This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_0025_01C8119B.B1DCF4B0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="Windows-1252"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Cyprus on its own over Syria ferry dispute=20
By Jean Christou
(archive article - Wednesday, October 17, 2007)=20
WITH THE government scrambling to put a stop to the ferry service =
between Syria and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot regime, re****ts =
yesterday suggested Nicosia was on its own and could not expect any help =
from the EU.
Politis quoted sources at the office of EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli =
Rehn as saying the use of occupied Famagusta ****t was not illegal under =
international law and that the issue was a bilateral one between Cyprus =
and Syria.
In addition, they said the designation of Famagusta ****t as illegal was =
a unilateral decision by the Cyprus government after 1974 and could not =
affect Syria as far as international law was concerned. The EU would not =
intervene, they said, because neither the EU nor the UN had ever imposed =
an embargo on ****ts in the north.
Only direct flights to the north can be considered illegal since the =
issue is governed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation under =
the Chicago Convention. The same rules do not apply under maritime law.=20
Only the issue of trade is applicable as far as the EU is concerned, and =
that relates to tariffs, not to the actual trading out of the ****ts in =
the north.=20
The reason most foreign ****ps do not dock in the north is due to the ban =
imposed by the Cyprus Republic, which would arrest and charge the =
captain of any vessel who visited the north and went on to dock in =
Limassol or any other legal ****t.
Since Limassol is a major ****t in the region, most foreign ****ps comply.
In an attempt to persuade Syria to put a stop to the twice-weekly ferry =
services, the honorary president of socialist EDEK Vassos Lyssarides =
will fly to Damascus on Saturday as an envoy of the government.
=93If everything goes well, I will be in Damascus on October 20,=94 =
Lyssarides said.
=93These issues need careful handling and the common aim is to lift any =
negative consequences and to establish the traditionally friendly =
relations that existed and we believe still exist between Syria and =
Cyprus,=94 Lyssarides said.
------=_NextPart_000_0025_01C8119B.B1DCF4B0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="Windows-1252"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dwindows-1252">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.16544" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<CENTER><FONT face=3Darial size=3D5><B>Cyprus on its own over Syria =
ferry=20
dispute</B></FONT> <BR><FONT face=3Darial size=3D2>By Jean =
Christou</FONT><BR><FONT=20
face=3Darial size=3D2><I>(archive article - Wednesday, October 17, =
2007)</I></FONT>=20
</CENTER>
<P><FONT face=3Darial size=3D2>WITH THE government scrambling to put a =
stop to the=20
ferry service between Syria and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot regime, =
re****ts=20
yesterday suggested Nicosia was on its own and could not expect any help =
from=20
the EU.<BR><BR>Politis quoted sources at the office of EU Enlargement=20
Commissioner Olli Rehn as saying the use of occupied Famagusta ****t was =
not=20
illegal under international law and that the issue was a bilateral one =
between=20
Cyprus and Syria.<BR><BR>In addition, they said the designation of =
Famagusta=20
****t as illegal was a unilateral decision by the Cyprus government after =
1974=20
and could not affect Syria as far as international law was concerned. =
The EU=20
would not intervene, they said, because neither the EU nor the UN had =
ever=20
imposed an embargo on ****ts in the north.<BR><BR>Only direct flights to =
the=20
north can be considered illegal since the issue is governed by the =
International=20
Civil Aviation Organisation under the Chicago Convention. The same rules =
do not=20
apply under maritime law. <BR><BR>Only the issue of trade is applicable =
as far=20
as the EU is concerned, and that relates to tariffs, not to the actual =
trading=20
out of the ****ts in the north. <BR><BR>The reason most foreign ****ps do =
not dock=20
in the north is due to the ban imposed by the Cyprus Republic, which =
would=20
arrest and charge the captain of any vessel who visited the north and =
went on to=20
dock in Limassol or any other legal ****t.<BR><BR>Since Limassol is a =
major ****t=20
in the region, most foreign ****ps comply.<BR>In an attempt to persuade =
Syria to=20
put a stop to the twice-weekly ferry services, the honorary president of =
socialist EDEK Vassos Lyssarides will fly to Damascus on Saturday as an =
envoy of=20
the government.<BR><BR>=93If everything goes well, I will be in Damascus =
on=20
October 20,=94 Lyssarides said.<BR><BR>=93These issues need careful =
handling and the=20
common aim is to lift any negative consequences and to establish the=20
traditionally friendly relations that existed and we believe still exist =
between=20
Syria and Cyprus,=94 Lyssarides said.<BR></FONT></P>
<P>
<CENTER><FONT face=3Darial=20
size=3D2></FONT> </CENTER></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_0025_01C8119B.B1DCF4B0--
|
