Larnaca officials are calling on President Nikos Christodoulides to intervene after a Law Office opinion presented to parliament’s Transport Committee on Thursday said that the Cyprus Ports Authority (CPA) would have to win a tender to carry out works at the city’s marina.
The opinion puts in doubt the CPA’s announced 415 million euro development of Larnaca port and marina, which was based on a political decision by the President announced in May.
Christodoulides told Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras in a phone call shortly before noon on Friday that a solution to overcome the obstacle would be found by Monday, Vyras said.
“Based on what the minister said, there is no change in the government’s will,” said Sotiris Ioannou, chairman of the House Transport Committee.
Larnaca’s local authorities and business groups, contacted by philenews, expressed anger and warned of action. The Larnaca Development Committee will hold an extraordinary meeting next Tuesday to discuss the issue.
Local reaction
Vyras, who chairs the Development Committee, said he was outraged, that Larnaca could not be treated this way and that it could not keep starting from scratch every time a minister changed. Asked whether the transport minister had told them about the opinion at a meeting last week, he said she had not.
“The minister hid this from us,” he said, adding that she had told them some issues had arisen with the marina that the ministry wanted to look at. If there were no clear answers, they would take action, he said.
Angelos Hadjicharalambous, president of the Larnaca District Local Government Organisation (DLGO), said the answers given to the Transport Committee were unacceptable. The contract with Kition was terminated two and a half years ago and it took two years for the President to decide that the CPA would carry out the project, he said. Six months later, the state’s legal adviser said there was an obstacle.
He asked why a legal opinion had not been obtained before the decision was taken, and called on the President to intervene so the project would stay on its announced timetable. The state should be able to cede its own property to another state body, he said. “I have begun to believe there are ulterior motives behind all this.”
Nakis Antoniou, president of the Larnaca Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBEL), said the chamber was very disappointed and angry. “We expected one thing and the Law Office produced another,” he said, adding that the chamber would press the President for what he had promised.
Parliament
Ioannou called on the Transport Ministry to keep its political commitment to the CPA developing the port and marina. The legal opinion created a gap but should not set back the roadmap, he said, adding that he understood the ministry would meet the Law Office to discuss how to overcome the obstacles. He said it did not matter to Larnaca whether that meant amending the law or something else, as long as the project went ahead as first presented. The committee will discuss the issue again on 5 November.
Three other parliament members also urged the state and the government to act. Prodromos Alambritis said the project appeared to be “up in the air”, and that the Law Office’s position, as he described it, that the marina could not be ceded to the CPA had surprised everyone. He said the ministry and the government must clarify the status of the areas immediately.
Andreas Pasiourtides said promises that had put the project on track were being overturned, and that finding a way round the issue was “the sole responsibility of the central state”, the CPA and the Law Office.
Andreas Apostolou said Larnaca remained united and committed to what had been agreed with the President, and expected political decisions to be taken immediately to give the CPA the green light. He said he had proposed that the CMMI building be built on the marina’s land area.
