Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-07-01

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Reference to Cyprus by the Turkish Foreign Minister during the Pan-Atlantic Student Summit in Istanbul.

[02] Serdar Denktas addressed the Association of John Hopkins University Graduates in Vienna-

[03] Akinci withdraws from the negotiations for establishing a new "government"; Early "elections" on the agenda.

[04] Talat is strongly criticized by Turkish Cypriot party leaders for not accepting the measures proposed by the government of the Republic of Cyprus.

[05] Controversial State Security Courts abolished.

[06] The cattle-breeders in occupied Cyprus cannot help their animals which suffer from some serious infectious diseases.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Reference to Cyprus by the Turkish Foreign Minister during the Pan-Atlantic Student Summit in Istanbul

Replying to a question on their expectations after the referenda held in Cyprus on April 24, Gul said that Turkey and the United Nations extended great efforts for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

Noting that the Cyprus plan prepared by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan envisaged a two-sided but united Cyprus, Gul said that the Turkish Cypriot side accepted the plan in the referendum, but a historic opportunity was missed as the Greek Cypriot side rejected it.

''What Turkish Cypriots expect from now on is the lifting of economic embargo and travel embargo,'' he said.

Stating that Turkey preserved its perspective of a lasting resolution, Gul called on western countries to keep their promises to lift embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriot side.

[02] Serdar Denktas addressed the Association of John Hopkins University Graduates in Vienna

Serdar Denktas said that he had objectively informed Austrian diplomats, politicians, journalists and investors on developments in Cyprus in a special meeting organized in Vienna by the Association of Johns Hopkins University Graduates.

''They have a serious lack of information as they were informed unilaterally for years. They showed great interest in my speech. For example, I told them that direct flights to the Northern Cyprus do not need political recognition, but Greek Cypriots oppose to it,'' he said.

Stating that the United States, the EU and the UN had statements of intention on lifting the isolation on the occupied areas, Denktas said: ''However, no one has any information how isolation will be lifted de facto.''

''Both the EU and also the UN have good will to lift the isolation. But their own rules prevent it,'' Denktas said.

Denktas said that the map in the Annan plan created an additional problem, stressing that there was economic stagnation in regions that were mentioned in the map to be returned to the Greek Cypriots. Denktas noted that there was a big uncertainty.

''We continue to live with the Cyprus issue. There is nothing that has been solved. On the contrary, there are more problems now. The EU made the biggest mistake. It accepted a country which did not solve its problem as a member. The problem is not of Turkey now, but it is of the EU. According to us, the solution is that two recognized states should be brought together in the system of the EU,'' he noted.

Stressing that direct flights to occupied areas should be started to break the so-called isolation Denktas said that when they were extending efforts to break the isolation, they would put forth that the "TRNC" was open to solution and did not lose its vision for solution. ''We are not making any demand on recognition now. But it will not continue like that by waiting for Greek Cypriots. If we see that there is not any change in the Greek Cypriot side, then we will close all doors and windows. We will make demand on recognition of `TRNCī by saying that there is nothing without recognition,'' Denktas stressed.

[03] Akinci withdraws from the negotiations for establishing a new "government"; Early "elections" on the agenda

Mr Akinci called on the Republican Turkish Party (RTP) - Democratic Party (DP) "government" to resign and accused it of hiding behind the NO vote of the Greek Cypriots, instead of doing whatever it should have done to fulfill its duty deriving from the YES vote of the Turkish Cypriots.

Mr Akinci said that from now on there was no need for him to meet with the leaders of RTP and DP and pointed out that the status quo must change.

Meanwhile, RTP's General Secretary, Ferdi Sabit Soyer accused Mr Akinci of having secret meetings with DP on the issue of who will be given the "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" in a new "government" and supported that the main reason for the collapse of the negotiations was the insistence of DP on this issue. Mr Soyer said that the only alternative is conducting early "elections".

Furthermore, DP's General Secretary, Mustafa Arabacioglu accused Mr Akinci of not being sincere and of playing internal political games.

Meanwhile, in statements from London Mehmet Ali Talat, so-called Prime Minister of the occupation regime, said when asked to comment on the issue: "As I know one of the parties with which we have been conducting talks for establishing a coalition has withdrawn. It seems that the possibility of an early election has increased'".

Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot daily VATAN newspaper (01.07.04) reports that Dervis Eroglu, leader of the main opposition National Unity Party (NUP), said that new alternatives should be given a chance for the formation of a new "government" but added that, if these attempts fail, early "elections" would be inevitable.

Mr Eroglu supported that Mr Talat should resign and hand over his duties to give way to other alternatives to form a new "government".

[04] Talat is strongly criticized by Turkish Cypriot party leaders for not accepting the measures proposed by the government of the Republic of Cyprus

In his statements yesterday explaining the reasons of his withdrawal from the talks for the establishment of a new "government", Mustafa Akinci, leader of the Peace and Democracy Movement (PDM), said that the Republican Turkish Party (RTP), with the messages it sends every day, "causes very serious concerns on the Turkish Cypriots who want a solution and peace".

"I can see this very clearly and I expect Mr Talat to see it as well", noted Mr Akinci and pointed out that once Mr Talat had been organizing protest marches demanding the opening of the barricade at the end of Ledra Street in Nicosia and now he is opposing the opening of new crossing points.

Furthermore, Huseyin Angolemli, leader of the Communal Liberation Party (CLP) has accused Mr Talat because he rejected the opening of new crossing points.

In statements yesterday Mr Angolemli accused Mr Talat of behaving like the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktas. Mr Angolemli noted that people from occupied Lefka and Morphou area come to Nicosia or go to Pergamos (Larnaca area) when they want to visit the free areas of Cyprus. Mr Angolemli said that Mr Talat should have listened to the people and the party leaders before rejecting the proposals.

Meanwhile, Alpay Durduran, Foreign Relations Secretary of the Patriotic Union Movement (PUM) said that the rejection of the proposals of the government of the Republic of Cyprus by Mr Talat was an "unfortunate" fact. Mr Durduran expressed the opinion that Mr Talat should contribute to the realization of these proposals and to the issue of ascertaining the fate of the missing persons since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

"We call on Mr Talat, who is insisting on not making any step in spite of the wish of the people, to come to his senses and to examine the demands of the people outside the agenda", noted Mr Durduran.

[05] Controversial State Security Courts abolished

Turkey's parliament removed the courts from the constitution last month as part of a package of EU-inspired reforms. But it had failed to specify until this month what would happen to trials already under way, including that of 69 suspected Islamist terrorists accused of four truck bombings in Istanbul in November which killed 60 people and wounded hundreds more.

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer signed the new legislation on Tuesday that will replace the SSCs with civilian criminal courts, according to a statement on the presidential Web site.

In a trial scheduled at the Second SSC in Ankara, the name of the court was amended to the Ankara Serious Crimes Court in the case files.

The SSCs specialized in handling political and terrorism cases. Turkey has introduced a swathe of human rights reforms in recent months in a push to win a date to begin accession talks with the EU when it holds a summit in December.

It was not immediately clear when the Istanbul bombing case would be transferred to the new court, but lawyers have said the legal changes could prolong the trial by months.

Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network claimed responsibility for the bomb attacks on two synagogues, the British consulate and London-based bank HSBC.

Hearings at the trial resumed this week, with a SSC carrying out the "non-essential procedures" in the case. Judges ruled at the trial's opening they would not take testimony or make any ruling.

The courts were established in the aftermath of the 1980 military coup. Generals peacefully returned power to civilians three years later, but left behind an authoritarian constitution which rights activists and EU diplomats have said still curbs many civil liberties.

[06] The cattle-breeders in occupied Cyprus cannot help their animals which suffer from some serious infectious diseases

The cattle-breeders called on the so-called Ministry of Health to help them deal with the situation, because, for years now they were not able to stop these diseases, and this led them to suffer many damages. The cattle-breeders accused the occupation regime because, as they said, it has never taken measures against these diseases or given them indemnity. As the paper writes, the occupied villages of Larnaka Lapithou and Louroudjina faced lately problems with sick animals which suffer from the disease of scrapi. The pseudo Minister of Health promised to take measures to help the cattle-breeders.

/SK

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