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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 99-07-27Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIANo. 131/99 -- 27.7.99[A] NEWS ITEMS
[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS
[A] NEWS ITEMS[01] Denktash raps political party for criticizing TurkeyIllegal Bayrak radio (10:30 hours, 26.7.99) reports that Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash has said that he is ready to discuss the Cyprus issue in front of the people, adding that he will not, however, respond to those ``who badmouth the decisions reached by Turkey and the TRNC on the Cyprus issue despite the fact that they have nothing to do with the issue.''Denktash said that a political party criticized the stand Turkey and the pseudostate have adopted on the Cyprus issue, claiming that the criticism has reached the level of insults. Denktash strongly denounced these criticisms levelled against Turkey. Noting that the political party in question has made a habit of attacking him, Denktash said that these persons will not be his respondents. Denktash claimed that certain sectors are still reluctant to understand the Greek Cypriot intentions. Pointing out that the political party in question is still insisting that a federation be discussed with the Greek Cypriot side, Denktash emphasized that he will never sit at the negotiating table with those who, backed by Europe, want to reduce the status of the Turkish Cypriots to that of a minority. He added that those who want a federation should primarily understand the meaning of a federation and not create confusion in the minds of the Turkish Cypriots. Denktash concluded: ``Let us give prayers of thanks day and night that we have reached our current position''. [02] Another Greek Cypriot abducted by occupation regimeAnatolia Agency (9:26 hours, 26.7.99) reports that so-called legal proceedings have been started about the Greek Cypriot Spyros Kousioumis who was abducted by the occupation regime in the Famagusta region Sunday evening.Kousioumis´s car was seized temporarily. Meanwhile, the detention of Rogiros Georgiou, a Canadian citizen of Greek Cypriot origin who also was abducted last week, continues. [03] Occupation forces try to evict familyKIBRIS and AVRUPA (27.7.99) report under the banner headlines ``People and Police face to face in Dikomo'', ``A fiasco settlement'' and say that tragic events took place yesterday in Dikomo, when the Turkish occupation forces command dispatched a ``police force'' to evict a family from a Greek Cypriot house allocated to them by Denktash´s regime.When ``police'' arrived in the area to carry out the eviction order, the three children of the family aged between 15-17 took up arms, barricaded and locked themselves inside the house and threatened to start shooting if the ``police'' tried to evict them. AVRUPA reports that the children resisted for seven hours and eventually, after receiving orders from the occupation commander, the ``police'' backed down and left the area. The incident started when the occupation forces command wanted the Greek Cypriot-owned house to be allocated to them for their own use. KIBRIS reports that as the hours passed by, tension in the village raised and the atmosphere become very explosive. The tension started relaxing when opposition leaders Serdar Denktash and Mehmet Ali Talat arrived in the village, following mediation attempts. Serdar Denktash telephoned the occupation forces commander Ali Nihat Ozeyranli and secured the withdrawal of the ``police'' from the area. Speaking to reporters, Serdar Denktash said that Turkish occupation forces commander Ozeyranli gave the ``government'' one week to solve this problem. Both papers report that ``police'' did not get a ``court ruling'' for eviction but only an order from the occupation forces commander. (MY) [B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS[04] A Turkish Cypriot voice against the Turkish occupation troopsSener Levent in his column ``Angle'' in AVRUPA (27.7.99) under the title ``Our Honour'' refers to the incident in the occupied Dikomo village (see item 3 in today´s Bulletin) and says:``Here it is, esteemed Ecevit… These are your commanders here… Those who, as you say, brought happiness, prosperity and development to us. I wish you were there with us… In Dikomo… There, under the roof of vineyard branches with hanging grape bunches. You, too, should have looked into the eyes, into the iris of that children, as we did… You should have approached the iron bar windows and asked them: - What are these weapons for, my children? Why have you resorted to arms? Against whom? Is it only now that we are writing about it ? Is this the first time that we are printing these things in this paper? However, you did not pay attention… You did no bother yourself… Neither you, nor others… You were insensitive against this pain… And, because of this, the situation reached this point. 25 years have gone by, haven´t they? And we still continue to struggle Not against the Greek Cypriots…but between ourselves… The fight is for land… It is a fight for a house… Those who are well to do got what they wanted. They got the mountains, the sea and the hills. They have partitioned everything… But they are not satisfied. We have been unable to settle our refugees and homeless people into the houses vacated by 200 thousand Greek Cypriots! We have finished off everything in 25 years. And in the end, we have started longing for possessing houses that belong to our poor people. You should have been in Dikomo yesterday. And, you should have seen… What they did to us… Those whom we consider our saviours. Those to whom we express our gratitude. Those who ordered to have poor people evicted from their homes and thrown into the streets… What kind of a saviour is he that he is throwing us out of our homeland and our houses? What kind of a saviour is he that, despite the fact that he has encircled us with barbed wire, he still considers this not enough and wants to take what else we still have? 15 year old children took up arms… For what? For defending their home! Against whom? The Greek Cypriots? No… Against the Turkish troops… They said (the children) They were shouting to those who were approaching the windows: - Do not come near, we will shoot. What a terrible scene! Staying in a Greek Cypriot house, and defending this house against the Turkish troops… The man who says that this house belongs to him is not the Greek Cypriot owner… It is the Turkish commander…. Is Cemal efendi unjust in asking the question: did the commander bring this house over here on board a ship? Never blame the children! No one should blame them! They were at their wits end… Things have reached the limit that cannot be endured any longer. Is there any other way out than defending you own self if nobody else in this country is defending you.? If you have been made an occupier in your own homeland… If those who arrived here from overseas want to throw you out of your house… And if the laws cannot stop this… If no political party, no organization raise their voice against it… If the President dismisses you… Do you have any other way out? No one, really no one in this country stands up against the troops… Except 15 year old children.'' (MY) [143] Birand supports confederation in Cyprus Columnist Mehmet Ali Birand, writing in POSTA newspaper says that Turkey misled the world on the solution of the Cyprus problem for 25 years and adds: ``Talks were held on the establishment of a federation for at least 23 years. We called for a federation and described it as the most appropriate solution. Defunct Welfare Party leader Necmettin Erbakan was the only official who called for `Taksim´ (partition), which is seen as the Turkish equivalent of the world `confederation´ in English. All the others, particularly the Foreign Ministry, called for the establishment of a federation. Greek Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides was worried. He said: `Rauf Denktash is trying to persuade me to drink Raki (confederation) from a Whiskey bottle (federation).´ That he was right was realized only recently. Turkey unexpectedly changed the policy it maintained on Cyprus for 25 years. It said: `We now want a confederation´. Everyone was confused by Ankara´s disclosure. Turkey was asked to explain why it changed its approach. Unfortunately it failed to do so because there was nothing to explain. Ankara could not say: `We insisted on the establishment of a federation but what he had in mind was the establishment of a confederation. We held talks on a federation in order not to make the United states and Europe uneasy. In other words, we misled you?´ Turkey´s demand for the establishment of a confederation is right. That it concealed its intention for 25 years was wrong. Two developments saved Ankara from the difficult situation it found itself in. The first was the role Greece and the Greek Cypriot side played in the Ocalan affair. Turkey´s reaction was very strong. Furthermore, the initiatives that Ankara made exposed the hostile Greek and Greek Cypriot policies to the world. Consequently, Washington and London were no longer able to defend the view that the Turkish and Greek Cypriots can reunite in Cyprus. The second was the war in Kosovo. The United States and Britain focused on Yugoslavia. No one had time to be concerned with Cyprus. New initiatives are being made now but the deadlock has not been solved. Latest Situation: A Complete Deadlock (subhead) The deadlock was not created by the argument on whether or not a federation or a confederation should be established. On the contrary, the concept of confederation is gradually gaining strength. The clashes between the Orthodox and Islamic, Serbian and Bosnian, and Serbian and Albanian communities in Bosnia and Kosovo gradually made the foreign officials believe that the establishment of a system in which the Turkish and Greek Cypriots will have their own administrations on the island (confederation) instead of a system in which they will be forced to coexist (federation) will be more logical. The deadlock was created by one of TRNC President Denktash´s preconditions. He said that he wants to see the end of the road before he agrees to hold talks. This is undoubtedly because he does not trust the US officials. He said: `We might begin to hold talks on the establishment of a confederation. However, we might be disappointed at some point. They might apply so much pressure that resisting would be impossible. So, I have to know where I am heading´. The US and British officials made many promises to him. They informed him that the formula to be drawn up will provide for a confederation, although it will not be named as such. However, they failed to persuade Denktash and Ankara to agree. The Turkish side continues to resist. A New US approach (subhead) The Cyprus problem recently moved up on Washington´s agenda and a new policy has been drawn up. It will be put into effect very soon. Reports say that one of the scenarios calls for the promotion of Denktash´s status. For example, he will be officially invited to hold talks with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in Washington. She will make a promise to him on the `establishment of a confederation´. So, Denktash will agree to hold talks. Naturally, this is the US officials´ scenario. To what extent will Denktash agree to participate in the game is unknown. Washington is trying to examine the situation at the present time. It is launching trial balloons to compile the information it needs. The Outcome (subhead) I believe that the present situation in Cyprus has solved the problem. No other solution can be found. The Greek Cypriot side will most probably join the EU and the organization will reserve the Turkish Cypriot side´s place. The Turkish Cypriot people will continue to exist by themselves. I cannot think of any other solution.'' EF/SK From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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