DUTY CALLS FOR MINORITY GROUPS IN CYPRUS
By Natalie Aoun

Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
Jan 10 2006

MEMBERS of the Maronite, Armenian and Latin communities in Cyprus may
now be forced into compulsory military service after the Permanent
Secretary of the Defence Ministry, Petros Kareklas, met with
representatives of the religious minorities yesterday.

The government intends to change the law, with a final decision to
be taken by the Council of Ministers.

The authorities believe that if approved, the new law will immediately
overturn a 1994 ministerial decision which confirmed the exemption
of minority groups, allowing them to enlist only if they so wished.

Deputies Antonis Hadjiroussos of the Maronites, Vartkes Mahtesian
of the Armenians, and Benito Mantovani of the Latins were yesterday
notified by Kareklas of the new proposal.

Speaking to the Mail, Hadjiroussos said that Kareklas had expressed
some strong opinions as to the necessity for change. Hadjiroussos
stated that he, along with Mahtesian and Mantovani, had never been
negative towards the proposal, but felt that the current need for
change was unjustified with the reasons given by the government.

He added that Kareklas has called for the change as a result of numbers
not being adequate, which has been caused by the significant amount
of Greek Cypriots requesting exemption from the service, claiming to
be suffering from psychological problems.

The Maronite deputy reiterated that no member of a minority group in
Cyprus had been forced to enlist in the service over the past 40 odd
years, with the reasons cited by previous governments as "security
and language issues".

He repeatedly wondered what had caused the recent u-turn.

The government is reported to have been contemplating the change since
last February, when Ombudswoman Iliana Nicolaou received complaints
from young Greek Cypriots who had appealed to her, saying they felt
discriminated against as members of minority groups were excused from
military service.

It is hoped that the proposed change in the law will promote equality
in a democratic system.

Another issue set to be discussed is the long-running saga concerning
those who try to get out of entering the National Guard by claiming to
be suffering from psychological problems. According to the President
of the House Defence Committee, EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou, the
Committee has agreed on a proposal for another change in the law,
which will ensure that those objecting to serving will instead be
forced into community service.

It is not yet clear as to the length of community service, with some
calling for it to exceed the 26 months currently spent in military
service.

According to Omirou, "the aim will not be to punish those in question
but rather to offer them an alternative".