Front Page Headlines
Passports, towers, flights to Seychelles
Sequence of events involving the Saudis leaves the President exposed. Auditor General minces his words over free trips for N. Anastasiades. Presidential Palace see “vindication” and Ministries of Interior – Economy see “different approach”.
- Specialised tests for patient at Nicosia Hospital: Increased concern also in Cyprus – Anastasiades – Akinci to discuss coronavirus on Monday
- Britain: Scotland at stake
- Ultimatum for DEFA (Natural Gas Public Company)
Sponsors of presidential flights
A Saudi offered his airplanes to the President for free or for unusually low prices. Auditor General and parties ask for transparency and regulation of donations received by the Presidential Palace.
- Pushes for contact mechanism: United Nations overlooks protests
- Transfer of 150,000 tons: Waste from the occupied areas to the Skouriotissa mine
- Ankara tests Greek mettle
Trips for Nikos, “golden passport” for the sheikh
Auditor General: Deficient criteria and arbitrary laxity. Shadows over unidentified money trails. Permission given to the Saudi for an aircraft terminal!
- Akinci – Anastasiades concerned over coronavirus
- The psychosomatic dimension of the invasion
Passport for jet owner censured
Family of Saudi whose plane flew president to US became Cyprus citizens.
- Celebrations, remorse: UK cuts loose from EU
It knocks at our door
Ministry of Health announced the detection yesterday of “suspected” coronavirus case. Young Chinese man who had recently traveled to his homeland is in isolation in Nicosia General Hospital. On Monday it will be confirmed if it is a case (of the virus) or not. President Anastasiades and the T/C leader meet on Monday together with Technical Committee on Health regarding handling of coronavirus.
- Greece: Government sets up floating fences against immigrants in the Aegean
- Brexit: Britain out of the EU since midnight last night. What changes?
- UNFICYP: Diverging views of Foreign Ministry and UN over military contacts
Main News
Nicosia annoyed with UN over contact mechanisms
Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process, CBMs, Internal Security, Energy, External Security, Regional/ International Relations
OVERVIEW
Philelftheros reports that the UN has disregarded the reactions of the RoC by promoting the idea of direct contacts of the two sides on military issues in the final version of Security Council resolution 2506 on UNFICYP.
According to Phileleftheros, the government had from the beginning disagreed with the possibility of direct contacts between the G/C National Guard and the T/C military forces. The position of the RoC is that the only way military contacts can happen is with representatives of the Turkish Army.
The Cypriot Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the UN should avoid tactics that give the impression that the Cyprus Probem is an issue of normalising relations between the two communites.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry reiterated in its own statement the long running position that the UN should seek the consent of the T/Cs on the mandate of UNFICYP. Turkey also asks that a “necessary legal framework be completed between the UN and the TRNC authorities” to ensure the continuation of UNFICY’s activities on the island.
In statements made in an interview to the CNA and published in Alithia, British High Commissioner Stephen Lillie reiterated that the UK still supports a solution based on a bizonal bicommunal federation. He also stated that the UNFICYP resolution was balanced but added that no one should consider the presence of the peacekeeping force a given. He pointed out that the T/Cs can’t be a part of the decision process on UNFICYP since it is a community and not a UN member.
Cyprus Mail cites statements by a UN source to the Cyprus News Agency, pointing out that the creation of a mechanism for direct military contacts would not be tantamount to recognition. The UN intends to ask both sides to submit their ideas towards establishing an effective mechanism, the same source mentions, pointing to the relevant reference in the Security Council’s resolution on renewing UNFICYP’s mandate.
Cyprus Mail points out that the version of that particular paragraph in the draft of the resolution had upset the RoC government as it reportedly called for the creation of a mechanism for direct contact not only for military but for other matters as well, without the mediation of UNFICYP.
The UN source also told CNA that according to the final wording it is up to the sides to decide on which level to engage in this dialogue. The UN prefers to involve them at every level, military and political, the source said. Having direct contacts does not mean that the UN is not going ot be present or that any side will have to recognise the other, the source pointed out.
In a related development, Alithia and Politis report that President Anastasiades and T/C leader Mustafa Akinci have agreed to meet on Monday in order to be briefed on measures being taken in both sides against the possible spread of the coronavirus to the island.
In another development, Phileleftheros reports that Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides announced that Cyprus will begin the preperation to create a trilateral cooperation with Lebanon and Greece. The cooperation will extend to the field of energy, the report points out.
Phileleftheros also reports on an incident that took place on Friday when turkish research vessel Oruç Reis sailed close to Crete in an area outside its stated NAVTEX. A Greek frigate rushed to the area to assess the situation and the Greek army kept a low profile in its statements, the newspaper adds. Greek media speculation connected the incident to an attempt by Turkey to test its limits vis a vis Greece, while different information pointed out that the reason for the move was bad weather.
KEY ACTORS
Cypriot Foreign Ministry
>> The UN should avoid tactics that create the impression the Cyprus Problem is an issue of regulating community relations
Turkish Foreign Ministry
>> The T/Cs should be consulted over UNFICYP
>> There should be a legal framework agreed with TRNC
Stephen Lillie (UK HC in Nicosia)
>> UNFICYP should not be a given for any side
>> The T/Cs can’t take a part in this discussion because they are not members of the UN
Waste from the north to be processed at the Skouriotissa mine
Phileleftheros
Economy, CBMs
OVERVIEW
Cypriot owned Hellenic Mines Corporation (CMC) and a T/C company are negotiating to move 150,000 of waste from the occupied areas to the Skouriotissa mine where they will be processed and exploited, Phileleftheros reports.
Phileleftheros reports that the Ministry of Agriculture is following the development and will inform the Foreign Ministry in case of a positive outcome in order for the necessary steps to be taken in a potiical level.
According to Phileleftheros, the Minister of Agriculture Kostas Kadis referred to the issue in a letter replying to a parliamentary question by Greens MP Giorgos Perdikis. Kadis said that the waste is a byproduct of the processing of mining ore containing gold in the 1930s by Cyprus Mines Corporation in the area of Kseros (near Lefka). The waste has been polluting underground water reservoirs in the area since, he added.
Kadis said that the waste will be transferred by the Turkish Cypriot company to Skouriotissa through the Lefka – Apliki crossing point. After the waste is treated at Skouriotissa, it will be detoxified in line with processes approved by Environment Department of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Psychosomatic effects still trouble Greek Cypriots years after invasion
Haravgi
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
One third of Greek Cypriots displaced by the Turkish invasion of 1974 still face psychosomatic effects, according to scientific research presented by Haravgi.
The newspaper reports that 303 people that were three years old or older during the invasion, some of them displaced in 1974 and some not, participated in research conducted by clinical psychologist Despo Efthimiou. The respondents were called upon to answer four questions relating to the effect of the war.
Dr. Efthimiou tells Haravgi that the percentage of persons still displaying psychological or physical symptoms are higher than she expected. The researcher also told the newspaper that Cypriot society has consistently overlooked the psychological effects of the war on citizens and that there should have been similar attempts years ago when it would have been possible to interview people that had lived a full life in the areas occupied today.
According to thre results, 27.8% of the displaced respondents say that they “constantly” feel disturbed because of memories of the war. Also, 17.9% replied that they feel disturbed “very often”, 15.2% “often”, 20.5% “rarely” and 18.5% “never”. A 20.4% of the respondents that had not been displaced in 1974 answered “constantly”, 11.8% “very often”, 15.8% “often”, 28.9% “rarely” and 23% “never”.
Dr. Efthimiou also points out that women were consistently more likely to refer to traumatic experiences in the second question regarding how often they avoided thinking about their experiences and feelings. A 36.8% of men and 22.5% of women said they never did, while 19.1% of men and 31.8% of women said they constantly avoid the issue.
The respondents also reported a high amount of psychological symptoms regarding events that immediately followed the invasion, and a significant precentage said that their experiences affected them phsyically.
Haravgi points out that similar research has been conducted in the occupeid areas, and had also showed a high percentage of post traumatic stress regarding the 1974 war.