ALITHIA: “15 maps in the Turkish plan”. The daily yesterday commented on reports concerning the imminent submission of a Turkish plan for a solution to the Cyprus problem. The document included 15 new maps on territorial issues and the percentage of land to be returned to Greek Cypriot rule approached those of the United Nations plan, Alithia said.
HARAVGHI: “Order given to Talat”. Commenting on the elections in the occupied north, the daily said the leader of the Turkish Republican Party Mehmet Ali Talat finally got the order from Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to form a new administration. Following consecutive consultations with Turkish Cypriot parties, Denktash gave the order to Talat with Ankara’s blessings, hoping to dampen the opposition’s reactions concerning the impasse in the Cyprus problem and use Talat to promote their own positions through a series of amendments to the UN plan.
SIMERINI: “Confrontation ahead”. The daily commented on the huge problem of dealing with collective agreements, noting that confrontation was brewing between employers; associations and trade unions about wage increases. Employers are not willing to give pay rises while trade unions are demanding more, Simerini said.
MACHI: “Arabs under close surveillance”. In recent days the state’s security services have placed people of Arab descent regularly commuting to the occupied north under close surveillance, the daily said. Information concerning a possible terrorist hit in Cyprus have force the authorities to bolster security measures around embassies, airports, ports, military installations and the checkpoints to the north. Commuters are regularly checked for explosives as well as parts that could be used in the manufacture of explosive devices.
POLITIS: “Black clouds for 130,000 workers”. The daily reported that labour peace could be at risk on the eve of the island’s accession into the European Union because of the problem of collective agreements. The agreements, which should be renewed in dozens of areas of the economy, are destined to become the point of conflict between employers and trade unions. Employers cite the economy’s poor state to avoid making concessions while at the same time they have asked for a reassessment of past agreements. Trade unions do not even want to hear about taking away rights and demand improvements in working conditions and salaries, the daily said.
PHILELEFTHEROS: “Parties at loggerheads about the law on evidence”. The daily reported that fresh fighting has erupted among the parties in light of the upcoming vote on the law on evidence, which has been pending for a long time. Despite numerous discussions, differences remain prompting the chairman of the House Legal Affairs Committee to send a second letter to the parties asking them to state their positions on the matter. The issue is further complicated by the involvement of the government, which has recently submitted a bill amending the antiquated law, and the Attorney-general who is against changing it.
