Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 96-11-22

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TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA

No. 211/96 22/11/96

CONTENTS

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] NEW ILLEGAL BAYRAK "DIRECTOR" RESIGNS POST IN PARTY

[02] DENKTASH DENIES CONTROVERSY OVER RELIGION, SECULARISM

[03] "DEPUTY" SAYS EMIGRATION CONTINUES

[04] ERBAKAN SAYS PSEUDOSTATE'S ECONOMY TO BE BOOSTED IN 1997

[05] TURKEY SAID TO BE BRACING FOR PRESSURE ON CYPRUS SOLUTION, NEW US PROPOSAL

[06] UK DEFENCE SECRETARY MICHAEL PORTILLO REPLIES TO TURKISH CYPRIOT GROUP

[07] DENKTASH ADMITS SUFFERING FROM DIABETES

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] NEW ILLEGAL BAYRAK "DIRECTOR" RESIGNS POST IN PARTY

[02] DENKTASH DENIES CONTROVERSY OVER RELIGION, SECULARISM

Addressing the ceremony, Denktash talked of religion and secularism, issues which have been debated most strongly during the past few days. He said: "The press reports create the impression that there is a controversy over secularism in the country." Denktash stressed that these press reports do not reflect the truth. He reacted strongly to a report published in a Turkish newspaper which claims that Rauf Denktash and his son Serdar are fighting over secularism.

Rauf Denktash pointed out that, as cited in the Constitution, the education system in the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" is pro-Ataturk and secular and that this cannot be changed. He stated that it is up to the "government" to decide whether to open a religious school and that this has nothing to do with secularism. He added: "What I have been proposing for years is to relieve the waqf of the burden of running religious affairs and to attach religious affairs to the secular Religious Affairs Directorate of secular Turkey in terms of finances, education, and supervision. If imams who are opposed to secularism are appointed, then the necessary steps can be taken."

[03] "DEPUTY" SAYS EMIGRATION CONTINUES

He urged the so-called Labour Ministry to secure peace in the labour sector. (MY)

[04] ERBAKAN SAYS PSEUDOSTATE'S ECONOMY TO BE BOOSTED IN 1997

During the meeting Turkey's economic aid to the occupied area in 1997 was discussed. The Turkish Prime Minister told the jour nalists that the occupied area will develop in every field and that they will be witness to this progress. (MY)

[05] TURKEY SAID TO BE BRACING FOR PRESSURE ON CYPRUS SOLUTION, NEW US PROPOSAL

Officials say the United States has several reasons for wan ting progress on the Cyprus issue. Besides the prestige involved, the United States would like to see Greece and Turkey solve their bilateral problems before the West tackles the delicate decisions on expanding NATO and bringing Cyprus into the European Union (EU).

The United States had wanted to tackle these problems in 1996 but the Kardak crisis at the beginning of this year, when the two countries came to brink of a war over the sovereignty of uninha bited islets in the Aegean, had prevented it from happening, the paper says.

That crisis, along with the U.S. presidential elections, led to a postponement in the U.S. efforts to solve the Cyprus prob lem.

Turkey expects that the United States will exert heavy pres sure on both Turkey and Greece. The Greek Cypriots will be told: "If you do not solve this problem you will never be a part of the European Union. Besides that, the Turkic republics will recog nize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and we will not stop them." At the same time, officials told the paper that the United States will tell Ankara: "If you will not accept a solution we will support Greek Cypriot membership in the EU, and the whole world will consider you to be an occupying force on EU soil."

According to diplomatic circles Turkey is waiting to see the U.S.'s new map and proposal. Sources say the plan may include ideas such as political equality of the two sides, the weakening of the guarantor system and the involvement of U.S. troops in the peacekeeping force. The United States can also insist that Tur kish Cypriots recognize the rights of free circulation and set tlement, as well as property rights of Greek Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots have been reluctant to recognize these three freedoms for Greek Cypriots. The United States might propose plan to implement these freedoms gradually, for example, starting with freedom of movement and later property and settlement rights.

Diplomatic circles say that everything will depend on the final shape of the agreement. For example, the Turkish Cypriots can accept new "borders" if the agreement guarantees political equality although the map itself will be very important, or it can accept a weakening of the guarantor's rights if concessions are made on other issues, the paper adds.

There is speculation that the Cyprus problem will lead to the collapse of the coalition between the Islamist Welfare Party (RP) and the center-right True Path Party (DYP). It is well known that the RP is hawkish on Cyprus. Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan was the deputy prime minister when Turkey launched its military invasion in Cyprus in 1974. The RP is even reluctant to see a federation on Cyprus. On the other hand, DYP leader and Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller supports the official policy call ing for a bi-communal, bi-zonal society based on political equality. These negotiations could be locked up in 15 days or could go on for months. Secret meetings could be held but it is obvious that the United States wants to see a solution by the spring of 1997, the paper concludes.

[06] UK DEFENCE SECRETARY MICHAEL PORTILLO REPLIES TO TURKISH CYPRIOT GROUP

"His answer to our letter does not deny that he made such a speech about the Turkish side," Mustafa Gencsoy, the head of the Turkish Cypriot Association in London said, referring to the let ter sent by Portillo last week.

Gencsoy said that Portillo's letter asked "what had disturbed the Turkish Cypriots" about his speech. "We have written another letter to him on Nov. 19, explaining which part of his speech had annoyed us as Turkish Cypriots," he added.

"You have said that Cyprus was a united and happy island once upon a time. However, Cyprus had never been a happy and united island since it was put under the autonomy of the British in 1878. The reason for this is that the British authorities had helped the Greek side to improve economically while they had ignored every right of the Turkish Cypriots," Gencsoy claimed, quoting from the second letter they sent to Portillo.

"We also wrote to him that his remarks that Turkish inter vention had prevented people returning to their homeland - referring to the Greek Cypriots - were wrong. The two communi ties had always resided separately. The `green line' existed to prevent the British and Turkish Cypriot families from fanatic Greek Cypriot violence.", he alleged.

"We would like to inform you that Turks on the island do not want to go back to the so-called `old and happy' days of the Makarios period. We believe the Greek Cypriots also do not want to move back to the north," the second letter alleged.

The first letter was written by CPTCR coordinator, Prof. Salahi Sonyel and by Gencsoy condemning Portillo's speech at the opening of the photo-exhibition at the House of Commons. The photos were depicting the Turkish side's violence against the Greek side.

[07] DENKTASH ADMITS SUFFERING FROM DIABETES