Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 98-12-11

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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. 229/98 -- 11.12.98

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Muftuzade blames USA and UK for non-recognition of pseudosate.

[02] ``Election Council'' rejects UDP request to recount votes.

[03] Denktash has cardiological test, said in `Good Health´.

[04] Talat comments on ``election'' results.

[05] Denktash: ``TRNC elections referendum for confederation''.

[06] Project to supply water to Cyprus, Mediterranean states.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Muftuzade blames USA and UK for non-recognition of pseudostate

Muftuzade, speaking at a conference the other day at the Royal International Foreign Relations Institute alleged that if the USA and the UK remove the pressure they are exerting on many countries, the occupied area will be officially recognized by many countries. He further said that Turkish Cypriots do not trust the Greek Cypriots, and claimed this was the reason the occupation forces were present in Cyprus. ``The Turkish Army is not an occupation army, because we wanted them to be there'' Muftuzade alleged.

He claimed that accoridng to the 1960 constitution Turkey can veto Cyprus´s full membership to the EU. ``Britain also has this right'' Muftuzade claimed. ``We, Turkish Cypriots, have political equality with the Greek Cypriots. We are not a minority'' Muftuzade said and added that Turkish Cypriots do not believe that the international community could safeguard their security. ``One day the world will realize it committed a mistake in the Cyprus problem. No one can force us into an agreement that is not adopted by our community'', Muftuzade declared.

He also expressed opposition to the deployment of the S-300 anti-aircraft missiles either in Cyprus or in Crete.

Muftuzade noted that the ``claims of threat'' posed by the Turkish Army were given as justification for the S-300´s deployment, and said that they were unjustified. (MY)

[02] ``Election Council'' rejects UDP request to recount votes

The UDP, which received 4.57 percent of the votes in the ``elections'' and which, therefore, failed to cross the five percent threshold, asked that the votes be recounted claiming that if a single vote was added from each ballot box the party would cross the threshold.

Meanwhile, the ``High Election Council'' has also rejected the requests made by Taner Etkin, so-called minister of defense and foreign affairs, and Onur Borman, so-called minister of labour and housing, to have the votes recounted.

[03] Dentkash has cardiological test, said in `good health´

[04] Talat comments on ``election'' results

Talat stressed that the important mission of his party is peace. He expressed the belief that the Cyprus problem will definitely be solved and that the current process will definitely change. He asserted that he is not considering resigning at the moment and that a resignation would be the easy way out.

Talat said that the CTP Central Administrative Council decided to hold a meeting with the District Administrative Councils and then to convene the CTP Assembly. First, he said, we will feel the pulse in the districts.

Talat said that once progress is made to resolve the Cyprus problem, the atmosphere will change in the CTP´s favour. He noted that with the strong- left slogan it used in the ``election'' campaign, the CTP wanted to stress that the country needs a strong left. Talat affirmed that he considers the left to be a whole, and that he wants to make the CTP the strongest party. He said: ``At a time when the antidemocratic National Unity Party (words indistinct) this country needs a strong left''.

The CTP leader charged that by saying that a rightist ``government'' will be formed after the ``elections'', Rauf Denktash determined the kind of ``government'' to be set up. Talat also stated that Denktash leveled harsh criticism at the CTP.

Replying to a quesiton, Talat said that he agrees about the unity of the left, but that first there must be unity in aciton.

[05] Dentkash: ``TRNC elections referendum for confederation''

In a statement at Esenboga Airport on his arrival, Denktash said that the Turkish Cypriots insist on their confederation proposal. He affirmed that the ``elections'' held in the pseudostate constituted a referendum for this policy, adding that ``the majority of the people voted for the national line and displayed a responsible attitude toward their country''. He also said that the ``election'' results show that ``the TRNC people are determined to develop their ties with Turkey''. He added: ``Consequently, I am very happy. The election results were very good. Let us hope that the new government will serve the people in the way they deserve to be served.''

Denktash claimed that recognizing the ``TRNC'' is the only soluiton.

Addressing the Cyprus Government, Denktash said: ``Come, let us come together as two states and discuss how we can lead Cyprus to peace. This is a positive opening''.

[06] Project to supply water to Cyprus, Mediterranean states

The tender for the MSTP was issued in October 1991.

``This is an exemplary project that shows how we can make use of the country´s resources. Just think: for hundreds and maybe thousands of years, the waters of the Manavgat River were wasted. Now, we will take these waters and deliver them to Alanya, Bodrum, and so on, where there is a water shortage. We will take that water to the TRNC. Finally, we will market it to any Mediterranean country that has a water shortage. We will make money, foreign currency, from water that has been wasted until now,'' Yilmaz said.

Deputy prime Minister Ecevit said that the Manavgat River will bring health and peace wherever it goes. He asserted that all the peole living in the Mediterraanean countries are Turkey´s friends.

``All the people of these countries are our friends and neighbours, even if their governments are not. If their governments will allow it, this water will bring health and peace to the entire eastern Mediterranean.

Furthermore, we are proud of a project which was started and completed by the 55th government, namely, carrying water from Turkey to the TRNC by huge balloons. The water that will be purified in these installations will meet the needs of the TRNC and will be supplied to the benefit of all the other eastern Mediterranean countries that might want it,'' Ecevit said.

The MSTP is composed of a water pumping station in Ulukapi village, 800 meters under the Manavgat Dam, a 10-km supply line that reaches the Mediterranean, and water filling installations in the sea. The installation will produce 250,000 cubic meters of chlorine water and 250,000 cubic meters of purified water daily and have it ready for delivery in tankers. The water pumped from the purification installations will reach the shore via the 10-km pipeline and an additional 3-km underwater pipeline to the loading terminal where it will be filled into tankers. The project costs $122 million.

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

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