By Jean Christou
The suspension of the talks produced a rare moment of unity between the government and the entire political spectrum yesterday but a few parties couldn’t resist a dig at why Cyprus’ ‘turn to the West’ had been met with a deafening silence in the face of Turkey’s actions in the island’s EEZ.
Even Citizens Alliance leader Giorgos Lillikas, President Nicos Anastasiades’ most ardent critic after DIKO’s Nicolas Papadopoulos briefly said that “at this critical moment” it was necessary to remain united against Turkey’s actions. The party said Lillikas, respecting the decision made at the palace meeting that the government spokesman would speak for all of them, said he would not be commenting on the content of the meeting.
The remainder of the parties were not as succinct, though all of the opposition parties were likely happy an excuse had arisen to pull out of the negotiations.
Papadopoulos said it was clear Turkey was seeking to expand its occupation to the south of the island.
“If we lose this game, we lose the potential use of natural gas. If we lose the sea south of Cyprus, we will lose our EEZ,” he said. “And it is precisely for this reason that we must act decisively. Otherwise, we will lose our credibility as a state. No company is going to be interested in the future in utilising our gas fields.”
AKEL chief Andros Kyprianou, though he also welcomed the unity shown, criticised the government’s view that Cyprus was part of the West in terms of allies. Cyprus has been pursuing a Western foreign policy under Anastasiades’ government, forming stronger ties with the US and the UK, and supporting air strikes against the Islamic State, while at the same time losing some ground with traditional ally Russia over the deposits haircut debacle, and more recently being part of EU sanctions against Moscow.
Kyprianou urged Anastasiades “not to abandon traditional friends and allies” such as Russia and not to “put all our eggs in the basket of the United States”, which he said had proved to be completely counterproductive.
“Three years ago when Turkey tried to do something similar, there was strong opposition, first and foremost from the Russian Federation, and then from the US, the UN, and the EU,” he said.
Green Party spokeswoman Eleni Chrysostomou took a similar line saying what had happened had confirmed “in the most painful way” the results of the upgrading of ties with the US “which was and still remains a dangerous utopia”.
“We risk being left alone… faced with Turkish provocations and our new friends and the friends of our enemy watch idly,” she said.
EDEK leader and House Speaker Yiannakis Omirou also called for a more balanced foreign policy, also suggesting Cyprus’ West-looking policies had alienated Russia. He said he had already moved to inform the European Parliament, as well as international and regional parliamentary organisations within the bloc.
Omirou had also met yesterday with Britain’s Shadow Minister for European Affairs Gareth Thomas with whom he raised the issue, and whom he said had “shown an interest in the situation in the region”.

By Jean Christou
PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades said last night Turkey’s actions in the island’s Exclusive Economic Zone had left him with no choice but to withdraw from the peace talks earlier in the day after reaching a consensus with the political parties.
Meetings between chief negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Kudret Ozersay were also cancelled as the move brought about a rare display of unity between parties and government.
“I am really saddened that due to the developments I was compelled to decide on the suspension of my participation in the talks,” Anastasiades said in a written statement responding to comments earlier in the day by Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu.
However, he said, at a time when the Greek Cypriot side was proposing measures for building confidence in order to create a new momentum, Turkey, “ignoring the benefits that she herself would have from the solution of the Cyprus problem” was carrying out actions that flagrantly violated the sovereignty of the Republic, strongly undermining efforts to find a solution for all Cypriots.
Eroglu said earlier yesterday the decision to suspend the negotiations on the grounds that the sovereignty of the Republic was being violated was a mistake and “incompatible with the realities of the Cyprus problem”. It was an expression of the Greek Cypriot side’s determination to ignore the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, he said.
Eroglu said that before leaving for the UN General Assembly in New York last month, he had asked Anasatasiades to suspend the planned operations in Block 9 of the island’s EEZ for a short time but was ignored. The Greek Cypriot side, he said, was responsible for what had happened with Turkey because it had ignored warnings and suggestions.
Eroglu said he had proposed the creation of a joint committee on hydrocarbons and that the Turkish Cypriot side had been ready to discuss giving water to the south of the island from Turkey.
Anastasiades had used the activity of the Turkish navy as an excuse to break off the talks, Eroglu claimed, adding that the rights of the Turkish Cypriots would be protected with the full support of Ankara.
Anastasiades said however that he had repeatedly stated that the natural wealth of Cyprus belonged to the state and that the achievement of a solution would help the entire population of Cyprus benefit “on the basis of population ratios”.
The two leaders were due to meet on Thursday but yesterday left the UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide hanging when tomorrow’s meeting was cancelled. Eide only landed on the island yesterday afternoon as the UN was being informed of the Greek Cypriot side’s decision. Earlier it had issued a statement saying the leaders’ meeting was going ahead only have to issue a new statement a couple of hours later.
In it, the UN said Eide would now be meeting separately with the leaders today. He will be on the island until Friday. “He will hold meetings with both leaders, their negotiators, leaders of political parties as well as with several other key interlocutors, discussing the way forward in the negotiations,” the UN statement said.
The UN did not comment on the Greek Cypriot side’s decision but sources close to the negotiations told the Cyprus Mail that while he was on the island Eide would engage in ‘shuttle diplomacy’ with the two sides. “He wants them to keep their eyes on the prize,” said the sources. It is understood the UN does not want to become involved in the row as it sees its role as a facilitator rather than mediator in the negotiations and did not want to make a mountain out of what could yet be a molehill, according to the sources.
Despite a unanimous decision by the party leaders and the government during their meeting at the palace yesterday to call on the UN, the US, the EU and the UK to put pressure on Turkey, for the most part, the island’s ‘strategic partners’ were reticent to criticise Ankara.
On Monday, the US said that while Cyprus had the sovereign right to develop its resources in its EEZ, Washington continued to believe that the natural gas and oil reserves of the island, as well as all its resources, “must be fairly shared between the two communities in the framework of a comprehensive settlement”.
Last night Britain, through a Foreign Office spokesman, told the Cyprus News Agency the incident, which had raised tensions in the region, was regrettable, and though London recognised the sovereignty of Cyprus over its EEZ, “this incident underlines the importance of a comprehensive settlement”.
“We therefore hope that settlement talks can progress successfully. There is an opportunity for Turkey to continue to demonstrate the positive role that it can play in supporting the prospects for a settlement,” he added.
In addition to pulling out of the talks, the Greek Cypriot side was said to be considering other actions involving the international community that reportedly include official complaints to the UN Security Council, the EU, and the European Parliament, writing letters to US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, attempting to freeze Turkey’s EU accession chapters, and studying legal ways to counter Turkey’s violation of the EEZ.
But so far only Greece has taken any concrete steps, making a strong demarche to Turkey’s ambassador in Athens, Kerim Uras, and summoning him to the foreign ministry in Athens.
Political analyst James Ker-Lindsay told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the international community’s position was that Cyprus is sovereign. “But to them there is a difference between what Cyprus is legally entitled to do and what is the sensible thing to do,” he said. “Sabre rattling can get out of hand quickly. Turkey is serious. The second Turkey starts this they are committed. These are not idle threats.”
Ker-Lindsay said Turkey could not allow a small country like Cyprus to make it look weak, even though Cyprus has every right not to be intimidated and to be able to exploit its full sovereignty.
“I don’t have a lot of truck with the Turkish Cypriots on this. They expect Greek Cypriots to live with the consequences of the invasion while their argument on this is about sharing after having issued their own declaration of independence,” he said.
After the meeting with the parties yesterday, Government Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said new measures to counter Turkey’s actions would be announced in due course as and when they were decided.
The president was in contact since Monday with European and other leaders to keep them informed on Turkish movements in the region, he added. He said Turkey’s actions had threatened security, stability and peace in the region but that Cyprus would continue to exercise its sovereign rights in its EEZ.
Asked whether there might ultimately be adverse effects on Cyprus by withdrawing from the talks, Christodoulides said: “It is clear that Turkish actions leave no other option to the Republic of Cyprus.”

By Michelle Moghtader

The top diplomats of the United States, Iran and the European Union will meet in Vienna next week, accelerating efforts to clinch a long-elusive deal to end a dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme by a November 24 deadline.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on October 14 and the two will be joined the next day by US Secretary of State John Kerry, the EU said in a statement.

The talks will take place with only six weeks to go before the self-imposed November target date to reach a diplomatic settlement to resolve the decade-old standoff over Iran’s nuclear programme and dispel fears of a new Middle East war.

Iranian and Western diplomats say significant differences remain over the future scope of Iran’s uranium enrichment activity and that a successful outcome is not guaranteed, despite a political commitment to seek an agreement.

Iran and the world powers – the United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and Britain – have held a series of meetings since early this year to try and narrow the gaps.

Next week’s talks in the Austrian capital “form part of the intensive diplomatic efforts” to reach a comprehensive solution by November 24, Ashton’s office said. She leads contacts with Iran on behalf of the six powers.

Senior Iranian officials have said that Iran was likely to meet bilaterally with the United States in Vienna and then hold a full session with the six powers in November.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzie Afkham earlier on Wednesday said “bilateral and multilateral talks” would take place next week in Vienna, but did elaborate.

Iran rejects Western allegations that it is seeking nuclear weapons capability. It says its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful energy purposes.

The two sides missed a July 20 deadline for a comprehensive nuclear deal, extending the talks by four months.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that there was consensus between Iran and the powers “on fundamental issues and differences are over fine details”, according to an official IRNA news agency report late on Tuesday.

“There’s no dispute over whether reactors should be built in Arak or if Iran should enjoy enrichment technology or about Fordow or the end of so-called (nuclear) military activities. Differences are mainly over details and quantities,” he said.

Iran has refused to close down an underground uranium enrichment plant at Fordow and a planned heavy-water reactor at Arak with the potential to yield plutonium.

Separately, a UN nuclear agency team is holding talks in Tehran this week, Iranian media say, in an apparent effort to advance a long-running investigation into suspected atomic bomb research by the country. Iran denies the accusations but has promised to work with the IAEA to help clear up the suspicions.

By Lisa Maria Garza and Richard Valdmanis

A Liberian man who was the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States died in a Texas hospital on Wednesday, his case having put health authorities on alert for the deadly virus spreading outside of West Africa.

About 48 people who had direct or indirect contact with the man since he arrived in the United States from Liberia on September 20 are being monitored, but none have yet shown any symptoms, according to health officials.

“It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7,51 am,” Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas spokesman Wendell Watson said in an emailed statement.

Duncan’s case has led to expanded efforts by US authorities to combat the spread of Ebola at its source in West Africa and raised questions about the effectiveness of airport screening and hospital preparedness.

Duncan became ill after arriving in Dallas to visit family.

He went to the Dallas hospital on September 25, but was initially sent home with antibiotics. His condition worsened, he returned September 28 by ambulance and was diagnosed with Ebola, which has killed more than 3,400 people in the worst-hit impoverished countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

“I am in tears. All of us are in tears,” Wilfred Smallwood, Duncan’s half brother, said from his home in Phoenix, Arizona.

The current Ebola outbreak began in March and has killed nearly half of those infected, according to the World Health Organization. Ebola can take as long as three weeks before its victims show symptoms, at which point the disease becomes contagious. Ebola, which can cause fever, vomiting and diarrhea, spreads through contact with bodily fluids such as blood or saliva.

While several American patients have been flown to the United States from West Africa for treatment, Duncan was the first person to start showing symptoms on US soil.

A nurse in Spain who treated a priest who worked in West Africa is also infected.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday appealed to other governments to do more to help contain the spread of Ebola, urged countries not to shut their borders and told airlines to keep flying to West Africa.

“More countries can and must step up,” Kerry said.

Shares of biotech companies linked to the development of treatments against Ebola reacted sharply on Wednesday to Duncan’s death. Shares in Chimerix, whose experimental Ebola drug was being administered to Duncan, tumbled 9.5 per cent to $30.08. US-traded shares of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp, whose treatment has been used in other Ebola patients, sharply pared losses, briefly turning positive after having fallen as much as 8.8 per cent earlier.

AIRPORT SCREENING

Duncan was able to fly to the United States from Liberia’s capital Monrovia because he did not have a fever when screened at the airport and filled out a questionnaire saying he had not been in contact with anyone infected with Ebola.

Liberian officials have said that Duncan lied on the questionnaire and had been in contact with a pregnant woman who later died of the disease.

The United States will begin imposing new screening measures to travelers arriving from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea as soon as this weekend, CNN reported on Wednesday. The additional screening could also be extended to passengers from other nations struggling with the outbreak, said the report, citing the US government.

Officials have said as many as 48 people may have been exposed to the disease by Duncan, and that the 10 people at highest risk are cooperating with public health authorities by staying in quarantine voluntarily. The other 38 people who may have been exposed are being checked routinely for fever.

“The past week has been an enormous test of our health system, but for one family it has been far more personal. Today they lost a dear member of their family. They have our sincere condolences, and we are keeping them in our thoughts,” David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said he was confident the disease would not spread widely within the United States.

By Karolos Grohmann

Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil has been ruled out for up to three months after he was diagnosed with a partial tear of a knee ligament, the German football association said on Wednesday.

Ozil will miss the World Cup winners’ upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers against Poland and Ireland as well as matches against Gibraltar and Spain later this year.

“The 25-year-old complained about pain in his left knee when he arrived in Frankfurt (to join the Germany team) on Tuesday,” the DFB said in a statement.
“The scan today… revealed a partial tear of his exterior ligament in his left knee. He will be out an expected 10-12 weeks.”

Ozil, who played the full 90 minutes in Arsenal’s 2-0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Sunday, is the latest big name absence from coach Joachim Loew’s squad along with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira, Mario Gomez and Marco Reus.

Chelsea’s Andre Schuerrle also missed team training for the second day in a row, undergoing an individual session but officials were hopeful he could be fit in time for Saturday.

“It is going to be a tough October,” Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff told reporters. “It is a special situation as world champion. Expectations are high and the opponents’ motivation to beat Germany is even greater now.
“We want two wins to have a successful October,” he said.

There was some good news for the Germans with attacking midfielder Julian Draxler expected to join up with the team after overcoming flu.

The Germans, who won their opening Group D game against Scotland last month, face Poland in Warsaw on Saturday and host Ireland in Gelsenkirchen next week.

By Angelos Anastasiou

IN AN interview with the US cable channel CNBC yesterday, American entrepreneur Wilbur Ross described former Deutsche Bank boss Josef Ackermann, whom he has just nominated as chairman, as being “uniquely positioned” to lead the bank in tackling strategic issues facing the bank.

“We had dealings with Dr Ackermann for a very long time through Deutsche Bank, which is one of our major banks,” Ross said. “I have great respect for him, particularly as a strategic goal manager, and I think as Bank of Cyprus clears up its delinquent loan portfolio [...] it then needs to develop a strategy for how to deal with mobile banking, and how to deploy its resources.”

“So, I think Dr Ackermann is uniquely positioned to deal with those issues,” he added.

The billionaire investor, who sunk some €400m in the Bank of Cyprus’ capital raising last August, has himself been nominated for the vice-chairmanship of the Bank of Cyprus’ board. The shareholders’ annual general meeting, which will elect the new board, has been set for November 20.

Commenting on the direction he would like to see the troubled bank take in future, Ross seemed to have a clear vision of what it should be aiming for.

“It clearly needs to adjust to the new world of internet technology, just like other banks everywhere else have,” Ross said. “I think bricks and mortar are becoming a much less important component of the banking experience. In Bank of Ireland and some of the other banks we’ve had involvement with, we’ve created internet lounges so that people can feel very comfortable transacting more routine things, without the need for human intervention.”

According to CNBC, Ross said he was “hopeful” that Bank of Cyprus would pass new asset quality tests imposed by the ECB later this month. He argued that a lot was hanging on the results of the tests.

“Until banks find out whether the ECB thinks they have adequate capital, they’re not going to be aggressive about making loans,” he said.

Meanwhile, the association of Laiki depositors (SYKALA), who had their uninsured deposits converted to BoC stock when Laiki Bank was resolved in March 2013, claim they are entitled to a seat on the new board as they collectively remain the lender’s biggest single shareholder with a holding of 9.6 per cent.

“In the new board of the Bank of Cyprus, as proposed by the new shareholders, Laiki depositors are not represented,” SYKALA said in a statement.

SYKALA is represented in the current BoC board via Adonis Papakonstantinou, who was not included in the new shareholders’ proposals.

“Instead, the removal of the existing board member representing our interests is proposed,” the association added.

SYKALA said it will table the issue both with the new shareholders, the Central Bank of Cyprus and the Resolution Authority.

“We will seek to meet with the new shareholders to inform them of this omission, which we believe is not an attempt to exclude Laiki’s depositors,” the statement added.

“The principles of corporate governance necessitate the Association’s representation on the Bank of Cyprus board.”

It added that this would fall in line with the Central Bank’s view that all shareholder groups should be represented on the bank’s board.

“Anything short of this could be construed as a hostile stance towards the Bank of Cyprus’ largest shareholder,” SYKALA added ominously.

ONLY six of the more than 300 Syrians rescued three weeks ago off the Cyprus coast have applied for asylum, with three of them unaccompanied minors, according to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).

The majority of the refugees are still hosted in a former army barracks in Kokkinotrimithia, and their aim is to depart to other European countries, while a small number, mainly families, have already left.

Interior Minister Socratis Hasikos had said last week that the Syrian refugees have been granted temporary residence permits and that they are entitled to travel to other countries provided that they get all the required visas and that in the case they don’t apply for visas for the countries they intend to travel to, they will be sent back to Cyprus.

To facilitate their movement to and from Kokkinotrimithia, a bus departs from the barracks every morning and returns at night.

The refugees had sailed from Syria and were headed to Italy when they found themselves in rough seas and put out a distress signal.

They initially refused to disembark the cruise ship that rescued them 50 nautical miles off the coast of Paphos on September 25 and insisted they be taken to Italy. Many said they wanted to go to Sweden, Germany, Holland and Denmark.

By Constantinos Psillides

THE House of Representatives voted on limiting the pension privileges of high ranking government officials in the midst of a financial crisis, the chairman of the House Legal affairs committee Soteris Sampson said, defending the legislation following a Supreme Court ruling deeming one article unconstitutional.

In a decision handed down on Tuesday, the Court decided that article 3(b) of the State Officials on Pensions Act of 2011 should no longer stand, as it violated article 23 of the Constitution which speaks of the right to protect private property. The article in question called for the suspension of pensions received by high ranking government officials in the event they were re-appointed to another post after they retired. The Court decided that a pension should be considered as private property and thus protected by article 23.

“The House did the right thing when it drafted that legislation. It was at a time when the state was in the brink of financial collapse, so the House opted to correct this through proper legislation,” said Sampson, adding that the Supreme Court’s decision will be respected.

The legislation was drafted in 2011 as a response to media reports exposing the fact that a number of government officials received multiple pensions, due to the fact that they were appointed to different posts throughout their careers.

While the core of the legislation still stands – limitations on multiple pensions are still enforced – the Court’s reasoning could still apply to future appeals filed by former high ranking officials asking for the legislation to be scrapped in its entirety.

Ruling DISY’s Sampson argued that the Court’s ruling doesn’t change the fact that the House tried to reform the pension system to make it fairer. Talking about the specific article, Sampson explained that MPs felt that in the current economic climate “receiving both a pension and a salary was considered an insult to the general public.”

Asked if the Committee will consider proposing an amendment to the Constitution, Sampson responded that such an action was never considered.

AKEL – which was the governing party when the legislation was passed – said in a statement that the party will consider the ruling and try and work with other parties to ensure that multiple pension payouts will not be reinstated.

By Evie Andreou

FORMER U.S. Secretary of State and national security advisor Henry Kissinger “fully encouraged the Turkish invasion as he encouraged the junta in Athens in their actions against the elected president of Cyprus,” Eugene Rossides, founder and former chairman of the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) claims in his latest book.

Rossides presented the book, ‘Kissinger and Cyprus: A study in lawlessness’, in Nicosia on Wednesday where he characterised the American official as a “war criminal” but that he could not stand trial due to his age.

Rossides said that Kissinger was disturbed by Makarios’ decision to make Cyprus a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and that this was the reason he wanted to get rid of Makarios.

British High Commissioner Ric Todd, who was present at the presentation, urged Rossides to agree that they disagree when the author said that Cyprus must claim rents owed to it by Great Britain for the British Bases.

Government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides said that the U.S and other partners must continue to send Turkey the message that it shares a serious political, economic and energy cost from the non-solution of the Cyprus problem and that the solution will bring significant benefits.

He also said that Cyprus is the only country that can become the bridge between countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, and even Turkey in the case of a solution.

AHI’s chairman Nick Larigakis said that the Greek diaspora is doing what it can for the Cyprus issue, acting as an advocate for Nicosia’s positions in Washington, in order for the island to reunite and to put an end to the illegal invasion and occupation, breach of human rights, but also circumvention of American law.

By Evie Andreou

FORMER National Guard chief Petros Tsalikides faces prosecution and trial by a court marshal in Athens over his role in the events that lead to the explosion at the naval base in Mari in 2011 that killed thirteen people.

Tsalikides, who has left the island and did not appear in court during the Mari trial at the Larnaca criminal court, now faces charges of 13 counts of intentional homicide and serial deception.

According to reports, an interrogator of the Greek court marshal is expected to arrive in Cyprus within the month in order to investigate the case since the arrest warrant issued against Tsalikides was never applied due to inter-government agreements that provide that army officers that serve in other countries can only be prosecuted in their home state.

“Tsalikides had direct involvement in the events that lead to the explosion as the chief of the National Guard. He participated in all high level meetings regarding Mari and he had direct involvement in the last week on issues regarding information in regards with the first explosion on July 4, 2011,” Michalis Theofilou, father of Panayiotis Theofilou one of the 13 killed in the explosion was quoted by state broadcaster CyBC as saying.

Theofilou said that no army official was ever convicted for the explosion.

The interrogator will visit the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari and has asked for the state-appointed investigator Polys Polyviou’s report into the Mari naval base blast.

He is expected to question police, army and fire service officials, as well as relatives of the 13 people that died from the explosion.

By George Psyllides

THE United Nations on Wednesday urged restraint after the Greek Cypriot side pulled out of reunification talks in response to Turkey’s announcement that it was reserving areas for seismic surveys off the island’s south coast in violation of Cyprus’ sovereignty.

UN special adviser Espen Barth Eide also signaled he would be engaging in proximity talks as he encouraged the leaders of the two communities to find the way to return to the negotiating table.

“I think it’s very important now that everybody acts responsibly and avoid further escalation and that we, as soon as possible, create an understanding that the oil and gas resources, as President (Nicos) Anastasiades has repeatedly stated, is for all Cypriots,” Eide told reporters after meeting Anastasiades on Wednesday morning.

“It’s a serious issue that we also see in all the parts of the world when you have maritime disputes, it illustrates one of the points that I have raised earlier in my presence here which is that oil and gas can be either a blessing or curse. If it is well managed it will be a source of wealth for all Cypriots, if it becomes a source of tension it will be a problem for everyone and then it will more of a curse than a solution.”

Anastasiades pulled out of talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu on Tuesday in response to Turkey’s announcement that it was reserving areas for seismic surveys south of the island and within Cyprus’offshore blocks starting October 20.

Eide said he will continue to talk with the two sides about how to develop ideas for finding a solution.

“I recognise that this is a very tense moment because the situation has become more complex given the developments at sea. But I also underline what I told you and both sides when I was here first that there are strategic reasons why the status quo is utterly unacceptable.”

Anastasiades has asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to urge Turkey to stop violating Cyprus’ sovereignty, warning that such actions “would deal a heavy blow to the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem.”

“They have the potential to destroy the efforts of creating a good and positive environment and actually derail the whole negotiating process,” the president said in a letter to Ban.

Anastasiades added that “given the Turkish threats and blackmail, I am obliged to suspend my participation to the meetings with Mr. Eroglu under the aegis of Espen Eide on the 9th and 10th October to allow time to your Excellency and other Governments, friends to your good offices mission to convince Turkey to reconsider.”

The president said Turkey’s intentions and their timing were of great concerns.

“They point to the increasingly aggressive nature of Turkey’s actions in areas in Eastern Mediterranean under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus. Their timing, in the midst of a process aiming to reunify the island, serves only to undermine the process and to raise more doubts as to Turkey’s commitment to it.”

Speaking after a meeting with Eroglu on Wednesday afternoon, Eide said he will talk to Ankara about the matter, stressing that the status quo was unacceptable.

Eide said the discovery of hydrocarbons would be a blessing if the island was reunited through an agreed solution.

Without that “this is possibly a curse for Cypriots because it will create more tension.”

Ankara said it expected the Greek Cypriot side to reverse its decision and resume talks or risk harming peace prospects in a troubled region.

“The (decision) is unfortunate, and I don’t think it’s sustainable. I expect the (Greek) Cypriot administration to change this wrong decision quickly,” Volkan Bozkir, minister for European Union Affairs, said during a news conference.

“This is saddening as it harms glimmers of hope for our region, which is undergoing huge problems … We hope that all of those who have an interest in peace and stability in the region will contribute to changing this decision that has surprised everyone,” Bozkir said, calling on Greece, the United States and the EU to intervene to keep the peace talks on track.

Bozkir reiterated Turkey’s claims that the Republic was exploiting the island’s natural resources and excluded Turkish Cypriots from their share.

Meanwhile, the Greek ambassador to Ankara Kyriakos Loukakis was summoned by the Turkish foreign ministry following the suspension of the talks, Anadolu news agency said, quoting an unnamed diplomatic source.

According to Anadolu, Loukakis met with Deputy Undersecretary Ahmet Muhtar Gun who urged him to encourage the Greek Cypriot side to put in more efforts into the suspended peace talks.

The move is seen as retaliation for the summoning in Athens of the Turkish ambassador by the Greek foreign ministry.

By George Psyllides

A 36-year-old man from Xylotympou was jailed on Wednesday for 12 years for possession and intent to supply around 20 kilos of cannabis.

Anastasios Frangiskou had pleaded guilty to possession and intent to supply 20.4 kilos of cannabis imported from abroad on May 30.

The woman who carried the drugs, Romanian national Christina Alempi, 23, was sentenced for ten years on August 28.

Frangiskou was one of two men arrested by police as the recipients of the drugs.

The second man, Ellinas Andreou, 26, was released after state prosecutors withdrew charges due to lack of evidence.

The court heard that Frangiskou had been a drug user from a young age. He managed to stop using hard drugs but was still addicted to class B substances.

His defence lawyers told the court their client did not commit a crime for money, but he did so in exchange for drugs.

Alempi was caught at Larnaca airport after her arrival from Athens. She told officers she was paid €1,500 to carry the drugs and she agreed to take part in a controlled delivery.

She led police to a residence in the Famagusta area where the two men were arrested.

A NEW judge from Cyprus was sworn in at the Court of Justice of the European Union on Wednesday.

According to a Court of Justice press release, a formal sitting took place at the seat of the Court of Justice of the EU in Luxembourg on the occasion of the oath taken by Constantinos Lycourgos and his entry into office.

Following the resignation of George Arestis, by decision of September 24, 2014, the representatives of the governments of the EU member states appointed  Lycourgos for the remainder of the term of office, until October l6, 2018.

Lycourgos has been a special adviser on European affairs to the Cypriot Foreign Minister , member of the negotiating team for the accession of Cyprus to the EU, adviser on EU law at the Law Office of the Republic of Cyprus, member of Greek Cypriot delegations in negotiations for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, senior lawyer and senior counsel of the Republic of Cyprus and head of the EU law section of the Republic’s Law Office, agent of the Cypriot government before the courts of the EU and member of the board of the European Public Law Organisation.

By Constantinos Psillides

Negotiations for the sale of Cyprus Airways (CY) seem to be heading for a dead end.

The nine companies currently short-listed for acquiring the ailing carrier, according to reports, appear to be put off by a pending EU Council decision, regarding a €73 million rescue package the company received in 2012, and a €31.3 million capital increase in early 2013.

The EU Council is set to decide whether CY has to return that money to the state, which would result in the company shutting down its operations.

While CY bosses and government officials were initially optimistic on the outcome of the bidding, daily Phileleftheros reported that news from Brussels was not good and that CY might be headed for closure.

CY chairman Makis Constantinides was called on Wednesday to present the current situation to the cabinet. According to reports the meeting did not have a positive outcome. Asked to comment on the subject, deputy government spokesman Victoras Papadopoulos merely said that “the president was informed on the current state of affairs regarding Cyprus Airways.”

CY officials will now have to wait for EU Competition Commissioner-designate Margrethe Vestager to take office, so they can have their answer.

The airline has no liquidity left, with the exception of €31 million acquired after the sale of time-slots at London Heathrow.

Constantinides told the cabinet the money should only be used in case of emergency. With the summer season coming to an end the airline will be hard-pressed to come up with money to cover operational costs.  He said that if the sale negotiations took longer than expected the money should be used to pay for keeping CY afloat until an agreement is reached.

The deadline for the negotiations to be concluded is October 27.

President Nicos Anastasiades and Finance Minister Harris Georgiades also met this week with Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, one of the bidders.

O’Leary has publicly stated that he believes that the bid will eventually go to Aegean Airlines, another major competitor but despite this, Ryanair has already applied Cyprus Air Operator Certificate (AOC), which would allow it to set up a subsidiary airline on the island.

By Stefanos Evripidou

STUDENTS of the English School deserve much more than to live in a divided country, said President Nicos Anastasiades on Thursday in an address to mark the 54^th anniversary of the Cyprus Republic’s independence.

In the speech, made to a packed assembly hall at the historic inter-communal school, Anastasiades acknowledged the mistakes of the past and the failure to tackle inter-communal tensions, while also calling on Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership now to take the necessary steps to redress recent provocative moves in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The president’s address was delayed by 45-minutes after a bomb threat was phoned in to a local paper a little before 9am. Members of the bomb squad were called in with their dogs to carry out a sweep of the hall, before giving the all clear.

Anastasiades said he felt privileged to address all of his compatriots, Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites and Latins, as well as students from other countries, in the school, “which has a rich and proud history of more than one hundred years”.

He noted that when the school passed from colonial administration to the Cyprus Republic in 1960, there were facilities for all pupils to practice their own form of religion, while Cyprus had more than a 110 mixed villages at the time.

After independence, a board of management appointed by and accountable to cabinet was made responsible for overseeing the English School’s operations.

Up until 1974, and despite the outbreak of inter-communal fighting in 1963, the school continued serving all the communities of Cyprus, said Anastasiades.

“It thus constituted a living and bright example of the aspiration of both communities, and particularly of the younger generation, to continue to collaborate, co-operate and live together as they had been doing for centuries.”

“However, we need to be honest and acknowledge that although the Cyprus problem has been decisively shaped by a number of external factors, we, the Cypriots, have also committed mistakes.

“We must have the courage to admit that we have failed to adequately address the challenges posed by the growing tensions that infiltrated the two communities and resulted in a deterioration of inter-communal bonding,” said the president.

After the checkpoints opened in April 2003, easing restrictions on travel across the buffer zone, that same year, the English School readmitted Turkish Cypriot students for the first time in 29 years.

Currently, more than 120 Turkish Cypriot students are enrolled at the school, while three Turkish Cypriot teachers are also employed.

“I do hope that these numbers will increase even further in the years to come,” said Anastasiades.

Speaking directly to the students, he said he would work tirelessly to achieve his personal vision: “You deserve much more than a divided country and this is my duty as the President of the Republic of Cyprus: To reunite our country and provide the opportunity to your generation to live and create together, under conditions of prosperity, stability, security and safety..

“I do hope that the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community and, most importantly, Turkey will redress its recent provocations and undertake the necessary practical and substantial steps towards this end,” he added.

By Staff Reporter

DURING the heady days of March 2013, the Russian government had leaned on Cypriot MPs to throw out a proposal for a levy on all deposits across banks in Cyprus, including Russian Commercial Bank (RCB).

The bombshell revelation was made by DIKO MP Marios Garoyian. Speaking on a local radio show on Wednesday, Garoyian – who was DIKO leader at the time in question – said Moscow had warned lawmakers not to vote for the proposal.

He was being asked by the show’s host why he had voted against a levy on all deposits at all banks.

“Moscow had conveyed a clear message that if deposits at RCB were affected, we [Cyprus] would witness a reaction never seen before,” the politician said.

“There is a parameter which many people don’t take into account: that the first bill talked about a flat levy on deposits, and as such it would have impacted RCB, in which the Russian state had interests.”

Asked how, in his view, Moscow might have retaliated, Garoyian said: “People in the know understand. It was an unmistakable message to all of us,” he said.

“Therefore one has to weigh what it would have meant for Cyprus at that difficult time to jeopardise its relations with Russia, a nation which supported us when other so-called allies had abandoned us.”

“As such,” he added, “my choice was based on a conscious decision as I did not wish to put at risk our relations with Russia.

Garoyian declined to go into detail, except to say that “Moscow’s message, though conveyed in a very discreet way, was unmistakable.”

By contrast, he said, Moscow displayed little interest in safeguarding Russians’ deposits with other Cypriot banks – evidently alluding to Laiki and Bank of Cyprus.

As reported by Russia Today in July 2013, about 50 per cent of deposits at Bank of Cyprus belonged to non-EU residents, and much of the funds were suspected to belong to Russian oligarchs.

In March last year, the Eurogroup came up with Plan A, a levy of 6.75 per cent on deposits of less than €100,000 and 9.9 per cent above that, across all banks operating in Cyprus.

After two long weeks of bank ‘holidays’ and intense negotiations, the plan switched to the dissolution of Laiki and a haircut on all deposits above €100,000 at Bank of Cyprus.

On March 19, 2013, parliament had rejected the first plan almost unanimously, only to approve a €10bn bailout deal for Cyprus just days later, which among others provided for the wiping out of depositors at Laiki and a 47.5 per cent haircut on secured deposits at Bank of Cyprus.

In between, the Russian government had rebuffed a request from Cyprus for an extension on a €2.5bn loan.

By Constantinos Psillides

Aglandjia municipality will be introducing a trash metering system for residents, charging them for waste based on how much they produce, according to Mayor Costas Cortas.

In an interview given to the Cyprus News Agency, Cortas said that the municipality was in the process of securing EU funding for the “Pay As You Throw” (PAYT) project.

“When the pilot programme is fully implemented we will be able to charge every resident based on how much waste his household produces,” said Cortas, adding that there were some reactions initially but everybody seemed to be on board now.

The municipality also has 600 special garbage bins in a designated area within its boundaries where people can drop-off their garbage and be charged based on how much they produced.

Cortas explained that the bins were fitted with a electronic system that registers the total weight of the waste disposed, along with the resident’s address and the date of disposal. On collection, the municipality then charges the resident accordingly.

“Not only is this method more fair to people who don’t produce a lot of waste, it will also give an additional incentive for recycling,” said Cortas. He said Aglandjia had the highest recycling rate islandwide.

The municipality’s green policies also extend to recycling cooking oil, which it turns into fuel, benefiting local schools.

Cortas also said that he was planning a campaign to promote the municipality’s environmental policies, asking residents for their cooperation and help.

By George Psyllides

A mobile phone used to send threatening text messages to people involved in a suspicious land zoning case in Paphos had been bought by the town’s mayor, Savvas Vergas, it emerged on Thursday.

The phone was in the possession of Maria Solomonidou, a municipal worker currently in police custody in connection with sending threatening text messages to four people, including Vergas himself.

Solomonidou, the sister of Aristo Developers designer Christos Solomonides who is implicated in the case, was detained along with her husband and father-in-law.

Vergas confirmed purchasing the handset but denied there was anything dodgy. He said he bought the phone because Solomonidou’s job was to send texts to the public and handle the municipality’s social network sites.

A quick check showed that the last tweet from the official twitter account was on November 18, 2013 – preparation of the Christmas tree with an attached photo. The first one was three days earlier, “Welcome to Pafos Municipality”.

Similarly, the municipality’s Facebook page contained three entries – May 5, the day it was created, and July 29 and August 22.

The mayor said he bought the phone with his own money on August 3 and gave it to Solomonidou the next day.

“What involvement does the mayor have if threatening messages were sent from this handset two months later, on September 29,” Vergas told state broadcaster CyBC.

He played down the messages, saying they were condemnable but did not imply corruption. “They are simply threatening texts,” he said, adding that he has received such messages many times in the past.

Vergas warned that he would file lawsuits against the media because, as he claimed, his personal life had been invaded.

“I had nothing to do with the specific handset,” he said.

Apart from Vergas, threatening messages were sent to councilman Phedonas Phedonos, the head of the municipality’s technical services Androulla Efthymiou, and journalist Kostas Nanos.

Christos Solomonides was arrested along with Aristo boss Theodoros Aristodemou, his wife Roulla, and former municipal engineer Savvas Savva in connection with forgery and fraud in the demarcation of 177 plots of land on behalf of the company. Another municipal employee, arrested for the same case, will be used as a prosecution witness.

The arrests followed a police investigation into the demarcation of 177 land plots in Skali, Paphos, in 2010.

It emerged that the plans for which the demarcation permits were issued were switched with new plans, which seemed to cede approximately 3,000 square metres, worth hundreds of thousands of euro, previously designated as green space, back to Aristo Developers.

The House on Thursday approved a resolution denouncing Turkey’s recent actions seen as an encroachment into Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Noting that Turkey’s actions were in breach of international law, the resolution calls on Ankara to abandon any designs on the EEZ, calls on the EU and the international community to pressure Turkey into complying with international legitimacy and with the UN Law of the Sea, and calls on Cyprus’ EU partners and EU institutions to take sanctions against Turkey should the latter persist with its aggressive policy toward Cyprus.

Last week Turkey for the first time announced plans to carry out seismic surveys within offshore blocks of Cyprus’ EEZ off the island’s south coast, including a block where an Italian-Korean consortium is currently carrying out exploratory drilling.

Previous Turkish forays into the EEZ had stayed just outside of licensed blocks.

Under the latest marine advisory issued by Turkish authorities, the seismic surveys will be taking place from October 20 to December 30.

Ankara’s move led the government to suspend peace talks with the Turkish Cypriots.

A 26-year-old student from Africa put in isolation in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway state in the north of the island is not suffering from the deadly Ebola virus.

Health Minister Philippos Patsalis told the Cyprus Mail that he had been informed through the bicommunal technical committee on health issues that the man had tested negative for Ebola.

The Cyprus Mail understands that the 26-year-old is suffering from malaria.

Earlier, reports said the man, from Togo, went to a hospital in Famagusta with high fever and it was decided to transfer him to a hospital in Nicosia where he was placed in quarantine.

He had arrived from Togo 20 days ago. The test results were expected in the next few days.

In the Republic meanwhile, the health ministry said it has taken all necessary measures to tackle any incidents.

The ministry said an action plan has been drafted and instructions have been given to all involved.

If the incident necessitates treatment in an intensive care unit the patients will be transferred to Nicosia or Limassol general hospitals.

Personal protective gear is available in ample quantities in all state hospitals, the ministry said.

And medical staff have been trained how to properly put on and remove their protective suits.

“This exercise has been done repeatedly and will continue to be conducted so that personnel become accustomed in case they need to use them.”

An exercise will take place in the coming days, the ministry said.

Instructions have also been given to personnel working at entry points and there was also a protocol on how to handle a suspicious incident during a flight, the ministry said.

The Republic’s action plan to tackle a potential outbreak of the Ebola virus has also been handed over to the Turkish Cypriot community through the technical committee.

The role of the technical committees, part of the two communities’ confidence building measures, is to facilitate cooperation between the two sides, particularly among public services.

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been hardest hit by the disease, and cases have been reported in Senegal and Nigeria.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said Ebola had claimed the lives of 3,879 people from among 8,033 confirmed, probable and suspected cases since it was identified in Guinea in March.