Front Page Headlines
Death coming from the opposite lane
16 people killed in the last year with half a result of cars crossing over from the opposite lane. A van crossed over to the opposite lane on the Nicosia-Kyrenia main road. The two cars were in a head-on collision. Hilmi Çelebioğlu, 24, was killed in the accident. Sercan Hallaç, a passenger in the car driven by Çelebioğlu, was seriously injured in the accident. Yasin Er and Şahin Sevimli were in the other car, and also injured.
- 24 April message from CTP (Republican Turkish Party): “A federation is not a bargaining issue for us, it is a principled stance”
Evkaf Administration to save the Ayios Vasileios Church
İbrahim Benter, General Director of the Evkaf Administration of Cyprus, said the Antiquities and Monuments Board swiftly approved building a support wall around the church.
- One killed, three injured – Fatal traffic accident on the Nicosia-Kyrenia road.
- Supermarkets will close on Labour Day – Labour Minister Zeki Çeler expressed hope the Labour Day wave will spread to other sectors as well.
Nine victims in four months
24-year-old Hilmi Çelebioğlu died in the fatal accident on the Kyrenia-Nicosia road on Wednesday.
- Ngok killed by his flat-mate – Six of the 12 detained were released on Wednesday. Kıbrıs obtained information from credible sources that Ngok’s flat-mate Ezeh Christopher killed him while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
- Lack of hope triggers outward migration – Mine Yücel, Director of Centre for Migration, Identity and Rights Studies (CMIRS), said the March 2019 poll results show that the inability to have any impact in the political and public sphere, joined with a lack of hope, triggers migration and causes depression and outrage in the community.
Kyrenia road bloodstained
24-year-old Hilmi Çelebioğlu died and three others injured in accident on the Nicosia-Kyrenia road on Wednesday.
- Number of detainees down to six – While the investigation into the murder of Walshak Augustine Ngok continues, the court released six from detention as police concluded they are not connected to the murder.
- Prosecutor accused Çakıcı of incorrect diagnosis – Prosecutor in the case of Bilge Lord, who is accused of killing her son, accused Prof. Dr Mehmet Çakıcı of incorrectly diagnosing Lord as mentally insane.
Not fate… a massacre
Tragedy again on Nicosia-Kyrenia main road. Yasin Er who crossed over to the opposite lane after losing control of his vehicle crashed in the car driven by Hilmi Çelebioğlu, killing him. Sercan Hallaç was seriously injured.
One dead, three injured, one of them seriously
The ignorance and negligence of the authorities of this country took from us another 24-year-old youth. Hilmi Çelebioğlu, 24, lost his life in the horrific traffic accident which took place yesterday morning on the Nicosia-Kyrenia main road. Sercan Hallaç, 23, was among three people injured in the accident and is said to be in a serious condition. The other two, Yasin Er and Şahin Sevimli, survived the accident with cuts and bruises.
Main News
CTP and Basın-Sen try to keep solution hopes alive
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Kıbrıs Postası
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Some political parties and trade unions issued statements on Wednesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the referendum on the UN-sponsored Annan Plan.
The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) in its message stated that a solution in Cyprus could only be reached through negotiations and that a federation was the only solution model.
The CTP statement said that an important door had opened for Turkish Cypriots with the Annan Plan referendum in 2004.
It said that as a result of the outcome of the referendum, the world had seen and acknowledged the Turkish Cypriot community as a modern and pro-solution community.
This, it added, was extremely important as it had reversed the perception that the Turkish Cypriot side was intransigent and opposed a settlement.
“The Republican Turkish Party from the day it was established has stated that a federal solution is essential for this country. To achieve a federal settlement is not a bargaining issue for us but a principled stance,” the CTP statement read.
It added that a comprehensive solution in Cyprus could only be reached through negotiations.
“This solution is a bizonal, bicommunal, united federal Cyprus on the basis of political equality,” the statement concluded.
Ali Kişmir, president of BASIN-SEN (Cyprus Turkish Press Workers’ Union), on Wednesday called on pro-solution supporters on both sides of the island to join forces to unite the island to become one country with a single sovereignty.
Kişmir, in his statement, said that the desire for peace and a solution remains strong within the Turkish Cypriot community despite the passing of 15 years.
Kişmir also said all Cypriots must take control of the process to reach the desired solution, which is the best option available for all. Pro-solution Cypriots can change the regime and reunite the island, he added.
KEY ACTOR
CTP
>> A solution can only be reached through negotiations.
>> Federal settlement is the only solution model. Federation is not a bargaining issue for CTP but a principled stance.
Akıncı: “TCs forced to live under embargoes they don’t deserve”
Yenidüzen, Diyalog
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
President Mustafa Akıncı on Wednesday complained that Turkish Cypriots were subject to unjust embargoes in all fields.
Addressing a conference in Bafra (Vokolida), Akıncı said that Turkish Cypriots were forced to live under embargoes which they did not deserve.
He said that the Turkish Cypriot people and its representatives did more than they could for a solution in Cyprus.
He reminded that 65 per cent of Turkish Cypriots had voted in favour of the UN-sponsored solution plan in 2004 but that a settlement had been prevented because 75 per cent of Greek Cypriots had voted against the plan.
The talks in Crans Montana were unsuccessful, said Akıncı, adding that negative developments caused by Greek Cypriots, had played a role.
He said the Turkish Cypriot side desired a just solution in Cyprus which would safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of both sides.
Akıncı, however, reminded that their efforts to achieve peace in Cyprus had not been met with similar efforts from the Greek Cypriot side.
KEY ACTOR
Akıncı
>> TCs subject to unjust embargoes.
>> TC side desires just solution in Cyprus that safeguards legitimate rights & interests of both sides.
Evkaf Administration to save the Ayios Vasileios Church
Kıbrıs Postası
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
İbrahim Benter, General Manager of the Evkaf Administration of Cyprus, said the Antiquities and Monuments Board has swiftly approved building a support wall around the church. Benter noted that once the wall is built, the restoration of the church will commence.
According to information obtained by Kıbrıs Postası, the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage prepared an extensive report on the Ayios Vasileios Church in Karakum (Karakoumi) and submitted their findings to the Presidency, the Prime Ministry, the Department of Antiquities and to the Evkaf Administration of Cyprus. In the report, the committee stressed that the rise in underground water coupled with ongoing construction activity within the vicinity of the church threatened the structure of the building, and warned that its collapse is imminent.
Moreover, Kıbrıs Postası obtained information regarding the human bones found during the construction activity. The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) carried out tests on the bones and concluded the bones found do not belong to any missing persons but are remains from a pre-74 cemetery located next to the church. Kıbrıs Postası also reports that the Kyrenia University “promised” to renovate and restore the church when signing the lease agreement for the land with the Evkaf Administration of Cyprus. The university had also issued a press statement announcing the commencement of restoration works at the 200-year-old-church in April 2016.