Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 05-04-25

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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 takes over from Denktas accusing President Papadopoulos of being intransigent; Gul attended the ceremony while the Ambassador of the USA and the British High Commissioner the reception

[02] Erdogan and Ozkok discussed Cyprus and other issues.

[03] Diplomatic sources are quoted to have said that the EU ambassadors have warned the mayor of Diyarbakir.

[04] Turkish State Minister leaves for China.

[05] A British resident in the occupied areas of Kyrenia was murdered.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Columnist in AFRIKA comments on Mr Gul´s statement that the occupation regime is a model for the world.

[07] The statements by the Turkish Chief of Staff were assessed by JDP´s Firat and social scientists.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat takes over from Denktas accusing President Papadopoulos of being intransigent; Gul attended the ceremony while the Ambassador of the USA and the British High Commissioner the reception

Mr Talat took over his new duties after taking an oath in the so-called assembly, where Turkeys Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Gul was also present.

Mr Talat, who was met with a military ceremony at the so-called presidential palace, said that the moment he was taking over his duties is very difficult because he undertook the responsibility to change the course of history.

In his speech Mr Talat thanked Mr Denktas for the services he offered to the community during a very difficult period. Referring to the so-called isolations of the Turkish Cypriots, he noted that only promises on this issue were not enough. Then Mr Talat attacked the Greek Cypriot leadership saying:

Being European does not mean joining the EU on paper. Membership in the EU does not mean acquiring an international vehicle to impose discriminatory, racist, authoritarian, and intransigent policies on other communities, especially another people in one's own country. The 'European solution' that Greek Cypriot leader Papadopoulos has outlined with the purpose of depriving the Turkish Cypriots from their rights of partnership and equality on the island and erasing them from history is neither European nor a solution. The policy of intransigence that Papadopoulos has pursued prevents not only Turkish and Greek Cypriots from living in peace but also the reconciliation of Cyprus with Europe and the world. The Turkish Cypriots have decided to create a new history instead of becoming the slaves of history. Now they call upon the Greek Cypriots to write history together. They have assigned me to make this appeal for peace.

Mr Talat thanked also Turkey for the limitless support and cooperation with the pseudostate.

KIBRIS reports also that in his speech Mr Rauf Denktas reminded Mr Tat the oath he took for protecting the independence of the pseudostate. The oath of Mr President is to protect the independence of the TRNC, to support the sovereignty of the people, to protect the republic and the state and glorify them, said Mr Denktas who alleged that President Papadopoulos does not want peace.

Meanwhile, after the official part of the handover ceremony, Mr Talat and his wife Oya gave a reception where they received the congratulations of Mr Rauf Denktas, army officers and other officials. According to KIBRIS, the ambassador of the USA to Nicosia, Mr Michael Klosson and the British High Commissioner, Mr Lynn Parker attended the reception.

In statements during the reception Mr Talat alleged that the Turkish Cypriots were not responsible for the continuation of the division of Cyprus and expressed the opinion that the change in the leadership of the Turkish Cypriots will be positively seen in the world.

The world will be seeing us with a different eye, said Mr Talat reiterating the Turkish sides view that they wanted concrete steps towards the direction of lifting the so-called isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.

Alleging that a brand new policy will be followed from now on, Mr Talat argued that while a revolution is taking place in the occupied part of Cyprus, the world must support the Turkish Cypriots and not leave them alone before the intransigent Papadopoulos.

Mr Talat said that Mr Gul told him that Turkey supports his policy and added: This gives us pride and hope for the future. He argued that the great change allegedly taking place in the occupied part of Cyprus is important for Turkeys EU course and added that with this in mind they will continue to support Turkey.

Meanwhile, KIBRIS reports that Mr Gul, who visited the occupied areas of Cyprus in order to attend the handover ceremony, argued: The TRNC is a state example to the world. The exceptional relations will continue with it for the development of its economic and social development. All the efforts made for finding a permanent solution under the leadership of the United Nations will be supported and Turkey within this framework will continue the exceptional relations for strengthening the economic and social structure of the TRNC and increasing the standard of living of the people here. The ball is not on the Turkish Cypriot side any more. It is on the other side .

Turkish Cypriot daily AFRIKA (25.04.05) reports that Mr Gul said that there is nothing that the Turkish Cypriots could do from now on and added that they will follow their cause more strongly.

The other Turkish Cypriot press covers the handover ceremony as follows:

YENIDUZEN: The Turkish Cypriots wanted it to be so and The new period began on the anniversary for the yes vote! Denktas is gone. Talat came.

KIBRISLI: Revolution!

HALKIN SESI: Denktas handed over his duty to Talat

VOLKAN: Denktas to Talat: Keep the flag high.

VATAN: Farewell and Oath for the presidency of the TRNC and The TRNC lived one more historical day.

GUNES: Handover

CUMHURIYET: New period

ORTAM: The palace belongs to Talat

[02] Erdogan and Ozkok discussed Cyprus and other issues

Erdogan received Ozkok today. The meeting, which was reportedly held at the invitation of the prime minister and which is not extraordinary in nature, focused on issues such as Cyprus, the Aegean, north Iraq, and the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan].

Erdogan, who arrived at the (JDP) Justice and Development Party Headquarters for a meeting with party mayors after his meeting with the president, replied to reporters' questions. Commenting on Ozkok's speech at the War Academies, Erdogan said: Ozkok made an annual assessment regarding internal and external developments. Naturally, everyone has his own opinions. There may be areas in which we share the same opinion, and areas where we differ, but in general, it was quite a mature assessment.

[03] Diplomatic sources are quoted to have said that the EU ambassadors have warned the mayor of Diyarbakir

According to diplomatic sources, EU ambassadors warned Baydemir to stay away from terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan and PKK. The ambassadors urged Baydemir to help establish permanent peace.

''The ambassadors reminded Baydemir that future tension in the region will receive a huge reaction from the EU,'' said a Turkish diplomat.

The ambassadors also indicated that conservative nationalists in Turkey may not help finding a solution of the problems of Turks and Kurds.

[04] Turkish State Minister leaves for China

Sahin will meet Chinese Personnel Minister Zhang Bolin in Beijing.

Sahin will return to Turkey on April 30th.

[05] A British resident in the occupied areas of Kyrenia was murdered

According to the paper, Mr Swindell owned a flat in the closed-area of Varoshia. But after the Turkish invasion in 1974, the occupation regime offered and gave him property in the occupied area of Kyrenia, where he lived until his death with his wife, who died two years ago.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Columnist in AFRIKA comments on Mr Gul´s statement that the occupation regime is a model for the world

Sener Levent comments on messages delivered at the handover ceremony that took place on 24.04.05 where Mr Rauf Denktas has handed-over the so-called presidency to Mr Mehmet Ali Talat. Sener Levent wrote:

Denktas had the same destiny like Dr. Fazil Kucuk

When Turkey told him to `withdraw´ Denktas withdrew.

Like Dr. Kucuk, Denktas too has said: `I do not act contrary to Motherland´s interests´.

The Turkish Chief of the Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok, in order to please Mr Denktas at a last moment attempt has sent a message to him telling him´:

`You will be remembered in the golden pages of history´: But the general´s words were not that much convincing because generals do not write history It is the people who write history If the generals were writing the history, the children hanged during the fascist coups would not have been heroes and the generals who hanged them barbarious.

Neither Spartacus could be a hero, nor Allende, nor Che Guevara..

Is it that easy to be written in the golden pages of history?

Nevertheless, let us leave to the conscience of the historians this history and we deal with what Abdullah Gul had said. He said: `The Turkish Cypriots have nothing to do from this hour on! For him the `ball now was in the Greek Cypriot court´. That we have done, what we should have done! That we have proved to the world ourselves, that the world knew the realities in Cyprus, that we are the ones who want a settlement and that the Greek Cypriots are the ones who block the solution.

What a big thing we had succeeded. We had become peace-lovers and more pro-solution than the Greek Cypriots, without withdrawing a single Turkish solldier, without opening Varosha, not excavating a single bone from the mass graves, not an inch of territory returning from the 40% of the island´s territory that we hold. We had become peace lovers and more pro-solution than the Greek Cypriots by plundering the Greek Cypriot property as we pleased, by giving title deeds to Turks and selling them to British and Germans.

For this reason Mr Abdullah Gul is saying: `The Turkish Cypriots have noting to do at this hour´, that is from now on we can put `for sale´ on the property that belongs to the Greek Cypriots and enjoy our life.

On top of this Mr Abdullah Gul did not forget to praise us by a big `bravo´

He had said that the `TRNC´ could be taken as a world model state We had no doubt at all about this Of course the `TRNC´ is a model Is there any other state in the world which is under occupation, but it considers itself independent and never complains of the occupation?

The world should consider us as an example!

Those who take the order existing here as example will be very happy! We are world champions in traffic accidents On our roads you can use both left and right hand drive cars. We are willingly sacrificing our lives so that car importers may make nice profits

We are world champions in criminal acts such as stealing, killing and bombing No one has our success of not being able to arrest a single bomber Despite the fact that for every four citizens we have one soldier or a policeman.

The world should take us as example We are champions in court cases, regarding journalists One cannot count how many championships we have It is not possible to include all of them in the narrow column of the paper

In fact, I still think about what the Chief of Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok said`Turkey will use from now on the rights stipulated by the 1960 agreements´Well what would happen to our rights stipulated under those treaties?

As Turkey it wants to use its rights, why should we as Turkish Cypriots be unable to use our rights?

Is it so because we are a state that should be taken as mode?

[07] The statements by the Turkish Chief of Staff were assessed by JDP´s Firat and social scientists

The Justice and Development Party [JDP] was not offended by Chief of Staff Gen Hilmi Ozkok's comments: "Turkey is not an example of moderate Islam but of secularism" and who warned about reactionaryism. JDP Assistant Party Chairman Dengir Mir Firat said: "I watched and read attentively. It was a general evaluation on the topic of the 85-year long preservation of the Republic. It was wholly levelheaded. I am proud that we possess such a statesman." Speaking at a press conference held at the TGNA [Turkish Grand National Assembly] Firat said that one of the many dangers facing Turkey was that of reactionarism. He went on:

"Reactionarism is present in every kind of destructive act threatening the Republic of Turkey. As the government it is our duty to dry up the swamp that breeds reactionarism. We are resolved to fight this. If there is reactionarism within the State then there is also the means for the State to protect itself, and it is functioning perfectly well. There are no extra precautions that we can introduce. The precautions are functioning fully at the highest level." Firat congratulated Ozkok and expressed pride at the existence of such a statesman. When asked if by State's self-defense mechanism he meant "the deep state" Firat replied: "In modern countries there can be no deep or surface state. The State is the State. Any understanding that diversifies the State is incompatible with the understanding of the modern State. The State's self-defense mechanism is the State itself. There is no 'deep' about it."

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chief of Staff Gen Hilmi Ozkok will get together for a meeting today. It is expected that the details concerning the use of Incirlik Airbase will be taken up at that meeting, which is due to begin at the Prime Ministry at 0830 GMT. It is worthy of note that this meeting is taking place immediately after the Ozkok's remarks of the other day.

What did social scientists say? [By Belma Akcura in Istanbul]

Academicians had this to say about General Hilmi Ozkok's remarks the other day:

1. Prof Hasan Koni: "In Turkey there are some circles finding it hard to adapt to change. They are afraid of where these changes might lead. Social democrats see these changes as threatening the social, economic and political infrastructure. The military has clearly expressed the reactions of this group. What was said was not a warning but a summing up of the situation."

2. Prof Necmi Yuzbasioglu: "It would be wrong to call this the General Staff's viewpoint. This is State policy. I believe that these comments are a roadmap for Turkey down the line. They express common sense. They have translated the feelings felt by a large segment of society."

3. Prof Yavuz Sabuncu: "The government's positions are muddied. That in turn fills up these positions. When you make statements on behalf of Turkey that the government is not making, then these remarks become Turkey's remarks."

4. Prof Nilufer Narli: "Using a different style from the past the military has given the message that it is more democratic and that it is aware Turkey has set off down the road to the EU."

5. Prof Dogu Ergil: "The military has put its finger on a weak point in the administration. One should read these remarks as the perception of a crisis. The military has identified a situation concerning troubles."

/SK

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