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Our View: It was not DISY that invited the troika it was AKEL

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THE AKEL camp wasted no time in embarking on the demonization of Nicos Anastasiades ahead of the Sunday’s decisive vote. The DISY leader, predictably, is being presented as a right-wing scourge who would impose austerity measures, cuts and privatise semi-governmental organisations, while the ‘independent’ AKEL candidate Stavros Malas would ignore the commands of the EU about privatisations and protect the interests of the “workers and middle class” with which the party “has identified for decades”.

This was the gist of yesterday’s comments made by AKEL chief Andros Kyprianou who was setting the campaign agenda of the next few days. Anastasiades was a force of conservatism, said Kyprianou whereas Malas represented the “democratic and progressive forces” of the country. “A significant majority of the Cypriot voters did not trust Mr Anastasiades, because they knew he had no boundaries or conditions as regards the Cyprus problem,” said Kyprianou in a demonstration of the communist talent for re-inventing reality.

Did it not occur to him that a much more significant majority – in fact the overwhelming majority - of the voters did not trust Malas who polled 27 per cent of the vote compared to Anastasiades’ 45.4 per cent? But what can you expect from a party that is telling us not to vote for Anastasiades because he would impose austerity measures and cuts? 

These have already been imposed by the AKEL government which invited the troika and agreed a memorandum of understanding with it. Are cutting public sector wages, benefits and pensions, reducing welfare payments, freeze on new appointment not austerity measures? These were not imposed by Anastasiades, but by the AKEL government. It is not Anastasiades who decided to raise taxes and further reduce the disposable income of the workers and the middle classes that AKEL is protecting.

And if the new president “obeyed the commands of the EU and went ahead with extensive privatisations, today’s 50,000 unemployed would increase by tens of thousands,” warned Kyprianou. Leaving aside the fact that under AKEL’s gross mismanagement of the economy, unemployment is at record levels, the government should come clean about the privatisations which are stipulated in the memorandum it agreed to. Proceeding with privatisations would not be a question of obeying the EU but of honouring the AKEL government’s agreement with the troika. 

The Anastasiades camp should focus on debunking the myths being served to the voters by the AKEL propaganda machinery with facts, instead of allowing it to present a reality in which the party which bankrupted the state, officially agreed to privatisations, imposed austerity policies and caused unprecedented unemployment is blameless. DISY should also keep reminding voters of the other big lie being served by AKEL – Malas is an ‘independent’ candidate.


All eyes on loser’s votes in endgame

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Author: 
Stefanos Evripidou

THE RACE is on between DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades and AKEL-backed Stavros Malas to see who will garner enough support to be declared the next President of Cyprus this coming Sunday. 

After Anastasiades attracted over 45 per cent of the vote last Sunday, just five percentage points short of outright victory, and Malas 27 per cent, taking them both into the runoff election, all eyes are now on the 25 per cent of the population who voted for EDEK-backed Giorgos Lillikas to see which way their vote will swing in five days time. 

The two runoff candidates will likely use this week to also reach out to the 17 per cent of the population that abstained in the first round. 

Both the Anastasiades and Malas camps yesterday declared victory in the elections, while behind the scenes, campaign delegates busied themselves sending feelers out to the parties without a horse in the race.  

After the election results were announced, Anastasiades communicated with the leaders of EDEK, the Greens and EVROKO on Sunday night, according to his campaign spokesman Tasos Mitsopoulos. 

Commenting on Sunday’s results, Mitsopoulos said: “Over 70 per cent of Cypriot citizens sent a strong message rejecting the policies of the outgoing President (Demetris) Christofias and the AKEL leadership.”  

DISY spokesman Haris Georgiades thanked the more than 200,000 citizens who trusted Anastasiades and “gave him the biggest percentage that any candidate takes with him to a second round of elections”.  

He added: “Austerity, cuts, unemployment and social distress are what the outgoing government of Christofias-AKEL are leaving behind. Recovery and growth, investments, new jobs, international credibility and effectiveness are what the new government of Nicos Anastasiades will bring.”  

Malas’ spokesman Takis Hadjigeorgiou had a different view: “One thing that’s clear is that the Cypriot people don’t want to see Mr Anastasiades in power,” he said, referring to the fact that the DISY leader came up five percentage points short of a majority. 

“Let no one be fooled. Voting for Mr Anastasiades means a government of salvation of the right,” that will go against workers’ rights and in favour of privatisations, he argued. 

AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou also saw the upside of Anastasiades’ election result: “Mr Anastasiades asked for a strong mandate to win the elections in the first round, but the people did not give him this. A significant majority of voters did not trust Mr Anastasiades because they know that his positions have no limits or conditions regarding the Cyprus problem.” 

Kyprianou also slated the DISY leader for planning “austerity, cuts and privatisations” for Cyprus, warning that today’s unemployment will increase by tens of thousands if Anastasiades is elected.  

Meanwhile, Lillikas yesterday showed signs of greater ambitions than coming third in an election race. 

According to reports, his campaign team politely refused invitations for meetings with the two remaining candidates. Instead, Lillikas pledged to enter into dialogue with his supporters across Cyprus, starting today and ending Thursday before announcing on Friday what decision he’ll take in the runoff election.    

Reports suggested he was leaning towards proposing a conscience vote to those who supported his candidacy. 

The independent candidate got official backing from EDEK in Sunday’s election but succeeded in luring many voters from EVROKO, the Greens and more significantly, DIKO, whose leadership officially endorsed Anastasiades.  

“I did not only appeal to people of the middle ground (centre of the political spectrum), I appealed to the citizens, and the results of the election prove that we went beyond the ‘limits’ of the so-called middle ground. I continue to appeal to all members of the public,” said Lillikas.  

Asked about reports that he plans to harness this support from EVROKO and DIKO members to form a new party, he replied: “We have heard a lot of rumours in these elections, not to mention polls and exit polls. When I have something to say, I will say it myself.”

He added: “Certainly, (Sunday) was not the end, it was the beginning. The people gave me a mandate; I will carry out that mandate.” 

As for EDEK, now that its candidate is out the running, party leader Yiannakis Omirou said yesterday he had “no fears or concerns” about reports that Lillikas planned to form a new party. 

Omirou plans to meet both Anastasiades and Malas today, after requests from the two to meet with him.  

EDEK’s political bureau will meet later on today, while a decision on what position to take for the second round will be made on Thursday, said Omirou.   

The Greens’ central committee decided last night on a conscience vote for Sunday while EVROKO leader Demetris Syllouris said his party’s central council will decide tomorrow on a proposal by the executive office to support Anastasiades’ candidacy. 

EVROKO members were asked to cast a conscience vote in the first round between Anastasiades and Lillikas. However, it is believed the majority of members supported Lillikas. 

EVROKO member and Lillikas supporter Stelios Americanos yesterday rejected the idea of supporting Anastasiades. 

He noted that Lillikas was the first presidential candidate to reject the notion of a bizonal, bicommunal federation for a reunited Cyprus and still got 25 per cent of the vote. “I am proud of my vote,” he said. 

The biggest question hangs over what DIKO members will do, considering that reports suggest less than half its members voted for the party’s official candidate Anastasiades. 

Before the election, DIKO vice-president Nicolas Papadopoulos, son of the former president, the late Tassos Papadopoulos, stepped down from the party leadership expressing his disapproval of Anastasiades, while failing to hide his support for Lillikas.  

DIKO released a statement yesterday highlighting that Sunday’s election was not a dilemma between left and right, but between going forwards or backwards, and saving the country’s economy. 

It remains to be who will succeed in attracting the “middle ground” in the coming days. Perhaps making life a little more confusing, the Interior Ministry announced yesterday that the new ballot papers for the second round are ready, with a box for Anastasiades printed on the left, and Malas on the right.  

According to the Chief Returning Officer, the results of Sunday’s presidential election were as follows: Nicos Anastasiades won 45.46 per cent of the vote (counting for 200,591 votes); Stavros Malas 26.91 per cent (118,755 votes); Lillikas 24.93 per cent (109,996 votes); ELAM’s Giorgos Charalambous came fourth with 0.88 per cent (3,899 votes), United Democrat’s Praxoula Antoniadou-Kyriacou got 0.61 per cent (2,678 votes); indepedent Makaria Antri Stylianou received 0.43 per cent (1,898 votes); Lakis Ioannou 0.29 per cent (1,278); Solon Grigoriou 0.18 per cent (792); Costas Kyriacou (Outopos) 0.16 per cent (722); Andreas Efstratiou 0.10 per cent (434); and Loucas Stavrou 0.05 per cent, counting for 213 registered voters. 

Voter participation reached 83.14 per cent, representing 453,534 voters, showing a marked decrease from the 2008 presidential elections when 89.62 per cent turned up to vote.

In total, abstentions came to 16.86 per cent; the percentage of void ballots was 1.72 per cent and blank ballots came to 0.98 per cent. 

Bailout papers for next Sunday's run-off elections for a new president are ready. (Christos Theodorides)

The right platform to discover like-minded people

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Author: 
Poly Pantelides

LIMASSOL is due to host its first Open Coffee Cyprus event this Friday, a meet-up for those interested in technology, start-ups, social media, blogging and the like but needing the right platform to discover like-minded people.

Open Coffee Cyprus @Limassol, “Sea, Sun and Startups” aims to bring together technologically-minded types who have an entrepreneurial streak. 

The Limassol event “aims to bring inspiration and generate ideas, and bring together restless people who want to go beyond the traditional development model of the city,” a news release said yesterday.  

“Business opportunities focusing on technology in Limassol rival those of Nicosia. (Limassol) has a series of competitive advantages: tourism, the sea, cosmopolitanism, real estate, civilisation (and) students,” the organisers said. 

A team of invited speakers- themselves entrepreneurs – will talk about subjects such as how to pitch ideas to the tech crowd, what a tourist destination can do in terms of start-ups, or how to find a professional for every job at hand. 

Despite boasting highly educated and driven individuals and having a strong business and international financial services sector, Cyprus still lags behind in terms of start-ups, businesses often born of innovative ideas that need to be fleshed out and nurtured to become viable businesses. 

But over the last couple of years events such as Open Coffee Cyprus have been testament to efforts to break the mould. 

The Cypriot Enterprise Link has been set up to help people network, cutting through bureaucracy often stifling entrepreneurship; a business accelerator ChrysalisLEAP was set up last year to guide and finance start-ups; and last year’s Hackathon brought computer programmers, software developers and designers together from ten different countries.  

Nicosia is also due to host its second TEDx event this March to bring spread ideas and bring together speakers with an audience who were so keen to attend that tickets were sold out within three days. 

Open Coffee Cyprus @Limassol will take place on Friday at Theatro Ena between 6.30pm and 11pm, and is supported by MTN.

So far, some 800 people and 31 speakers from Cyprus and abroad have participated in the previous Open Coffee Cyprus events, the organisers said. 

Find out more at opencoffeecyprus.org

 

 

Cyprus among best performers in EU law application

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CYPRUS is among the EU member states with the best performance in transposing EU rules into national law on time, according to the European Commission`s Internal Market Scoreboard, published yesterday.

The Internal Market Scoreboard was first published 15 years ago.

The EU average transposition deficit has decreased from 6.3 per cent in 1997 to a record new level of 0.6 per cent, i.e. below the 1.0 per cent target agreed by the European Heads of State and Government in 2007 and close to the 0.5 per cent deficit proposed in the Single Market Act in April 2011.

According to a press release issued by the Commission, the best performers are Ireland, Malta, Estonia and Sweden, which managed to incorporate into their national legislation the highest number of directives.

Member states have also succeeded in reducing the total number of incorrectly transposed directives (compliance deficit has fallen further from 0.7 per cent to 0.6 per cent). However, they have increased the number of directives for which transposition is overdue by two years or more.

Compared to November 2007, the number of open infringements is down by 38 per cent. Italy accounts for the highest number of infringement proceedings launched by the Commission, followed by Spain and Greece. The majority of cases continue to be mainly in the areas of taxation and the environment.

When all enforcement indicators are taken into account, Romania, Estonia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Lithuania are the best overall performers.

In total, 12 member states achieved or equalled their best result on the transposition deficit since 1997: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Sweden, with Italy and Luxembourg falling for the first time under the 1 per cent threshold.

Today, member states take on average nine-and-a-half months to transpose EU directives after the transposition deadline has expired. With regard to directives more than two years beyond their transposition deadline, only five states did not meet the `zero tolerance` target.

As regards the infringement proceedings, Italy accounts for the highest number of infringement proceedings – ten times more than Lithuania, the member state with the lowest number of cases - followed by Spain and Greece.

Environment and taxation account for 45 per cent of all infringement proceedings.

Over half of Cypriots not sure what being an EU citizen means

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EUROPEANS are broadly aware of their rights as EU citizens but do not always know what these entail, according to a new Eurobarometer survey published by the Commission yesterday.

Some 81 per cent of respondents to the survey know that they are EU citizens on top of their own nationality. However, only 36 per cent feel well informed about the rights that EU citizenship entails. 

In Cyprus, 62 per cent said they did not feel well informed of their rights as an EU citizen while 16 per cent said they were not familiar with the term ‘EU citizen’, and 37 per cent said they had heard the term but did not know what it really meant. Just over half were aware of the right of freedom of movement, the one Europeans are most familiar with (88 per cent) and to petition EU institutions (89 per cent). Meanwhile two-thirds (67 per cent) consider that free movement of people within the EU brings economic benefits to their country. 

The survey came as the European Parliament and the European Commission held a joint hearing to discuss Europeans’ rights. 

The discussions precedes the Commission's next EU Citizenship Report, which aims to tackle obstacles encountered by EU citizens when exercising their rights. 

The report – due on May 8 – will set out a series of initiatives to help make these rights a reality, as part of the 2013 European Year of Citizens. 

It also follows up on the 25 actions announced in the First EU Citizenship Report in 2010 at which obstacles for EU citizens have been dismantled over the past three years.

Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU’s Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, said: "Europeans value their rights as EU citizens and are more aware of them than ever before. Yet, there is still more we can do to help citizens use their rights and to better engage people in the European Union’s decision-making”

 

Online shopping boosts snail mail traffic

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Author: 
Justin Hartery

CYPRIOTS have been increasingly turning to the internet to do their shopping via e-commerce sites such as Amazon and eBay, the postal services have said. 

“There has been an increase materially in incoming parcels and small parcels due to e-commerce,” said the head of postal services, Andreas Gregoriou.

Most of the packages coming from abroad nowadays are from e-commerce sites such as Amazon and eBay, said Gregoriou, adding that people were increasingly finding it “more convenient to shop online than in a physical shop in the country.”

“Shopping online is faster, easier, cheaper, and more convenient,” said one 29-year-old Nicosia-based professional. She prefers shopping online because her work schedule does not leave her much time for going out to the shops during business hours. “I can easily do research and comparison shop online – I’m a bit picky as a buyer,” she added.

“Books and gadgets are cheaper online and, I hear, medicines are much cheaper too,” she said. But she said that she preferred buying shoes and clothes in the shops despite cheaper online options, so she could ensure they fit properly.

“The market in Cyprus is terrible, being an island” said Stephen Nugent, a cinematographer who has been living in Cyprus for six years. “Stuff doesn’t usually exist here and if it does it’s overpriced,” he said. He said this was particularly relevant to electronics and the types of photographic equipment required for his work, the only thing he regularly bought locally was food. “Things need to be more fair…there’s no sense of fairness to prices here,” he said.

From 2010 to 2011, there was approximately an 8.0 per cent increase in large parcel volume in Cyprus, Gregoriou said. The following year there was a slight decrease because of the financial crisis affecting the amount of large parcels delivered that year, Gregoriou said although he did not have a specific figure.

Gregoriou said there was a “huge increase” in small parcels in general, however postal services treat as letters any parcels weighing less than two kilos and do not track their numbers.

Peak times of year for incoming packages fall around the holidays of Christmas and Easter, while the amount of mail traffic for the rest of the year is stable, Georgiou said.

About 45-50 per cent of all mail traffic goes to the capital Nicosia, while the rest is sent elsewhere, as expected by population size, Gregoriou said.

Although the hike of mail traffic during the holidays, particularly Christmas, has angered customers over delays, Gregoriou did say they were “trying to change procedures for the delivery of parcels to citizens” in order to better serve them.

Among those changes is the recently introduced “Parcel 24” system, which allows customers to register with their mobile numbers and receive SMS messages when their parcels arrive. These parcels are held for 48 hours and can be picked up at any time.

Another change, planned to be unveiled before the end of the year, is a system that will allow customers to return products they are dissatisfied with without incurring postage costs, said Gregoriou.

 

Toxic lionfish makes its way to Cyprus waters

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Author: 
Stefanos Evripidou

 

THE FISHERIES Department is warning fishermen, fish-eaters and even bathers to take note of the fact that the somewhat toxic ‘common lionfish’ or ‘devil firefish’ has found its way to the Eastern Mediterranean. 

An announcement by the Fisheries Department informs the public that the eye-catching lionfish has been found in the coastal waters of Cyprus. The fish belongs to the species pterois miles, which belongs to the family of the Scorpaenidae and has probably reached the waters of Cyprus by travelling via the popular Suez Canal. 

While impressive and colourful, the fish has poisonous spikes, loaded with toxin.

Fisheries Department official Nicolas Michaelides told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the fish actually tastes quite nice but people need to be informed that those spikes can be dangerous and need to be handled carefully.  

The toxin is only fatal if someone is allergic to it, he said, otherwise it can cause extreme pain, headache, vomiting, and breathlessness. 

If one gets poked and poisoned by a lionfish, the best thing is to seek treatment at a medical centre but in the meantime, one should wet the wound with hot water for 30 to 90 minutes to inactivate the toxin. 

According to Michaelides, in the last month, fishermen found two separate lionfish off the coast of Cyprus, one in Xylofagou and the other in Limassol. 

The fact that those two locations are quite far apart suggest the fish were not travelling together, but came to the area separately. This in itself opens up the possibility of more lionfish having arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean from the Red Sea or elsewhere and mated.

“On the other hand, it could just be a coincidence that we found two in different areas of Cyprus in the last month,” he said. 

 

 

Beware of Greeks wearing kilts...

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Author: 
Poly Pantelides

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

A BUNCH of men in kilts, called something right out of the Sicilian mafia and supported by a man sporting a glorious moustache and crazy hair will be representing Greece in the 2013 Eurovision song contest. 

Koza Mostra, calling themselves the Mafia Music Collective, alongside Agathonas Iakovidis, a musician from Thessaloniki playing rembetiko folk music, have been making noise with their gimmicky song ‘Alcohol is Free’.

They will perform in Sweden on May 16 during Semi-Final 2, a qualifier for the Eurovision final.

“The title is a little story of one of our nights that we get together (sic) but actually there is a deeper meaning in the lyrics, in the Greek lyrics, about the economical and political situation all over Europe and specifically in Greece,” lead singer Ilias Kozas told esctoday.com, a Eurovision news portal (yes, there is one).

Kozas attributed his success to the partnership with Iakovidis.

The lyrics refer to a metaphorical storm pushing them out to sea, or to the Greek city of Grevena in the north, or else both. It is not clear.

There is also a “sea of whiskey” and drinking, and then croons Coza Mostra: “Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol is free”. And there is more drinking in the song, the fear of getting caught drunk driving (“the ship has wheels after all”) which fails to be realised because the drinkers head towards the seafront instead. 

Despite the “deeper meaning in the lyrics” some fans have been making light-hearted comments on Facebook. “And like we’ve said, include lifting your skirts in the choreography,” one woman said. 

Another suggested the band sport the more historically appropriate fustanella, the Balkans’ answer to the kilt, a traditional skirt-like garment worn by men. 

A less friendly commenter on www.eurovision.tv lamented the fact that “Asterix and some wannabe Scottish guys are singing about how great it is to be drunk all night”. 

Cyprus will be on Semi-Final 1 with Despina Olympiou’s ballad, An Me Thimase (If you remember me).

 

Koza Mostra and Agathonas Iakovidis

LGBT group hails decision on civil partnerships

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Author: 
Poly Pantelides

HUMAN rights group ACCEPT-LGBT yesterday hailed the Cabinet’s recent decision to pass a draft bill on civil partnership in order to enable couples to be legally recognised outside of marriage. 

The non-governmental organisation (NGO),which deals with issues concerning lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals (LGBT) said it expected as a next stage, a series of consultations and discussions with various stakeholders, including ACCEPT.  

The draft bill passed through the Cabinet last Thursday and the legal services will need to process and approve it before passing it on to parliament for discussion and voting.

“We are at the service of all relevant bodies to collaborate as the bill is processed,” the NGO said.

“This will be a first step towards the recognition and ratification of gay couples in Cyprus law and society in general, in the context of egalitarianism, and equal treatment before the law,” ACCEPT said. 

Cyprus does not legally accept any form of cohabitation outside of marriage, leaving cohabitating partners unable to handle a number of issues relevant to a shared life including pensions, shared health insurance, sorting out taxes or inheritance, or even visiting a loved one in hospital as a family member. 

Authorities started discussing cohabitation rights in 2011 when a 93-year-old woman was refused a widow’s pension.

The woman never married her partner of 67 years and father of her eight children, and complained to the Ombudswoman. A civil partnership can eradicate such problems by giving partners the same benefits, rights and obligations that married couples have.

 Two different administrations at the Ombudswoman’s office have also said that the state violates gay couples' human rights by not recognising their relationships. 

In the context of the presidential elections this month, ACCEPT-LGBT held meetings with the main contenders. 

The NGO spoke to EDEK-backed Giorgos Lillikas who came close to a run-off with forerunner, DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades, as well as AKEL-backed Stavros Malas who got through to a second round against Anastasiades.

“For the first time during a presidential election campaign, the three main contenders have discussed and accepted issues that were previously considered taboo for Cyprus society, recognising (society’s) progress."

“Just like the rest of Europe, Cyprus society recognises and becomes increasingly acceptant of the need to regulate gay couples’ relationships but also the need to tackle homophobia and transphobia,” ACCEPT said.

The main contenders have stood in favour of regulation of gay couples as a first step to address discrimination, have committed to address discrimination both legally and within state departments,  and have promised to include civil societies in discussion that concerns them, ACCEPT said.

Anastasiades said that his party had been publicly supporting civil partnership since 2010. 

Malas went beyond public support of civil partnership and stood in favour of a national action plan to combat LGBT discrimination. 

Moving towards civil partnership “responds to an evolving social reality and the real needs of people who are equal members of society,” ACCEPT said.

 

At the moment Cyprus does not legally accept any form of cohabitation outside of marriage

Lagarde: Solution for Cyprus must be comprehensive

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INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said the solution to Cyprus’ economic woes must be comprehensive, without however offering any details on how it would be achieved.

“We are in the process of analysing what can be done, what should be done and it should be comprehensive,” Lagarde told Bloomberg. “What is needed for Cyprus is a sustainable solution that addresses the issue of debt sustainability, that addresses the issue of return to the market, that addresses the recovery of growth in that country."

Lagarde had been asked if it would be okay for depositors in Cypriot banks to part with some of their money as part of the island’s bailout.

Citing a confidential memo, the Financial Times reported last week that a proposal had been made to 'bail-in' investors and depositors of Cypriot banks, a move that would reduce the amount of financial assistance required by Cyprus and make its debt sustainable.

Cyprus said it would never accept such an action, as experts warned that it would have knock-on effects on other eurozone countries.

Moody’s credit agency warned that imposing losses on depositors, as part of Cyprus’ bailout, would affect the ratings of European banks in general.

“If European authorities pursue such burden-sharing, it would be a material shift in public policy on bank bailouts and would be credit negative for European banks,” Moody’s said. “While we consider enactment of this reported proposal unlikely, the media coverage surrounding it heightens the risk of deposit withdrawals from Cypriot banks and has broader credit negative implications for Cypriot and euro area banks if European authorities pursue it.”

 

 

 

Our View: Labour minister finds a new way to increase unemployment

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THE COUNCIL of Ministers last week approved yet another bill aimed at bolstering labour market inflexibility. This illiberal bill will give the labour minister the authority to force the application of collective agreements by all businesses in a given sector. In short, the minister would have the power to fix wages in any sector he or she chooses.

For instance, in the hotel sector for which there is a collective agreement, the minister would be able to force all hotel units to pay their staff the wages stipulated in the agreement. And if the hotel unit cannot afford these wages it would have to close down, boosting unemployment figures. Is this what the former union rep and current labour minister Sotiroulla Charalambous wants, to cause more job losses?

Ms Charalambous said the bill aimed at ending the practice of businesses hiring people on less favourable work and pay conditions than those stipulated in the collective agreements. In other words the executive, if the bill is passed by the House, would outlaw the employment of a worker on a personal contract. Could the executive in a democratic country prevent two parties from voluntarily entering a contract, without violating their rights? On what legal grounds could a member-state of the EU dictate the wages that a business has to pay?

The bill, if it becomes a law, would protect businesses from unfair competition argued Ms Charalambous in all seriousness. The truth is that competition is undermined by imposing the same wages across all businesses. What is the logic of making a small business that breaks even every year pay the same wages as a big business that makes healthy annual profits? This is unfair competition as the small business would be forced to close down. There would be less competition in the sector and more jobless people.

With such a person in charge of the labour ministry, is it any surprise that unemployment scales new heights every month? Has nobody told Ms Charalambous that labour market inflexibilities, like the ones she has been imposing during her time at the ministry (increasing the minimum wage, making delays in payment of wages a criminal offence, forcing unions into businesses via legislation), are increasing unemployment figures? Her latest master-plan would simply discourage business from hiring new staff at the unaffordable rates of the collective agreements which were forged in the periods of high growth rates.

Employers’ organisations expressed strong opposition to the bill, but the government still approved it, because it had the backing of the unions - no need for consensus, when unions approve a measure. It is doubtful the House will approve this illiberal bill, but even if it does, the law would never be enforced, because a sensible labour minister, who does not take orders from unions, would know that such a law would increase unemployment.

 

Horsetrading fails to seal deal with major backers

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Author: 
Stefanos Evripidou

THE TWO remaining presidential candidates moved their campaigns into ‘charming and flirtatious’ mode yesterday, with each aiming to convince the remaining political forces to back their own candidacy but it was not looking very promising.   

EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou, who had thrown his party’s weight behind the failed bid of independent candidate Giorgos Lillikas, was wooed by both DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades and AKEL-backed Stavros Malas yesterday. But EDEK’s political bureau unanimously decided last night to recommend to the central committee not to support either of the two candidates in Sunday’s election. The committee will meet tomorrow. Omirou said earlier in the day that EDEK would not engage in horse-trading to share in the spoils of power. 

Malas went to the meeting yesterday morning alone, after which he pledged before reporters that he intended on creating 15 portfolios in his government, including two junior ministries on European Affairs and Maritime policy. 

If elected, he would form a government of national unity in which “no political power would have more than four portfolios”, said Malas.  

After Omirou’s meeting with Anastasiades, the latter left open the door to EDEK’s participation in a new government with or without their support this Sunday.  

Anastasiades said that DISY’s positions on the Cyprus problem were in harmony with the positions of the ‘middle ground’ political parties, noting this was clarified when DISY formed an electoral alliance with DIKO.  

“The crux of the matter remains the need for mutual respect the following day, collectiveness in decision-making and prior consultation regarding policies on the big national issues. We cannot allow a repeat of the past, particularly contempt for the institutions,” said Anastasiades. 

The DISY candidate further noted that the invite to join his government should he get elected remains open to any political force which agrees to implement his election manifesto.   

Meanwhile, the Cypriot socialist party EDEK appeared somewhat ruffled by the decision of the Party of European Socialists (PES) to announce support for Malas without consulting EDEK first.  

Party spokesman Demetris Papadakis said: “We were not informed... It’s not the PES who will vote, it is Cypriots. They should have asked (EDEK) first before making an announcement.” 

Anastasiades also met with EVROKO leader Demetris Syllouris yesterday who said afterwards: “The critical hours the country is going through demand that we are present in the effort to save Cyprus”. 

Syllouris said he would propose support for Anastasaides’ candidacy today before the party’s central council. 

It is believed, however, that many of the EVROKO voters who backed Lillikas last Sunday will refuse to follow the party line, with reports even suggesting they would  join disgruntled DIKO voters to form a new party under Lillikas. 

DIKO spokesman Fotis Fotiou yesterday called on all those DIKO voters, who did not support Anastasiades in the first round to mobilise forces with the party and support a government of national salvation under Anastasiades. 

The respective campaign teams also kept busy yesterday firing salvos at each other. 

Anastasiades’ spokesman Tasos Mitsopoulos questioned the independence of Malas, noting that he could not be exempted from the burden of responsibility of the Christofias government “which led the country to destruction”.  

“We need to point out that Mr Malas was a personal choice of Demetris Christofias and served as his minister for 18 months,” said Mitsopoulos.  

AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou would hear nothing of it, saying of Malas: “He is really an independent candidate.”

To drive his point home, Kyprianou argued that AKEL does not seek much participation in a future Malas government: “AKEL will have the same level of participation as it had in the Tassos Papadopoulos government.”   

Lillikas, who received almost 25 per cent of the vote in last Sunday’s round, said last night  he would not give either candidate his vote of confidence and called on his supporters to make their own decisions.

Speaking in Limassol, he said he refused to meet Malas and Anastasiades, not because he rejected dialogue but because “I cannot see how real convergences can be achieved with the existing differences in our views.”

 

EDEK chief Yiannakis Omirou (left) with AKEL-backed Stavros Malas (By Christos Theodorides)

Lebanese terror suspect says he was a member of Hezbollah

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Author: 
Peter Stevenson

THE 24-year-old Lebanese suspect who has been held by police since the summer claimed yesterday in court that he has nothing to do with terrorism and never wanted to hurt anyone. 

Police suspect him of spying, being part of a terrorist organisation and for plotting a terrorist attack on an Israeli target. 

The defendant faces eight counts of conspiracy and intent to commit a crime and participation in a criminal organisation. The suspect is a Swedish national of Lebanese descent who was arrested in Limassol in July. He was taken to Limassol Criminal Court yesterday as the trial continues, where his testimony, which was translated into Greek, was read out. He admitted he has been a member of Hezbollah for the last four years, claiming he was working as a member of the political party and not what many call the ‘terrorist’ branch, and although a Muslim, he has never supported fanatical Islam.  

According to his testimony, he used the code name Wael and would receive orders from another Hezbollah member called Ayman, although he admitted he had no idea what Ayman looked like as whenever they met he would have his face hidden.

He also admitted that some of the orders he received in Cyprus were to locate places in Nicosia and Limassol where Israelis meet. He was told to get information about certain hotels in Ayia Napa as well as prices for renting a storeroom. He was also asked to monitor Limassol’s old hospital and to find out the security measures taken there and the procedure taken by a car to enter the parking lot, an event he photographed. 

Asked about his continued visits to Larnaca Airport at the start of July 2012, shortly before he was arrested, the 24-year-old stated that was due to the car he had rented having problems. He was unable to answer questions relating to the registration numbers of tourist buses which were found in his red notebook.

He revealed that before coming to Cyprus he delivered packages, whose content he was not aware of, he claimed, to Attalya in Turkey, Lyon in France and Amsterdam in Holland.

He claimed to be receiving orders without the reasons being explained to him and that his actions in Cyprus were while he was already taking part in business activities.

He did admit to receiving training in the use of firearms, although he claimed that was part of the training methods he learned to help protect his country. He also admitted that all his travel expenses were covered by Hezbollah. 

“I never wanted to hurt anyone, I have no affiliation with terrorism and I am not a member of a terrorist or criminal organisation and I don’t think Ayman would use explosives to harm anyone,” he said during his testimony. 

He submitted Hezbollah’s 2009 manifesto as evidence, stating that it does not contain any mention of terrorism. 

The prosecution asked for time to study his testimony and the manifesto. The trial will continue today at 9.30am with the prosecution’s cross-examination.

Ferrari owner fined €1,200 for speeding at 213kph

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A 49-YEAR-OLD business man was caught doing 213km per hour on the Limassol-Nicosia highway in his Ferrari and fined €1,200. 

According to reports, during the hearing this week, the court heard that because the man was using the highway as a race track, the police officers who recorded the speed thought it wise not to chase the car at the time and instead sent out an alert. The Ferrari was then stopped 18km down the road. 

In order to reach a verdict, presiding judge, Annie Pantazi had to question whether the man’s behaviour on the road was such a danger to society that the only suitable punishment would be to put him behind bars for a period of time. 

However after considering the fact that the man had a clean driving record and has consistently contributed to society and philanthropy, the judge decided against imprisonment. She said the Ferrari driver’s exemplary life until then compensated for the selfish and antisocial picture that comes to mind when someone sees a luxury car being driven at a very high speed.

“Depriving the accused of his freedom is not the only legal measure available to the court, just as long as we make sure that the defendant is penalised according to the degree of significance of his offence,” she said.

After fining the 49-year-old, and confiscating his driving licence, the judge said: “At a time when serious and deadly traffic accidents caused by high speed, are unfortunately increasing, the court is obliged to set an example through the penalty it chooses to impose, while stating that this type of behaviour is unacceptable,” she said.

“Only with complete compliance to the rules should we expect to successfully see a decrease in traffic accidents, which mostly have irretrievable circumstances.”

 

Nadir could be back home within months

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JAILED Turkish Cypriot Asil Nadir who was ordered by a UK court in November to pay back £5 million of the money he stole from his Polly Peck business empire, has reportedly come up with the money despite telling British judges he was broke.

According to yesterday’s Daily Mail, the payment will pave the way for him to secure a prisoner transfer to Turkey and from there back home to the north of Cyprus for ‘house arrest’.

Nadir, 71, was told in November to come up with the £5 million or face another six years in jail.  He was jailed for 10 years in August after being found guilty of stealing £28.8 million from Polly Peck and its shareholders, and is currently incarcerated at Belmarsh.

He later claimed to be penniless after prosecutors demanded £60 million should be paid in compensation and interest to the administrators. His £1million-plus bill for a defence team was paid for by legal aid.

According to the Daily Mail, the UK Serious Fraud Office is convinced Nadir has hidden his money as he had rented a £21,000 per month Mayfair home while employing a driver and security before and during his trial. But he claims his family paid for it all.

The paper said that his glamorous second wife Nur, 28, spent his trial shopping in designer West End stores and riding horses before leaving the country when he was jailed.

It also said the outstanding £5million compensation that he will pay was provided by his friend, airline magnate Hamit Cankut Bagana.

The Times said Nadir, who has Turkish and British citizenship, would try to head to Turkey and that negotiations between the two countries about repatriation were at an advanced stage.

“The suggestion is that once in Turkey he will quickly return to northern Cyprus to serve his time under “house arrest” if at a source close to Nadir told the Daily Mail.

It said any deal would have to be signed off at Secretary of State level, which might leave the British government open to charges it was doing a favour for a disgraced former party donor.

Nadir fled from the UK to his native northern Cyprus in 1993 but returned in 2010 to face trial and ‘clear his name’. Polly Peck, a leading stock exchange conglomerate, collapsed in 1990 after Nadir stole money which he sent abroad through a complex series of companies.

Nadir, 71, was told in November to come up with the £5 million or face another six years in jail

Remaining election camps resort to slurs

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Author: 
Stefanos Evripidou

THE CAMPS of the two presidential candidates continued their war of words yesterday in an effort to undermine each other’s bid to crown the next President of Cyprus as major support was not forthcoming.

A majority at EVROKO did offer to back DISY boss Anastasiades after a party meeting last night but the forces that supported the failed bid of Giorgos Lillikas - representing 25 per cent of last week’s voters- are increasingly pushing for a blank vote on Sunday.

The AKEL camp yesterday got fired up over DISY’s paid ads in the media equating a Stavros Malas victory to another five years of the present government. 

Malas has tried during the election campaign to paint an image of himself as an independent candidate, free of the political dirt that can be thrown against his opponents.

He yesterday pledged “to be a president of all Cypriots in a new era for Cyprus”. 

During an appearance on state broadcaster CyBC yesterday, the former health minister under President Demetris Christofias even wore a blue tie. 

Speaking on behalf of Malas’ campaign team, AKEL MP Nicos Katsourides said yesterday: “The only truly independent candidate is Stavros Malas.” 

Taking a swipe at DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades’ campaign bid, he said: “The preachers of a government of national salvation are resorting to black propaganda to attract voters on Sunday.” 

In reference to the contents of one of DISY’s paid ads, Katsourides added: “It is absurd to say that if Stavros Malas is voted in, there will be another Mari.”  

Also slamming the paid ads, AKEL spokesman Giorgos Loucaides said Malas’ opponents had resorted to: “black propaganda, aphorisms, lies and distortions”.    

DISY spokesman Haris Georgiades issued a short reply to AKEL’s accusation that linking Malas to the Christofias government was black and negative campaigning: “Evidently, they themselves admit that their governance, under which Mr Malas served, was black and negative. And it truly was.” 

Anastasiades also had a dig at the outgoing AKEL government, saying it leaves behind a host of economic, political and social problems.

“Complacency, indifference, and apathy will lead us to another lost and disastrous five years. Cyprus cannot bear it. It’s time to lead our country forward,” he said.  

Meanwhile, AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou yesterday tried to appeal to those voters who represent the “political centre” in Cyprus, the majority of whom voted for Lillikas last Sunday. 

Kyprianou reminded them of the common struggles the centre and left-wing undertook in the past, working together under three presidents: Spyros Kyprianou, Tassos Papadopoulos and Demetris Christofias. 

However, AKEL will have a hard time chasing those votes as Lillikas supporters appear to be heading towards a blank vote. 

The Cyprus Citizens’ Movement, supporters of the Lillikas campaign, yesterday announced they will cast a blank vote on Sunday while the talk on social networking site Facebook is that a lot of Lillikas supporters plan to turn up at the polling stations on election day and place a Lillikas campaign sticker on the ballot paper.  

Both Lillikas and the party that supported his bid, EDEK, have suggested they will not support either candidate on Sunday, but instead, will propose casting a blank vote. 

For the record, blank votes are considered null and void and will not count when deciding whether any one candidate has garnered at outright majority of 50 per cent plus one votes in the second round.  

According to reports, EDEK is heading towards a blank vote decision on the heels of Lillikas’ own initiative to do so, in fear that the party may be left behind. 

Lillikas’ evident support among some in EVROKO and DIKO and also EDEK members makes it look increasingly likely that the former commerce and foreign minister will try to harness this popularity and form a credible opposition force for the next five years of either a DISY or AKEL-backed government. 

EVROKO leader Demetris Syllouris proposed support for Anastasiades at the party’s central council last night. However, EVROKO MP Nicos Koutsou yesterday held a press conference warning that those members of EVROKO who supported Lillikas in the first round would not support either of the two candidates on Sunday.  

“We call on everyone not to support either candidate, and unite with those who are against a bizonal, bicommunal federation so we can move towards having a clear political voice,” said Koutsou. 

Meanwhile, a statement was released yesterday by a group claiming to be DIKO members who supported Lillikas last week, instead of their party leadership’s choice, Anastasiades. 

The group alleged they represented tens of thousands of DIKO voters “who turned their back on the leadership’s choice”. 

The Greens have already decided to hold a conscience vote in the second round while United Democrats leader Praxoula Antoniadou-Kyriacou yesterday met with both candidates, Malas and Anastasiades, noting that the party’s central council will convene today to decide what path to take on Sunday.

And for those voters still undecided, the two candidates will be holding a TV face-off debate on Friday night at 9.15pm.

‘MI5 ruined my life’ says London Cypriot

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Peter Stevenson

A BRITISH Cypriot living in London, Constantinos Alexandrou, is suing the Metropolitan Police after his house was used by members of MI5 to watch terrorist suspects in 2006 claiming the whole ordeal ‘had destroyed’ his life.

According to the Daily Mail, Alexandrou, from Walthamstow in North London, told Central London County Court how he assisted the police and security services by giving over his home for surveillance, as it was immediately opposite the bomb factory being run by al-Qaeda-inspired plotters.

Although he played a part in foiling the 2006 bomb plot, which was billed as comparable to the 9/11 tragedy, he was later wrongfully arrested twice and falsely imprisoned, the Daily Mail reported.

His barrister Stephen Chippeck said: “He told them that he loved his country and would help in any way that he could. They asked to borrow his home and he persuaded his partner of 25 years to assist.”

After agreeing to leave their home, something his partner at the time did not agree with, they lived in a hotel. This led to the collapse of his relationship, according to Alexandrou. After the three terrorist suspects were arrested, Alexandrou attempted to return home, only to be arrested on two separate occasions by members of the police as he tried to enter his home. 

He also told the court about a third run-in with armed police, when he feared he was going to be shot, after they stopped him while walking through a park and demanded to see identification

According to the Daily Mail, following the first arrest, Alexandrou started sleeping rough under the bushes outside Wood Green police station, as he did not feel safe. 

The Daily Mail goes on to explain the plot was the biggest terror investigation in the UK and intelligence officers believe it was directed by al-Qaeda figures in Pakistan. It led to changes in aviation rules worldwide that left passengers unable to take liquids into the cabin of passenger aircraft.

Security officials on both sides of the Atlantic believe the men wanted to kill people in the air and possibly more on the ground in a wave of attacks causing more devastation than the 11 September attacks in the USA. 

On 7 September 2009, a jury at Woolwich Crown Court found Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28, Assad Sarwar, 29, and Tanvir Hussain, 28, guilty of 'conspiracy to murder involving liquid bombs' and therefore that the target of the conspiracy was the airline passengers.

The plot was said at court to have been discovered by MI5 using covert listening devices in a flat in east London. Ali and Sarwar must serve at least 36 years, while Hussain was jailed for at least 32 years.

In July 2010, Ibrahim Savant, 28, Arafat Khan, 28, and Waheed Zaman, 25, were found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court and sentenced to life in prison for conspiracy to murder. They must serve a minimum of 20 years in prison before being eligible for release.

The Metropolitan Police deny the claims of false imprisonment, wrongful arrest and Alexandrou's claim for aggravated damages.

Constantinos Alexandrou outside Central London County Court on Tuesday

Woman ‘close to family’ arrested in toddler kidnap

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Author: 
Peter Stevenson

POLICE arrested a 35-year-old woman yesterday for the kidnapping of 18-month-old Stavros Styllis in Limassol last Friday after forensic evidence implicated her in the abduction, police spokesman Andreas Angelides said. 

The woman reportedly comes from the ‘family environment’. 

Angelides said that police were looking at the circumstances of the abduction but that investigations indicated that more than one person was involved. “The woman, who is close to the family, was being questioned at the time the toddler was still missing which would indicate she had an accomplice,” he added.

Reports were also confirmed yesterday that in December, a portion of pudding the toddler’s grandmother was about to feed him contained pieces of broken glass and crushed medicine. 

The episode happened roughly a fortnight after the young boy had been released from the intensive care unit of Makarios Hospital after being in a coma. 

He had been hospitalised from November 20 till November 26, 2012, suffering from encephalitis. The glass and medicine were discovered in the child’s food when his grandmother tasted it just before she was about to feed him. She noticed it did not taste normal.  

The food serving was checked by a laboratory abroad which confirmed the cream contained pieces of broken glass and other health hazards. 

Styllis was taken from his grandmother’s verandah in Ypsonas on Friday morning, sparking a massive hunt for the kidnapped toddler across Limassol, with Cypriot police, a police helicopter, British bases police, members of the National Guard and Civil Defence, Ypsonas municipal workers and members of the public all involved in the search for the boy. 

With news of the little boy’s disappearance spreading like wildfire across the internet, by midday on Friday, there were few people in Cyprus unaware of the family’s ordeal. 

By 3.30pm, a widow who went to Ypsonas cemetery to light a candle for her husband found the little boy crying outside a shed, eight hours after he had been taken.

PIMCO’s property forecasts ‘not clear cut’

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Author: 
George Psyllides

THE CYPRUS Association of Valuers and Property Consultants yesterday rejected assumptions made by investment consultancy firm PIMCO that the decline in the real estate value would reach as much as 40 per cent this year.

Among the assumptions used by PIMCO in its report on the recapitalisation of the island’s banks, were the real estate prices, which it said would decline by 30 per cent in the baseline scenario and by 40 per cent in the adverse scenario, the Valuers Association said.

It said that: "projections on real estate values are rather difficult to make given the present uncertainty in the global and local financial market." It added that changes in real estate prices for the period of 2009-2012 varied according to the region or the nature of the property, which contradicts the general approach used by PIMCO in its forecasts for the next three years.

The association said that Nicosia and Limassol had seen relatively small drops in property values, though the downward trend is expected to intensify with no recovery expected in 2013.

The association said Nicosia was generally the most stable with relatively small changes in values, especially in central areas.

House and flat values in the city recorded reductions of up to 20 per cent, while building plots saw a 15 per cent drop.

Commercial properties in the city saw a 10 per cent fall in value, the association said.

Property values in areas outside Nicosia – Dhali, Tseri, Deftera – dropped by up to 30 per cent.

Limassol property values were more or less in line with those in the capital while large projects on the beachfront – residential and commercial – were slightly affected.

Paphos was especially affected by the downturn, with houses and flats seeing reductions of up to 40 per cent in their values while building plots fell by 25 per cent.

Reductions in the value of commercial properties were estimated at around 25 per cent – 30 per cent in tourist areas.

The values of houses and land in tourist areas fell by up to 30 per cent and 40 per cent for flats.

Forty per cent was the rate of reduction of property values in the Paphos countryside, the association said.

The situation was similar in Famagusta, with houses and building land seeing an up to 30 per cent reduction – flat values were down 40 per cent.

Commercial space saw a 25 per cent drop.

A 25 per cent drop was seen in urban areas in Larnaca, as house and flat values in tourist areas like Dhekelia and Pervolia fell by 35 per cent.

The association said the estimates represented the average values and were not absolute for each area or property.

War of words over PIMCO report

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Author: 
George Psyllides

 

THE firm that conducted a due diligence on bank portfolios to determine their recapitalisation needs said it had used the inputs given to it by a steering committee – made up of foreign and Cypriot officials – sparking fresh criticism that the government and the Central Bank had deliberately allowed the amount to be inflated.

The issue came up after daily Politis published the contents of a confidential letter sent by investment managers PIMCO to Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades earlier this month, in response to his letter regarding the methodology used.

“We also note where assumptions that have been described as PIMCO inputs in your letter were, in fact, direct inputs from the steering committee,” the company said.

Five of the committee’s 10 members are Cypriots, representing the Central Bank, the finance ministry, and the cooperative banks supervision service.

PIMCO have come up with a worst-case scenario of some €10 billion on top of the €7.5 billion needed by the state as part of the bailout sought by Cyprus in June last year. 

Though not yet official, if the figure is not reduced it would likely result in the island’s debt being considered unsustainable, leading to additional measures like privatisations.

The opposition has long claimed that the Central Bank deliberately allowed the figure to become so high in a bid to confirm the administration’s position that the banks were to blame for the mess the economy is in.

Main opposition DISY said the question was whether it was a case of “unbelievable amateurism or unacceptable expediency on behalf of the government, which has saddled the economy and our society with an additional burden of billions.”

DISY spokesman Haris Georgiades said the banks were already facing a huge problem and the bankers’ responsibilities were great.

“However, inflating the problem for the sakes of political expediency is criminal,” Georgiades said.

The government claimed it was a selective and misleading leak aiming at covering up the banks’ responsibilities and shifting them to the Central Bank and the government.

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou suggested that the contents of the letter – just over two pages – contradicted what the “instigators of the black propaganda” were trying to present.

To prove his point, Stefanou cited a line in the letter where PIMCO said that much of their analysis was based on “expert judgement and we should stress that such judgment is a necessary element of any bank due diligence exercise.

The company added however that “having said this, the assumption for the decline in home prices during the forecast period was an explicit assumption provided by the steering committee to PIMCO.”

But Stefanou said the rate of decline in property values was an area where the two sides disagreed.

“According to its judgement, PIMCO estimates the reduction in property values to be 25 per cent higher than what was agreed in the steering committee. This leads to additional capital needs of €1.9 billion,” the spokesman said.

In a statement, the Central Bank said it maintained its own views regarding the methodology and assumptions used by PIMCO.

The Central Bank said it wrote the letter to PIMCO on February 1, asking the company to respond to the points the island’s banks disagreed with.

In the letter the Central Bank stressed that it was obvious that the banks were extremely displeased with PIMCO’s work, something that the regulator could not ignore. The banks had been informed about the methodology during meetings with PIMCO officials at the end of January.

“During the meetings, the banks expressed strong disagreement regarding the methodology followed by PIMCO,” the Central bank said.

 

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