Sirius waves green flag in Cyprus

By Jean Christou

THE Greenpeace ship Sirius will arrive in Cyprus this week as part of its annual tour of the eastern Mediterranean, the international environmental group announced yesterday.

Greenpeace announced that the Sirius will dock in Limassol on Tuesday and remain until October 5. The ship has already visited Portugal, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Israel on a voyage which began in June.

This is the ninth year that the Sirius will visit Cyprus. Greenpeace has waged a long campaign for the protection of the Akamas peninsula and of the green turtle which it fears is in danger from development in the region.

The international group will join local environmental organisations in calling for President Clerides to implement legislation to put into practice the World Bank recommendations on declaring the Akamas a national park.

During their visit last year, several Sirius crew members were arrested in Nicosia after chaining themselves to the gates of the Agriculture Ministry. After much bad publicity over the incident here and abroad, the charges were dropped.

In addition to their active concern for the Akamas, Greenpeace has also recently launched a campaign against the dumping of toxic waste in the eastern Mediterranean by an Israeli company. It is also involved in campaigning against Turkey’s plans for a nuclear power plant on it southern coast.

As part of this year’s visit to Cyprus, Greenpeace is organising a concert at the Phinikoudes area of Larnaca.

The public may also visit the Sirius at Limassol port on Wednesday from 3- 7pm and on Thursday from 10am to 1pm and from 3-7pm.

From October 2, the Sirius will be docked at Larnaca where the public may visit it on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 1pm and from 3-7pm.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.