CYPRUS MAIL Friday, March 22, 2013
7
Home Turkey threatens challenge to Cypriot use of island’s natural gas reserves in bailout TURKEY could challenge any move by Cyprus to speed up offshore natural gas exploration as a way of attracting desperately needed investment to save its teetering economy, senior Turkish officials said yesterday. The EU has given the island until Monday to raise the billions of euros it needs to clinch an international bailout or face the collapse of its financial system and likely exit from the euro currency zone. Cyprus is in talks with Moscow over possible Russian investments. Cypriot Finance Minister Michalis Sarris has identified the divided island’s offshore gas riches as one area in which Russia could invest in. “This resource belongs to two communities and the future of this resource can’t be subject to the will of southern Cyprus alone. (We) may act against such initiatives if necessary,” one of the Turkish officials told Reuters. “The exclusive use of this resource ... by Southern Cyprus is out of the question ... and unacceptable.” Cypriot efforts to monetise as yet undeveloped offshore gas fields and position them as a vital source of energy for Europe have raised tensions with Turkey, which demands a joint approach and a share of the revenue. “We are discussing all legal means ... We could take the case to the European Union but we will use all political and legal channels,” the official said without elaborating. Moscow would tighten its grip on European supplies if it invested in natural gas fields in the Mediterranean south of Cyprus as part of a deal to solve the island’s financial crisis. So far, some 200 billion cubic metres of natural gas worth $80 billion at current prices have been discovered in the Aphrodite gas field in Cypriot waters, although the figures still have to be audited. That would be enough to cover around 40 per cent of the European Union’s annual gas consumption. Cyprus hopes to start exporting in 2018, but energy analysts say extracting the gas will prove costly and slow, and Cypriot supplies may run into a global glut, with shale gas plentiful by then in North America, Russia and even Europe.
Hezbollah man is found guilty Verdict will add to the pressure for the EU to crack down on the organisation A MEMBER of Lebanese militant group and political party Hezbollah was yesterday found guilty of participating in a plot to attack Israeli citizens in Cyprus. The Limassol Criminal Court found 24-yearold Hossam Taleb Yaccoub, a dual LebaneseSwedish national, guilty on five charges including participation in a criminal organisation and participation in committing a crime. “Hezbollah’s purpose,in combination with the defendant’s actions, make the organisation a criminal one, not in regard to other random actions, but in relation with the defendant’s specific actions that concern Cyprus,” the court said. Yaccoub was arrested in Limassol last year, two weeks before a suicide bomber killed five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in July. The attack was blamed on Hezbollah, a charge the group denied. He will be sentenced at a later hearing. Prosecutors said Yaccoub tracked the movements of Israeli tourists on the island, noting arrival times of flights from Israel and registration numbers of buses ferrying visitors to hotels. The defendant, whose code name was Wael, had been receiving orders from another Hezbollah member, Ayman. Between December 2011 and January 2012, Yaccoub received instructions to carry out six
Hossam Taleb Yaccoub (right), a dual Lebanese and Swedish citizen arrested in Limassol last year is escorted by police as he arrives at court (AFP) IN THE FAMILY COURT OF LEFKOSIA DIVORCE JURISDICTION Appl. No.: 44/13 BEFORE: G. A. Serghides, Pr. Fam. Ct. Chr. Demetriou, Fam. Ct. J. F. Constanitinou, Fam. Ct. J. Between: DORA MAVRIKIOU of 9 MICHALAKIS KASOULIDES STREET Flat 43, Strovolos Applicant, and VAGN (VAOUN) PETERSEN, of Lefkosia Respondent. Ex-parte Application by the Applicant dated 25/2/13 Following the applicant of Messrs. D. A. Pavlides and Associates LLC, advocates for the applicant, THIS COURT having perused the application and the affidavit, dated 25/2/13 and 4/3/13 and having heard whatever was said by Mrs. V. Christoforou, HEREBY ISSUES AN ORDER PERMITTING the service of the application and the present order by publication in a Cypriot English daily newspaper and in particular the Cyprus Mail. In the publication, only the relief sought shall be mentioned and that the material facts, which the applicant invokes for the issue of the relief sought, are set out in the application. The Respondent may file a defence within 15 days from the days from the date of service. In the event the respondent fails to file a defence within the time specified hereinabove, any subsequent notice shall be deemed properly served if posted in the Court Notice Board for a period of five (5) continuous days. Costs in cause. The main application is fixed for service on 8/4/13 The date of 12/3/13 is cancelled. Issued on 4/3/13 Drawn up on 7.3.13 (sgd) G. A. Serghides, Pr. Fam. Ct. (sgd) Chr. Demetriou, Fam. Ct. J. (sgd) F. Cnstanitinou, Fam. Ct. J. True Copys (seal of the family Court of Lefkosia,Cyprus attaced) (sgd) Registrar IN THE FAMILY COURT OF LEFKOSIA DIVORCE JURISDICTION Appl. No.:44/2013 Between: DORA MAVRIKIOU of 9 MICHALAKIS KASOULIDES STREET Flat 43, Strovolos, Applicant, and VAGN (VAOUN) PETERSEN, of Lefkosia, Respondent. RELLEF SOUGHT: A. An Order of the Court dissolving the civil wedding between the parties which was celebrated in or about April 1981 at the Lemesos District Administration, on the grounds of irretrievable breakdown due to the continuous separation of the parties for a period in excess of four years. B. Any other relief which the Honourable Court deems reasonable and/or fair under the circumstances. C. The costs of the present Application, plus 18% VAT THE LEGAL BASIS OF THE APPLICATION: The present application is based on Cap. 279, on article 111.2.B(b) of the Constitution, as amended, on L. 23/90, section 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16, on the Family Courts Procedural Regulation of 1990, Rules. 2, 3, 5, 9 and 11, and on the General and Inherent Powers of the Honourable Court. FACTS: 1. The parties celebrated a civil wedding in or about April 1981 at the Lemesos District Administration Office. 2. The Applicant is Christian Orthodox and a Cypriot subject. The Respondent is Catholic and a Danish subject 3. After their marriage the parties settled in Lefkosia 4. They did not have any children from their marriage. 5. The relationship of the parties was quite good in the beginning, but in 2004 things became worse. The Respondant, who had different mentality and did not want adjust to local living condition, among other things, became indifferent to the Applicant and the family in general. 6. Their Relationship was quite good until the beginning 2004 when their relationship changed because of the behaviour of the Respondent, which was unacceptable and which, many times, was accompanied by vile expressions and swearing against the Applicant. 7. The abovementioned behaviour, despite the efforts of the Applicant to change things, became worse because the Respondent, in addition to the above, started swearing against the Applicant. 8. It is the contention of the Applicant that the abovementioned behaviour and conduct of the Respondent has resulted in the irretrievable break-up of the marriage causing a change in her feelings to such an extent that continuation of the marriage has become intolerable for the Applicant and goes beyond what is likely to be expected from any sane person, and the limit of mental endurance and sacrifice for the sake of preserving the marriage. 9. The abovementioned behaviour caused friction at home and as a result the parties could not communicate with one another and there was disagreement between the parties. 10. The separation of the parties occurred in or about November 2004 when the Respondent abandoned the matrimonial home and since then the parties have been living separately and continue to do so to date. 11. The above situation continued until November 2004 when the Respondent abandoned the matrimonial home and settled in an unknown address in Lefkosia and since then the parties have been living apart and this continues to date. 12. The Applicant considers his marriage dead. 13. For all the above reasons the Applicant filed the present Application and seeks from the Honourable Court the issue of an order in accordance with the relief sought. Address for Service: the Law Office of Mr. Demetrios A. Pavlides end Associates, 8 Agias Elenis Street, 1 st floor, Offices 102-103, Lefkosia. (sgd) DEMETRIOS A. PAVLlDES AND ASSOCIATES L.L.C. ADVOCATES Filed on 18/1 /2013 Fixed for directions on 8/4/2013 REGISTRAR To: Mr. VAGN (VAOUN) PETERSEN, of Lefkosia
missions in Cyprus. He had been on a mission in July 2012 when he was arrested. Yaccoub was told to pose as a businessman interested in trading Cypriot products but in reality he had been recording the movements of buses carrying Israeli tourists and flights. The 24-year-old communicated with the organisation through internet cafes in Nicosia and Limassol that did not have security cameras and did not ask for identity. Yaccoub had also been asked to locate a restaurant in Limassol that was frequented by Israelis. Yaccoub has not denied he is a member of Hezbollah or that he carried out courier duties for the organisation in Europe. He said he never plotted any crime but merely acted on the instructions of a handler, who always wore a mask whenever they met. The EU has so far resisted pressure from the United States and Israel to blacklist Hezbollah, arguing this could destabilise Lebanon’s fragile government and contribute to instability in the Middle East. But the guilty verdict would add to the pressure created by the bombing in Bulgaria for the 27-nation bloc to crack down on the organisation. Hezbollah, now a powerful part of Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government, says the accusations against it are part of an Israeli smear campaign.