In Brief
CYPRUS
Minister says October is deadline for solution Foreign Minister Ioannis Cassoulidis of Cyprus said yesterday that if the United Nations wanted success in their efforts to mediate a solution to the Cyprus issue, then they should send the right message to the side obstructing progress. This was a clear reference to Turkey and Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who will return to the negotiating table with President Glafcos Clerides tomorrow. Cassoulides said no progress had been made in the talks. He added that the window of opportunity for a solution would close in October, when the European Commission will present its report on the progress of Cyprus and other candidates toward joining the European Union. PETRALONA Station roundabout From today and until September 16, 2002, trains traveling from Piraeus to Kifissia will not stop at Petralona because of construction work at the station. Passengers traveling from Piraeus to Petralona will have to pass Petralona, get off at Thiseion and then travel backward to Petralona. Passengers who want to go from Petralona toward Kifissia will have to first head toward Piraeus, get off at Tavros and then head back up toward Kifissia. They will be able to use one ticket. Firebombs An anarchist group calling itself the «Flames of Conscience» claimed responsibility on Saturday night for a fire that had broken out earlier that morning at a branch of the Aspis Bank in Galatsi, near central Athens, and which had been caused by a makeshift bomb consisting of four gas canisters. Minor damage was caused. A similar device slightly damaged a shed at the Commonwealth Cemetery at Palaio Faliron on Saturday night. There was no claim of responsibility. FYROM bishop Bishop Ioannis of Veles, in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has been deposed by the country’s Orthodox Church as a result of his attempt to have his bishopric join the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Athens News Agency reported. He was also accused of having been «incited» by the Greek Orthodox Church and was criticized for his frequent visits to Thessaloniki, where he is studying for his doctorate at the university there. Ioannis reportedly left the town on Saturday night under heavy police guard. The prelate rejects the charges, saying they were politically motivated. Hoax A report of a bomb on one of the Strintzis Lines passenger ships on Saturday proved to be a hoax. Port authorities informed the Blue Star Ithaki and Blue Star Paros ferries, which had just sailed from Piraeus, to take the necessary action, and also informed other ships sailing in the Aegean and Adriatic. National Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis visits Brussels for a meeting of eurozone finance ministers. To Friday.
