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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 05-12-06
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
TURKISH PRESS
AND OTHER MEDIA
No.233/05
06.12.05
[A] NEWS ITEMS
[01] Turkey is reportedly exerting efforts to convince the Turkish
Cypriot political parties to approve the draft-law on the properties;
Izcan notes that the aim of the Turkish side with the law is to gain
time
[02] KIBRIS: Regulations issue entered into an impasse
[03] Erdil Namis contacts in Brussels
[04] Gul warns the European Union about Cyprus
[05] Replies by the leader of CHP to questions on Cyprus and current
political issues
[06] The Turkish Minister of Defense is holding contacts in Washington
[07] Nine illegal immigrants from Syria were arrested yesterday in
occupied Cyprus
[08] Metin Hakki is the new self-styled president of the high court in
occupied Cyprus
[09] Turkish Central Bank governor sets new policies
[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS
[10] Columnist in Cyprus Times challenges Mr Talat to say what he means
by re-unification
[a] NEWS ITEMS
[01] Turkey is reportedly exerting efforts to convince the Turkish
Cypriot political parties to approve the draft-law on the properties;
Izcan notes that the aim of the Turkish side with the law is to gain
time
Under the title Turkey tours to convince for the Property law and
Experts from Turkey sound out the TRNC for the Property Law, Turkish
Cypriot daily HALKIN SESI newspaper (06.12.05) reports that pressures
and suggestions aiming at the approval of the so-called draft law on
the properties by the self-styled assembly have been intensified.
Two persons, who work in the European Union and have been appointed by
the Turkish government to contribute on this issue, visited yesterday
some Turkish Cypriot political parties, accompanied by jurists who
helped in the preparation of the draft-law.
During the visits the illegal ambassador of Turkey in the occupied
areas of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Aydan Karahan participated also in
the delegation, which met with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali
Talat, the self-styled Prime Minister, Ferdi Sabit Soyer, the
self-styled Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister
Serdar Denktas, the administrative council of the National Unity Party
(UBP) and the former Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktas. The
delegation did not visit the leader of the Peace and Democracy Movement
(BDH), Mustafa Akinci.
According to the paper, during the meetings Mr Rauf Denktas and the
representatives of the main opposition UBP expressed the opinion that
in case such a draft-law is approved, the Greek Cypriot side will be
given great trump cards and a course without turn back will begin.
The self-styled MPs of the UBP argued that the draft-law provides for
more concessions by the Turkish side than the Annan Plan. They said
that the Turkish Cypriots had opened Turkeys way to the EU by approving
the Annan Plan. What else do they want from us, they asked.
Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot daily VOLKAN newspaper (06.12.05), under
the title A four-person delegation for pressures by the AKP writes that
the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to help Talat and the
CTP-DP government, who understood that the draft-law for returning
property to the Greek Cypriots will not be approved by the assembly.
The delegation sent by the AKP, notes VOLKAN, met for two hours with
the UBP officials and one hour with Mr Rauf Denktas, to whom it
explained the importance attached by AKP to the draft-law and the
reasons which make it necessary.
After the meeting, the leadership of the Democratic Party decided to
send a four-member delegation to Turkey on Friday in order to convey
their sensitivities to the leadership of the AKP, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the opposition parties.
According to VOLKAN, the UBP delegation expressed the opinion that the
draft-law is contrary to the so-called constitution of the self-styled
TRNC and that they could not discuss it. The UBP will not be a party
which votes for a law that sells out TRNC and our territory, they
said.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily VATAN newspaper (06.12.05) reports
that the General Secretary of the United Cyprus Party (BKP), Izzet
Izcan issued a written statement on the above-mentioned draft-law. Mr
Izcan noted that the aim of the draft-law is to transfer to northern
Cyprus the cases at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and to
solve the property issue.
Mr Izcan said that the aim with this draft-law is to gain time and to
solve Turkeys problems at the ECHR. Mr Izcan reminded that with the
article 159 of the illegal constitution all the properties in the
occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus have been nationalized. He
pointed out that as long as the above-mentioned article is not changed,
the draft-law will be contrary to the constitution.
Mr Izcan expressed also the opinion that the definite and permanent
solution of the property issues will be reached by finding a political
solution to the Cyprus problem at the negotiating table. The
applicability of the new property law is doubtful, he noted.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily GUNES newspaper (06.12.05) writes that
commenting on the issue, the leader of Turkeys True Path Party (DYP),
Mehmet Agar alleged that a mistake committed in Cyprus on the property
issue will lead Turkey to loosing the rights it obtained by the
agreements. In statements during a meeting of his party, Mr Agar said
that the issue of the properties in Cyprus could cause very serious
troubles.
I/Ts.
[02] KIBRIS: Regulations issue entered into an impasse
Turkish Cypriot daily KIBRIS newspaper (06.12.05) reports under the
above title that the financial help and direct trade regulations
prepared by the EU with a view to saving the Turkish Cypriots from the
isolations, have entered, because of the Greek Cypriots, into a total
impasse.
The information that the occupation regime in the Turkish occupied part
of the Republic of Cyprus, will not accept the reconciliation reached
within the EU front in Brussels last Friday, was received with
concern.
KIBRIS reports that the Greek Cypriot side had officially informed the
Commission about its stance regarding the regulations.
The Greek Cypriot side in a clear manner had declared that it says yes
to the financial documents and rejects the direct, trade regulations.
The paper reports that the Greek Cypriot side had already informed the
Commission that it would not back down from this position.
Commission sources had expressed the view that, if the TRNC do not
approve the new declaration, then signing of the new agreement will be
very difficult.
The same sources said that a new draft should be drawn up which will
satisfy both sides.
[03] Erdil Namis contacts in Brussels
Illegal BAYRAK television (06.12.05) reports that the chairman of the
Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce Erdil Nami, who flew to Brussels
yesterday, held various meetings with some the European Union
officials and representatives of member states. The Chambers deputy
presidents, Gunay Cerkez and Hasan Ince are accompanying him.
Mr Nami has already met permanent representatives of Austria - Tunde
Huber and Gabriela Kühtreiber. He later met the permanent
representative of Germany at the EU, Oliver Rentschier.
Within the framework of his contacts, Mr Nami is expected to express
the Chambers views to EU officials on the north Cyprus Direct Trade and
Financial Assistance Regulations, before the Union reaches its final
decision on the issue in the coming days. Nami is reported by the
illegal TAK news agency as having said that the EU Councils 26th of
April recommendation envisages the removal of the international
isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, and that he would be calling on the
EU to put the recommendation into practice
[04] Gul warns the European Union about Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily KIBRISLI newspaper (06.12.05) reports that the
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul warned the European Union not to
make any mistakes as regards the Cyprus problem.
The Turkish Foreign Minister made these statements upon his departure
for Saudi Arabia to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) on Tuesday, prior to the
beginning of the OIC Summit in Mecca on December 7th.
Mr Gul, who stated that a solution in Cyprus must be found within the
framework of the United Nations, added the following: ''It is clear
that a comprehensive solution as regards the Cyprus problem will be in
the hands of the UN. If the EU acts in parallel with Greek Cypriot
demands, it would lose its reliability and its credibility and will not
be in a position to help find a solution in Cyprus''.
Mr Gul also said that the EU must help towards the solution of the
Cyprus problem, must not behave in a way that will harden the solution
and must not take wrong steps or put itself in the place of the United
Nations.
[05] Replies by the leader of CHP to questions on Cyprus and current
political issues
The New Anatolian newspaper (05/12/05) publishes an interview with the
leader of Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Mr Deniz Baykal. Following are
Mr Baykals replies to questions on Cyprus and current political
issues:
Question: We see an initiative by a prosecutor in Van against a rector.
How do you see this?
Answer: In Van, it's apparent that there's an ideological fight
underway. And it's obvious that the judiciary became a part of that
fight. This is very clear. It's been such a long time [since the
process began], but the rector is still in custody. But there isn't any
reason to support what they're doing against him. They say, let justice
speak, everyone else must keep silent. Okay we held our tongues, but
all these things keep going on. One honorable man [deputy rector of the
university] took his own life while in custody. These are great
tragedies, and these aren't isolated tragedies, these are the tragedies
of the judiciary. So if we're talking about such incidents, can you
believe that the judiciary is independent?
Question: What's your view of the coming 2007 presidential election?
Will Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan be a candidate?
Answer: We try to tell everyone that such a thing would be a huge
mistake, both for Turkey and the AK Party. If a hardline member of the
AK Party were to become president, its government would become a
speeding car without any brakes. The AK Party needs a brake, we're
trying to act this way and in many cases we succeeded, and sometimes
media is performing this function as they [the AK Party] takes a step
back and bides their time. If they come to power at the Cankaya
Presidential Palace then they'll try to reshape the Constitutional
Court, the universities and the Board of Higher Education (YOK), so the
government-opposition tension will take on unprecedented proportions.
Turkey will face enormous social strains.
Question: But since the AK Party has a majority in Parliament, why
shouldn't it try for these elections?
Answer: The next presidential elections will be held in 2007. But at
the end of next year this Parliament will be completing its fourth
year. In Turkey, up to now, parliamentary elections were always held
every four years [or less]. But the AK Party government is trying to
delay the parliamentary elections just to be able to elect the
president. They don't have any other excuse to avoid parliamentary
elections. Turkey is a very young, energetic country, every year we get
1 million new voters. And the political scene is very different from
the last time the AK Party faced the voters. So if they insist on
delaying elections, the entire political atmosphere will be poisoned.
Question: But if they do insist on their plans?
Answer: We're trying to tell how such a mistake would be fatal for our
democracy. We're trying to warn them of the possible results of such a
choice. In fact in our Constitution, for certain reasons the Parliament
and presidency are designed with different terms. Because it's not good
for the parliamentary atmosphere to be the same as the presidential
one. But what if they [the AK Party] don't heed the warnings, if they
act as they wish, and do whatever they want, and say, 'so what?'
Question: I'm asking the same question.
Answer: There would be serious political consequences then. So until
the elections we're trying to make that clear to everyone. We trust our
society, if we can manage to convince people on those issues, then
despite their will they [the AK Party] can't do that. Let's not allow
them to make that mistake.
Question: Even though we still have some time until the presidential
elections, it's become a very controversial issue. Even Chief of
General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok felt the need to declare that he has no
presidential ambitions. Among the presumed candidates, can there be a
choice for the CHP as the lesser evil, as it were?
Answer: I firmly believe that a picture of a president designed by the
AK Party can never fit our society's desires. I don't believe that such
a candidate would be in favor of our constitutional principles and our
point of view. I see that they're in the midst of preparations which
are secret and silent. I have deep concerns on that issue and I'll keep
on sharing them with the public.
Question: Last week I was in Lefkosa, (occupied Lefkosia) and I heard a
lot of pessimistic expectations about the future. How do you see things
on Cyprus at this point?
Answer: They [the AK Party] did the wrong things on the Cyprus issue,
but the biggest mistake belongs to the EU. Because before a solution
was reached on Cyprus, before a common state was established, only one
part of the island was accepted into the Union. That mistake put the
biggest hurdle before a solution via peaceful negotiations. Now they're
trying to find a solution by forcing and pressing Turkey, but naturally
this leads to a backlash. In fact, it will get more difficult from here
on out to find a solution there.
At this point the world has to accept two different political
identities and start lifting the isolation and embargo from the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) (occupied territories of the
Republic of Cyprus). If such developments can be achieved then both
sides can come together and compromise on a new partnership document.
But if the initiative is only in the hands of Greek Cypriots and the
Turkish side is treated like it's not even there, then there can't be
any just solution. Under such circumstances any solution that is forced
can't be a solution but just terms of surrender.
Question: When I spoke to TRNC (self-styled) Foreign Minister Serdar
Denktas, he said that instead of waiting for a solution the TRNC could
go its own way in two years' time.
Answer: In fact these are immature ideas. We have such a situation
there. There is a different political situation in the TRNC. This
society created its own bodies, they have all the political and social
instruments there. This is a reality, so how can they [the world]
refuse such a reality? They keep on acting blind and deaf towards that
truth, don't they ever regret it? Isn't it hurting their conscience to
assume that there isn't an organized group of 200,000 Turkish Cypriots
on the island?
Question: Do you think their rights are being defended properly? For
example last week Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Turkey, and
do you think the prime minister raised the issue during their meeting?
Answer: The AK Party government was so naive waiting for the gestures
of the world on the issue. At this point none of their promises have
been kept and we just see and observe the developments. We haven't
taken any initiative on the issues. In fact this is the way the AK
Party works. They try to avoid taking any initiatives or
responsibilities. They can't take any risks. We have an overly
flexible, even a spineless body of governance.
Question: Will we see a de facto change if a Greek Cypriot ship is able
to dock at a Turkish harbor?
Answer: With those sorts of constraints the issue can't be solved. If
the government is seen as ready to make such concessions, then they
can't hold back other concessions. Such a step would have serious
consequences.
[06] The Turkish Minister of Defense is holding contacts in Washington
Ankara Anatolia news agency (05.12.05) reports from Washington that the
Turkish National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, who is currently in
Washington D.C. to attend the Southeastern European Defense Ministerial
(SEDM) meeting, met executives of the American-Turkish Council (ATC) on
Monday.
Defense industry issues were high on agenda of the meeting.
Gonul, who was also expected to meet U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld, will attend the Southeastern European Defense Ministerial
meeting on Tuesday.
[07] Nine illegal immigrants from Syria were arrested yesterday in
occupied Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily YENI DUZEN newspaper (06.12.05) reports that nine
illegal immigrants from Syria were arrested yesterday in the coast
between the villages of Livera and Orga in the occupied territories of
the Republic of Cyprus.
The illegal immigrants have arrived in Cyprus in a fishing boat on the
2nd of December at 05:00 oclock in the morning and were found by the
self-styled police on the 3rd of December. The paper writes that 14
more Syrians arrived in occupied Cyprus but have not been found yet by
the police.
Two bus drivers of Turkish origin, who live in the OTRC, were arrested
because it is believed that they are involved in the incident. These
persons are Mehmet Denim Sogukkanli Ahmet Ucar.
C/S
[08] Metin Hakki is the new self-styled president of the high court in
occupied Cyprus
Illegal BAYRAK television (06.12.05) broadcast that the self-styled
high judiciary council in the occupied territories of the Republic of
Cyprus (OTRC) has elected judge Metin Hakki as the new president of the
high court in the OTRC.
The council met yesterday to discuss who should replace the outgoing
president Taner Erginel who is retiring in February. Metin Hakki will
be acting as president of the self-styled high court as from this
coming Saturday, until February 10th , when Taner Erginel will retire.
[09] Turkish Central Bank governor sets new policies
NTV television (05.12.05) broadcast the following:
Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti told a press conference in
Ankara that the consumer inflation target will be five percent in 2006
and four percent for both the subsequent years. He also said that the
2006 inflation deviation range has been set at three to seven percent.
The Central Bank Governor said that the bank would issue statements
when Turkeys inflation rates deviate by two percentage points in either
direction from the set targets. Any such deviations would necessitate a
review of Turkeys stand by agreement with the International Monetary
Fund, Serdengecti said.
The Central Bank would also reduce the difference between its borrowing
and lending rates to three percentage points from four points from
January 2, Serdengecti said.
[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS
[10] Columnist in Cyprus Times challenges Mr Talat to say what he means
by re-unification
Turkish Cypriot Cyprus Times newspaper (06.12.05) publishes the
following under the title Mean what you say, Mr Talat, in the column
Great Writer, by Ian Jefferson, a legal writer and member of the
International Council of Northern Cyprus:
EVEN as dreams go, this one, which linked a thunder-storm, the word
re-unification and President Talat, seemed odd. My brain was debating,
with itself, the proposition that a thunder-storm has very similar
properties to the word re-unification, especially as that word (or the
Turkish equivalent) is used by Mr Talat.
A thunder cloud rises and dominates the sky, its powerful shapes surge
and boil like a muscular phantasm. Its colours range from blinding
white to blackest jet, but can be adorned with all the colours of a
rainbow. It fires off bolts of lightning that can split trees and
deafen ears, with the chasing thunder. It raises powerful winds and can
hurl millions of tones of water to the ground. Yet, if you flew
towards it, its stark outline would dissolve into a blurry miasma.
Within the cloud itself, every direction would look impenetrably grey.
You would be lost.
Re-unification the word has an equally powerful image. It is shaped
like a spear, on which are skewered the people of north Cyprus, like a
tasty kebab, to satisfy the hunger of the international community. The
word crackles, like an electric arc, poised ready to weld together the
broken parts of Cyprus. It has the power, of some wonderful form of
penicillin, to cure all the ills which afflict Cyprus.
But, approach the meaning of the word and it becomes vague, in the
mouth of Mr Talat. Does it really mean make one state, again? Again?
When was there ever a single state? Before 1960 Cyprus had never been a
state. It had only ever been a place, an island, always dominated by
outsiders from every other nation from around the Mediterranean, save
Greece, which refused it. For 3 years, the founding communities of
Cyprus did, in partnership, create a state. Then, one of the partners
destroyed that fragile construct. Just 3 years of independent statehood
in 7,000 years of history is, well, pretty much bottom of the class, as
nations go.
What of the broken bits, of this state, which are to be welded back
together? One fragment claims that the other does not exist. The other
bit behaves as if it entirely agrees with that claim. Are we so lost
within that grey thundercloud?
Are you, Mr Talat, the honourable Vice President of an unified, 1960,
Cyprus or are you the President of an independent country, which is the
last safe haven for Turkish Cypriots? Are you the shield against the
spear, or do you thrust the kebab-spear deeper into your own people?
Mr Talat, you freely use the word re-unification, or make one, again.
What do you mean? A return to 1960, or a return to the tradition of
being dominated by someone else? Whichever it is, you should explain,
to your electorate, that you wish them to be dominated by their Greek
neighbors, one way or the other, and that they should prepare to give
up what they now have, their own state, their own language, religion
and culture. That would be a cure that really kills.
Is what you say, subjugation, what you mean? If it is not, then speak
plainly. Your people can understand. You must tell the international
community to restore and respect your peoples rights and integrity. Do
not give them away, again.
/ES
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