GCC Press Review 29 Jun 2019

Front Page Headlines

Politis

Famagustians mourn outside the Presidential Palace

On one hand ELAM… and on the other the closed gates to Famagusta. Even in his absence, the president was heckled as soon as his message was conveyed to the Famagustians. The mayor asked talks with a timeframe, the people’s demand, and negotiations for a federal solution. Elamites crashed the event with incidents.

  • Lifting of the arms embargo on the official US agenda

Phileleftheros

He is putting pressure on Guterres

The president is seeking clear positions and records the necessity of UNFICYP’s stay. The two letters to the UN Secretary-General address all issues.

  • “Save Famagusta”
  • Loulla Kokkinou: EOKA’s ‘Sevastianos’ was a great female fighter

Haravgi

Problems in state hospitals

There is a lack of vision and leadership, lack of planning, sloppiness, delayed reactions and bad planning on the reform and autonomy of state hospitals, says PASYKI (state doctors’ union). It also complains that while there is working chaos, insecurity and bad working conditions, the employer stubbornly refuses to reach an agreement.

  • The Famagustians are waiting day and night
  • The racism award goes to the Paralimni lyceum (for announcing a competition only for Christian Orthodox pupils)
  • The political leadership remains in the dark on the content of the president’s letter (to the UNSG)

Cyprus Mail

Plea issued to save Varosha

(Mayor) Galanos pleads with president, far-right ELAM disrupts protest.

  • Second US bill lifts arms restrictions
  • Former Erdogan allies plan rival party

Alithia

Uprising over Famagusta

Galanos: We don’t want to hear about a two-state solution. “Save Famagusta”, “Freedom to Cyprus”, “Reunification is the only solution”, “Return to the negotiations table”.

  • Green line petrol station owners – Their turnover has dropped by 30per to 40 per cent. Everyone goes to the occupied areas.
  • The housing criteria for refugees are being improved – Announcements by the interior ministry and the (state) Land Development Corporation (KOAG).
  • Greek Foreign Minister: Greece will not allow questioning of its sovereignty by Turkey

Main News

Famagustians called on Anastasiades to take action for the return of Varosha

Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Territory, Negotiations Process, Property

OVERVIEW

The rally by Famagusta refugees outside the Presidential Palace on Friday to call on the government to take actions for the return of the closed-off town to its legal owners prominently features in all papers.

The presence of far-right ELAM members caused some incidents but the protest went on.

According to the papers around 1,500 people gathered outside the Presidential Palace on Friday afternoon holding banners and placards with numerous slogans calling for the relaunch of the talks and a solution, reunification and return to Varosha. Among them were TCs but also a number of MPs and state officials.

Famagusta Mayor Alexis Galanos, who, along with other members of the municipal council was received by President Nicos Anastasiades at the Presidential Palace to hand to him a memorandum, stressed the need for a federal solution and urged Anastasiades to deal immediately with the “issue of colonialism” by Turkey.

Galanos added that the people gathered outside the presidential palace “are people who have been mourning for 45 years, people who want to go home and who want the president to exhaust every possible effort for a peaceful solution.”

These people must be truly convinced that a solution is being sought and that the GCs will never accept a two-state solution, Galanos said, adding that there is only one, federal Cyprus.

Galanos added that the issue of natural gas was a future matter, which hopefully in 10-15 years would be a blessing and not a curse, but the issue of the colonisation of Cyprus by Turkey was an immediate matter that should be addressed.

Anastasiades responded that he would continue to do whatever was humanly possible to secure both a solution and the return of Varosha. He said his government had taken a number of initiatives in view of returning Famagusta to its lawful inhabitants, as have previous governments. Between 2014 to-date, the government had taken nine initiatives concerning Famagusta, he said. 

The issue is not the GC side, but Turkish intransigence, albeit the behaviour of the TC side was not going unnoticed either, he said.

Anastasiades also said the priority of the GC side and of the presidency remains a solution to the Cyprus problem. He also referred to his proposal for the appointment of a committee on Famagusta to record the state of the buildings at the first stage and then the return of the town which would completely change the climate and create positive conditions for relaunching a new dialogue.

During his meeting with Anastasiades, Galanos read to him the memorandum the municipal council had prepared calling for the implementation of  the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

The memorandum was also to be handed to the embassies of the five special members of the Security Council, and also addressed to UN envoy Jane Holl Lute, the European Union House in Cyprus, as well as to parliamentary parties.

During the event a group of ELAM members reportedly reacted strongly when they were asked by some protesters to leave as they had no place in a reunification rally.

According to the Cyprus Mail the arrival of ELAM caused a commotion with tensions beginning to rise after some of them removed a banner that was previously positioned by protesters, and they replaced it with one replete with Greek flags depicting Cyprus in the centre. The ELAM members were asked by protesters to leave as the demonstration was one in favour of the reunification of Cyprus. This incited a violent reaction from ELAM members and some scuffles broke out. They finally moved away from the protesters to stand on an opposite road while protesters continued to jeer at them and chant “EOKA B murderers”.

Politis reports that the ELAM group was shouting “Cyprus is Greek” but after a while they stopped seeing that the protesters were ignoring them.

According to Politis, Anastasiades, who avoided going outside to face the Varosha refugees, did not escape heckling when his message was conveyed to them after his meeting with Galanos that he would “work non-stop for the solution of the Cyprus problem.”

The paper also reported that Anastasiades did not dare to personally address the protesters. Citing sources, the daily reported the president received the delegation aggressively but after the mayor read to him the memo calling for representations to the UN and ambassadors to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council his stance softened.

Politis and Alithia report that he asked Galanos why the rally did not take place near crossings instead.

KEY ACTORS
Galanos (Famagusta Mayor)
>>
Famagustians have been mourning for 45 years and want to go to their homes but must also be truly convinced that a solution is being sought.
>> The GCs will never accept a two-state solution, only a federal one.
>> Called on Anastasiades to do whatever is possible for a solution.
>> The issue of natural gas is not a pressing matter but that of the colonisation of Cyprus by Turkey is and must be addressed.

Anastasiades
>> Gave reassurances he will continue to do whatever is possible to secure a solution and the return of Varosha.
>> The rally ought to have taken place near the crossings and not outside the Presidential Palace.
>> The government has taken nine initiatives on Famagusta but it stumbles on Turkish intransigence. The most recent actions by the TC side have not gone unnoticed either.
>> Priority of the government is solution to the Cyprob.
>> His proposal for a committee for Famagusta to record the state of the building and return of the town would change the climate and create positive conditions for relaunching a new dialogue.

Famagusta Municipality
>>
Wants the government to push for the implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.


Christodoulides: Lifting arms embargo a symbolic move

Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
External Security, Regional/International Relations, Energy

OVERVIEW

Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday the lifting of the arms embargo by the US was more of a symbolic move and that it was never about Cyprus choosing sides, the papers report.

The papers report on statements by Christodoulides on CyBC radio on Friday morning before news was out that the US Senate had voted to lift the arms restrictions on Cyprus as part of the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for the 2020 draft budget.

The lifting of the arms restriction is reported by all the dailies, paired with Christodoulides’ statements on the East Med Act, a bill proposed by Senators Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio which calls for lifting the arms embargo provided Cyprus deny access to its ports to Russian military vessels. The government did not issue a statement on Friday on the NDAA issue.

According to the Cyprus Mail, the US Senate has voted, on a second piece of legislation, to lift decades-old arms restrictions on Cyprus but requires that the country continue the reforms on anti-money laundering regulations and Cyprus deny access to its ports to Russian military vessels.

The measures mirror those in a new law up for discussion at the Senate, the East-Med Act bill, which  has not yet been approved by the Senate.

The NDAA however contains a caveat allowing the President of the US to waive the requirements on Cyprus for one economic year, if it’s to the interest of the US to do so. It is not clear whether this will also be included in the East Med Act during approval by the Senate, the paper reports.

According to Politis, this was the first step toward lifting the arms embargo on Cyprus after the Senate approved the relevant amendment to the law on the defence budget. This addition to the defence budget has been made so that if the Menendez-Rubio bill is approved, there will be relevant provisions in the defence budget, it said.

All dailies report that Christodoulides, talking about the East Med Act on Friday morning, said the Russian factor was problematic but it was just a reference by the authors of the bill and that Anastasiades would have the opportunity to discuss them with a number of American MPs on Saturday who will be in Cyprus as part of their visit in the region. He said that the bill will have to be approved both by the Senate and the House of Representatives. Then it will be sent to the US President who will have to approve it, he said.

He said Anastasiades would discuss all these references with the ambassadors and express the Republic of Cyprus’ positions.

Christodoulides said the whole bill contains a series of positive elements for the Republic of Cyprus, both at the level of  bilateral relations with the US and in connection with the practical participation and support of the US in the trilateral cooperation of Cyprus, Greece and Israel and particularly in the energy aspect.

In regards to the lifting of the arms embargo, Christodoulides said that it was more of a symbolic move for the Republic of Cyprus taking into consideration “which countries are in the US embargo regime.”

Christodoulides said that there was no issue of choosing between Russia and the US, adding that the external orientation of Cyprus was the EU.

Only main opposition AKEL and the Citizens’ Alliance issued statements on Friday on the Senate vote.

According to Haravgi, AKEL spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said that a permanent member of the UN Security Council wants Cyprus to injure its relations with other permanent members of the Security Council.

The approval of the amendment on Russia creates a very negative situation, and now the Republic of Cyprus is under serious pressure.

Stefanou said the government has allowed the creation of this negative situation which would bring international disputes to Cyprus, which could only harm the country.

Phileleftheros reports that the Citizens’ Alliance notes that the US decision is a positive step towards the improvement of the relations of the two countries.

KEY ACTORS
Christodoulides
>>
References to denying access to Russian military vessels are problematic but just a reference. There is still a long way to go before the bill is voted and implemented, during which time the government will have the opportunity to express its views.
>> The bill, however, has a number of positive elements for the RoC both at bilateral relations level with the US and as regards the practical participation and support of the US in the trilateral cooperation with Greece and Israel mainly on energy.
>> Lifting the arms embargo is a symbolic move for the RoC if one considers which other countries are on the US embargo list.
>> The external orientation of Cyprus is the EU and it will not choose between Russia and the US.

Stefanou (AKEL)
>>
US, which is a permanent member of the UN Security Council wants Cyprus to injure its relations with other permanent members of the same body.
>> The approval of the amendment on Russia creates a very negative situation which the government has allowed to be created and now the RoC is under serious pressure.
>> Warns of international disputes affecting Cyprus’ internal matters which could only cause damage to the country.

Citizens’ Alliance
>>
Welcomes the US decision as a positive step towards the improvement of the relations of the two countries.


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