Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 03-01-30

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] Greek Foreign Minister sees Cyprus solution ''very soon''

[02] Weather forecast for Cyprus

[03] Cyprus Stock Exchange

[04] UN envoy to brief President on Ankara meetings

[05] Substance found to be harmless, UN staff return to their offices

[06] Flag of EU hoisted at University of Cyprus

[07] Cabinet allocates 700 thousand pounds for tornado damage

[08] Weather and Temperatures for Cyprus

[09] Britain believes crucial opportunity has arisen for Cyprus

[10] De Soto says no change in talks’ procedure

[11] Angolemli hopes a solution is found until the end of February

[12] CSP prevented from attending G/C and T/C parties' meeting

[01] Greek Foreign Minister sees Cyprus solution ''very soon''

1140:CYPPRESS:01

Greek Foreign Minister sees Cyprus solution ''very soon''

Nicosia, Jan 30 (CNA) -- Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou believes that a political settlement in Cyprus can be achieved ''very soon'' if the political will exists, adding that it remains to be seen whether this will is evident in the Turkish side.

The minister questions claims by Ankara that Cyprus is of paramount importance to Turkey for its security and said the issue of security will be discussed at his meetings today and tomorrow with the Turkish government in the context of a UN peace plan, which is negotiated by the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot sides.

''I believe we can settle the Cyprus problem. We are very close, but political resolve is needed. If this resolve is there, this region will become a region of stability and Turkish Cypriot will also join the EU,'' he said.

[02] Weather forecast for Cyprus

Friday and Saturday: 31/01/2003 to 1/2/2003 --------------------

On Friday the weather will be partly cloudy and on Saturday cloudy with rain.

The wind will prevail generally south moderate to fresh 4 to 5 bf and the state of moderate.

The minimum temperature will range from 2 degrees over the highest Troodos range to 8 degrees inland and 10 degrees over the coastal areas. The maximum will range from 10 degrees over the highest Troodos range to 19 inland and to 21 over the coastal areas.

Outlook for Sunday and Monday: 2/2/2003 to 3/2/2003

The weather will be unstable with local showers and thunderstorms. The temperature will remain without significant change.

[03] Cyprus Stock Exchange

1530:CYPPRESS:03
Cyprus Stock Exchange
Nicosia, Jan 30 (CNA) - The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) All Share
Index closed at today's stock exchange meeting as follows:

CSE General Index                               92,50   ( 0,95)

Traded Value                  CYP    637.236

FTSE/CYSE 20                  CYP    290.058   363,28   ( 1,82)

Sectoral Indices

Banks                         CYP    214.450   104,96   ( 1,70)
Approved Investment
Companies                 CYP     19.041    80,83   ( 0,09)
Insurance Companies           CYP      3.534    19,98   ( 0,10)
Manufacturing Companies       CYP     36.179    63,34   ( 1,26)
Tourism Companies             CYP     17.741   101,92   ( 1,77)
Trading Companies             CYP     10.915    18,89   ( 1,12)
Building and Cement Companies CYP     15.591    72,57   (-1,00)
Énformation Technology
Companies                 CYP      2.056     3,27   ( 1,24)
Financial Services Companies  CYP     22.971    18,23   ( 1,67)
Fish Culture Companies        CYP        140    13,74   (-5,11)
Hotels                        CYP     11.076    45,95   ( 0,83)
Other Companies               CYP     88.057    84,26   (-0,54)

* The third column presents the percentage variation of

[04] UN envoy to brief President on Ankara meetings

1540:CYPPRESS:04

UN envoy to brief President on Ankara meetings

Nicosia, Jan 30 (CNA) -- Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said today that UN Secretary General's special adviser Alvaro de Soto will brief the President about his meetings in Ankara earlier this week.

The spokesman also said that the government has no information at present about a new revised UN peace plan being put forward to the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot sides in the context of the UN-led direct talks, currently underway.

''I believe either today or tomorrow de Soto will be received by President Glafcos Clerides and I would imagine he will brief the President about his discussions in Ankara. I expect that de Soto will explain his statement that he discussed the territorial issue of the Cyprus question with the Turkish leadership,'' Papapetrou said after today's Cabinet meeting.

[05] Substance found to be harmless, UN staff return to their offices

A press release of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus said UNFICYP received this morning confirmation from the relevant authorities that the tests conducted at the state laboratories on the substance found in the Good Offices local office at the UNPA, Nicosia, yesterday, show that it is harmless and poses no danger to anyone.

Health Minister Frixos Savvides backed the statement, saying it was more a prank, and that the cultures were completed and no ingredient found in the envelope contained any dangerous substance, neither anthrax nor any other substance that might have endangered lives.

[06] Flag of EU hoisted at University of Cyprus

The Commission diplomat pledged the Copenhagen decision that Cyprus will become a member on the 1st of May 2004, is irreversible.

It is quite clear that we are standing now before the last hurdles, regarding Cypruss accession to the EU, van der Meer said.

[07] Cabinet allocates 700 thousand pounds for tornado damage

Nicosia, Jan 30 (CNA) The Cabinet will decide next week on the total compensation to those affected by Mondays tornadoes in Limassol and Larnaca, Interior Minister Andreas Panagiotou said after Thursdays cabinet meeting.

The amount of 700,000 pounds will immediately be made available from existing funds and this will be allocated for damage to buildings, excluding merchandise.

Each family will initially receive 500 pounds for their homes and 1,000 pounds for their businesses.

(One Cyprus Pound trades at around 1.8 US dollars).

[08] Weather and Temperatures for Cyprus

1755:CYPPRESS:10

Weather and Temperatures for Cyprus

Nicosia, Jan 30 (CNA) -- Today's weather and temperatures for Cyprus,
according to the Meteorological Service at Larnaca International
Airport are:

Temperatures (degrees Celcius)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Station               Maximum     Minimum       Weather
(At 1200 UTC)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Nicosia                 20           6          FAIR
Larnaca                 19           8          FAIR
Limassol                20           9          FINE
Paphos                  19          10          CLOUDY

[09] Britain believes crucial opportunity has arisen for Cyprus

1800:CYPPRESS:08

Britain believes crucial opportunity has arisen for Cyprus

By Kyriacos Tsioupras

London, Jan 30 (CNA) The British government believes that a crucial opportunity has now arisen for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement in Cyprus, based on the UN Secretary-Generals proposals by 28 February.

Minister of State for European Affairs Denis MacShane outlined the position in the House of Commons, during written answers to questions by Shadow European Minister, Richard Spring, on the British governments role in the negotiations to unify the island of Cyprus.

[10] De Soto says no change in talks’ procedure

Speaking after a meeting here Thursday with Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides, de Soto said the UN is waiting to see what the two leaders will come up during the talks, before deciding on a revised plan.

Asked if the procedure of the talks will change, de Soto replied, no, the procedure remains that the leaders meet three times a week. He said the meetings will now be held in the mornings, rather than in the afternoon, and that he sees them frequently in between the meetings.

To a question if we are closer to a revised plan to the December 10 revised plan, which the Secretary-General submitted, de Soto said that is another matter. We hope that they will agree to changes, if changes are needed.

Asked if he has a revised plan ready, de Soto replied, we are waiting to see what they can come up with in these direct talks."

[11] Angolemli hopes a solution is found until the end of February

Speaking after meeting Democratic Rally leader, Nicos Anastasiades, Angolemli said that he hoped a solution could be found in February, especially because of the presidential elections in the government-controlled areas of the Republic on February 16.

Anastasiades described their meeting as very useful, adding that a common wish was ascertained to see the soonest, the reunification of the island being achieved through the negotiation of the plan submitted by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last December.

[12] CSP prevented from attending G/C and T/C parties' meeting

In a letter here Thursday to the ambassador of the Slovak Republic, Jan Varso, who is hosting the talks, the General Secretary of CSP, Mehmet Suleymanoglu said he deeply regretted not being able to honour the invitation to the meeting of the political party leaders, hoping that next time they will be able to attend, if invited.

We strongly believe that this action of the authorities is the result of another arbitrary decision of them, since they could not provide any logical explanation for it, the CSP GS said.

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