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Front Page Headlines
Veto by Eastern Europeans due to immigration
Long night in Brussels without white smoke for the next EU leadership. Overnight consultations yesterday in Brussels for the next President of the Commission in the absence of the President of Cyprus. Macron insists on rejecting Weber, while Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland gave the red light to the Dutch social democrat Timmermans.
- The president’s hip surgery was successful – He will be absent for at least three weeks. There is no issue of being replaced by (House Speaker Demetris) Syllouris.
- Petrol station owners want to meet with the foreign minister – They are putting pressure for the Green Line (Regulation).
- ELAM adds insult to the injury
- Varosi: Tatar says one thing, Ozersay says another
Determined on GESY (National Health Scheme)
President Anastasiades reveals an informal dialogue with private hospitals to join GESY. Part B’ of the interview: Exantas: A programme on the accountability of the government. He responds to scenarios on cabinet reshuffling. Talks of the messages of the Euro-elections and relations with Pindaros (street – DISY’s HQ). The borrowed votes, the ‘zeros’ and his Mea Culpa.
- As of today, almost 350 athletes will join the army – The new law on draft dodging revokes their health card on… mental illness. The (restored) hammam and Ayia Sophia have been delivered in Paphos (by the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage)
- The (Tassos) Isaac- (Solomos) Solomou monument is being moved – The plot (it is in) is being sold.
- Εxplorations for the next drillings took place
The hotelier takes no one into consideration
The exact opposite is taking place of what a court demolition order issued by the Famagusta district court provides as regards a hotel illegally constructed in Ayia Napa. Instead of the illegal structure being demolished, works continue. The owner company seems to have expanded also in designated green areas.
- (Russian FM Sergei) Lavrov- (AKEL leader) Andros (Kyprianou) discuss the Cyprob
- Anastasiades’ health condition is coming along smoothly. He will be back to his duties in two weeks.
Was it just words after all?
The Turkish president managed to woo the leader of the planet. There go US sanctions on Ankara. It all points to Erdogan convincing Trump on the purchase of the Russian S-400 missiles without breaking a sweat. If the leader of the planet finally backs down, the Turkish president will reap his top diplomatic feat. Putin and Trump are pampering the sultan who is getting both the S-400s and the F-35s.
- Alexis Tsipras: He brought up the issue of EU measures against Turkey
- President (Anastasiades): In a good mood, he is monitoring developments
Main News
Anastasiades: Government received messages of Euro-elections results
Phileleftheros
Governance & Power Sharing, EU Matters
OVERVIEW
In the second part of his exclusive interview with Phileleftheros, Anastasiades assesses among other things the Euro-elections results in relation with Ruling DISY and acknowledges his reference to ‘zeros’ during a DISY election rally was a slip of the tongue and a mistake.
He said the government has received the messages of the Euro-election sent by the voters.
On the ‘borrowed votes’ comment he had made concerning AKEL and the support by TCs Anastasiades said he was referring to the Euro-elections system where everyone votes.
Therefore if AKEL believes that its electoral power would increase with the participation of TCs, then yes these votes are borrowed since they will not count during the parliamentary, municipal and presidential elections, he said. He explained that based on Cyprus’ political system, even if the Cyprus problem was not an issue, TCs would be on special electoral lists.
He also admitted that the reference to ‘zeros’ was his mistake but that he was not referring to AKEL members but to criticism by the party’s leadership that nullify everything.
Anastasiades apologised “for a momentary slip of the tongue but still, an unacceptable phrase.”
He also said he has excellent relations with DISY despite some disagreements from time to time.
On the result of the Euro-elections and that some DISY voters chose to back ELAM, he said he perceives this fact as a form of discontent towards the government by voters over some policies concerning internal affairs or some policies they perceived that the ruling party had adopted as regards the Cyprus problem.
Anastasiades said that if one sees where these votes went, they would see it is not compatible with what he is being accused of. Therefore, he said, if he truly was against a solution to the Cyprus problem as he had being accused of, DISY would not have lost those votes. Anastasiades said however this is not a simple matter and that a scientific analysis of the elections results ought to be carried out so that DISY could avoid mistakes and regain the votes it lost.
KEY ACTORS
Anastasiades
>> The government has received the messages of the Euro-elections.
>> Insists AKEL had borrowed votes by the TCs during Euro-elections since the party would be wrong to believe their votes would increase its power on a permanent basis. Even if the Cyprob was not an issue, TCs, according to the political system, would be on special electoral lists for the rest of the elections except the European ones.
>> If he was truly against a solution DISY would not have lost votes to ELAM. The voters that chose to vote ELAM instead of DISY, were due to discontent over state policies on internal matters and over policies they thought DISY had adopted on the Cyprob.
Petrol station owners want change in Green Line Regulation on fuel
Politis
CBMs, Economy
OVERVIEW
According to the paper, the association of petrol stations owners is to request a meeting with the ministers of interior and foreign affairs to seek measures to tackle the problem of more and more GCs crossing to the occupied areas for fuel.
The group said that around 30 petrol stations that are located near the buffer zone have had between 30 per cent and 40 per cent less turnover during the past two years despite that car registrations have gone up.
The association has decided a series of escalating measures but also putting forth demands to the two ministers. They would like to see changes as regards the Greek Line Regulation and more checks by Customs at the crossings of GCs buying fuel in the occupied areas for commercial use.
As regards the Green Line Regulation, they would like the government to ask Brussels for a change to the regulation and include fuel in the exceptions provided by Article 6 according to which , purchases of goods from the occupied areas are allowed as long as they do not exceed €260.
The group believes not enough checks are being carried out given that last year and up to last May, Customs confiscated fuel on 74 occasions which was intended for private use while more than half was less than 25 litres. Only three other cases concerned purchase of fuel for commercial use.
They even propose colouring the fuel sold in the government-controlled areas to facilitate Customs in their work, the daily reported.
The paper also reported that around 270 other petrol stations operating in the free areas are not affected by the cheaper fuel prices of the around 150 TC petrol stations.
“CDF Press Review Disclaimer”
The articles in the CDF Press Review are translated or reproduced as they were reported by the media in each community, including the terminology adopted. Their inclusion in the review does not mean that CDF endorses the views they reflect or confirms the information they contain.
