND'S FOREIGN MINISTRY PERMANENT SECRETARY, ALECOS SHAMBOS, TO THE ISRAEL-BASED NORWEGIAN AMBASSADOR ACCREDITED TO CYPRUS.

CYPRUS HAS BEEN DIVIDED SINCE THE 1974 TURKISH INVASION. TURKEY CONTINUES TO OCCUPY 37 PER CENT OF THE ISLAND'S AREAS.

THE COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES HAS RULED THAT EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES MUST NOT ACCEPT PRODUCE AND CERTIFICATES ORIGINATING FROM OTHER THAN THE COMPETENT AUTHORITIES OF THE CYPRUS REPUBLIC.

CNA MCH/KPK/1996

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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