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Contacts subsequently took place between the Communities and in June 1968 Mr Denktash and Mr Clerides (President of the House of Representatives) began unofficial talks in Nicosia aimed at finding a basis for a new Constitution for Cyprus. These talks, now in their third phase, are still continuing. Two Sub-committees have been set up to examine the functioning of the Legislature and the Para-statal organisations.

The U.N. Force in Cyprus has had its mandate renewed fifteen times; it was last renewed on 10th June 1969 for a further period of six months. The Force has been able, with exceptions, to maintain the peace in the island. The major exception was in August 1964 when fighting between Turkish Cypriots in enclaves in the north-west part of the island and numerically superior Greek Cypriot forces, led to limited air strikes by the Turkish Air Force; and in November 1967 when the possibility of Turkish intervention was narrowly averted.

THE PRESIDENT

His Beatitude Archbishop Makarios

VICE-PRESIDENT

His Excellency Dr Fazil Kutchuk

MINISTRY*

Minister of Commerce and Industry: Nicos G. Dimitriou†
Minister of the Interior (and Acting Minister of Defence):
Epaminondas Komodromost

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Spyros Kyprianou
Minister of Health: Dr Niazi Maniera
Minister of Defence: Osman Orek

Minister of Communications and Works: Constantinos Phanos (from 19th April 1966)
Minister of Labour and Social Insurance (and Acting Minister of Health from
19th April 1966): Tassos Papadopoulos

Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Fazil Plumer
Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources: G. Tombazost
Minister of Finance: Andreas Patsatidest

Minister of Justice: Mrs Stella Soulioti
Minister of Education: Dr C. Spyridakist

TURKISH COMMUNAL CHAMBER

President of the Chamber: Rauf Denktash
Vice-President of the Chamber: Dr Shemsi Kazim

PRESIDENT'S STAFF

Under-Secretary: Patroclos Stavrou

VICE-PRESIDENT'S STAFF
Under-Secretary: H. K. Nidai

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
President: Glafcos Clerides
Vice-President: Dr O. Muderrisoglu
Director-General: Chr. Haji Ioannou (acting)

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS SECRETARIAT
Joint-Secretary: T. E. Markantonis

JUDICIARY

SUPREME CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

(In Abeyance)

HIGH COURT (In Abeyance)

* The prefix 'His Excellency' is generally used for Ministers.

† Appointed by President acting alone. (This also includes the additional acting capacities

of the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance.)

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DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION

CYPRUS REPRESENTATIVES IN OTHER

COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES
Britain: Costas Ashiotis, MBE (High Com-
missioner); Canada: Zenon Rossides (resi-
dent in New York); Ghana: G. M. Nicolaides
(Hon. Consul); Nigeria: C. P. Leventis (Hon.
Consul); Uganda: Andreas N. Roussos
(Hon. Consul).

COMMONWEALTH HIGH COMMISSIONERS
IN CYPRUS

Britain: The Hon. Peter Ramsbotham, CMG;
Canada: J. C. G. Brown; India: Avatar
Krishna Dar (resident in Beirut); Pakistan:
M. Rabb (resident in Beirut).

CYPRUS REPRESENTATION IN NONCOMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES Argentina (Hon. Consul), (Ambassadornon-resident); Austria (Hon. Consul); Brazil (Ambassador) (resident in New York); Cameroons (Hon. Consul); Chile (resident in New York); Congo (Lumumbashi) (Hon. Consul); Congo (Kinshasa) (Hon. Consul);

Czechoslovakia (resident in Moscow); Denmark (Hon. Consul-General); Ethiopia (Hon. Consul); Finland (Hon. Consul), Ambassador (resident in Moscow); France (Hon. Consul General) Paris, (Hon. Consul) Marseilles, (Hon. Consul) Lyons; Germany (Chargé d'Affaires, a.i.), Hon. Consul General) Hamburg; Ghana (Hon. Consul); Greece (Ambassador); Italy (Ambassador) (resident in Athens), (Hon. Consul General); Rome, (Hon. Consul) Genoa; Ivory Coast (Hon. Consul); Kuwait (Hon. Consul); Mexico (Hon. Consul) (resident in New York); Norway (Hon. Consul); Panama (Hon. Consul); Paraguay (resident in New York); Sweden (Hon. Consul); Switzerland (Hon. Consul General); Turkey (Ambassador); United Arab Republic (Ambassador); United Nations (Permanent Representative); United States (Ambassador), (Hon. Consul) Boston; Uruguay (resident in New York); U.S.S.R. (Ambassador); Yugoslavia (Ambassador) (resident in Athens).

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THE GAMBIA

THE GAMBIA lies on the West Coast of Africa and is wholly bounded on the landward side by Senegal. It consists of a rectangle 70 miles long and 30 miles broad covering the mouth of the Gambia River and the land on either side and a stripe of land 10 kilometres wide on each side of the river above this, extending, if measured in a straight line, for approximately 130 miles. The

lower 290 miles of the Gambia river flow through the country from east to west. The Gambia lies between latitudes 13° and 14° N., and between longitudes 14° and 17° W., and occupies 4,003 square miles including river area.

The principal feature of The Gambia is the river, one of the finest waterways in Africa. Quite large ocean-going vessels of 26 feet draught can enter the port of Bathurst and smaller ocean-going vessels of 17 feet draught can sail 150 miles up-stream of Kuntaur.

The Gambia enjoys a cool, dry season from November until April, with temperatures which may fall as low as 58°F, but for the rest of the year it is hot and humid with mid-day temperatures as high as 110°F in Upper River Division. There is a rainy season from July to October; annual rainfall averages 45 inches a year at Yundum airport, 40 inches at Bathurst and 35 inches at Georgetown. The Gambia is divided into five divisions-Upper River Division, MacCarthy Island Division, Lower River Division, Western Division and North Bank Division. In addition Bathurst on the Island of St Mary, known also as Banjul Island, has its own form of local government and at the time of independence acquired city status.

The Divisions are divided into Districts. The administrative headquarters of the Divisions, at each of which is a Divisional Commissioner, are at Basse, Georgetown, Mansa Konko, Brikama and Kerewan respectively. There is an Assistant Divisional Commissioner for the North bank section of Lower River Division at Kerewan.

The growth of representative local government is fostered by the creation of Area Councils, of which there are six covering The Gambia.

The first complete census of the population of The Gambia was held in April 1963 and gave the following figures:

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In 1963 24,412 births and 13,288 deaths were registered. The population consists of a number of tribes, the most important of these being the Mandingo (128,807); Fula (42,723); Woloff (40,805); Jola (22,046); and Serahuli (21,318). In Bathurst the largest element is that of the Woloffs numbering 11,311. An influential community is that of the Akus (2,974), descended from detribalized Africans liberated in the early nineteenth century during the campaign against the slave trade.

The official language is English and all State education, both at primary and secondary level, is in English, but each tribe has its own language. The principal vernacular languages are Mandinka and Woloff. There are numerous Muslim schools in which Arabic is taught for the better understanding of the Koran. The Christian Mission schools are Anglican, Methodist and Roman Catholic. There are relatively few Christians outside the Bathurst area, and in the Provinces there are large numbers of Muslims and some sections of the population retain their original animist beliefs.

There are 94 Primary Schools with an enrolment figure, for the 1968/69 school year, of 16,230, of whom 11,506 were boys and 4,724 were girls. Primary education is free, but is not compulsory. Secondary education is provided by three Senior Secondary Schools in Bathurst and one in Georgetown, with an enrolment of 1,380, of whom 405 were girls; by 12 Junior Secondary Schools providing education up to Form 4. There were 4,012 pupils, of whom 1,039 were girls. There is a Teachers' Training College in Yundum with 155 students of whom 118 were men and 37 women, and a Vocational Training Centre in Bathurst. Literacy rate is not known: in English it is estimated at 15 per cent; in Arabic 20 per cent.

The principal sea port is at Bathurst with two Government-owned wharves for ocean-going vessels and a number of private jetties used mainly for the river trade. In 1968, 221 ocean-going ships of a net registered tonnage of 666,000 tons called there.

Bathurst airport is at Yundum, 17 miles away from the town. The main runway is now 7,300 feet long. Internal communications are by road and river. There are 730 miles of motorable roads, of which 330 rank as all-season. There is no railway. Gambia Airways is a handling agency but owns no aircraft.

Bathurst port is served principally by ships of Elder Dempster Lines and other lines of the West African Shipping Conference (Palm Line, Guinea Gulf, Hoegh Line and Nigeria and Ghana national lines). Airlines flying scheduled services to Yundum airport are British United Airways, Ghana/Nigeria Airways pool service and Air Senegal.

The Gambian Broadcasting Service opened on 1st May 1962 and is known as Radio Gambia.

Well over 90 per cent of exports from The Gambia consists of groundnut products. The following table shows the exports during 1967/68:

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Imports in 1967/68 were valued at £7,520,162. In addition to groundnuts, Gambia farmers grow sorghum, millet and rice, the latter having now superseded millet in most of The Gambia as the principal crop for local consumption.

The Government financial year runs from July to June. The budget of the 1968/69 financial year proposed an expenditure of £3·1m. and revenue of £2.8m., the balance to be made up by surpluses from the 1967/68 account. The Development Programme to cover the four years from 1st July 1967 to 30th June 1971 proposes expenditure of up to £5 million, of which aid from Britain will account for £3.2 million in the form of an interest-free loan repayable over 25 years. In the Development Programme emphasis is being laid on agriculture and communications.

The Gambia Government contributes towards the following Commonwealth Institutions:

The Rothamstead Experimental Station

The Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau and Associated Activities.

The Committee of Information Phytosanitary Convention

The Commonwealth Forestry Association

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