Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 97-11-11

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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. 209/97 -- 11.11.97

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] No statements issued following Denktash-Miller meeting.

[02] Mehmet Ali Talat on Holbrooke visit.

[03] Denktash on President Clerides' statements on Cyprus issue.

[04] Businessmen delegation brief Denktash on Athens visit.

[05] Kenan Akin asked to resign.

[06] Secret Turkish, US meeting; Cyprus was on the agenda.

[07] Turkey's plan for Cyprus.

[08] Denktash: "We are not going to give up the TRNC".

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] No statements issued following Denktash-Miller meeting

In reply to a reporter's question prior to the meeting on whether he will participate in the direct talks in 1988, Denktash said: "This depends on a lot of things. First, we have to wait and see what the EU decides. We will then crystallize our stand."

No statements were issued following the Denktash-Miller meeting.

[02] Mehmet Ali Talat on Holbrooke visit

Drawing attention to US President Clinton's Special Cyprus Representative Holbrooke's visit to Cyprus and to recent developments regarding the Cyprus problem, Mehmet Ali Talat indicated that there has been rapid and unexpected developments regarding the Cyprus problem, that these developments are being followed with interest, and that Rauf Denktash's meetings in the United States are a sign of international interest and possible developments regarding Cyprus.

Talat made the following statement to the press: "The rapid and unexpected developments of the Cyprus problem are being followed with interest.

The numerous meetings that president Denktash held with President Clinton's Special Cyprus Representative Holbrooke and with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan are a sign of international interest and possible developments. The fact that US President Clinton's Special (Cyprus) Representative Holbrooke will visit Cyprus next week and will meet with the leaders of the two communities, first separately and then jointly, is a sign that there will be emphasis on issues on which no accord has been reached during the intercommunal talks.

It is clearly important that the Turkish Cypriots should join the talks over the EU accession process held with Cyprus without forgetting the pressing need to find a solution to the Cyprus problem as a whole. At this stage it is clearly imperative to determine a formula that reflects the Turkish Cypriot people's political equality within the EU accession talks in line with an acceptable principle of a future federal structure. The proximity of the date for beginning the talks between Cyprus and the EU renders it essential to find this formula as soon as possible.

Holbrooke's visit to the island in order to meet the two leaders should be viewed as a chance to overcome this problem.

Both leaders should approach this chance with optimism and should support the finding of a formula that reflects the political equality of the Turkish Cypriot people."

[03] Denktash on President Clerides' statements on Cyprus issue

Stating that Mr. Kyprianou sometimes avoided the negotiation table during the time he was in power, Denktash said:

"Clerides, in turn, did not avoid the negotiation table and proceeded with the talks along with his tactics. He said that he will proceed with the talks because avoiding the negotiation table will pave the path for granting recognition to the TRNC.

There is nothing new in Clerides' remarks.

Denktash added: "Our stand has always been the same. We stressed the importance we attach to our equality and sovereignty in the past as well. Moreover, we also said that the rights granted to Turkey over Cyprus and, in particular, the balance between Turkey and Greece cannot be eroded and eliminated."

He concluded claiming:

"Clerides cannot be the government of the Turkish Cypriots by playing a ploy of portraying me as the intransigent side. He cannot dismiss the existence of the TRNC."

[04] Businessmen delegation brief Denktash on Athens visit

During his address at the meeting, Denktash said the Greek Cypriots say there will be no commercial relations with the Turkish Cypriots before an agreement is secured and claimed: "The Greek Cypriots must recognize the TRNC so that these problems can be surmounted". Explaining that the Greek Cypriots do not recognize the Turkish Cypriot "Chamber of Commerce", Denktash alleged: "Numerous problems can be surmounted if the Greek Cypriots recognize our Chamber of Commerce. The Greek Cypriots, however, have no such intentions." He added: "Even Clerides inadvertently let it slip out that he is participating in the negotiations for tactical reasons."

The Turkish Cypriot businessmen, in turn, briefed Denktash on their visit to Athens and said: "The real goal of the Greek Cypriots is EU membership. We received concrete proof of this during our contacts. Nevertheless, it is beneficial to continue such contacts."

[05] Kenan Akin asked to resign

note) and says that the so-called Minister of agriculture of the pseudostate, Kenan Akin, should resign as soon as possible.

YENIDUZEN then produces the written statement by Republican Turkish Party General Secretary Ferdi Sabit Soyer, who said:

"Esteemed Kenan Akin, who is a member of the TRNC's Council of Ministers, has succeeded in entering Interpol's red bulletin as well. Of course without any doubt, people cannot be declared guilty without trial. However, to prove this, all the available legal procedures should be put into practice. As long as this is not done, the allegation remains and the accused stays condemned in peoples' conscience. Therefore, at this moment it is not only Kenan Akin who is condemned. Since he is one of the members of the Council of Ministers, it is the Turkish Cypriot community's institutions that are on Interpol's red bulletin.

From this perspective, the issue is very serious. Especially at a time when difficulties exist because of the Cyprus problem, for a minister to come up and make a statement saying: `I don't care, if this is the case. I do not go to Europe', is a disgrace. This logic not only will help those who want to brand the TRNC as a heaven for criminals but it will also put Turkey into a difficult situation before the international public opinion and the international law. For this reason, the placing of a minister's name on a red bulletin cannot be overlooked through epic statements and primitive chauvinism. Besides, the president who approves the Council of Ministers, the NUP and the DP as well are responsible for this situation. Moreover, esteemed Kenan Akin's statement that `If I had been there, I would have killed him', while denying his involvement in the incident, is sufficient reason not to keep him to that post even for five minutes.

What is necessary should be done as soon as possible without resorting to epic and chauvinistic statements. This is necessary for political ethics. Esteemed Kenan Akin should resign. This incident demonstrates how wrong was the stance adopted against the Greek chauvinism during the August 1996 Dherinia events. It proves and confirms that acting in anger, emotionally, is harmful to the community in the short and medium term". (MY)

[06] Secret Turkish, US meeting; Cyprus was on the agenda

The meeting was said to be organized by the Waashington-based think-tank "United States Institute of Peace".

Marc Grossman, the former US Ambassador to Turkey and current Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian affairs headed the US delegates at the meeting. Another former US Ambassador to Turkey, Morton Abromowitz was also attending the event.

Meanwhile the Turkish delegates included high ranking military officials. The National Security Council (MGK) Secretary General Ergin Cilasun and former MGK Secretary General and currently President Suleyman Demirel's military consultant Nezihi Cakar were among these high ranking military personnel.

Along with Turkey's Ambassador to UK, Ozdem Sanberk, there were politicians from various political parties in the meeting. Ilhan Kesici from the Motherland Party (ANAP), Ayfer Yilmaz from True Path Party (DYP) and Abdullah Gul from the Welfare Party (RP) were in the meeting. Hikmet Cetin from the Republican people's Party (CHP) was also invited to Surrey but he turned down the invitation due to being elected as the Parliament Speaker.

Turkish politicians present in the meeting said that the aim of the gathering was to exchange views on Turco-American relations. However the general feeling was that the meeting had more serious agenda than just to exchange views.

There were hints that the attempts to close RP, the MGK's agenda regarding the internal political scee, were among the issues discussed at the meeting. The use of Incirlik base in case of any attack to Saddam was also said to be touched by the delegates. One of the fragile subjects of the meeting, some revealed, was the US's support for Turkey's inclusion in the European Union's enlargement process. Cyprus and Turco-Greek tensions was said to occupy the top agenda.

[07] Turkey's plan for Cyprus

The main points of the plan are:

"1) The states established by the Greek and Turkish Cypriots should reciprocally recognize each other.

2) Following the reciprocal recognition the international community should recognize the TRNC officially.

3) Once the TRNC is officially recognized a provisional government should be established between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

4) The island should be governed by this provisional government until a state is formed by the Greeks and Turks on an equal status.

5) The joint provisional government, established for the transional period, should apply for Cyprus' EU membership.

6) The TRNC's and Turkey's precondition regarding Turkey's guarantorship is considered as non negotiable. It will also be stressed that Turkey will not give up its rights and reservations stipulated by the 1960 agreements until a final settlement is reached in Cyprus." (MY)

[08] Denktash: "We are not going to give up the TRNC"

In the exclusive interview , Denktash spoke about the purpose of his visit to the US and his impressions, the consequences of the Cyprus application for membership in the European Union (EU), what the future may hold and the recent meeting of the Balkan heads of states and governments in Crete.

Inter alia, he claimed:

"So what I say is this: there are certain things which cannot be altered in Cyprus. One of them is the existence of the TRNC. Whether the whole world treats Clerides as the government of the whole of Cyprus and Clerides believes this and will not abandon the title, that title will not make him the government of the Turkish Cypriots.

If you ask me how was I received, do you have any hopes that they (the Greek Cypriots) have changed, I say no. But they know that unless they change, we are not going to jump on this EU wagon and therefore the EU has to decide whether they will take one Cyprus, that is a Cyprus after a settlement as the Secretary General envisaged in his set of ideas or whether they will accept half of Cyprus and put an official signature on the division of Cyprus forever," Denktash said in the interview.

At Glion, Denktash claimed, it was he who helped Cordobez draft a statement about the talks continuing and the Secretary General's good offices. But the British representative of the Security Council accused him of intransigence and creating difficulties.

"We can't live with this. This cannot go on," he continued. "We are as good a people as the Greek Cypriots are.

We are not their subjects. They are not the government of Cyprus. They are not the government of the Turkish Cypriots. We have as good a state as they have. We have as good a democracy as they have. And all that can be done now, if people continue to treat them as the government of Cyprus, is to stop the intercommunal talks and try later to put bridges between the two states and leave it to the two sides to work those bridges into a federation, confederation, whatever they wish, but no impose a settlement on them which will create bloodshed within a very short time," he alleged.

Denktash said that he asked President Clerides if he wanted to unite Cyprus and his answer was yes. But he claimed that you cannot unite Cyprus if you don't consider it is divided in the first place. "Greek Cyprus has to treat Turkish Cyprus as an equal and try to build bridges between them", Denktash claimed.

"But if you think you are going to get away with this", he told President Clerides, "then I am telling you and on behalf of 65 million Turks also, they will never let you because for Turkey this is not only a geopolitical problem, it is a problem of honour."

Denktash met five times with Richard Holbrooke. Although there were rumours of difficulties such as Holbrooke trying to create a gap between himself and the Turkish government in Ankara, Denktash denied this interpretation. Denktash said that Holbrooke had tried to impress on him that his main objective was to prevent Europe from closing its doors on Turkey. Since the Cyprus problem was used against the latter, Holbrooke asked Denktash if he would be more forthcoming and more amenable to a solution in Cyprus.

Denktash said he told Holbrooke that it was not a matter of the Turkish Cypriots being intransigent. "The problem was created with the purpose of converting the island into a Greek Cypriot republic", he claimed.

Asked how he found Holbrooke, Denktash described him as a very strong, determined, nice diplomat and experienced statesman. "He feels the power of the president which he represents with full authority and he makes his listeners feel that also. He looks at the Cyprus problem from a higher level, from the context of Greco-Turkish relations and Turkey's right to enter Europe. I think that he is trying to help. But I told him the first time I met him that, if he was not able to change the way he looked at Cyprus as Greek Cypriot land and treat Greek Cypriots as the government of Cyprus, then there is nothing doing", he said.

Denktash told the press on his arrival in Istanbul Wednesday that if Greece and the Greek Cypriots resorted to weapons, then war would break out in the Aegean.

Elaborating on the claim, Denktash alleged: "It is clear to me that Greece and the Greek Cypriot side, with all these missiles and all these actions, are trying to make the military presence of Turkey the problem and they are trying to make the whole world concentrate on that. It is this presence which is creating trouble because they get very angry when we say since the arrival of Turkey 24 years ago there has been no shooting, no trouble at all".

As to the recent meeting of the Balkan countries' heads of states and governments on Crete, Denktash felt what news came out of it was good and what they said about each other was very good.

He claimed: "I think wise leadership in Greece is needed as there was during the Caramanlis and Menderes era of the 1950s. Now we have a very determined leadership also on Greco-Turkish relations which values this friendship. I think we should take advantage of it. I think Greek Cypriots should really stop believing that they can convert Cyprus into a Greek Cypriot republic, that they can wipe us off the map of Cyprus, that they can make us remove the TRNC forever from the map of Cyprus".

And he concluded claiming: "The EU application is being made in order to destroy this foundation. If they stop it and if they grant, `we caused Cyprus to be divided and we have to treat Turkish Cypriots as existing, we have to honour bizonality because we agreed to it. Honouring bizonality means an exchange of property; otherwise it wouldn't be honoured, otherwise it could be diluted, life could be dangerous again,' if they say all these things to themselves and to their people, the Cyprus problem could be settled in two weeks.

We are not going to give up the TRNC, we are not going to give up what the TRNC represents. We have now solidified in the TRNC. This is so simple and we cannot let it go." EF/SK

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

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