THE ENVIRONMENT, forestry and fisheries departments are in the process of creating the perfect hideaways for 20 selected fauna species, including three endangered local reptiles.

Among other things, the ICOSTACY Project involves the creation of ponds and weirs, the protection, restoration and creation of important roosting sites for bats, creation of safe road passages and plantation of fruit bearing trees. It also implements controlled breeding programmes.

Apart from 15 mammals and two invertebrates, the project aims to protect three endangered reptile species.

The agriculture ministry’s departments have already started off by creating special rock piles in selected parts of the island, to help protect the snakes in question from external threats, such as invasive species and the human factor.

The ICOSTACY project plans to create 35 such homes for reptiles in the Troodos national forest, Madari-Papoutsa, Stavros tis Psokas, Skoulli, Alykos Potamos-Agios Sozomenos and Paralimni.

Described as the most endangered reptile in Cyprus, the natrix natrix cypriaca can be found near permanent or quasi permanent water bodies. 

“The main threat for the species is the destruction of suitable habitats and the persecution,” said the ICOSTACY website. 

The priorities for the specific species include collecting data on its distribution and validating threats regarding habitat alterations, by pinpointing specific problems for each site.

ICOSTACY plans to “create suitable microhabitats in known localities as to mitigate immediate problems of safe refuge for the animal” and “validate threats regarding predators and introduced species”.

It also aims to directly increase the natrix natrix cypriaca population via a captive breeding programme.

The second reptile species – hierophis cypriensis – is a naturally rare species that prefers the high mountain forests and which has very few known localities.

It can also be found near water, possibly due to the higher prey availability. The project aims to collect data on the species’ distribution and clarify its habitat preferences.

It also plans to create suitable microhabitats in known localities and through using genetics, locate possible discontinuities of subpopulations.

Then there is the “hardy species” of turtles, the mauremys rivulata. 

“It can tolerate degraded habitats, including pollution, destruction, competitors. However, the combined effects of the three have had a devastating effect on the species populations in Cyprus,” said the site. 

The species occurs in very few localities and with few individuals. Apart from the aforementioned, the species is also threatened by an invasive species the trachemys scripta, a semi-aquatic turtle.

The project aims to remove the competitors, alleviate direct threats to the species due to human interventions and establish populations in new localities.

Among others, the ICOSTACY Project aims to protect the conservation status of 20 selected fauna species and their habitats, in 14 NATURA 2000 sites, in Cyprus. 

“This will be achieved through the implementation of concrete conservation actions, which include the protection, restoration and creation of new microhabitats for the targeted species,” the ICOSTACY website explains. 

The project also aims to complete gaps in knowledge for assessing the conservation status of the 20 species, raising awareness on the species and the selected sites, and providing evidence and concrete proposals for enhancing the ecological coherence of the NATURA 2000 sites in Cyprus.

The agriculture ministry’s environment department is the coordinating beneficiary of the project, with the ministry’s forestry and fisheries departments acting as associated beneficiaries. The Natural History Museum of the University of Crete and the company OIKOS Ltd are also associated beneficiaries.

Under threat the Natrix natrix cypriaca

Under threat, the mauremys rivulata

DEMETRIOS Michaelides was a child with a rather offbeat passion. Like most kids, he loved a good bit of adventure, but his was of an unusual kind, spending whole mornings and afternoons armed with a worn copy of Rupert Gunnis’ Historic Cyprus, as he explored every nook and cranny within the maze of winding streets in the old capital. 

Fascinated by the walled city of Nicosia, he found much to capture his imagination from its intricate medieval monuments and churches, to the colourful markets and streets housing the likes of cobblers and goldsmiths. 

Years later, the now professor at the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Cyprus has paid tribute to his childhood passion with a glossy new English publication going by the name of Historic Nicosia. 

 Historic Cyprus, the book which inspired him, was written by a British colonial official and first published in 1936. It still exercises a strong hold over him. 

 “I don’t think I would have embarked on such a venture if it had not been for this book (Historic Cyprus), and it is in tribute to this author that I decided to call the present volume Historic Nicosia,” he explains in the preface of the publication he has spent years editing and compiling. 

Historic Nicosia, which is written in English, now stands as the first comprehensive and scholarly history of the capital, dating back to its earliest development until the island's independence in 1960. Leading historians and academics guide the reader through all the major epochs, drawing on classic sources as well as the latest scholarship emanating from the study of ancient documents and archaeological discoveries. 

Each chapter contains a mix of photographs, maps and illustrations, some of which have been published for the very first time. 

“I really enjoyed discovering new facets of Nicosia’s history but also hunting through archives and old publications where I found unusual illustrations for all the chapters,” says Demetrios who is also the vice-president of the Historical Society of Cyprus and president of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics. 

“We now have a much fuller picture of Nicosia than I had ever anticipated.”

The idea for the book first came about in 1999 when former Nicosia mayor, Lelos Demetriades, asked Demetrios whether he would undertake to coordinate a book on Nicosia. 

“I was eager to seize the opportunity. It was clear to me that a ‘history’ of Nicosia was what was envisaged, but I decided right from the start that this was not going to be a straight historical account of events,” he explains. “Rather, I wanted to attempt to recreate, as much as possible, the physical aspect, the topography, the buildings and the social make up of a space at different times in history and to weave these into the historical events that shaped it into modern Nicosia.” 

Once the research began, the professor realised that there was no work so far available which gave an all rounded approach to the history of the capital in an indepth and extended fashion. While popular works have emerged in recent times, Demetrios points out a tendency to either focus on a more sketchy approach as part of a general Cyprus overview, or place emphasis on a given period, particularly the late Ottoman and early British rule, for which there is much photographic documentation. 

In an attempt to put together something different, he brought a whole team of professionals on board to help compile the various chapters which begin by looking at the very first settlements that eventually formed the nucleus of the city of Ledroi from which Nicosia evolved. 

This is followed by chapters on Byzantine Nicosia, Frankish and Venetian Nicosia, the Ottoman Rule and British rule. The final result is a series of independent chapters, the authors of which were allowed to follow their own approach using their personal style of narrative. 

Some are filled with all sorts of interesting facts on all the fantastic architecture which characterises the area, others pay tribute to archeological finds and relics. The section which deals with the British rule in Cyprus is particularly well illustrated with pictures taken at the time, boasting clear depictions of the town’s residents, the centre with its various shops and stalls, and the colonial town houses. 

Most noteworthy is the inclusion of the results of recent excavations and new research. There is also a full list of governors, archbishops, dragomans and mayors included in a comprehensive fashion. Flick through the pages and you’ll even find topographical maps of Nicosia. 

But not everything is quite as detailed as it should be, with the research revealing certain unfortunate loopholes, especially regarding Nicosia during antiquity and early Christian times. Attention is placed on the fact that very little is being done by the authorities to investigate the ancient strata of Nicosia revealed by recent rescue excavations, notably in the area of the old municipality and PASYDY Hill. While they are of crucial importance to the history of the city, Demetrios is disheartened by the fact that much is being left unaccounted for in the dug up land.

“Excavating some parts of a given plot or only going down to a given depth gives an incomplete and erroneous picture of the evidence,” he insists. 

He is also opposed to all the new buildings sprouting up that are beginning to overcrowd the old centre. 

“When Nicosia as a whole is choking in traffic, lack of adequate parking space, and difficulties caused by the unnatural division of the city, we’ve began to squeeze new buildings into the old core of the city, spoiling its character and damaging its history, and sowing the seeds for more evils to come,” says the professor. “All these projects will draw even more people into the already overcrowded centre.” 

Demetrios’ passion for the old town still remains as strong as ever, but in contrast to his days spent wondering the winding lanes of the old town as young boy, he now has to hope that this magnificent hub of cultural and historical heritage remains protected from the sprawling backdrop of urbanisation.

Historic Nicosia has been published by Rimal Publications and is available at the Moufflon and Soloneon Bookshops in Nicosia. Contributors include Demetrios Michaelides, Despina Pilides, Tassos Papacostas, Nicholas Coureas, Gilles Grivaud, Chris Schabel, Ioannis Theocharides, Dr Theocharis Stavrides, Euphrosyne Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou and Diana Markides.  

It can also be purchased online at www.rimalbooks.com, or by sending an email to order@rimalbooks.com. Delivery within Cyprus is free of charge. 

12,Gladstone Street built in 1923 to house Nausika Pastellidou’s School of Tailoring

St Sophia, Nicosia

The first British governor’s residence

THE POWER of One conference ended its three-day session in Nicosia during the week, by selecting three collaborative project proposals for development and possible funding. 

Cypriot NGOs are partners in the winning proposals, which are designed to strengthen inter-regional civil society partnerships and collaborations.

The winning proposals are Media Buffer Zone Project -- designed to help regional civil society organisations to produce and disseminate professional and innovative cost effective media messages either directly through media skills training and capacity building and or indirectly through a network for media professionals and artists; 

Ambassadors for Cross-cultural Dialogue aims to enhance understanding across cultures and among youth and to challenge stereotypes, reduce prejudice and xenophobia. 

A key component of this project will be the Ambassador’s Platform, an online discussion forum. 

The third project is i-100 – intended to promote youth participation through volunteerism in Euro-Mediterranean Region and to provide an interactive platform for volunteers, enabling them to state their skills and service preferences, thus allowing civil society organisations to more easily identify and recruit skilled volunteers as needed.

The conference, described a resounding success by participants and organisers, brought together 28 countries from Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Cyprus, for an exchange on citizen-led innovation and social change practices.

“The Power of One Conference inspired insightful discussions, developed innovative projects and enabled multiple interregional collaborations”, said Katerina Antoniou, a representative from Peace it Together, the Cypriot civil society network that hosted the event. “It was a huge success and we look forward to seeing the projects come to life.”

The winning projects were selected by vote of the 200 delegates who chose from 27 concept presentations which had been developed during the conference by working partnerships made up of representatives of the three groupings.

A GROUP OF feral cats living in Tala in Paphos being cared for by a team of volunteers will be able to stay in their current home.

According to the Tala Monastery cats spokesman Chris Parsons the monastery of Ayios Neofytos which has donated the piece of land the cat park is found on, have said the cats can remain there indefinitely.

The spokesman said: “The cat park will remain in place as consent has been given. The animals are looked after daily and we are now in the process of fencing off an area to secure the perimeter.”

The animals are fed and cared for by a group of local volunteers who purchase food for the animals with their own money. They also use the assistance of local animal charities, PARC and Paphiakos when required.

According to Parsons, who along with his wife is an avid animal welfare supporter, around 10,000- €12,000 will be needed to complete the fencing.

“We currently have about €1,500 and we are still in the process of raising money- it is steadily coming in,” he said.

The cats were moved to their current residence about a year ago, which is further down the road from their initial home close to the car park of Ayios Neofytos monastery in Tala. 

As numbers grew, the cats were moved for health and safety reasons, to an area about 50 metres away. The piece of land was provided by the monastery.

According to Parsons, the enclosure will cover about a third of the piece of donated land, the rest is used as an occasional overspill car park for busy festivals and celebrations which are held at the monastery.

“There are currently more than one hundred cats at the park and we are in the process of spaying and neutering them to stabilize the population. Also any cats which may have illnesses are being treated,” he said.

Parsons stressed: “We must urge people not to dump unwanted cats at the park, at least twice a week boxes of kittens as well as adult cats are being left there. This is unfair to us and to the animals .If people need help they can always contact us.

He added: “On the other hand, we have already re-homed at least 50 cats and kittens in the past few months, but we would ask people not to just take a cat.”

The spokesman said that the volunteers to know the cats and worry that they may have been run over or killed if they are missing and pointed out that they may be receiving a course of medication which needs to be completed.

“If you see a cat you would like, please contact us and we will arrange to meet you at the park.”

Tala community board member Cathi Delaney previously said that the cats would have to be moved for their own safety and well being as many are being knocked down on the nearby road, and others are straying further down the hillside into people’s gardens. Delaney noted that some residents had complained, adding that the village council was concerned for the cats' safety.

She was unable to make any comment on the most recent development as she said she hadn’t been updated on the situation.

For further information, or if you can help to find the animals a new home: info@talamonasterycats.com  or 26 432 263  or message the volunteers via their Facebook page, Tala Monastery cats.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS exploring the Agora (market) of ancient Paphos have found a small tablet with the name of an official in Greek and a plethora of other artefacts including a golden pendant, it was announced this week.

 “The most spectacular finds are a golden earring or pendant, ending in an ivy leaf, bronze objects such as a jug, a ladle with an iron handle, bronze ring, numerous coins, pins and other artefacts,” the department of antiquities said. “The most notable artefact among the lead objects – apart from a ladle with an iron handle, similar to the one uncovered last year, and weights – is a small tablet with Greek inscription mentioning the official –- Seleukos, son of Agoranomos (market administrator) Ioulios Bathylos. 

Paphos was the capital of Cyprus in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. 

The research took place between August 17 and the end of September.

The archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, also unearthed numerous other objects including fine wares, plain wares, cooking pottery, transport amphorae, storage vessels, dated to the Hellenistic, early and late Roman, as well as Byzantine periods.

One section of the Agora, contained material – mostly pottery -- of a purely Hellenistic origin, as well as walls, floors and habitation levels, which means that this area had certainly been in use during the Hellenistic period,” the department said.

 Architectural remains dating back to the Roman period were also uncovered in the same area.

In 2011, five rooms were uncovered and partly explored and during the current excavations more rooms were found, bringing the number up to 12. “Most of them possibly functioned as shops (tabernae) in the early Roman period,” the department said, adding that they were probably destroyed in an earthquake. 

Beneath a collapsed wall in one room, archaeologists found a bronze jug and broken vessels on the floor, including a finely preserved mortarium – a large bowl with two producer stamps and writing with the owner’s name. 

AKEL yesterday criticised the decision of the Friends of Police to honour opposition leader Nicos Anastasiades’ father, a police officer who according to the ruling party, had taken part in the 1974 coup to overthrow president Makarios.

“A man who participated in the coup; a man who assumed leadership of the Limassol police administration after the coup and who effectively undermined and fought the Republic of Cyprus,” AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said.

Anastasiades, who is running for president in next year’s elections, had been honoured as the scion of a police officer for his father Chrysanthos’ services to the force.

Kyprianou said Cyprus was a unique global phenomenon: the Friends of Police honour people who undermined democracy and fought against their country.

“All other countries honour their heroes, the people who defend democracy, the people who defend their country,” Kyprianou said. “It’s a shame. I do not know what else to say.”

The first reaction to the award came on Friday from the association of resistance fighters who expressed their indignation and questioned the reasoning behind the award.

The association said Chrysanthos Anastasiades assumed the position of Limassol police director on July 16, one day after the coup had been launched.

“This proves the very close relations he had with those who abolished democracy while at the same time opened the back door to the Turkish invader (five days later),” the association said.

The friends of police attributed Kyprianou’s reaction to the expediencies of the presidential election but also added that Chrysanthos had never been convicted for any related offenses.

 Neophytos Papamiltiadous, chairman of the Friends of Police, said they knew there would be a misunderstanding and had already announced they were also honouring the other presidential candidates – AKEL-backed Stavros Malas and Yiorgos Lillikas – whose fathers fought against Turkish Cypriot paramilitaries as special constables in 1963-64.

The events of that period, especially the Greek junta-inspired coup, are highly emotive issues for Cypriot society especially since no one – except the man who assumed the presidency briefly -- has been brought to justice.

Only Nicos Sampson, installed as president by the coupists and lasted eight days, stood trial and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 

Three years into his sentence he was allowed to go to France for medical reasons. 

Sampson returned to prison in 1990 but was freed again a few months later.

 He died in 2001. Sixty-two civil servants who had been sacked following the events were restored in the 1990s by the Glafcos Clerides administration.

UK SOLICITORS Maxwell Alves who are acting on behalf of clients in the Alpha Bank mortgage dispute, are asking the Central Bank of Cyprus, the Disciplinary Committee of the Cyprus Bar Association and the Cypriot Attorney General, the bank, the developer and the lawyer in each of their cases to demonstrate that they were acting in good faith. 

“There are just too many coincidences and irregularities that point in the other direction,” 

said George Kounis, consultant with Maxwell Alves who is due to visit Cyprus for meetings in the coming week. “But we need to give them every opportunity to explain.”

The law firm is one of several representing Britons who bought holiday homes in Cyprus but face repossession after one of Greece’s major lenders, Alpha Bank, launched legal procedures against them.

As many as a thousand Britons stopped paying their mortgage as a direct result of an ongoing debt crisis and the changes this brought upon their mortgage terms. The borrowers bought property in Cyprus with Swiss francs denominated mortgages, an advantageous agreement five years ago because Swiss franc loans offered a much better interest rate.

But since the credit crisis, the Swiss franc has been appreciating against other currencies and Britons repaying mortgages in sterling now need to pay significantly more. Alpha Bank argues that borrowers were asked to sign all the relevant legal documents, including declaration letters acknowledging that they fully understood the risks involved in borrowing in Swiss francs.

Maxwell Alves said the recent move of Alpha Bank Cyprus against thousands of British buyers of properties in Cyprus who defaulted on their mortgages was anticipated. 

It said Swiss Franc mortgages and other low interest currencies, such as the Japanese Yen, became very popular a few years ago in many countries. Cyprus was no exception. What people did not realise at the time was that the increases in their value (the Swiss franc rose by nearly 40 per cent since 2008) would quickly absorb any interest rate savings and increase the original capital borrowed. So if one borrowed 100,000 in 2008 he now owes 140,000 before any interest is added. 

Add to this the economic downturn, which meant that property values did not appreciate and in many areas have even fallen (up to 70 per cent on Paphos holiday homes) and the fact that banks have since put up interest rates despite Swiss franc deposit rates going down.

“The situation is so serious in some countries that the Supreme Court in Iceland has ruled against banks hiking interest rates on these loans and the government of Hungary is taking steps to force the banks to write-off the currency appreciation differential. So what makes Cyprus different?,” the lawyers said in their statement. 

“Buyers of properties in Cyprus that do not have title deeds do not have a choice of lender and cannot re-mortgage unless the land is unencumbered,” said Kounis. “The bank that has lent the money to the developer is also the only possible lender to the purchaser unless it consents to another bank lending the money.” This places purchasers who run into problems at the mercy of the lender. 

“But the third and perhaps the most important difference is that at the time, these borrowers could not have anticipated what could happen. If the other side to the transaction (which included what they thought were their professional advisers) had foreseen the pitfalls and did not tell or worse still if they planned it this way, then we would have a scam of scandalous proportions, a Cypriot ‘Swissgate’,” the solicitors said.  

 “You expect a bank to be making a profit on the interest rate differential. That is normal,” said Kounis. “What would be unacceptable is if the bank is using a developer to sell off Swiss franc loans in anticipation of a rise in the currency value so that it can make a killing, for the developer to be using low-cost convenient mortgages to sell-off properties that would otherwise not sell and that a lawyer purporting to be acting for you would be used to keep you in darkness.” 

Our establishment is now offering a free Troika bar with every cup of skettos to help sweeten the bitter taste of a bailout deal. The bar is made in Norway. It consists of three distinct layers. The top layer is soft raspberry jelly, the middle layer is truffle, and the bottom one is marzipan. It is also covered with dark chocolate. Our sources tell us that the commie cooks up at the palazzo de popolo are working on a counter bar they say will be a billion times better than the Troika. Called The Pinocchio, it will have an outer shell made from crispy wood, and be filled with chewy sawdust, and it will cost twice as much.  

EVERYONE in our establishment was asking the same question on hearing that the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the EU: Would Comrade Tof be going to Oslo, as president of the country holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, to receive the award?

It would be a fantastic send-off for the man, a couple of months before he is due to step down. The award ceremony usually takes place in December so he has every right to be in Oslo to receive the award, on behalf of the EU Council. It would be one job of the EU presidency for which we would not ask for Denmark’s help.

The Commission was asked on Friday who would be receiving the award on behalf of the Union and the spokesman said no decision had been taken. So there is still a chance it would be the comrade, although the big boys, Barroso and Van Rompuy, must be considered the favourites to represent the Union.

But if Barroso and Van Rompuy cannot agree which one would go, the comrade could be sent, as a compromise. It would be indirect recognition for his unwavering efforts to secure peace and reconciliation in Cyprus, in spite of Turkish intransigence, without asphyxiating time-frames.

If he goes he could give the Nobel committee a brief lecture on how mistaken it was to award the 1990 peace prize to Mikhail Gorbachev, the man who destroyed the Soviet Union. 

THE FARCE surrounding the government’s counter-proposals continues. The comrade met union bosses on Friday and had a “very creative and constructive meeting”. He told them that the government would examine their suggestions which would be discussed at another meeting.

Today he will meet representatives of the employers’ organisations to discuss their proposals regarding our side’s counter-proposals. Tomorrow he will have his second meeting with the party leaders who are expected to submit their suggestions on how to improve the government’s counter-proposals.

Initially the government had said it would finalise its counter-proposals, at the second meeting with the party leaders, and send these to the troika. But would there be enough time to examine the party leaders’ suggestions and reach agreement on the package on Monday? 

Even if Monday’s meeting goes fantastically well and ends in agreement, the comrade would then have to see the union bosses to discuss the issues they had raised on Friday; employers’ representatives could also be granted a second meeting. If he agrees to union proposals, he would then have to meet the party leaders to secure their agreement...

IS THERE any point to all these meetings, considering that the government’s counter-proposals had already been sent to the troika? Finance minister Shiarly, before going to his barber, Saturday before last, had told the Trito radio, morning show that the government’s counter-proposals had been sent to the troika.

By night time Shiarly had changed his story - speaking on the RIK evening news from Luxembourg to where he had flown after his hair-cut - to say the counter-proposals had not been sent to the troika, which got hold of the document from the internet. Stef Stef repeated this fairy-tale on Monday morning.

On Tuesday, the head of the IMF Christine Lagarde said some proposals had been received from the Cyprus government and were being looked at. The next morning Stef-Stef, whose lying has become crudely amateurish, said the government had neither sent nor conveyed any proposals to the troika. Asked who gave them to the IMF he said they took them from the newspapers.

Next time Lagarde speaks to press, a hack should ask her in which Cyprus newspaper the IMF read our counter-proposals.

WHEN HE was publicly rubbishing the counter-proposals which ‘slaughtered’ the poor, defenceless parasites 10 days ago, PASYDY tyrant Glafcos Hadjimourmouris, said something that appeared to make no sense.

He claimed the measures had not been prepared by the finance ministry and he knew this because he had been informed by his union’s members. “The measures we were presented were cooked up elsewhere,” he said, conspiratorially.

He was correct. Our establishment has found out that our counter-proposals were indeed cooked up elsewhere, specifically, in the kitchens of the palazzo del popolo, with Comrade Tof as the head chef, and his merry band of economically clueless associates – Sillykiotis, Stef-Stef and his pourekka Sotiroulla. Finance minister Shiarly, who knows a thing or two about cooking, was not even invited to chop onions and peel potatoes.

This gang of four unreformed communists, without knowledge of market economics (two studied political science in Bulgaria, the third engineering in Germany and the head chef history in the Soviet Union) cooked up those pathetically, pitiful proposals.

And it is not just our biased establishment that says so. An article about the plan in Tuesday’s Financial Times said: “A government plan unveiled last week was worse than useless. It emphasised tax increases, not expenditure cuts...”

WE WOULD like to apologise to Shiarly, for last week’s unflattering words, regarding the counter-proposals, which we had wrongly assumed he had put together on the instructions of the omniscient comrade. We now know that he had nothing to do with the drafting of the plan, his only contribution being to send it to the troika (or tell them to read about in the newspapers) and to present it as not worse than useless, despite knowing that it is.

ONE THING the comrade told his union comrades on Friday was that the state was very short of cash and had to sign the memorandum with the troika. 

This cash shortage is already being felt by contractors who had done work for the government months ago and are still waiting to be paid. One small contractor, who occasionally has a metrios in our establishment, said he was considering laying off three employees because he had not received the money owed to him by the state and could not afford to pay them any longer.

The government is behaving like the Orphanides supermarket chain, many of the suppliers of which are struggling to stay afloat because of non-payment by the public company. The irony is that Orphanides, is being kept afloat by the bankrupt Popular Bank, which stands to lose tens, if not hundreds, of millions if the company goes under, setting off a chain reaction of bankruptcies.

THE RECESSION has also taken its toll on the media. The Zeus group has reportedly decided to stop the daily publication of Simerini and keep it going as a Sunday paper, from February. 

The reason it would be kept going until then is the hope that the government would publish the electoral lists ahead of the presidential elections. This nets dailies some €90,000 each (weeklies receive a fraction of this amount), but the group is being very optimistic if it thinks the government would have the funds for such an extravagance.

Other developments are also taking place on the media’s Mount Olympus. Persistent rumours suggest that supreme ruler Zeus Hadjicostis, is currently negotiating the sale of the group to a US company dealing with hydrocarbon exploration. 

THE BANKRUPT Ayios Dhometios municipality would welcome a buy-out by a US company, but as this is not going to happen it is resorting to bullying tactics to raise cash.

The municipality has been trying to increase the one per cent tax it has been collecting on all bets at the Nicosia Race Club, because revenue has fallen. Whereas in 2008 it took more than a million euro, its tax revenue in 2012 would be €600,000, the mayor Costas Petrou has complained. 

The Race Club, which had been recording big losses in the last few years, secured government permission to take bets on horse-racing abroad since last month, in order to increase its income and the cash-strapped municipality is now demanding a cut of this.

In a letter to the Race Club, Mayor Petrou said that “while the Club would continuously take super-profits from overseas betting, the Ayios Dhometios municipality’s revenue would continuously fall,” because betting on local racing would decrease.

Is the mayor running a local authority or a protection racket?

THE TERMS imposed by the unions, with the blessing of Pourekka’s ministry of unions, on farmers employing foreign workers, could also be described as a protection racket.

A farmers’ leader was quite rightly protesting earlier this week, about the €200 a year farmers have to pay a union for medical cover for each foreign worker, as a condition for being granted a work permit by the ministry. Of course to be entitled to the medical cover, €50 membership fee has to be paid to the union as well.

The only problem is that union-approved doctors are in the towns, too far away for the farm-workers, who have no car, to ever visit them.

STATE school teachers are going out of their way to earn the title of most objectionable public parasites. They are already threatening dynamic measures against the proposed pay cuts and their unions would be meeting this week to discuss measures to disrupt education. 

They really have a nerve. Cyprus’ teachers are the second highest-paid in the EU, they work the fewest days (less than half the days of the year thanks to the abundance of saints’ days and national days that are observed) and fewest hours per week; and many of them take their full entitlement of sick leave as well.

In their defence, a union boss, said that teachers spent many non-school hours on lesson preparation, as if teachers in other countries did not. So much time and effort is put into preparing lessons that half their students need afternoon private lessons in order to get an education. 

AND THEN we wonder why university students are always insisting that they should be granted everything free by the state. It is because they have had very good teachers.

The head of the association of university unions complained to a newspaper on Monday because Cyprus University students, who pay no tuition fees, had to pay for materials and equipment (nurses uniforms, musical instruments, design folders) used in their courses.

He also had the nerve to express outrage over the Senate’s plans to charge for parking spaces in the university’s premises. Free education must come with free parking for the poor students’ cars.

PROPOSALS for growth and development were presented by the government on Wednesday. It would spend €300 million on supporting small to medium businesses and Pourekka’s ill-conceived job creation schemes that increase unemployment. The only problem is that it does not have the money. It hopes the oil exploration licensing round would raise €200 million and the remainder would come from EU finds. It is another worse than useless plan cooked up in the palazzo kitchen.

IF THE GOVERNMENT really wants to save some money it could always sack Yiorkos Iacovou, who is on 100 grand a year and has nothing to do. He would collect a massive monthly pension, so he would still be able to make ends meet.

IN THE NORTH, the pseudo-government is under a lot of pressure from parents about the poor state of schools. Turkish settlers in the Karpass, according to the Turkish Cypriot press had issued an ultimatum to the pseudo-minister of education. If he did not do something about teacher shortages and big classes, they threatened to take their kids to the Greek school.

THE PRESSURE of working in the palazzo kitchen must be getting to Stef-Stef. On Thursday, he thought it appropriate to make a joke about the fall of the tall tower crane which killed a British woman. “I hope nobody would now say that President Christofias was to blame for the fall of the crane,” he quipped. He could not have been more insensitive and callous if he tried.

IN LARNACA, the police are still employing ‘associates’, for the clampdown on prostitution, in contrast to Limassol where cops are given the thankless task of sleeping with a suspect before the raid of his colleagues. In the latest raid the ‘associate’ gave marked euro notes to the Bulgarian madam for the services of a young Latvian.

AFTER receiving several requests from readers to publish the number of days left before the departure of the comrade chef from the kitchen, we are sad to report that there are still 133 to go until the scheduled second Sunday of elections on February 24. 

THE GOVERNMENT obviously recognises the huge social problems that would be created by the troika’s proposal for the seizure and sale by the banks of properties used as security for non-performing loans (NPL). The troika suggested that after 18 months of the owner not making loan repayments, the property should be repossessed by the bank and sold. 

“There are some sensitive issues of mainly social nature for which the government has political positions,” said the government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou on Wednesday. He said these positions would be forwarded to the party leaders so the matter would be discussed at their scheduled meeting with President Christofias on Monday.

The government is obviously worried that such a measure would result in hundreds, if not thousands, of families losing their homes. With more and more people out of work, there is bound to be an increasing number who would be unable to pay their instalments on housing loans. And with the recession set to continue for the next two years at least, such a measure would have devastating social consequences.

In the past, it took a bank between eight to 11 years to repossess a house for which the owner was not repaying the loan. Even if the court issued a repossession order, the case stalled at the Land Surveys Department which would take years to process it. If the troika proposal is imposed new legislation would have to be passed, speeding up the whole procedure, but it is more than likely that the political parties would try to delay approval.

The government’s counter-proposal is that the 18-month period suggested by the troika be extended to five years, while repossession of houses in which the owner was living would be ruled out. Troika technocrats will have a laugh when they see these counter-proposals, which essentially would be an admission by the government that it opposes the rule of law. How else could the suggestion that legal contracts regarding housing loans did not have to be honoured, be interpreted? The government is saying that a home-owner can refuse to repay his or her loan to the bank indefinitely and with impunity.

Nobody would like to see people who are hard up being thrown out of their homes, but the government’s position is a blatant show of disregard for the law, that would encourage cheating and dishonesty. If someone will face no consequences for not repaying a housing loan, why pay it? If it wants to protect home-owners from eviction it should come up with an arrangement, within the law. One suggestion was the setting up of a state company that would take over housing loans, but this would incur significant costs for the taxpayer.

As for the extension of the troika’s proposed 18 months, for the repossession of collateral on NPLs, to five years it is absurd. If someone is not repaying his loan on a holiday villa or if a business cannot meet its loan obligations for office premises or a high-street shop, why should the banks wait for five years to repossess? In a country with rule of law, legal contracts cannot be made invalid because of the government’s social policy, regardless of how worthy its objective might be.

There is another big social issue, relating to the troika’s proposal that nobody has touched – the tens of thousands of innocent property owners without title deeds. What would happen to them if the developer, who was paid in full for the property but re-mortgaged it, has NPLs and the bank, which holds the title deed, repossesses property?  Would the government sit and watch as an owner, who has done nothing wrong, is evicted from a house for which he has paid in full, because the developer cannot repay his bank loans?  There are over 100,000 people, the majority foreigners, without title deeds for properties they had bought and paid off. Would they be protected by the government’s five-year proposal that would buy time for developers, in the hope they would eventually be able to repay their loans? 

The troika’s proposal relating to NPLs is based on the rational economic approach that ensures the efficient allocation of resources and eliminates market distortions, but takes no account of the social implications. It would certainly have dire social consequences, which is why the government must formulate a credible counter-proposal, aimed at providing a safety net for genuinely hard-up, house-owners as well as those who have paid for their properties and have no title deeds. This might be a costly exercise, but it would be the rational and responsible approach, infinitely better than the government advocating disregard for legal contracts.    

THE need to address the title deeds fiasco is more urgent than it has ever been as the troika move in to sort out the banks’ non-performing loan (NPL) portfolios, property experts have said.

The Cyprus Property Action Group CPAG, said that through dealing with some terrible buyer situations, the organisation had seen much of this coming.

“As most of us have been saying for quite a while this title deed mess will need to be drastically addressed at some time; however the longer this action is delayed the more risky it gets for an increasing number of buyers due to developers’ rapidly reducing ability to service their mortgage debts,” CPAG said.

In a document titled “The economic adjustment program for Cyprus”, the troika of lenders wants local banks to repossess homes held against non-performing loans within 18-months, opening the possibility that some homeowners without title deeds could potentially face the seizure and sale of their properties.

The Cyprus government, in its counter proposals to the troika, wants a five-year stay pending seizure of a property. Moreover, it proposes that owner-occupied housing be exempted from any asset seizures.

Whatever the outcome, it is certain that a compromise will have to be made under the bailout negotiations, which will still leave thousands of home buyers without title deeds facing repossession of their properties due to developer mortgage defaults, unless the age-old fiasco is finally resolved.

“The troika's proposal to accelerate loan recovery by the banks could spell disaster for many,” Property analyst Nigel Howarth told the Sunday Mail.

“Within 18 months they could lose their homes even though they may have paid their developer in full and have been living in the property for many years.”

Howarth stressed that the news provides little comfort for tens of thousands of homeowners who have been left without deeds by developers that used them as collateral for their own mortgages – in many cases without disclosing their actions to buyers.

“We know that many people, both Cypriot and foreigners, have been duped into buying property built on land that the developer has mortgaged to the bank,” he said. “We also believe that many developers' loans should be considered as non-performing because they are not getting sufficient revenue from sales to service their loans.”

Furthermore, Howarth added that many banks were woefully deficient and reckless in their responsibility to clients by granting mortgages to people that had unknowingly bought property on land which developers had already mortgaged.

“But we do not know the extent of the deceit, which this and previous governments have condoned by their inaction, but it must affect many thousands of people,” he added.

“It is only when those who have bought property do a title search from the Land Registry they discover that the land on which their property is built is mortgaged. But even then they cannot find out the balance of the mortgage as the bank treats this information as confidential.”

It is estimated that developers have sold properties without title deeds – the documents proving ownership - to 70,000 Cypriots and over 30,000 foreigners, with the banks having first priority on the properties when calling loans.  

CPAG claims that developer mortgages now reached a staggering €6billion.

“And developers currently in a collapsed market with limited income and unable to service this debt (and with the banks having hidden these NPL’s) this ‘toxic debt’ we have been highlighting for years becomes even more toxic every day,” it said. “ Unfortunately, we are now seeing a possible avalanche of other creditor claims against retained title deeds on properties paid for in full, often years ago. “

CPAG said some unfortunate buyers have found out already by accident that their homes are scheduled to be sold off in order to pay off their bankrupt developer’s debts – not only to the banks but to the many other creditors, including the Inland Revenue, who have since come out of the woodwork and also lodged claims against the title deeds. 

“And by the way, what claim does the bank now really have, even over the land, when it was part of a deception from the outset and has not acted properly in respect of the management of the developer’s debt on that land?” it added.

CPAG also wondered what chance there was of the troika either uncovering or being told the real extent of the title deeds mess.

“Questions do remain,” said Howarth. “How will the banks treat home buyers who are diligently making their mortgage repayments? Will the banks throw them out on the street if their developer defaults?”

“I dearly hope that the troika's investigations will have uncovered the deceitful practices of the developers, their 'puppet' lawyers and the banks. Hopefully, in their forthcoming discussions with the government the troika will put forward measures to protect home buyers from what could otherwise be their Armageddon.”

Anti-Euro MP Nigel Farage says the troika's economic policy toward Cyprus would result in wide-spread misery for both Cypriots and expatriates in on the island. The outspoken MEP has previously condemned the practice of retaining title-deeds, after the sale of a property asking whether Cyprus was ‘a state or a bandit-stronghold?’

The title deed fiasco has been a constant embarrassment to the government and is partly blamed for the slump in the once booming property market, with Interior Minister Eleni Mavrou recently admitting that her office has been made aware of hundreds of complaints about deeds being sent to EU officials in Brussels.

Last year property buyers decided to change tack and pursue their title deeds through Brussels, arguing that the holding back of the deeds violates the EU directive on unfair commercial practices.

Many home owners could lose everything

AN ageing award winning theatre group based in Paphos is on the lookout for new members.

Stage One Theatre groups’ production manager Caroline Harman-Smith said: “We are getting on a bit as a group and urgently need an infusion of younger people in their 30’s and 40’s to enable us to broaden the scope of our productions.”

According to Harman-Smith, members have been leaving Cyprus at a steady trickle for the past few years and few young people have joined. 

The group consists of mostly British ex pats, many who have decided to leave Cyprus to return home or to live in other countries.

Harman-Smith said: “Reasons for leaving include deteriorating health, economics and missing family members. We have also had a number of deaths.”

Stage One, which was established in 1985 by Freda Worsnop, put on their first performance in a back garden. They moved to Emba theatre in 1987. Since then it has grown to include well over 200 members and they now present regular performances at the 240-seat venue.

The amateur dramatic group’s production manager stressed: “We desperately need to inject some younger blood into our group. We want to continually improve the quality of our productions and having younger members will enable us to expand our repertoire. Obviously, because most of our actors are from the older generation, this limits the kind of plays which we can put on.”

She added: “The audience wants to see different faces as well and it would be great if we could find people with singing and dancing skills.”

The theatre group is ‘particularly short of men’, Harman–Smith put this down to ‘women being generally more confident.’

But, she was quick to point out that everyone is welcome at Stage One.

“Although we have over 250 members, some of those are just social members and we would like to get as many new people as possible,” she said.

In addition to needing more actors, the group say they are desperately short of people to work backstage including, electricians and carpenters and the areas of lighting and sound. 

As far as skills go Harman-Smith pointed out that training is available.

She said: “We are able to train people and already this year I have hosted a couple of workshops, on directing and audition hints and tips. I’m hoping to do the next one for actors.”

The production manager added: “Although most of us are advancing in years, we are a lively group and age and sex is immaterial.”

A large part of Stage One is the social side with regular club nights being held at the theatre every month. “We have in house entertainment and we also go on regular trips , there is also a book and DVD swap and a monthly newsletter.”

The group is also on the look out for people with IT skills and people to be involved in ticketing and compiling the programme.

The next auditions are to be held in November for the production, ’The Love of Four Colonels’ by Peter Ustinov.

For further information contact Caroline 26911641 or Andy on 97613914.

THE SNAKE ROAD at Dhekelia linking Larnaca and Famagusta, has been re-opened to traffic after having been closed in both directions for the past three years.

The road was closed in 2009 after a team of engineers concluded that driving conditions were no longer safe, causing some disruption for local services and residents that were forced to take lengthy diversions.

The closure affected the route between the Waterloo Road West roundabout and the junction of the Larnaca to Famagusta main road with the Pyla to Pergamos road.

A crowd of about 50-people turned up to witness the re-opening, which was preceded by a church blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the Dhekelia police station.

Jeremy Wright, the Chief Officer of the SBA administration told the Cyprus Mail that the total cost for the project amounted to €210,000, with the Sovereign Base Areas paying for the work.

Repairs were conducted by local contractors, with the co-operation of the Public Works Department and the Ministry of Communications.

“The fact that we found a solution in this economic climate is a tribute to the close co-operation of us all working together,” Wright said.

Until yesterday, traffic travelling in the direction of Larnaca or Famagusta was diverted through Waterloo road on the Dhekelia base.

PRESIDENT DEemetris Christofias paid a one-day visit to Rome yesterday where he held contacts with the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Mario Monti.

Speaking after his 45-minute meeting with Monti, Christofias said he was “truly satisfied” by the “very friendly” discussion held between the two. 

“I am pleased to say I was given the promise that Italy will continue to support the sovereign right of Cyprus to exploit its natural resources within its exclusive economic zone,” he said.

The president briefed Monti on the Cyprus issue and discussed issues relating to the Cyprus EU presidency and the situation in the Middle East.

The two men also exchanged views on a number of “burning” issues, like the economic crisis and developments in both countries.

Christofias said ministers from both countries were coordinating efforts at a European level on a number of issues on which they share common positions, like the Multiannual Financial Framework and the Common European Asylum System.

The meeting was also attended by Communications Minister Efthymios Flourentzou, Education Minister Giorgos Demosthenous and Cyprus’ Ambassador to Rome Leonidas Markides.

Christofias also met with Napolitano. The two presidents later inaugurated an exhibition of Cyprus antiquities, titled ‘Cyprus: Island of Aphrodite’ at the Quirinal Palace exhibition hall, in the framework of the Cyprus EU presidency.

LABOUR MINISTER Sotiroulla Charalambous yesterday acknowledged the gap in views between the ministry and employers’ organisations over reform of the cost of living allowance (CoLA). 

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KEVE) and the Employers’ and Industrialists’ Federation (OEV) submitted their counter-proposals to the ministry’s compromise proposal on the wage indexation on Tuesday.  

The issue of reforming CoLA, which automatically alters salaries every six months based on fluctuations in inflation, has been on the cards for months, regardless of changes or not in productivity. 

The employers’ organisations call for a freeze on the wage indexation for at least the next three years or for as long as the memorandum to be signed with the troika will be in force.

After that, they want the payment or not of CoLA to be assessed based on a 12-month assessment of the economy, not two quarters as proposed by the ministry, and any readjustment must be linked to an increase in productivity, growth and competitiveness.

The labour ministry has effectively proposed freezing CoLA for the next two years, and that CoLA be calculated on an annual basis, not twice a year, to be paid on January 1 each year.  

Charalambous said yesterday she disagreed with KEVE and OEV’s positions, noting that the ministry made its compromise proposal on the understanding that the employers’ organisations, unions and ministry had reached convergences. 

However, following the employers’ response to the proposal, the minister said: “There is disagreement, I want to be clear on that.” 

She said the various stakeholders disagreed on what the target of CoLA reform should be: institutional structural reform or freezing CoLA. 

The employers’ proposals include elements of both targets, she argued. “They say approve structural changes and on top of that, we want CoLA to be frozen,” added Charalambous.

OEV head Michalis Pilikos said yesterday employers want to extend the assessment period on whether to pay CoLA or not from six months to a year: “We believe this period should be extended so the base on which the economy’s path is calculated is more accurate.”

He noted that a big obstacle to reaching agreement with the unions and ministry would likely be the proposal to freeze CoLA for at least three years to give businesses and the economy some “breathing space” and help stimulate growth. 

“This year, despite the massive recession in our country, salaries have increased so far by 2.5 per cent. 

It’s a paradox to be in a serious crisis and see salaries increase by 2.5 per cent mainly due to CoLA,” said Pilikos. 

THE government said yesterday it expected a final round of talks with international lenders to start next week, as negotiations with social partners on its counter proposals regarding the adjustment programme wrap up this weekend.

Speaking to reporters after the third meeting with parties yesterday, Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly said he expected talks with lenders – the European Commission, IMF and European Central Bank, known as the troika -- to start before the end of the month.

"Within the month, and certainly in the coming week. Time is restricted and there is not much time left," Shiarly said.

Officials say the government is keen for a deal by mid-November. Without that, there is speculation that the island could face a cash crunch as early as December.

A conclusion with lenders on much-needed aid has been fraught with delays as the island's government tried to get public support for an austerity package.

But with presidential elections in four months, critics say the delay was due to President Demetris Christofias – who is not running for re-election -- kicking the can down the road in a bid to avoid being the one signing the raft of painful measures.

Standard & Poor's, which yesterday downgraded Cyprus three notches to "B" from "BB" with a negative outlook, said electoral considerations contributed to "policy inertia".

“The downgrade reflects our view that Cyprus' creditworthiness has deteriorated since the last downgrade on August 2, 2012, as the government has not yet negotiated a support package, while external and fiscal risks have risen,” S&P said.

  The troika submitted its proposals on July 25 following two fact-finding missions on the island.

."If the problems were dealt with in a more timely manner our economy would be in a much better state, and we wouldn't be confronted with the dilemma of either going broke, or accepting onerous terms," said DIKO spokesman Fotis Fotiou.

The finance minister nevertheless appeared optimistic.

"I am sure we will have a positive conclusion to our request for aid," he said.

The minister said he expected a final round of consultations to conclude by the end of the week on an agreed text to be negotiated with the troika in the next few days.

Yesterday’s discussions with the parties focused on fiscal matters with the two sides finding common ground in many areas.

But “there were also some points where there are different views,” Shiarly said.

Parties and the government agree on preserving the 13th salary, reforming the wage indexation system instead of abolishing it, staggered, not horizontal cuts to the public payroll, cooperative banks to maintain their independent supervision and not selling profitable semi-state companies.

Disagreements include the extension of the retirement age in the public sector from 63 to 65; the creation of casinos and the rate of increase to alcohol and tobacco.

The troika has asked for cutbacks to the inflated public sector payroll, pension reform, in measures expected to generate €975 million in savings.

“The troika group wants a cut in salaries. How we will achieve that reduction is a matter for us to process,” Shiarly said.

He added that the lenders want cuts to be permanent and gradual.

The troika has also questioned the reasoning behind the government’s decision to use some €200 million from the second hydrocarbon licensing round in a recently-announced stimulus package.

“It is a matter for which they expressed concern and wanted to know the rationale,” Shiarly said. “It is one of the many issues we would have to discuss with them and maybe provide more explanation.”

Main opposition DISY deputy chairman Averof Neophytou appeared cautious.

“Converging views do not constitute an effective solution of the problem,” Neophytou. “The solution can only come through a comprehensive plan … that will prevent the country’s bankruptcy while creating hope and prospects.”

He said the government was delayed in taking measures, making things worse for the economy and weakening Cyprus’ negotiating position.

The government package is now expected to be put to the unions.

The minister expressed hope that Cyprus will avoid the public reaction to austerity experienced in other countries.

None of the countries where protests took place held talks with parties and unions like Cyprus did, Shiarly said.

Shiarly said a figure had not been set for Cyprus’ financial needs because of a difference of opinion between the government and lenders on the recapitalisation needs of banks.

He added that the amount needed by the state in the next three years is known to be between €4.5 billion and €5.0 billion.

PARLIAMENT moved a step closer yesterday to introducing the narcotest in Cyprus, bringing to a close the police’s long efforts to introduce laws that would catch motorists driving under the influence of drugs. 

The House Legal Affairs and Communications Committees yesterday agreed on the basic legal framework to introduce the narcotest in Cyprus after over a year of discussion on the issue. 

Deputies decided that the test will resemble the procedures followed for the alcohol test. Motorists will be asked to take a preliminary saliva test. If it comes up positive, drivers will be taken to hospital for a blood test. Those who refuse will be charged with driving under the influence of drugs and taken to a police station where they will remain until someone comes to collect them or the drugs wear off. 

Traffic police chief Demetris Demetriou said the narcotest can reveal which forbidden substance has been consumed by the motorist. He added that the new legislation relates to traffic offences only and not any other criminal offences. 

House Legal Affairs Committee chairman Ionas Nicolaou said the bill also provides penalties of up to €3,500 and/or up to three years imprisonment.

AKEL deputy Aristos Damianou said the samples will be destroyed afterwards, and will not be used for DNA testing. 

The new bill is expected to be tabled before the plenum for voting in the coming weeks.  

Deputies had previously disagreed over whether motorists should be checked via urine or blood, with some MPs arguing blood tests were more precise when it came to testing for narcotics.

Earlier this year, the Legal Services assured deputies that there was no question of human rights being violated if someone is asked to give blood, if it is done to investigate the possibility of a crime being committed.

There was some concern that blood-testing has only been adopted by a handful of EU states so far. 

TEN flights to Greece carrying some 1,200 passengers are expected to be affected today due to a three-hour strike by Greek air traffic controllers.

The stoppage is scheduled to start at 10am.

Airports operator Hermes spokesman Adamos Aspris said the strike action will affect five departures and five arrivals scheduled by Cyprus Airways and Aegean Airlines.

Two of the flights were cancelled while the rest will be rescheduled, Aspris said.

“They concern flights to Athens, Patras and Thessaloniki. In total, tomorrow’s (today’s) strike is expected to affect around 1,200 passengers,” Aspris said.

He urged travellers to contact the airlines and their travel agents before going to Larnaca or Paphos airports.

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl from Paphos is in danger of losing the sight in her left eye after a series of blunders at the state hospital, which started off with a simple dental procedure.

While in the dentist’s chair, the girl was accidentally sprayed in the face with a disinfectant containing phosphoric acid, and sustained serious burns.

The hospital has launched an internal investigation.

The accident, which took place on October 3, marked the beginning of a fortnight from hell for the girl and her family, her father Christodoulos Constantinou told the state broadcaster (CyBC) yesterday.

In a letter to the health ministry, published by Phileleftheros newspaper yesterday, Constantinou said his wife took their daughter to the state dentist to repair a bad tooth.

He said while the dentist was trying to show the girl the medication she would be using to disinfect the tooth, she pressed the handle of the container by mistake and a large quantity of caustic phosphoric acid was sprayed into child’s left eye.

“The dentistry staff made some effort to clean my daughter’s eye but, as it later emerged, it needed massive quantities and a constant flow of water in order to completely clean out the caustic liquid.”

The child, who by now was screaming in pain, was immediately taken to the hospital’s A&E department, where according to Constantinou, the doctors on duty, instead of administering first aid, urged the girl’s mother  to take her to a private optician. 

“The staff working at that specific time and date did not act correctly,” said Constantinou. He said the duty optician saw the burns but instead of administering first aid, in this case water, stated she had never seen such an injury and urged the family to visit a specific private optician.

The girl was taken by her mum to the optician in question, but it emerged that he was abroad. 

“My wife headed off with her child, as if she was a dog or a lifeless object, with no empathy from hospital staff,” said Constantinou. “When she reached the private optician’s clinic I was already there and after waiting for half an hour, with my child constantly crying, we were informed that the doctor was away abroad and were recommended another private clinic in Limassol.”

The seven-year-old arrived at the second clinic two and a half hours after the incident occurred, where according to Constantinou, doctors found there was still quite a considerable amount of phosphoric acid in the little girl’s eye. She started immediate treatment.

Due to the delays, the seven-year-old is now in danger of permanently losing sight in her left eye.

Constantinou said the family had to visit a specialist optician in Israel. The results of the tests, he said, showed that long-term treatment was needed, while the girl has already undergone surgery to have an amniotic membrane grafted, which was brought over from the US.

While all this was going on, the girl’s grandfather started contacting the ministry.

“Despite being informed over the phone, the health ministry did not respond, nor did anyone from the hospital where the incident took place call to see what happened with my child,” said Constantinou in his letter to the ministry, which he said he was late sending as he and his wife were “too preoccupied with our child’s welfare”.

A spokesman for Paphos General Hospital yesterday said an investigation was underway to determine the reasons of the accident, as well as to record the action that was taken following the incident.

The health ministry, which received the written complaint on Monday, has remained tight-lipped about the matter. The Cyprus Mail was yesterday unable to get an official comment.

The seven-year-old’s family have taken on the surgery and treatment costs.

Despite deeming this a “very serious case”, the head of government doctors’ association PASYKI, Vagios Partasides, said it needed to be investigated in detail, “before safe conclusions can be extracted”.

‘HANDS OFF the co-operative banks,’ is the universal message sent to the troika by our political establishment. All the deputies, who sit on the House commerce committee, unanimously agreed to send a letter to the president and the party leaders urging them not to change the legal framework under which co-op banks operate. This should constitute a ‘red line’ for all of us, said the committee chairman Lefteris Christoforou after Tuesday’s meeting.

Archbishop Chrysostomos added his voice to this chorus on the same day. “The troika needs to respect the co-op movement, because if our people survived in the old days that we older folk lived through, it was thanks to the co-ops,” he told journalists. “This is why we must all protect the co-op movement,” he declared, after explaining how co-ops had helped many poor families survive in the old days.

But what is the threat posed by the troika to the co-op movement? It has not said that co-ops must close down, stop lending money to poor people or be sold off to the banks. It does not want to destroy co-ops, as has been claimed. All that the troika suggested was that co-op banks should be regulated by the Central Bank, as they conduct the same business as commercial banks. This suggestion, which is perfectly reasonable, is nothing new. It has also been the position of the European Commission, but successive governments ignored it.

Why is there such a paranoid fear of Central Bank supervision and regulation? We can only deduce that co-op banks have things to hide such as many non-performing loans and would not survive if they had to operate under the rules and regulations being imposed on the banks. If the Cypriot banks were lax with regard to NPLs co-op banks would have been even more lax as they operated like social rather than profit-making credit institutions. Would inspection of the loan portfolios of co-ops reveal capital inadequacy as well? 

It was also rather amusing that the boss of the Co-op Central Bank, Erotokritos Chlorakiotis, publicly declared that co-op banks should remain under his organisation’s supervision. This could hardly be seen as an objective or impartial opinion. If anything it raises suspicions that he is trying to hide the true state of co-op banks, which might not have invested in the Greek economy, but could have an even bigger proportion of NPLs than commercial banks.

We all hope that co-op banks are in rude good health, but the suspicion is that, if they were, nobody would object to the troika’s proposal, which is perfectly reasonable. The troika’s objective is not to destroy co-ops but to ensure they follow the rules that apply to all credit organisations.

CYPRUS HAS won plaudits from a widely circulated European newsletter on diplomacy and defence for its eco-friendly army camps. 

The ‘Europe Diplomacy & Defence’ newsletter applauded Cyprus for developing the first military installation in Europe to receive certification for implementing the EU’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). 

“While most Ministries of Defence (MoD) in Europe remain insensitive to environmental issues, Cyprus is currently showing proof of its concern to ensure defence activity can be compatible with energy efficiency and rational use of resources,” said the newsletter.  

The Cyprus Defence Ministry’s in-house environmentalist and civil engineer, Eftychia Ioannou, told the Cyprus Mail that the Cypriot MoD decided to implement EMAS on a pilot basis in the the Stylianos Kalbourtzis military camp in Delikipos. 

In 2011, implementation of the scheme began to make the artillery camp Europe’s first eco-camp. By May, 2012, EU inspectors gave the necessary certification, elevating Cyprus’ National Guard to the somewhat unfamiliar position of being a role model for the rest of Europe’s armed forces. 

One of the objectives was to “establish clear lines of accountability for environmental outcomes” as well as report on environmental performance as part of a process of continual improvement, said Ioannou, a member of the MoD’s Environment Committee. 

The camp received investment to enhance its energy efficiency, resulting in the insulation of walls and roofs, double-glazing, and use of low-energy bulbs.  

The installation of photovoltaic panels allowed the camp to produce its own energy, resulting in 30 per cent of the camp’s electricty consumption coming from its own solar energy.  

Ioannou notes that the National Guard spends €5.5 million a year on electricity.  

According to the ministry official, in 2011, all the measures taken reduced CO2 emissions at the camp by 1.3 per cent compared to the previous year. 

In addition, the ministry planted 600 trees near the camp to further neutralise CO2 emissions. 

Ioannou highlighted that the MoD has also implemented a water management policy resulting in the recycling of water used for showers and laundry (grey water) for use in flushing toilets. 

The waste water recycling system uses treated water for irrigation of green areas while Ioannou said the ministry has plans to recycle the water used for cleaning vehicles so that potable water is not wasted on washing cars and tanks.

The camp’s 320 personnel have also adopted the recycling of paper, plastic and glass as well as cooking oil, motor oil, used tyres and electronic equipment waste.

The aim is to expand the EMAS programme to more and more camps, starting with the nine army camps that already use a waste water recycling system. 

“The camp commander at Delikipos is very happy to have saved on energy and water and ensure all waste is recycled. Everyone has got involved and are very enthusiastic. It’s raised awareness among staff and soldiers who are tomorrow's citizens,” said Ioannou.  

According to Europe Diplomacy & Defence, the MoD plans to take part in reforestation programmes planting 1,000 trees a year.  Since 2010, it has already invested €1.8 million in energy efficiency, €2.8 million in building nine wastewater treatment plants, €450,000 for the installation of 17 grey water systems and €1.3 million for the installation of five solar energy systems generating 265 KW.  

It does not stop there. Cyprus is also one of seven EU member states taking part in the European Defence Agency’s Go Green project which foresees military areas producing their own electricity using photovoltaic panels which can then be sold back onto the market.  

Any profit made from this will then be invested back into environmental programmes of the National Guard, said Ioannou. 

The army engineer said the first phase of Go Green is to offer the roofs of the Paphos Air Base to private investors for the installation of 98,000 metres squared of photovoltaics that will create 4 MW of energy. 

“The aim is to have this ready by the end of 2013,” she said. 

Asked how the ministry’s actions have been received by its EU counterparts, Ionnaou said: “European defence ministries have showed a lot of interest in what we are doing. In 2011, when implementation started, they all wanted to find out more.”

This September, during Cyprus’ EU presidency, Defence Minister Demetris Eliades distributed an outline of the ministry’s environmental policy to his EU counterparts. 

On October 4, around 40 to 50 officials from the EU’s Politico-Military Group and European External Action Service were given a presentation on the success of the Delikipos camp. 

“They were very enthusiastic and congratulated us,” said Ioannou.  

Early next month, the EU’s Defence Environmental Network (Defnet) will hold its plenary meeting in Cyprus. Defnet is an informal, expert-level group comprising mainly of environmental specialists from defence ministries across the EU, geared towards helping MoDs improve their environmental performance.  

Following a request, Defnet will be given a presentation on the great strides in environmental policy taken by the MoD on November 7.  

Solar panels on the roof of the barracks