Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 97-04-17

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

TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA

No. 70/97 -- 17.4.97

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Claudia Roth says she will continue to voice her concerns on human right violations and democratization in Turkey.

[02] Greek Cypriots at Ap. Andreas monastery, Turkish Cypriots at Hala Sultan Tekke.

[03] Poll on drug use teenagers in the occupied area.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[04] Privatization of occupied area.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Claudia Roth says she will continue to voice her concerns on human right violations and democratization in Turkey

Roth, who has been working on projects related to Turkey for 10 years, says she will continue to interfere with Turkey's internal affairs so long as they are connected to human rights, adding that, "According to the UN Human Rights resolutions that we adhere to, no government has the right to defend human rights violations in its country as internal affairs".

Roth, leader of the Greens Party which is represented by 50 seats in Germany and much fewer in the European Parliament, exerts more influence with her words in Turkey than in Germany.

She criticized Ciller and the current Turkish government at the opening session of the Turkey-European Union Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) on Tuesday, listing convictions and imprisonments related to freedom of speech in Turkey, and asked Ciller, "How does it feel, as a woman to be in a cabinet where a minister boasts about having three wives and living in polygamy?" Words Ciller reacted to as interference in the internal affairs of the country.

Roth confirms that Ciller has totally lost the vote of confidence of the entire European Parliament, and said that she had betrayed everyone in Europe who believed in her and her promises, when she said "yes" to a coalition with the Islamist Welfare Party.

"She even fooled Chancellor Kohl, who presented her to the press, and in a way `crowned her or carried her to the throne'. "I personally never believed in a politician who made lots of promises", said Roth.

Roth indicated that when Ciller introduced herself as a guarantor of the secular system and a fighter against the Welfare Party, "I reminded my colleagues that they shouldn't compare the Ayatollah in Tehran with the Welfare Party since they are not the same, and that Ciller had always played that card".

Roth recalled that the Germans had pressured Turkey to be in the customs union at the time, but that she had voted "no" on Turkey's admission, explaining that she did so because the treaty was "a compromising and bad one for Turkey" and that this would only mean "a positive vote for the status quo" of human rights violations in Turkey. The European Parliament later froze millions of dollars worth of CU credits available to Turkey due to the human rights situation.

Roth said that Ciller hasn't gained any credibility nationally since Susurluk and that "everywhere you look, she is involved. I wonder, how long can she survive? She and Erbakan are a difficult couple." Roth also said that "she hasn't acted" well in the situation where one of her deputies called her and other women European Parliament deputies "whores", a case which is still going on.

The stormy session at the 40th meeting of the Turkey-EU JPC showed disbelief and criticism toward Deputy Prime Minister Tansu Ciller. Roth was singled out by the media as an outspoken parliamentarian, but all parliamentarians criticized Ciller and, in connection with her, Turkey's thick human rights portfolio.

[02] Greek Cypriots at Ap. Andreas monastery, Turkish Cypriots at Hala Sultan Tekke

KIBRIS says that the visit is within the framework of good will rapprochement between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.

KIBRIS also reports that on 27 April a group of Greek Cypriots will cross into the occupied area and visit the historic Apostolos Andreas Monastery in the occupied Karpass peninsula. (MY)

[03] Poll on drug use by teenagers in the occupied area

Drugs used include the sniffing of thinner and other inflammable volatile organic liquids.

According to the same poll, 50% of the teenagers are beaten one way or another by their parents. The percentage of youth who complained for lack of love from their parents and for indifference is around 50%.

KIBRIS reports that the results of the poll will be published in October as a booklet.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[04] Privatization of occupied area

The pressure for the solution for the Cyprus problem on the one hand, and the "privatization condition" required for the implementation of the economic cooperation "protocol" between Turkey and the occupied area on the other, are creating difficult days for the Turkish Cypriots. The article reads: "In a way, after 1974 North Cyprus has become a city-state exposed to transient political systems and currents. KITs (Public Economic Enterprises) and other institutions which were a fashion in the 1970s, were established at the time. Some of these institutions were established in the TRNC in partnership with Turkey, others independently with local capital. In terms of demographic policy, these enterprises were set up and the mixed economic system was put into effect as a means to create jobs. With the introduction of democratization in the state organs, trade union activity was also allowed and the aforesaid establishments obtained agreements that meet the current demand of the workers.

As everywhere, governments used TRNC's KITs and economic establishments as a means for creating jobs. These companies suffered losses due to the fact that economic rules and criteria frequently were not implemented. As for those who did not suffer losses, their surplus income was used for the state's social, cultural, and religious expenditures.

Attempts are now under way to expose the TRNC to the winds of privatization. In recent years the Turkish Government had been sending in its own experts and had even presented the results of these studies in a report to the TRNC Government.

Afterwards, the need for privatization was imposed as a condition for the implementation of the economic protocol.

As the pain of privatization continues in the TRNC, the trade unions and a certain section of the society are opposing the concept behind privatization and the manner of its implementation. Local businessmen and trade unions are worried that the state might transfer (to bidders) some of its enterprises and establishments in a haphazard manner in the name of privatization."

And the article continues:

"The employment of unregistered workers in rented hotels and the preference given to hiring illegal workers in place of local administrators and workers is a phenomenon which further exacerbates the pain of privatization. Such worries are further provoked by the fact that a private enterprise employing 200 workers only ensures social security and other rights to only 15 workers.

The TRNC people and businessmen are indicating that they are not against investments from abroad, but that these should be made into the already existing businesses, otherwise, the transfer of the enterprises from the TRNC's indigenous people to foreigners will be far from serving its purpose.

Yet another source for concern is that the transfer of the control of the hotels by the TRNC government -- which has declared tourism as the locomotive of the economy--has been creating rather than solving additional problems."

And it concludes: "The emigration of the young people from the TRNC in search of employment opportunities abroad is worrying the public.

The fact that a considerable number of civil servants, teachers, retired policemen, and persons unrelated to a given sector are hired for employment, instead of graduates from the colleges for tourism and catering, is emerging as yet another problem. Specialists raised in the tourism sector have already started looking for a future in foreign countries.

In view of the fact that the TRNC has for years been turned into a testing ground as a pilot region, the people are worried and do not trust the politicians who want to fill their sails with the winds of privatization."

From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/

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