Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 99-03-03

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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. 36/99 -- 3.3.99

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkish Cypriots link Cyprus agreement to recognition of ``TRNC''.

[02] Denktash: Nothing left to discuss with Greek side.

[03] Yilmaz favours ANAP-DSP coalition, more aggressive reaction against Greece.

[04] European Rights Court questions independence of Turkey´s State Security Courts.

[05] Mia Milia water treatment installations expanded.

[06] Rate of inflation.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkish Cypriots link Cyprus agreement to recognition of ``TRNC''

A statement issued by the ``ministry'' said that President Glafcos Clerides´ declaration that the ``TRNC'' will never be recognized is tantamount to saying that two separate states will continue to exist in Cyprus. ``Exerting efforts for the nonrecognition of the TRNC is tantamount to exerting efforts for the continuation and perpetuation of the existence of two separate Cypruses the statement said. The statement said that the path to a final agreement passes through the recognition of the ``TRNC''.

[02] Denktash: Nothing left to discuss with Greek side

Denktash met with so-called high court president Salih Dayioglu and conferred with him for some time. He replied to press questions before the meeting.

Denktash claimed: ``It is clear that the Greek Cypriots do not want to reach an agreement with us. Our latest proposal to them was a confederation, but after our proposal the other countries should have told the Greek Cypriots that it is essential that they become a two-state community with dual sovereignty and that they cannot join the EU on a one-sided basis. However, this was not done. Given this situation, there is nothing left to discuss''.

Reacting to Turkish President Suleyman Demirel´s declaration that the pseudostate should be recognized, Denktash said that ``this is an appropriate and realistic statement. Nothing can be achieved in Cyprus unless the status of both sides has been determined''.

[03] Yilmaz favours ANAP-DSP coalition, more aggressive reaction against Greece

``The following words belong to Yilmaz: Ecevit is the most suitable and honest partner'', Cemal says and adds:

``According to Yilmaz, the coalitions in Turkey are not `something to be afraid of any more!´ Noting that the 55th government [the ANAP-DSP-DTP minority government under ilmaz] worked harmoniously, lasted long, and performed well despite being a tripartite minority coalition, Yilmaz added:

`That is, if an ANAP-DSP majority coalition emerges from the ballot box, then such a government would do far more for Turkey than it had been possible so far. If our parties fail to win the elections on their own, then the best and most correct solution would be to form a new coalition government with Ecevit´ .''

Cemal further says: ``Noting that while establishing the 55th Turkish government they were suspicious of DSP´s (Democratic Left Party) populist policies and feared that it would drag its feet on certain economic issues, including privatization, but that they encountered no such problems during the executive work, Yilmaz said that this was also partly helped by the fact that the DSP had by then freed itself of internal impediments, such as Mumtaz Soysal.

Yilmaz said the following on Ecevit and foreign policy: `Some concerns springing from Ecevit´s past views on foreign policy, be it regarding Iraq, Cyprus, or the EU, also proved to be unfounded´.

The way Yilmaz talks about Ecevit shows that an ANAP-DSP coalition after the 1 April elections is a deeply held idea. It could, therefore, be expected that, as 18 April approaches, the two leaders might make some public gestures and statements to stress the need for such a partnership.

To what extent would the capture of Apo (alias for Abdullah Ocalan, leader of Workers Party of Kurdistan, PKK) under Ecevit´s premiership augment the DSP´s votes? Everybody is saying that it would `increase Ecevit´s votes!´

When I asked whether ANAP votes could also shift to the DSP, Yilmaz replied: `Mostly undecided voters might shift to the DSP´.

The ANAP leader said the following on the collapse of the PKK: `This is a national issue. It is above the political interests. It will be incorrect to exploit it in a partisan manner. But the way the PKK was destroyed must be diagnosed and studied well if we do not want to waste this great opportunity dawned on our country´.

According to Yilmaz, the `correct policy of the previous 55th government comprised the following: `First: An extremely firm policy of pressure was applied on Syria. Second: The terrorist ringleader was deprived of his headquarters. Third: A sustained pressure was applied from the day he left Syria to the day of his capture. Fourth: A new restructuring was introduced to achieve harmonious work between the security, intelligence, and foreign policy institutions. As I have already said, after all these accomplishments, the capture of Apo was a mere technicality´.

As regards Greece and the PKK, Yilmaz said the following: `The Turkish state treated Greece with excessive politeness, which might have encouraged Greece to be more daring. Greece, however, committed a crime of terror. It illegally sheltered the terrorist ringleader. Its state organs helped in. It is behaving in a contradictory manner when it should be asking for forgiveness. On the one hand, it is dismissing some ministers and the chief of the intelligence service, and on the other it is opening its arms to those involved in terror incidents´.

What should Turkey do?

To that Yilmaz replied: `I think what Turkey needs to do is to use different methods to apply pressure on Greece like it did on Syria. A recourse could be made to the European Human Rights Court, or the OSCE. There is a greater possibility of exposing Greece before the eyes of other countries. Greece has now put itself in an untenable position´.

Yilmaz believes that it is not very realistic to expect Greece to change its policy under the pressure of public opinion shaped by Apo´s revelations, adding: `The public opinion in Greece is irrational and for the reason Ankara has to reappraise its dose of reaction´. It seems Yilmaz favours a more aggressive reaction against Greece,'' Cemal says.

[04] European Rights Court questions independence of Turkey´s State Security Courts

The Court listened to both parties in the three sessions held after Kamil Tekin Surek, Gunay Arslan and Munir Ceylan filed complaints against Turkey.

The complaints stated that DGM trials violated freedom of speech and thought as well as the right to a fair and independent trial, in violation of Article No. 6.9.10 of the Human Rights Agreement, which Turkey has signed.

All three complainants were prosecuted by the Istanbul DGM. Surek was charged with making separatist propaganda for an article on Southeast Anatolia that appeared in the magazine ``Both News and Interpretation is Real''. Arslan was prosecuted on the same charges stemming from his book, ``Mourning History, 33 Bullets''. Ceylan, former chairman of Petrol-Is, was accused of making provocations based on ethnic and regional differences in an article published in the newspaper ``New Country''.

Last year, in cases brought to the European Court of Human Rights by Ibrahim Incal of the now-closed People´s Labour Party (HEP) and Cengiz Ciraklar, who was arrested in connection with a student demonstration in Izmir, the Court found Turkey guilty and ordered the country to pay financial compensation, maintaining that Incal and Ciraklar were correct to suspect the independence and neutrality of the DGMs, each of which have one military judge serving on its panel.

[05] Mia Milia water treatment installations expanded

KIBRIS reports that the treated water will be used to produce animal fodder.

At present 12 thousand cubic meters of sewage water is being treated daily at the installation and this figure will increase to 20 thousand cubic meters once the expansion of the installations is completed. Four million US dollars will be spent for the upgrading and expansion of the installations. (MY)

[06] Rate of inflation

KIBRIS says that if this rate of inflation is maintained the annual rate of inflation for 1999 will be between 69.19% and 72.75%. (MY)

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

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