US ISSUES RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT ON CYPRUS

Financial Mirror, Cyprus
18/09/2006

US State Department issued on Friday its annual international religious
report, noting that Cyprus’ constitution provides for freedom of
religion, which is "generally respected" by the Cypriot government.

According to the report, the Government at all levels sought to
protect the freedom of religion "in full and did not tolerate its
abuse, either by governmental or private actors."

The State Department’s report, presented to the US Congress, also
refers to northern part of Cyprus, occupied since the 1974 Turkish
invasion, as "area administered by the Turkish Cypriots," reiterating
however that the US "does not recognize" the occupying regime, nor
does any other country except Turkey.

The report says that the occupying regime "provides for freedom of
religion and Turkish Cypriot authorities generally respected this
right in practice," adding that "the politically divisive environment
of Cyprus, however, engendered some restrictions on religious freedom,
particularly for Greek Cypriots and Maronites."

On the government-controlled areas, the report says that 96 percent
of the population belongs to Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus, while
estimated 0.7 percent of the remaining population was Maronite,
slightly less than 0.4 percent was Armenian Orthodox, 0.1 percent
was Latin (Roman Catholic), and 3.2 percent belonged to other groups.

"The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in society
contributed to religious freedom," the report says, adding that in
July 2005 the first Buddhist temple in Cyprus opened in Nicosia. In
September, Cyprus’s first new synagogue in at least twenty years
opened in Larnaca.

As far as the restrictions on religious freedom is concerned, the
report recalls since 2003, when restrictions of movement were relaxed,
"Greek Cypriots have reported relatively easy access to Apostolos
Andreas Monastery and other religious sites in the area administered
by Turkish Cypriots."

"Likewise, Turkish Cypriots enjoyed relatively easy access to religious
sites, including Hala Sultan Tekke in the Government-controlled area,"
the report says.

The report also refers to the request submitted by the government for
an additional Church of Cyprus priest be assigned to minister to the
Greek Cypriots living in the Karpas region "of the area administered
by Turkish Cypriots."

"Turkish Cypriot authorities agreed in principle to this request,
but the first proposed individual could not go for personal reasons,"
the report says, adding that "Turkish Cypriot authorities objected to
the second individual who was proposed, claiming he disliked Turkish
Cypriots and had made inappropriate statements about their community."

"Turkish Cypriot authorities asked that the Government nominate a
different priest. At the end of the reporting period, the position
remained open and the Government had not nominated a new priest,"
the report adds.