Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 05-04-14

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat alleges that the world will isolate President Papadopoulos; He sees tension on the issue of the opening of Turkish Cypriot school in Limassol.

[02] Talat: "Papadopoulos and Denktas are the copies of each other".

[03] The EU undertakes active role in the solution of the Cyprus problem.

[04] The Commander of the Turkish Cypriot "Peace Forces" visited the Foreign Press Union.

[05] Maronites will hold elections with only one candidate.

[06] Kutlay Erk: "For us politics are no longer in Lefkosia but has spread over to Europe".

[07]The Communal Liberation Party and the Democratic Party criticised Mehmet Ali Talat.

[08] The Turkish occupation army has started to perpetrate robberies.

[09]Deputy Chief of Staff: " The Casus Belli decision is still in Force".

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat alleges that the world will isolate President Papadopoulos; He sees tension on the issue of the opening of Turkish Cypriot school in Limassol

In statements to KIBRIS TV Mr Talat alleged that the President of the Republic, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos, will be isolated by the world. He also expressed the opinion that tension will be created regarding the issue of opening a Turkish Cypriot school in Limassol.

Responding to a question, Mr Talat claimed: "Papadopoulos rejects many things without rejecting them, just as he does with the Turkish primary school in Limassol. You will see that the opening of the primary school in Limassol will not be possible. If this mentality continues, this will be difficult. Furthermore, it will cause tensions as well. This will be also reflected on the school in Karpass. ...".

Asked whether he finds positive from the point of view of reaching a solution to the Cyprus problem the allegedly increasing accusations by the world against President Papadopoulos, Mr Talat argued:

"Of course it is positive. And I am alleging again that Papadopoulos is definitely going towards the isolation. No one today says that Papadopoulos is right, including France and Russia. There is a positive trend. The world will isolate Papadopoulos. We have this capacity and capability. That is why I want a high percentage of votes and a big support".

Asked whether or not the Turkish side could make a step backwards on the issue of the Greek Cypriot high school in Karpass peninsula and close it down, Mr Talat answered:

"Why should we? Could we possibly say this? At this moment we are not doing something legal. The Karpass high school and the primary school have been opened with an administrative decision. They have no legal basis. Today the Ministry of Education should close this school down, but this is a political decision. The European Council asks us about this. The Council asks: 'According to which criteria you have opened this school?' If we make a law, the Greek Cypriots will say 'I am not recognizing your law' and will not send students to the school. Therefore, I cannot make a law. When the Greek Cypriot side opens a school in Limassol, it will do it within the framework of its own law. We shall also make a law because the Council exerts pressure. Then I do not know if there will be a reaction by the Greek Cypriot side".

[02] Talat: "Papadopoulos and Denktas are the copies of each other"

Following are the questions put to Talat and answers:

Fikret Bila - (FB): You are sure you will be elected.

M. Ali Talat - (MAT): Polls and people´s interest show it. I was not intending to visit all the villages. Once I started all the villages started saying `visit us as well´.

Derya Sazak - (DS): What percentage would you get? What is your forecast?

MAT: We aim at 60 percent and up. I think we will get it.

DS: At this moment in Turkey nationalist feeling is growing. Do you feel its footprints here?

MAT: No. There are only very marginal attempts. Mr Denktas, is acting with them.

DS: Do you think that they are voting for you because you favour the EU?

MAT: We are being supported because we favour the EU and we have a vision as regards a solution. What we have said, what we have forecast, came true, like soothsayer, foreteller.

Subtitle: Turkey has changed

DS: Does it have any relation with the government change in Turkey?

MAT: It is related to understanding the world properly. Of course it has a relation with the government change in Turkey. First time Turkey is understanding the world properly. Before, Turkey was not understanding the world properly. Ecevit, on the one hand saying something, and on the other doing another thing: At Helsinki he has accepted the summit decision, but at the same time he was declaring: `I will not give a iota in Cyprus: Is this possible?

DS: What do the Erdogan an Gul administration say, which is different than what the others say?

MAT: Only two days ago Erdogan said: `We cannot continue in a marginal way. We want to settle this problem.´ This is the right way.

S.K: You have said that Ecevit is saying `I will not give a iota´. Do you think that Erdogan is pledging to give something?

MAT: Solution means give and take. Solution is reaching mutual understanding. This is give and take.

DS: In another interview you had said: `Turkey could sell out Cyprus, you have to ask this to the Prime Minister of Turkey´.

MAT: I do say that, you do not ask me this, one who could do this is one who is from outside. As a Turkish Cypriot do not ask me `Will you sell out Cyprus?´ This is my homeland, I have no other place. You could be justified if you ask such a question to the Prime Minister of Turkey. At the end he could harbour strong love towards Cyprus, but Turkey is a huge country and a world country. His country has other relations, and because of these relations he could exhibit different stance in Cyprus.

DS: It seems that you were unable to convince Denktas as regards give and take?

MAT: Denktas is 80 years old. In a way he has given his life to the Cyprus problem. He has formed a view, he is unable to put aside and abandon this view. Naturally, he has difficulty to understand the contemporary world. He gave a promise. And he thinks he is bound to keep that promise religiously.

DS: He says that Cyprus should not be like Crete. Is this possible?

MAT: Within the EU to think about Crete means one has not understood the contemporary world.

F.B: The Turkish side said "yes" to the Annan Plan. You have said that it is not possible to do something when Denktas is here and Papadopoulos is in the south. How would the change be realized in the south?

MAT: Despite the fact that there is a new understanding there, there is also an inclination towards Denktas, what two years ago Mr Denktas was saying today, Papadopoulos is saying the same things. Papadopoulos and Denktas are identical as though they were cloned.

D.S: What is the south´s fear?

MAT: In the past the Turkish side thought that by pushing this issue uphill and by delaying it, it will turn non-solution to solution, and today the Greek side thinks that time works in it favour, thus gaining advantage. Greeks think that Turkey will be in their hands once the accession negotiations start.

F.B: Who would be the south Cyprus´ Talat?

MAT: I have been greatly disillusioned by AKEL. Now DYSI wants settlement. They are as sincere as we are. The leader of DYSI favours solution firmly and sincerely.

[03] The EU undertakes active role in the solution of the Cyprus problem

Invoking reliable sources in Brussels, the paper writes that within the next period the Finnish former diplomat, Jaakko Blomberg is expected to be appointed as special representative of the Union for Cyprus and come to the island for contacts. The Finnish former diplomat will find out the stance of the two sides in the island regarding the Cyprus problem and will prepare a report to the Commission of the EU.

The sources told KIBRIS that the reason of the EU wanting to play a more active role in Cyprus is the fact that the solution to be reached on the island should be within the EU laws.

Furthermore, it is said that with this active role the EU has no intention of taking over the status of the United Nations in the Cyprus problem.

The EU sources see the period after the so-called 17 April elections in the occupied part of Cyprus as an opportunity for launching a new initiative by the UN towards reaching a solution.

According to KIBRIS, the EU sources "stress that the approval of the regulations (regarding the Free Trade and the Financial Aid) will serve as a bridge which will contribute to the reunification of Cyprus". The same sources said that Turkey should sign the additional protocol for expanding its customs union with the new members of the EU, including the Republic of Cyprus, before the EU institutions begin their summer holiday.

[04] The Commander of the Turkish Cypriot "Peace Forces" visited the Foreign Press Union

[05] Maronites will hold elections with only one candidate

The paper also reports that although there is only one candidate for the position of the head-man of the village, the "elections" must be held and the candidate must obtain the simple majority, which is 50+1 votes.

ORTAM paper, under the title "Strange elections in a strange country!", reports that at this "election" the election law of the occupation regime will not be valid, because when there is no rival then the candidate is the winner without elections.

[06] Kutlay Erk: "For us politics are no longer in Lefkosia but has spread over to Europe"

Mr Erk made these statements yesterday during a press conference in which also participated the two so-called deputies of the RTP, Ozdil Nami and Salih Izbul, who have been accepted as members of the Socialist Group of the European Parliament under the status of the observer. The two so-called deputies also held contacts with the members of the Socialist group between 5-7 of April.

Mr Erk stated that the relations between RTP and the Socialist Group of the European Parliament continued for years now and described as "an important success" the participation of the two Turkish Cypriots in the group. He also stated that the main goal is the participation of the Nami and Izbul delegation in the European Parliament but added that this does not seem to be possible at the current phase. He also stated that after the participation of the RTP in the Socialist Group of the European Parliament, it will become possible for other Turkish Cypriot parties to participate in other political groups and called for efforts to be made towards this direction.

Nami and Izbul stated that the political struggle of the Turkish Cypriots has now been transported in the European Platform and added that they believe that with the support of the Turkish Cypriots they will be able to be even more successful. They also stated that with this development, it is not only the RTP, but all the Turkish Cypriots that they were opened in front of Europe.

[07] The Communal Liberation Party and the Democratic Party criticised Mehmet Ali Talat

Mr Serdar Denktas stated that Mr Talat "must explain to the people clearly the parameters of the solution that he has in his mind". Speaking at a joint press conference with his party's candidate for the "presidential elections" Mustafa Arabacioglu, the DP leader criticized Talat's latest remarks in which he stated that he considered the forthcoming "presidential election" as a "referendum".

"If this will be a referendum, what is the question being put to the people then? These are not referendum elections, they are elections for the 'presidency'" he stated. "If this will be a referendum, then I think we have to ask our people what they think about Turkey's continued status as a guarantor power, and if they want citizens originating from Turkey to be sent back", he said.

In addition the CLP noted in a written statement that the so-called prime minister Mehmet Ali Talat "considers every road to be appropriate in order to sit in the 'presidential' chair", with the material and moral support that he has obtained from the Erdogan government in Ankara.

The party also stated that the TRT, who is the television controlled by the Turkish government, was sent to north Cyprus in order to cover the "elections", however, as illegal Bayrak television does, it gives more coverage to Talat's candidacy.

[08] The Turkish occupation army has started to perpetrate robberies

The paper reports that last Tuesday evening a soldier of the Turkish "Peace Forces" entered the occupied Kyrenia Branch of Telsim Telecommunications Office and with a knife in his hands forced the employees to give him 2 million Turkish Lira.

The so-called police kept the incident secret, but, according to information acquired by the paper, the soldier of the occupation army was arrested and is still under interrogation.

[09] Deputy Chief of Staff: " The Casus Belli decision is still in Force"

The Deputy Chief of the General Staff Gen Ilker Basbug received the defence correspondents at the General Staff Headquarters. He replied to the questions of the reporters during the reception. One question was about the casus belli issue, which parliament speaker Bulent Arinc had raised.

The Deputy Chief of the General Staff disclosed the views of the Turkish Armed Forces and General Staff on this issue. He first recalled that such a decision was adopted at the parliament on 8 June 1995, adding that this decision adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly is the expression of the state policy still valid and in force. He went on and said: "The basic objective of this policy is not to foment but to prevent clashes between the two countries."

/SK

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