PHILELEFTHEROS: “The Americans return” US Secretary of State Colin Powell will be sending a State Department senior official to Athens, Ankara and Nicosia to examine the situation regarding the Cyprus problem after the rejection of the Annan plan by the Greek Cypriots last April. According to information, the US official will attempt to examine the intentions of Greece, Turkey, President Tassos Papadopoulos and ‘Prime Minister’ Mehmet Ali Talat.
ALITHIA: “Guilt avoidance by the government” Minister of Justice Doros Theodorou and Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides, when asked about the political responsibilities of President Tassos Papadopoulos and his government on the case of DIKO deputy Marios Matsakis, tried to hide behind a smokescreen without getting into any details about why they have done nothing about the case between April 23 when the case came to their attention, and June 16 when it was revealed by Politis.
MACHI: ”Unholy war raging” During the Holy Synod meeting on the economic management of Archbishopric funds, a conflict broke out between the bishops of Paphos and Kition because the former did not let the latter express his opinion during the meeting on Monday. The Paphos bishop, in his defence, stated that the bishop of Kition was attempting to ridicule him as well as the members of the investigative committee.
HARAVGHI: “Holy Synod divided” Personal attacks and accusations flew during the Holy Synod meeting, when the bishop of Paphos verbally attacked the bishop of Kition by claiming the latter was annoyed by the findings of the research committee. The Bishop of Kition, in a counter-attack attack, hinted that he did not consider the Bishop of Paphos the true president of the Holy Synod.
POLITIS: “He sinned for our inheritance” DIKO deputy Marios Matsakis admitted possessing numerous old artefacts, without having notified the correct authorities. He said that he obtained the artefacts so as to preserve them, thereby, protecting the national inheritance of Cyprus. During the statement he did not mention whether or not these artefacts came from the occupied part of Cyprus.
SIMERINI: ”Veto to the regulations” The government is against the regulations that the British are trying to impose on direct trade and economic funding with the Turkish Cypriots. When these two regulations come to a vote, the government may veto the 259 million euro to aid the Turkish Cypriots if the European Council goes ahead with the regulation for direct trade between the north of the island and the EU. The vote on the funding must be unanimous to pass, but the direct trade vote is by qualified majority.
