Fact of the day: As a wee little nose-shaped island sitting on the edge of three continents, trade has always been a favourite pastime for locals and foreigners alike. By joining the EU, we will become part of a huge trading bloc with muscle to negotiate with the big boys, like the US and Asia, on an equal footing. From May 1, Cyprus will adopt all the aspects of the Common Commercial Policy.

TWO organizations – the Greek Cypriot ‘Solution Now’ and Turkish Cypriot ‘This Nation is Ours’, both of which are made up of NGOs campaigning for a solution to the Cyprus problem – yesterday issued a joint declaration yesterday calling on the public to join them in forming a human chain across the Green Line on Monday evening.

THE PLENUM yesterday unanimously opposed the Armenian General Benevolent Union’s (AGBU) decision to shut down the Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) and urged the government to declare the school a historical site. The deputies said the 78-year-old Armenian school was as much part of Cyprus’ cultural and historical heritage as the Armenians’.

TURKISH Cypriot ‘interior minister’ Ozkan Murat has announced that his department has concluded work on finding alternative locations for Turkish Cypriots and Turks who will be relocated if the UN’s Annan plan for Cyprus is implemented.

NEW Horizons leader Nicos Koutsou said yesterday the real negotiations on the Cyprus problem were not taking place in Burgenstock but somewhere else. Koutsou was speaking to Greek Cypriot journalists during an impromptu visit by party leaders to the press hotel. The politicians’ reaction to the Swiss process was mixed.

A MAJORITY vote in the plenum yesterday rejected a proposal to extend the deadline for registering on the electoral roll for this summer’s Euro elections, despite the low registration rate so far. The proposal, put forward by DISY deputy Andreas Papapolyviou, comes exactly one week before the April 2 deadline that was fixed in January when the Euro elections bill was passed.

UN envoy Alvaro de Soto was looking refreshed during his news conference on Thursday, despite three days of shuttling through the snow trying to bang heads. He had not lost his sense of humour and came up with a few witticisms for the press. Admitting Burgenstock was like a prison, the Peruvian diplomat said he must be the warden.

THE other person missing from yesterday’s visit to the great snowy outdoors was former President Glafcos Clerides, who is accompanying the Greek Cypriot delegation to Burgenstock. According to sources, Clerides has a dual role in Switzerland. First he is probably the best reference point on the Cyprus issue and is needed for the nitty gritty of the negotiations in a behind-the-scenes capacity.

YESTERDAY was the first day out for the island’s party leaders since their arrival in Burgenstock. All but AKEL leader Demtris Christofias and United Democrats leader George Vassiliou arrived at the hotel where the press corps is staying. Asked where Vassiliou was, one party leader said he was on a “secret mission”.

POLICE yesterday continued investigations into the brutal murder of a Russian couple and their guest at a villa in the Sea Coast area of Peyia village near Paphos on Wednesday. Police suspect the crime was planned and carried out by foreigners.