Front Page Headlines
Clinic owners are with one foot in GESY
The road is open for the direct consultations between HIO (Health Insurance Organisation) and hospitals. A large (private) hospital in the capital is positive about the HIO’s proposal. A second hospital has approached HIO.
- EU FMs: Cease fire in Libya
- Water pipeline: From the bottom to the sea foam
Horror show over the sturdiness of Filoxenia (conference centre)
It does not stand the weight of bookcases on the desks, nor water tanks on the roof. They will give €2m for restoration while studies show the building must be demolished.
- Guterres continues to cover for Turkey
- Questions over the Ozersay-Tatar trip to Istanbul
A €70m collateral for the inclusion of clinics in GESY
According to the HIO’s schedule, all hospitals wishing to join must express interest by February 15, so that it can enter into separate consultations with each of them up to March 31 whereby the budget of each hospital will be set.
- After Berlin, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres continues to hope
- ΑΚΕL: There is no comprehensive strategy on energy issues
- ‘Alliance’ for cultural heritage
Top club in fixing claims
Omonia says corruption rife in football, seeks UEFA intervention.
They want everything
Civil servants, teachers and police officers want restoration of their pension benefits to pre-crisis levels. They turned down again during a meeting yesterday the government proposal and their previous commitment for the creation of a provident fund and are calling for a new pension plan to ensure pension and lump sum.
- UNFICYP report: Six-month renewal and general references
- First election intervention against Akinci – Erdogan invited yesterday Ozersay and Tatar in Istanbul for a chat, while he has been avoiding to meet with TC leader Mustafa Akinci for the past two years.
Main News
Guterres optimistic Cyprob solution still possible
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
External Security, Negotiations Process, CBMs, Energy, Internal Security
OVERVIEW
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggests in his latest report on UNFICYP the renewal of the peacekeeping force’s mandate for another six months but once again does not mention Turkey’s activities in the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the papers report.
An unofficial copy of the report was delivered on Thursday evening to UN Security Council members. The Security Council will be briefed by the UN Secretary General’s special representative in Cyprus on January 20, while the vote on the adoption of the resolution for the mandate’s renewal has been scheduled for January 30.
In the report, Guterres recommends the extension of UNFICYP’s mandate for six more months, until July 31 2020, reiterating his commitment to explore the possibility of convening an informal five-party meeting with the island’s leaders and the guarantor powers. He also urged the two leaders, the guarantor powers, and other interested parties to make productive use of the coming period.
He also said that during these past six months, UNFICYP continued to play a crucial role in monitoring, engagement and liaison in response to violations and low-level tensions. “Its continued presence remains essential to the creation of conditions conducive to a political settlement,” he added.
Guterres also said the absence of a resolution of the Cyprus issue was not sustainable, adding that the lack of negotiations since July 2017 does not mean that the situation on the island remains unchanged, both at the political level and in the buffer zone.
Since the closing of the Conference on Cyprus in Crans-Montana, over time, tensions on the ground have progressively increased, he said, while he also referred to his meeting with the two leaders on November 25 in Berlin. Following their frank and focused discussions, “I continue to hold out hope that a durable settlement to the Cyprus problem can be achieved. He reiterated that this time must be different.
Guterres said that he continued to monitor developments relating to hydrocarbons closely and with concern repeating that the natural resources found in and around Cyprus should benefit both communities and constitute a strong incentive for all parties to find a mutually acceptable and durable solution to the Cyprus problem.
He also noted that although he welcomes the parties’ stated commitment to see a military contact mechanism established, he regrets that differences in position on modalities for this mechanism could not be overcome and urged the parties to work with Spehar “to establish this mechanism without delay” by initiating an important military confidence-building measure (CBM) and meeting the expectations of the Security Council in this regard.
Guterres also urged the parties to make a genuine effort in exploring new or enhanced avenues for cooperation on key civilian matters, including in relation to law and order, particularly in Pyla noting that the handover of third country nationals and alleged criminals from one side to another with UNFICYP facilitation was “a notable step”. The sides should build on these initial efforts to make sure that criminals do not continue to exploit the de facto divide of the island,” he added. Guterres also called for more CBMs.
As regards Varosha, he said the UN continues to hold Turkey responsible for the status quo in the closed-off town and that the presence and movements of UNFICYP in Varosha continued to be restricted by the Turkish Forces. UNFICYP continued to use all available technologies, including satellite imagery, to enhance monitoring and reporting in this sensitive area, he said.
Cyprus Mail reports that Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday that the government has discussed several scenarios if a solution is not found and UNFICYP withdraws, arguing that if the Cyprus problem continues to remain an unresolved issue, it was certain UNFICYP would not continue its presence on the island.
The paper reports that Christodoulides told state broadcaster CyBC on Friday that his ministry in cooperation with those of defence and interior and the police, have done table-top exercises on this scenario or reduction of the force. He gave no further details. But for the time being, the presence of UNFICYP is more or less certain, the paper reported.
Phileleftheros reports that Guterres continues to cover for Turkey over her violations in the Cypriot EEZ by avoiding to make any reference to Turkish transgressions and keeping the usual equidistant stance. Guterres’ references on confidence-building measures, the buffer zone and Varosha are the same as in his previous report, the paper said.
Politis too reports Guterres does not attribute any responsibilities to Turkey over tensions in the Cypriot EEZ while there was no reference to the Turkish drone base in Lefkoniko. The UNSG keeps equal distances on the energy issue but also the farmer incidents in the buffer zone, the paper reports.
According to Alithia, Guterres’ draft report had no specific references to recent events such as the creation of a Turkish drone base in Lefkoniko and Turkish drillings in the Cypriot EEZ despite Nicosia’s expectations, or any references to political equality which was what TC leader Mustafa Akinci would have liked.
Haravgi reports that Guterres continues to hope that a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem can be achieved but expresses concerns over developments on hydrocarbons.
KEY ACTORS
Guterres (UN)
>> Suggests the renewal of the UNFICYP remand for six more months arguing its continued presence remains essential to the creation of conditions conducive to a political settlement.
>> Believes there is still chance of durable settlement to the Cyprob but warns that the situation on the island at political level & in the buffer zone is changing since July 2017 when the last round of talks ended.
>> He is ready to explore the possibility of an informal five-party meeting with the two leaders & guarantor powers but urges all stakeholders to make productive use of the coming period towards that direction.
>> Continues to monitor developments on hydrocarbons closely & with concern repeating that the natural resources found in and around Cyprus should benefit both communities & be a strong incentive for a mutually acceptable Cyprob solution.
>> Urges two sides to work with Spehar to establish a military contact mechanism CBM the soonest to meet the expectations of the SC & calls for more CBMs in general.
>> Calls for a genuine effort in exploring new ways for cooperation on key civilian matters, including on law and order, particularly in Pyla & build on initial efforts on suspect exchanges to make sure criminals do not continue to exploit the de facto divide of the island.
>> UN continues to hold Turkey responsible for the status quo in Varosha while Turkish military restricts the presence & movements of UNFICYP in the closed-off town.
Only Cyprob solution can stop looting of cultural heritage
Haravgi
Regional/International Relations, Human Rights
OVERVIEW
The daily reports that the head of the Byzantinist Society Andreas Foulias said that as long as the Cyprus problem remains unsolved, looting of cultural heritage monuments in the occupied areas will continue.
The Byzantinist Society is organising the third International Conference on Byzantine and Medieval Studies (CBMS) between January 17 and 19 in Nicosia in which around 120 scientists from 24 countries are to participate.
Asked by the Cyprus News Agency on how Cyprus could benefit from such conferences given that part of its cultural heritage has been looted due to the Turkish invasion, Foulias said they greatly help.
“The protection of monuments, of the history of every people is always in the forefront. Political problems such as the ongoing occupation of Cyprus and gradual Turkification, war in our neighbouring Syria that has a very rich culture certainly leave none of us unmoved,” he said.
Foulias said that looting of cultural treasures in the occupied areas of Cyprus is something that can never be stopped except by the solution of the Cyprus problem.
“Many times we have seen illegal excavations in known and unknown archaeological sites in the occupied areas, which obviously deprive us of valuable information concerning our history,” he said.
As time goes on, more and more pieces of history will be lost day by day, he said, according to the paper.