British FM: Cyprus peace deal possible with more flexibilityNicosia, 30 November 2016 (MIA) - A deal reunifying the ethnically divided Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus can be reached if both sides demonstrate more "flexibility and creativity," Britain's foreign secretary said Wednesday.
With complex peace talks between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots deadlocked, Boris Johnson said Britain stands ready to help, AP reports.
Cyprus was a British colony until independence in 1960. Britain retained sizeable bases on the island after independence and became one of Cyprus' so-called "guarantor powers" alongside Greece and Turkey.
"I'm convinced that with further flexibility and creativity on both sides a solution can be reached and the remaining difficulties can be overcome," Johnson said in a news conference after separate meetings with the leaders from both sides.
Johnson praised the "determination and courage" Cyprus' president Nicos Anastasiades and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have shown over 19 months of talks.
Negotiations at the Swiss resort of Mont Pelerin hit an impasse last week amid a disagreement over how many people would be eligible to reclaim homes and property in zones each side will control in an envisioned federation.
Anastasiades sought as many as 90,000 Greek Cypriots getting back property in an augmented Greek Cypriot zone after internal administrative boundaries are outlined. Akinci offered a maximum 65,000.
Welcoming progress that the United Nations-facilitated talks have already achieved, Johnson added: "Obviously, as you get toward the conclusion of any negotiation, that's when the hard yards really begin."
A 1974 Turkish invasion triggered by a coup aiming at union with Greece split the island into an internationally recognized, Greek Cypriot south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and keeps more than 35,000 troops in the north.
Another key sticking point in talks is ceding Turkey the right to militarily intervene and to keep troops on the island under any deal. The minority Turkish Cypriots see Turkey's as vital for their security, while Greek Cypriots consider them as a threat undermining the island's sovereignty.
Military intervention rights were granted to Greece, Turkey and Cyprus' former colonial ruler Britain under the island's 1960 constitution. The Greek government opposes keeping these rights in place after a peace deal.
Johnson repeated it's up to the two sides to decide what security arrangements they would want once a peace accord is signed, adding: "We're not seeking a specific role for the U.K."
Agreement on territory would lead to a final summit bringing together Greece, Turkey and Britain to decide on security arrangements.
Britain's top diplomat also said that his country's departure from the European Union won't affect ties with Cyprus and that the U.K. will work to "build the strongest possible links" with the island and other EU member states. lk/21:00
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HRW: Attacks on Balkan media unchecked
Berlin, 30 November 2016 (MIA) - Journalists across the Western Balkans face a hostile environment that impedes their ability to do critical reporting, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.
More than a year after Human Rights Watch documented impediments to media freedom in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Macedonia, governments in the region and European Union institutions have failed to take concrete action to address the issue. Furthermore, troubling new cases have emerged, the human rights watchdog said in the 2016 update of its media freedom report.
"At a time when it has never been more important, independent journalism is up against the wall in the Western Balkans," said Lydia Gall, Western Balkans researcher at Human Rights Watch. "That won't change unless the EU makes absolutely clear to Western Balkans governments that their European aspirations depend on a thriving and free media."
Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia are candidates for membership of the EU, and Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo are potential candidates. Freedom of expression and the media are part of the Copenhagen Criteria for EU membership.
The European Commission includes expressions of concern about media freedom in Western Balkans countries in its annual assessments of their human rights records. The commissioner responsible for enlargement, Johannes Hahn, has made reference to media freedom in the region in general terms, but he has not detailed the lack of effective investigations by individual governments into attacks on journalists. A new Commission enlargement strategy, announced on November 9, does refer to media freedom in the region but is short on detailed recommendations.
The European Parliament has offered more specific recommendations. The Commission and EU member states should more consistently press the authorities in the Western Balkans to stop intimidating journalists and make media freedom a high priority during accession talks.
Analysis of media and other reports and contact with journalists and NGOs in the region by Human Rights Watch since the publication of the report shows that there has been little or no improvement for media freedom in the Western Balkans. New threats and attacks on journalists that have come to light have gone unpunished.
There is little evidence of political will from governments to improve the climate for media freedom. Some journalists face prosecution on dubious criminal charges, and governments grant and withhold advertising revenues in an effort to dampen critical reporting and curb media independence.
"The list of pressures and violations on independent media in the Western Balkans makes for an unhappy catalogue," Gall said. "Without a thriving independent media, it’s hard to see the countries in the Western Balkans region meeting the aspirations of their people or their European ambitions." lk/21:32
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Turkey needed detente with Russia to pursue Syria operation: minister
Ankara, 1 December 2016 (MIA) - Turkey would not so easily have been able to carry out its military offensive in Syria without "positive developments" in its relations with Russia, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Turkey restored strained ties with Russia in August, the same month in which it sent tanks and special forces into Syria in support of Turkmen and Arab rebels fighting Islamic State, in an operation dubbed "Euphrates Shield".
"We could not have moved so comfortably in the Euphrates Shield operation if it weren't for the positive developments with Russia," Canikli told TGRT television.
But he said Turkey had not strayed from its "core policies" in Syria despite productive talks between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who have held a series of phone calls this week.
Russia is a main backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey supports the rebels fighting to oust him, but the two have been trying to find common ground on Syria since their rapprochement almost four months ago. sk/08:20
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Explosion in central Athens: one dead, five injured
Athens, 1 December 2016 (MIA) - One woman died and five more persons were injured at an explosion and subsequent fire at a fast-food outlet at Victoria Square, in central Athens, earlier on Thursday, ANA-MPA reports.
A team of 20 firemen and eight fire engines were sent to put out the blaze.
Police have cordoned off the area, while the explosion caused damage to nearby shops and houses as well as parked cars and motorcycles.
The explosion was probably an accident caused by a leaking propane tank. sk/11:30
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Show us good intentions first, Erdogan tells EU
Ankara, 1 December 2016 (MIA) - When the EU keeps its promises on visa liberalisation for Turks, humanitarian aid and opening new “chapters” in Ankara’s talks to join the bloc, then Turkey will also show good intentions, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, Reuters reports.
Erdogan, who was speaking to a group of provincial leaders at the presidential palace in the capital, also said Turkey had run out of energy to “chase after” Europe.
Erdogan also said Ankara wants to maintain political and economic relations with Russia, Iran, China and Central Asian countries at the “highest level”, but that he did not see good relations with the East as an alternative to the West, and vice versa.
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