Cyprus-Forum.com

[zan]

Palmas admits error in natural gas saga

The natural gas controversy which dominated the media last week, intensified when Government Spokesman Vassilis Palmas admitted that in official statements all along, he had made a crucial mistake about the involvement of the Tassos Papadopoulos law firm in the affair.

The opposition came down hard on the government claiming that Palmas’ public apology amounted to acknowledging the existence of the "scandal of the century," as Disy leader Nicos Anastassiades had described it.

He had charged that private firms were receiving official encouragement and support in bidding for an offshore natural gas terminal for Cyprus, with President Papadopoulos’ former law firm acting as facilitator. Former government partner communist Akel backed the rightist Disy move.

The government reacted by saying that the allegations were the "calumny of the century."

In his press briefing on Tuesday, the government spokesman corrected himself, and withdrew what he had maintained so far – that the Tassos Papadopoulos law firm had only been involved in the affair up to June 2005. The documents presented by Anastassiades showed the involvement to continue much later into 2007.

"The spokesman is the vehicle for the positions of the government and he assumes sole responsibility," Palmas said, adding that it was up to the President who appointed him to decide on what should be done.

He strongly denied that he had been instructed by President Papadopoulos to lie on the issue, noting that the spokesman cannot ask the President about everything when he prepares for the briefing, but has to find things out for himself as well.

"If the scandal mongering, personal abuse and whipping up a civil war atmosphere will irrevocably go away by putting the spokesman before the firing squad, then I am willing to take full responsibility," Palmas told the journalists.

Disy MP Nicos Tornaritis at a press conference the next day wondered why it took so long to correct it if it was a simple mistake but had to wait for four months instead.

"Does any one doubt that this is indeed the scandal of the century, which will cost hundreds of millions of pounds to the unsuspecting Cypriot taxpayer?" he added.

[BigDutch]

truly a scandal ....... time to change the guard.

[Piratis]

The scandal of the the millennium was when some traitors tried to sell off part of of our priceless country to the Turks. Do they want us to forget this maybe?

[iceman]

The scandal of the the millennium was when some traitors tried to sell off part of of our priceless country to the Turks. Do they want us to forget this maybe?

piratis
two wrongs do not make one right...no one wants you to forget anything but at least keep an open view also on what goes around you...

[free_cyprus]

The scandal of the the millennium was when some traitors tried to sell off part of of our priceless country to the Turks. Do they want us to forget this maybe?

the scandal of the century began in the fifties when cypriots turkish speakign and greek speaking were recruted by turkey and greece as agents to spy and commit crimes against our won people of cyprus, the very same people who betrayed the cypriots are in goverment offices right now in cyprus in the north and in the south as a reward for their acts of treason and betrayal towards the cypriot people

[Piratis]

The scandal of the the millennium was when some traitors tried to sell off part of of our priceless country to the Turks. Do they want us to forget this maybe?

piratis
two wrongs do not make one right...no one wants you to forget anything but at least keep an open view also on what goes around you...

iceman, Papadopulos handled the Cyprus problem the way that the majority of Cypriot people wanted their president to handle it. The economy is doing good, the unemployment ratio, the deficit, the inflation etc.

Not everything is perfect of course, but you have to look at the big picture and the available options. Comparatively, Papadopoulos has proven to be better.

So the other candidates having nothing to say against Papadopoulos for the way he handled the Cyprus problem, and very little to say about the economy, they invent "scandals"

Even if everything they say about this case was true, still Papadopoulos, compared to them, would be a 100 times better choice.

If you can bring me another candidate that would keep the same stance of decency in the Cyprus problem, be sensible with the economy and be better in the areas where Papadopoulos is lacking (e.g. Marketing), then I would definitely consider him (or her). Unfortunately our options are limited, so we will have to settle (as always) for the least bad among the options that are available.

[BigDutch]

Removing the bad egg from the basket is the good thing to do as it makes room for another potentially good egg, Also the basket stinks people don't want to go near it.

[Piratis]

Removing the bad egg from the basket is the good thing to do as it makes room for another potentially good egg, Also the basket stinks people don't want to go near it.

I don't think eggs have anything to do with this.

[Bananiot]

Piratis

The scandal of the the millennium was when some traitors tried to sell off part of of our priceless country to the Turks. Do they want us to forget this maybe?

Papadopoulos rejected a plan he negotiated and failed to make it better and thus acceptable to the majority. In 3.5 years since the referendum he has done nothing and now the international community has stopped considering Cyprus to be a victim of an invasion and instead considers the Turkish Cypriots to be the victims of isolation. As far as the solution is concerned, he has made sure it will never happen and thus he practically donated half of Cyprus to Turkey.

Papadopoulos and his ultra right wing friends will become a sorry bunch of have beens, come next February. Then, we can all breath a sigh of relief and hope that there is enough fire left in the Cypriot heart to have another go at finding a solution

[Get Real!]

Papadopoulos and his ultra right wing friends will become a sorry bunch of have beens, come next February.

I like optimism but this is ridiculous because who is going to replace him the tractor boy? Btw, TP is not and never has been "ultra right wing" so get your facts right thank you.

Then, we can all breath a sigh of relief and hope that there is enough fire left in the Cypriot heart to have another go at finding a solution

Use this to sooth your "fiery" hearts...