Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 98-04-03

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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. 59/98 -- 3.4.98

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Denktash, Gurel interviewed on Cyprus, reject off-the-table" equality for restarting talks.

[02] Yilmaz: Developments in Cyprus concern Turkey's security.

[03] Talat says "Partnership Council" not constructive step.

[04] YBH says "Partnership Council" violates UN Resolutions.

[05] TKP defends participation in "Partnership Council" meetings.

[06] Cetin arrives in "TRNC", emphasizes Turkey's support.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[07] Columnist on pitfalls in Turkey's policy on Cyprus.

[08] Birand views incompatible Turkish-Greek stance on Cyprus.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Denktash, Gurel interviewed on Cyprus, reject "off-the-table" equality for restarting talks

Repeating his claim that the Greek Cypriot side does to really want a federation but a unitary state, he added: "It is a trick when the world says that everything depends on Denktash.

The world wants to believe that if any pressure is applied to me, especially by Turkey, and I withdraw, then this community will fall into the trap. I am a representative of the people. I was elected under democratic conditions. My assembly passed a resolution on that. That is what we are telling the foreigners:

You cannot resolve this issue by blaming me. It is the Turkish Cypriots who want what I say I want. The world says that we also have an opposition. I say that there is an opposition everywhere. It is the opposition's right to say other things. The government, however, represents about 80-90 percent of the people. Most of the government thinks like us. It will not join the EU without Turkey. No Turkish Cypriot will join the EU without an agreement. That is unthinkable".

Gurtuna at some point reminded Gurel that in a statement after the talks in Brussels, British Foreign Secretary Cook said that in 1995 Turkey agreed to the condition of having the Greek Cypriots start the accession talks with the EU if the EU agreed to sign the Customs Union (CU) with Turkey. He then asked Gurel whether that was true. Gurel replied: "Mr. Cook is the Foreign Secretary of a state that has its traditions and good archives. Turkey did not say that or make such a promise. The most that can be said is that certain people may have gotten this mistaken impression from the people who were governing Turkey at the time. Nobody dare act or restrict the rights of the Turkish Cypriots or of Turkey based on such wrong impressions."

To a question on Britain's role and Turkey - EU relations, Gurel replied: "Those who show an interest in the Cyprus problem from outside must first look at the map. They can see at first glance how important Cyprus is for Turkey.

Furthermore, if they are ready to see the realities in Cyprus, they will realize that Turkey will never give up protecting the rights of its brothers there, the people it considers its own.

Consider this: They think that the island -- an island that is miles away from Britain and where no British live -- is so important for Britain that it may keep sovereign bases there for years, while they expect Turkey to allow others to grab the island -- an island where its brothers live and which is only 70 km away -- overnight. They must be dreaming. Britain should view the issue from that perspective as well".

To a comment that lately there is talk of what is called an off-the-table equality and asked at does this term mean for him, Gurel said: "Mr. Denktash explained the current stage of the issue very well. I have nothing to add to that. Third parties that show an interest in the issue -- the UN Secretary General in particular -- must approach the issue based on the realities. The Turkish Cypriots were told until now: You talk of equality; We accept your equality at the negotiating table. What else do you want?

It is futile to think that negotiations can be held based on this narrow meaning of the word. If the sides are not equal away from the table -- if one of the sides is considered a state and the other a community or a minority -- how can you have equality at the table? Therefore, from ow on, if the UN Secretary General is to continue with his mission which we and, I believe, the TRNC support, then he must realize that equality at the table can be s secured only if there is equality away from the table.

He must define equality accordingly. Unless the two sides in Cyprus consider each other equal political units, equal states, and unless third parties recognize the situation as such, what will be the basis of the negotiations? Furthermore, in that case, one of the sides may sit at the negotiating table just for show, in order to please or impress others, and then it may try to resolve the issue with others somewhere else -- in other words, by negotiating with the EU and reducing the Turkish Cypriots to a minority. What will happen then? What I am trying to say is that only the recognition of equality away from the table will ensure that there is equality at the table. For this, the sides interested in the Cyprus problem must show that they recognize the TRNC as a state that is equal to the Greek Cypriot state, even if they do not go as far as officially recognizing the TRNC".

Replying to the same question, Denktash inter alia said:

"The options before us are very clear: If we accept the Greek Cypriots who applied to the EU as the legitimate government of Cyprus, if we accept the application as Cyprus' application, and if we participate in the negotiations, the result will be that Cyprus as a whole will quickly become an EU member. We and Greece will be united within the framework of the EU, and all the doors will be closed to Turkey. Turkey will not have any rights over Cyprus. There will not be a Turkey to protect us from the wheeling and dealing to be carried out within the EU by Greece and the Greek Cypriots. That is the whole game. They are playing it successfully. That is why we said in very absolute terms to the whole world that we will not be taken in by this game.

I am very happy that Turkey has been supporting us and telling the world that it stands by us. If the Greek Cypriots continue to follow the course they have started, we will follow our course toward Turkey. There is no other way. They left us no other option.

I regret to say that they prepared the media accordingly. The other day I was interviewed by the BBC for one hour. I listened to the interview on the way here in the car. It is not an interview. The person responsible for the program caricatured the whole thing. He spoke of the Turkish occupation. He broadcast only a small part of what I said; that's all. He claimed that our administration continues to oppress the Turkish Cypriot community and so on. The media has been prepared accordingly. They do not even properly report the statements you make", he claimed.

Asked what does he have to say to the remarks by the EU's van den Broek to the effect that Ankara is blackmailing the EU, Gurel said, inter alia: "I want to remind Mr. van den Broek and the other EU officials that long before the Luxembourg decisions were adopted, when the EU decided in early July to start the accession talks with the Greek Cypriots, we told them what we thought very clearly. We explained very clearly at the time what would happen if the EU continued to take this illegitimate and unilateral Greek Cypriot application seriously and if it started the accession talks with the Greek Cypriots. Therefore, neither van den Broek nor any other EU official has the right to say that we are using this as a tool or that we do not have the right to say certain things. From the beginning, we clearly told the EU where their step would lead. We also told them very clearly the moves we would take together with the TRNC if they took this step. Now we are simply doing what we said we would do".

Asked to summarize the economic decisions made at the "Partnership Council" Gurel said: "The statement issued at the end of our meeting yesterday has two aspects. Politically, we affirmed that the Turkish Government is in full agreement with the Turkish Cypriot side. You are referring to economic cooperation. The statement clearly says that we have advanced the earlier building blocks and are forming a common economic field with the TRNC. We had already started to put in place all the building blocks in the joint economic field in response to or in parallel with the steps the EU was taking with the Greek Cypriot Administration. Included in that is the agreement we signed according to which Ankara will give incentives to Turkish investors in the TRNC. Under this agreement, we undertake to give to these investors the same incentives we give in the developing areas in Turkey. Therefore, our investors will benefit from the most extensive incentives.

Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs and farmers will receive privileges. For example, Ziraat Bank will extend credit to the farmers and the Halk Bank to the small shopkeepers and manufacturers under exactly the same conditions as in Turkey. Furthermore, a package worth $250,000 is being extended to the TRNC since the middle of last year and until the end of this year to finance productive projects and help complete infrastructure projects. We have almost completed that package. In addition, as you know, the TRNC needs water. We will be delivering drinking water in big balloons as of May at the latest. Last week, our Council of Ministers endorsed another project in principle -- one that is far more important; one that will supply all the water needed by the TRNC, including irrigation water. We will deliver water from Turkey to the TRNC through pipes".

Asked to comment on the agreement on joint defense and security cooperation with Turkey, Denktash claimed:

"Our security agreement is based on the 1960 guarantee system. The Greek Cypriots' was also like that, but what did they do? As their basic aim was to cancel the 1960 agreements the minute they joined the EU, they signed a defense agreement with Greece. The plan was to attack Turkey on the grounds that the 1960 guarantee system was no longer valid. They would tell Turkey: Get off the island. You have no right of say over it anymore. This is a European state now.

In this way, they would separate themselves from the guarantee agreement and rely on the defense agreement with Greece. What is Greece's position? It says that with this defense agreement it signed with Cyprus, it brought the EU's defense borders to Cyprus. This is a trick to create a confrontation between Turkey and the EU. We have a prescription to cure this Greek-Greek Cypriot disease: We do whatever they do."

At this point, Gurtuna drew Denktash's attention to an item in the last Turkish National Security Council (NSC) statement, adding it was as though the NSC was saying and making public the fact that the war under way in southeast Anatolia has been won and that this brought to mind the question whether, in light of the latest developments, the Turkish Armed Forces is slowly transferring some of its units in southeast Anatolia to the west. Denktash replied as follows:

"This is up to the General Staff. What we know is that all the measures necessary to defend the TRNC have been taken both inside Cyprus and in the area. All the measures have been taken. There is no need to comment more on these measures. I said this to Clerides as well. I said: Clerides, do you know that Turkey has taken new measures with us in response to your missiles and the military bases you gave to Greece? He said: Yes, I know.

Therefore, I said, do not make the missiles an issue for bargaining with me. The only bargain we can conduct is for you not to deploy the missiles and I, in turn, will say to Turkey to give up the measures it took in view of the missiles. Let us maintain our positions from the military point of view. This I can do."

Asked if President Clerides knows what these new measures are, Denktash said: "He probably knows, if he is wise".

To a question whether a new chapter has opened in the Cyprus issue, Denktash replied: "Yes. My people tell me the following: Mr. Denktash, this is the first time we see a cheerful and tranquil Denktash on television and in real life. I respond by thanking God, because this is true. I was walking on very slippery, unsure ground until this entente was reached with Turkey. It is true that I was defending a cause together with Turkey; however, I did not know whether Turkey might make a left or a right turn or withdraw. Turkey is a big country with large interests. Therefore, it can maneuver this way or that. Now, however, I know for a fact that there are no maneuvers involved on the Cyprus issue. There is only determination on the Cyprus issue, and this determination is not to cede Cyprus to the Greek Cypriots and the Greeks. It is the determination not to give Cyprus up. I am at ease. I am living the calmest days of my life."

Asked whether Ankara is resolute on pursuing this determined stand, Gurel said: "Absolutely. Mr. Denktash's' remarks are encouraging for us as well. Let them rest assured because not only our government but no government in Turkey will allow Cyprus to be separated from Turkey. No government in Turkey will allow the Turkish Cypriot people to become a minority within another entity and dissolve overnight. This determination will always continue."

[02] Yilmaz: Developments in Cyprus concern Turkey's security

"There are very serious developments in Cyprus which require that we be extremely careful. These developments have reached dimensions that closely concern Turkey's security. This period we are undergoing could very well be the first time since 1974 that extreme vigilance is required on our part with regard to our foreign policy."

[03] Talat says "Partnership Council" not constructive step

In a written statement he issued Talat claimed that at the risk of dividing the island, the Cyprus Government started to hold membership talks with the EU. The CTP leader charged that Denktash's' policy is helping the Greek Cypriot side. He pointed out that scheduling the "Partnership Council" meeting to coincide with the EU membership process will not make the Cyprus Government change its mind. Rather, he said, it will place new obstacles in the way of Turkey's full membership with the EU.

Talat stated that Turkey's attitude is wrong and that the CTP explained the mistake at the "Partnership Council" meeting in Ankara. He stressed that by holding the meeting, neither Turkey nor the Turkish Cypriot side took a constructive step. He noted that the step taken by the "Partnership Council" rejects the UN basis and thus helps the Greek Cypriot leadership. It is neither in Turkey's interest nor in ours, he said, to fight the UN Secretary Council and the UN Secretary General at a time when we are at odds with the EU as well. Talat reiterated that the "Partnership Council" does not eliminate the current de facto situation.

[04] YBH says "Partnership Council" violates UN Resolutions

A statement issued by Ozker Ozgur and Alpay Durduran on behalf of the YBH says that the "Partnership Council", which was formed in reaction to the accession talks between Cyprus and the EU, violates the UN resolutions and the basic agreements concerning Cyprus. In their statement, Ozgur and Durduran criticized the CTP and the TKP, which are opposed to integration with Turkey, for sending "deputies" to the "Partnership Council".

[05] TKP defends participation in "Partnership Council" meetings

[06] Cetin arrives in "TRNC", emphasizes Turkey's support

In his predeparture statement at Ankara's Esenboga Airport, Cetin claimed that the EU decision views the Cyprus Government as the only addressee, thereby eliminating all the past parameters. "With this decision", Cetin claimed, "it is as though the EU acknowledges the existence of two states on the island".

He further claimed: "The fact that the EU decided to engage in talks with one of the sides and look for solutions with only one of the sides is tantamount to acknowledging the existence of two states. In this way, the validity of the talks held to date was negated because the Greek Cypriot Administration and the EU are trying to impose the decision they deem fit on the Turkish side and the Turkish Republic. This is impossible to accept."

Cetin and his accompanying delegation's visit to the "TRNC" will continue for three days.

In his statement upon arriving at illegal Tymbou airport, Cetin claimed that it is as though Greece transferred its borders to Cyprus with the S- 300 missiles and the transformation of the Paphos airport into a military base. This situation is unacceptable to Turkey, added Cetin.

Cetin and his accompanying delegation later met with Rauf Denktash, who said at the meeting that a new leaf has been turned over in Cyprus. Denktash added: "The unity and togetherness with Turkey constitute the most effective weapon for the Cyprus issue."

Cetin, in turn, said that this difficult period should be surmounted in unity and togetherness and stressed that it will most definitely be surmounted. Alleging that it had become increasingly difficult to proceed with the talks within the old parameters, Cetin added: "The negotiations with the EU cannot continue under the present conditions because the EU has taken sides, and it is impossible for both Turkey and the TRNC to engage in talks with a body that took sides."

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[07] Columnist on pitfalls in Turkey's policy on Cyprus

Where is the road chosen by the Turkish Cypriot Administration with Ankara's active support going to take us?

After all, what is the real destination? Is it attainable?

Besides, is this the best way?

Such a crucial decision must be thoroughly examined.

This is what the TRNC is doing up to a certain extent. But there is only silence in Turkey. In contrast to the political parties (the opposition parties) in the TRNC, there are no parties in Turkey either expressing any views on this matter or openly expressing their objections if any.

Turning one's entire attention to domestic affairs and occupying oneself only with domestic political calculations should not be a reason to keep silent on the Cyprus issue.

There are three important aspects in the new strategy that the TRNC administration and the Turkish Government have formulated (particularly as a reaction to the EU):

1. There are two sovereign states on the island and their existence should be recognized. Therefore, the `intercommunal' talks cannot continue in their previous form. The talks should be held on an `interstate' basis.

2. The form of solution envisaging a bizonal federation is no longer valid. The solution rests on two sovereign states existing side by side. If conditions allow in the future, a loose federation can be established between the two states.

3. In retaliation to south Cyprus' integration with the EU and Greece, TRNC will integrate with Turkey, and may even form a federation with it.

Let us now examine up to what extent this strategy is attainable and what its possible consequences may be.

1. The possibility of the recognition of the TRNC is very dim. This means that the `interstate' talks cannot replace the `intercommunal' talks. The UN will never accept this.

Thus, the Turkish side has been advancing the following formula in recent days: `We will not put forward the legal recognition of the TRNC as a precondition for the resumption of the talks. Instead, we will demand that the Turkish side's separate and sovereign existence be acknowledged as the foundation for the talks'. (The English term `acknowledgment' is being used instead of `recognition'.) (words in quotation marks published in English).

Is this possible? Frankly, it does not seem so for the time being. Maybe the UN and United States will eventually find a formula. But, that too will not impart the desired `interstate' character to the talks.

2. Let us assume the talks resume with a formula acceptable to both sides. The next problem will be what topic to discuss. The Turkish side thinks the old parameters no longer exist. The federal system (even the solution envisaged by the `Boutros-Ghali Set of Ideas') cannot be considered anymore. But the UN believes the talks should resume from where they left off.

Denktash thinks that if any talks are going to be held they should examine matters (such as borders, security, ownership, and so on) that would enable the two separate states to live side by side. If an atmosphere of security is eventually created, then the question of how to establish a loose federation between the two states could be discussed.

But, the problem is that the international community cannot abandon the formula for a federal solution. Everyone, including the United States, insists on it. And the opposition in the TRNC disagrees with renouncing the idea of federation thinking the Turkish Cypriot community will be harmed by that.

3. As far as integration with Turkey is concerned, very strong links already exist between the TRNC and the Turkish Republic and the steps to follow could only tie north Cyprus completely to Ankara. And this is the real crux of the matter.

Alongside the advantages believed to be derived from this, its drawbacks for Turkey and the TRNC should be deeply pondered. The opposition in the TRNC views this as dependence on Turkey that would accelerate the emigration of the indigenous Turks and thus completely alter the demographic structure. From the strategic point, the now certain division will pit the Turkish and Greek military forces against each other on the island. That is, Turkey will have a `new southern border' with Greece. On the diplomatic front, such a situation will force the international community (everyone from the UN to the United States) to react and even adopt a stand against Turkey.

It could be said in response that Turkey and the TRNC know how to resist such pressure and will continue undaunted on their path.

Still, the hurdles and dangers on this path have to be seen beforehand and where all this could lead should be well assessed."

[08] Birand views incompatible Turkish-Greek stance on Cyprus

After saying `we want a federation' for years -- which some regarded as an effort to deceive the world and others and effort to hide its real intentions -- the Turkish side has now rid itself of such complexes and has come forward to announce: `I want to become a separate state. If you formally recognize the TRNC and enter into an agreement with it as a state, then I am ready for any solution. Otherwise, I will neither join the EU nor accept any other formula'.

I had never seen such a unanimity of views between Ankara and Nicosia in so many years, and for that matter among the Turkish public or between institutions (such as the political parties, the government, the Foreign Ministry, the Army, and the media) that shape policies.

The two separate states' formula cannot be a matter of bargaining for the Turkish side. This is not a political position open to bargaining. Albeit late, Ankara has stated its decision and is ready to shoulder all its concomitant risks, although this is not an easy task.

No matter how many international guarantees are given, Ankara and Denktash have no doubts that once the TRNC joins the EU it will vanish in it in time and come under Greek Cypriot control. In such a case, they calculate, the island will come under the Hellenic sphere of influence within 20-30 years. The only way to prevent this is by maintaining their existence in the form of a separate state.

The Greek Cypriot Government and Greece also face a predicament of their own. They firmly reject the `two separate state' formula demanded by the Turkish side. They cannot bring themselves to voluntarily surrender half of Cyprus, which they think was a Hellenic island until 1974, to the Turks. For them, that would be an act of treason. The pressing problem for the Greek Cypriot front now is to board the EU train as soon as possible. But until they do, they have to appear as the smiling and conciliatory side working hard to find a solution.

And, they are quite successful in that", Birand claims.

And he concludes: "Here you have two firm and clear-cut but incongruent positions.

But, what are Europe and the United States saying to this?

I fear they too have begun changing their views."

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

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