I. FINANCIALMIRROR - Greece: Outside pressure and intervention do not help Cyprus talks
The UN Secretary-General has encouraged Greece to continue to help sustain the momentum on the peace process in Cyprus. The statement was made by the Secretary-General’s Spokesman after Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met on Sunday at the UN Secretariat, on the margins of the 65th UN General Assembly. In his remarks after the meeting, Papandreou offered full support to the efforts made by President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias to solve the Cyprus issue. Rejecting the idea artificial deadlines, Papandreou said Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan should realize this. The two men also talked about the 2010 Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, climate change, the Middle East issue, Iran as well as the issue of the issue of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM). “I have stressed once again that the I believe that President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias is a man who has every will and practically shows it daily, to achieve a solution to the Cyprus issue, to reunify Cyprus, through the UN decisions and acquis communautaire”, Papandreou remarked. Papandreou said that Greece fully supports President Christofias’ initiatives adding that “outside pressure and intervention which are non-productive, do not help to promote a serious and substantive dialogue between the two communities”. “Something that, of course, both the Turkish government and Mr. (Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip) Erdogan must be aware of,'' said Papandreou, adding that the powerful Turkish government and Mr. Erdogan, have many capabilities and one should anticipate that they will distance themselves from old customs and perceptions and substantively contribute towards a solution to the Cyprus issue”. A Spokesman of the UNSG’s office said the Greek PM and Ban “discussed a range of issues, including economic recovery following the financial crisis, climate change, and regional political issues such as the Middle East peace process and Iran”. With regard to Cyprus, he said, “the Secretary-General encouraged Greece to continue to help sustain the momentum on the peace process”. A UN source said that without mentioning deadlines, the UNSG is referring to an intensification of the talks underway. The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Demetris Droutsas and Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN Anastasis Mitsialis. Peace talks in Cyprus began in September 2008 between President Christofias and former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. Talks continue now with Dervis Eroglu, who succeeded Talat. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
II. REUTERS - Cyprus says will continue with oil search in Med Sea
Cyprus said on Monday it would press ahead with hydrocarbons exploration in the east Mediterranean, denying claims it would back down because of friction with Turkey over the ethnically split island. Cyprus has been due to launch a second licensing round for offshore blocks, but perceived delays in an announcement has given rise to speculation the project, which Turkey opposes, has been shelved. Industry minister Antonis Paschalides said Cyprus would move ahead when it was ready, but did not specify when. "There is a procedure to follow. It could be in a few months. It is not important if it is in two months or six months." Cyprus, split in a Turkish invasion in 1974, held its first offshore licencing round in 2007. A new Cypriot licencing round, which is a process where interested companies acquire detailed data from surveys with the option of moving on to exploration and then exploitation, would involve 12 blocks; 10 left from the first round and another two added in the meantime. The process is being run by Cyprus's internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government which represents the island in the EU. Turkey, which supports a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in north Cyprus, says Greek Cypriots have no authority to search for hydrocarbons as long as the island is divided. The Greek Cypriot Simerini daily reported on Sunday and Monday that the government had suspended its plans because of Turkey's reaction. It also cited goverment concerns at the impact the move could have on reunification talks between estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriots. "This does not correspond to reality," Paschalides told state TV. "..We have the political will and are handling the matter in a responsible manner."
III. B92 - Serbian peacekeepers in Cyprus
The first group of Serbian Army and MoD members will leave for Cyprus by the end of the month to take part in the UN peacekeeping mission there. The Defense Ministry announced today in Belgrade that members of the Serbian defense system will join the Hungarian part of the Slovak-Hungarian contingent. Members of the defense system are currently engaged independently in UN peacekeeping missions in Congo, Liberia and Ivory Coast, while in Chad they are part of the Norwegian contingent. The Serbian parliament adopted in late June two decisions on participation of up to 134 members of the Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry and Serbian Army in multinational operations this year. Members of the defense system will take part in the United Nations peacekeeping missions in Congo, Liberia, Ivory Cost, Chad, Lebanon and Cyprus, while police members will be engaged in the missions in Liberia and Haiti.
Russia will not create an Arctic military force irrespective of any territorial disputes that may develop in the energy-rich region, said the Russian envoy to the eight-nation Arctic Council. “Forming special Arctic troops is not on the Russian agenda,” Anton Vasilyev told a news conference on Monday. “But we did indeed plan to strengthen the materiel of the forces responsible for security, primarily in ensuring the safety of navigation at sea.” The envoy added that any speculations about militarization of the Arctic region “have nothing to do with reality.” The statement follows last week's breakthrough maritime border deal with Norway. Scientists are also working to provide arguments about the length of the Arctic shelf for an international forum in Moscow. The event will be held on Wednesday and Thursday and focus on balancing interests in the region. As for Russia’s strategic presence in the Antarctic, the issue will be submitted for discussion to the Cabinet on Thursday, said the head of the Federal Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Service on Monday.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that he will not participate "for a single day" in US brokered peace negotiations if Israel does not extended the settlement construction moratorium. "The negotiations will continue as long as the settlement (construction) remains frozen, but I am not prepared to negotiate an agreement for a single day more," Abbas told AFP reporters. Abbas said he is "not opposed to a settlement freeze for a month or two" and that it may be likely "to conclude a peace deal on all final status issues if the settlement freeze is extended," he said as he was on his way to New York. "If Israel stops the settlement and shows goodwill, then we can reach an agreement on borders and security, and agreement on other matters like the status of Jerusalem, water and settlements will follow," Abbas explained. Abbas also restated that the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails should be part of the current peace talks. The Palestinian leader is scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York this week about "efforts to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land since 1967 to create an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
VI. USATODAY - Powell wonders if Obama is losing his ability to connect
One of President Obama's highest-profile supporters in the 2008 election -- retired general Colin Powell -- wonders if Obama has lost some of his ability to connect with Americans. "It's not just me picking on the president," Powell said yesterday on NBC's Meet The Press. "It's reflected in the polling." The White House would no doubt disagree, Powell said, but a number of Americans seem to believe Obama is spending too much time on health care, environmental legislation and education, and not enough on the primary issue: jobs. That is the topic of Obama's CNBC town hall today at noon. Powell, secretary of State for President George W. Bush, suggested Obama spend more time on the deficit and deal better with the business community.
VII. ASIANEWS - Egyptian security forces storm the Monastery of St Macarius, three monks badly injured
Hundreds of Egyptian security forces, backed by a large number of cars and armoured vehicles, attacked the monastery of St Macarius of Alexandria in Wadi Rayan, Fayoum Province, 150 kilometres south of Cairo. The action began at 8 pm on 7 September, but news about it only filtered recently. About 300 agents took part in the assault, using tear gas, batons and stones against monks, three of whom were seriously wounded. According to the AINA news agency, security forces prevented the delivery of limestone bricks for the construction of cells for the monks inside the ancient Monastery. They also tried to seize the bricks already delivered but the monks sat on them, refusing to move. The issue concerns the ownership of the area and its use, with monks and the government holding different positions. The authorities claim that Wadi Rayan is a conservation area that cannot be touched. The monks say they must build cells inside the monastery, which goes back long before it was ever designated as a conservation area. Security forced surrounded the Monastery until 12 AM the following day, but withdrew "after seeing the insistence of monks to assert their rights," said Fr Boulos el-Makkary, one of the 85 monks living in the monastery. "They left with the commander promising to be back soon." “The monks believe that the government wants to prevent any construction on the premises to prevent any increase in the number of monks living there, even though cells for the monks are badly needed," Father Boulos added. At present, cells are shared by five to eight monks even though each should have his own. The Monastery of St Macarius, also known as the "Buried Monastery" since most of its cells are caves in the mountain, has been uninhabited for a long time because of the lack of electricity and water. However, in 1996 monks began living there permanently and obtained permission from the Minister of Environment.