Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 99-08-05

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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. 138/99 -- 5.8.99

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkey´s Ecevit to visit White House 28 September.

[02] Denktash: ``Confederation proposal brings new dimension to Cyprus talks''.

[03] Mysterious fire at youth camp.

[04] Denktash´s regime denies Turkish Cypriot youths permission to attend workshop in free areas.

[05] Bosnian minister continues illegal visit.

[06] More Turks to be recruited in English Metropolitan Police.

[07] Denktash: There is no problem in Cyprus.

[08] Banks in the occupied area.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[09] Columnist views Germany´s `hostility´ toward Turkey.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkey´s Ecevit to visit White House 28 September

The Turkish diplomats have said that Ecevit will also confer with the representatives of US think tank organizations and media organs in Washington and New York.

Former Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz visited the White House on 19 December 1997. A decision was made at the time for Yilmaz to visit the United States again in December 1998. However, he was unable to do so because a new government came to power.

Recalling that Ecevit will visit the United States at the head of a coalition government which is supported by the majority of the parliament, the US officials have said that many issues, including energy, economic developments, human rights, the Cyprus problem, relations between Turkey and Greece, the problem of Iraq, and the developments in the Balkans will be discussed in detail during the visit.

[02] Denktash: ``Confederation proposal brings new dimension to Cyprus talks''

Responding to the questions of reporters Denktash said he did not expect an invitation from the UN Secretary General after the position which appeared newly. Denktash said yet he expected him to use his goodwill mission and a balanced approach.

Denktash said President Glafcos Clerides did not accept any proposal so far.

He recalled that his proposal to hold ``state-to-state'' negotiations was held by getting Turkey´s support, adding that ``we don´t say we will never sit at negotiation table. Accept our proposal to hold state-to-state negotiations and let us sit and negotiate everything''

Denktash said the world began to understand the Turkish side with the confederation proposal, pointing out that articles began to appear in the US, Britain, Germany and Italy in favour of Turkish Cypriots.

[03] Mysterious fire at youth camp

YENIDUZEN adds that the so-called ministry of youth and sports tried to cover up the fire.

It says that scores of youth were camping when the fire broke out.

The paper wonders why firemen at a fire station 200 meters away from the camp were unable to intervene immediately.

YENIDUZEN reports that nobody was injured but most of the personal belongings of the camping youth were destroyed in the fire.

(MY)

[04] Denktash´s regime denies Turkish Cypriot youths permission to attend workshop in free areas

YENIDUZEN reports that even youths from Turkey attended the workshop. Youth from Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, aged between 20-27, are taking part in the Education workshop which is being held in Kiti.

(MY)

[05] Bosnian minister continues illegal visit

Fahruddin is in the occupied area with his wife and daughter. Yesterday, they visited the so-called EMU,(East Mediterranean University) the Lala Mustafa mosque, the Salamis ruins and the Othello Castle.

He also visited the so-called martyrs monument and said that they experienced similar incidents in Bosnia Herzegovina.

In a message to the Turkish Cypriots, the Bosnian minister said: ``Do not harbour hatred. Anybody who harbours hatred will be a loser. What we have to do is to respect our martyrs and oppose wickedness.'' (MY)

[06] More Turks to be recruited in English Metropolitan Police

If the Turkish Cypriots haven´t the English citizenship, they can still be recruited at the English Police Force, because they come from a Commonwealth country.

(DP)

[07] Denktash: There is no problem in Cyprus

Rauf Denktash said: ``In Cyprus, there is a misunderstanding. There is no problem. To be able to say that there is a Cyprus issue, the two sides must describe this problem in the same way''.

Denktash repeated his statement that they will sit at the negotiation table only as ``state-to-state''.

Talat accused Denktash that for him the Turkish Cypriots are not as important as other interests, pointing out that for Cyprus, Turkey´s interests and the Turkish Cypriot community´s interests are identical, but in the light of contradictions, these interests must be explained.

Talat believes that the policy of political and economical integration is wrong and that instead they must create a system that will protect the Turkish Cypriot economy, against Turkey and the world.

He pointed out that the last agreement in the framework of the ``Joint Partnership Council'' was harmful to the economy of the pseudostate.

On his part, Denktash supported the last decisions of the ``Joint Partnership council'', claiming that everything that a Turkish Cypriot wants, it can be found in these decisions.

Denktash stated that there are two alternatives for the Turkish Cypriot; either he will follow the policy of the Greek Cypriots, enter the EU and eventually be vanished, or continue the present policy.

Talat also disagreed with the statement of Ecevit that there was not a Cyprus issue and with that of Denktash that ``we will not sit at negotiation table without the recognition of two states.'' (DP)

[08] Banks in the occupied area

She says that the ``amendments'' are for safeguarding the sound operation of the 68 banks, 33 of which are off-shore banks.

KIBRIS´s correspondent reports that the radical ``amendments'' are necessary for the Banking sector in the occupied area.

They envisage raising of the initial capital for establishing a local Bank to two million US dollars, and for an off-shore bank to half a million US dollars.

KIBRIS reports that five off-shore banks were liquidated in the occupied area and eight off-shore banks submitted an application to establish branches in the occupied area.

Following are the names of the local and off-shore banks in the occupied area as well as those which have been liquidated:

Names of the Local Banks Date of Establishment

[01] Turk Bankasi Ltd 1901

[02] Limasol Turk Kooperatif Bankasi Ltd -

[03] Turkiye Is Bankasi A.S. 22.10.1954

[04] K.T. Kooperatif Merkez Bankasi Ltd -

[05] T.C. Ziraat Bankasi 19.11.1974

[06] Turkiye Halk Bankasi 20.01.1978

[07] Kibris Kredi Bankasi Ltd 26.01.1978

[08] Kibris Endustri Bankasi Ltd 22.04.1982

[09] Kibris Ticaret Bakasi Ltd. 27.04.1982 10 Kibris-Faisal Islam Bankasi Ltd 27.10.1982

Names of the Local Banks Date of theEstablishment

[01] The European Commerce Bank Ltd 03.03.1992

[02] The European Business Bank Ltd 03.03.1992

[03] The Euro Textile Bank Ltd 11.09.1992

[04] Imar Bank Off-Shore Ltd 23.11.1992

[05] Atlasbank Off-Shore Ltd 28.12.1992

[06] Ozbank Off-Shore Ltd 20.01.1993

[07] Alliance Investment Bank Off-Shore Ltd 23.02.1993

[08] Mediterranean Union Bank (Off-Shore) Ltd 14.06.1993

[09] World Vakif Off-Shore Banking Ltd 17.06.1994 10 Optima Bank (Off- Shore) Ltd

Liquitated Off-Shore Banks:

[01] East Mediterranean Bank Ltd

[02] Cyprus United Trade & Investment Bank

[03] Pasifik Bank Off-Shore Ltd

[04] Overseal Bank Off-Shore Ltd

[05] Sovereigne Gold Depositori Bank

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[09] Columnist views Germany´s `hostility´ toward Turkey

This report has been confirmed by the German officials despite Ankara´s announcement that it `has not asked for any tanks´ from Germany.

another statem

This report and the official Germany pronouncement coincided with yet ent.

This statement, issued by Prof. Dr. Faruk Sen, Director of the `Turkish Research Center´ in Germany, says: `The center-right parties in Germany have been torpedoing the relations by adopting a negative position, just like the stance they adopted on the new citizenship law, and by setting such meaningless deadlines as 50-70 years for Turkey´s full EU membership. Just like FDP Secretary General Guido Westerwell´s attempt to postpone Turkey´s membership by a few generations, CDU politician Friedbert Pfluger´s statement that Turkey does not deserve Germany´s positive approach are cause for concern. Also deplorable are the statements of the Christian clergy that ´Europe is a Christian union´.´

And an interesting report by Zeynel Lule just appeared the other day. It explains how Helmut Kohl kept Turkey out of Europe despite Washington´s wishes in 1996: `Washington made a Cyprus plan in 1996. It was based on granting both Turkey and Cyprus a candidate status at the Luxembourg summit. Yet, despite personal calls and pleading from Bill Clinton, Kohl did not open the door of the EU to Turkey. He even reacted to the US pressure by saying, `this is not their farm´. In the end, Turkey was kept out of Europe at the Luxembourg summit´.

We used to think that anti-Turkism was the monopoly of Kohl, but we have been mistaken. We are just now realizing it.

Throughout history, Germany has been Turkey´s close friend. They fought wars shoulder to shoulder. Three million Turkish citizens live and work in Germany. The number of Turks born in Germany has surpassed 100,000. In exports and imports Germany occupies an important place for Turkey. Most of the tourists are from Germany.

With all these, it is hard to understand Germany´s position of late. Hostility toward Turkey has become the established policy of both the government and the opposition. Now we simply have Schroder instead of Kohl.

It is no wonder that Foreign Minister Fischer issued a `ban on arms sales to Turkey´.

Yet, this same Fischer was hosted like a king in Turkey just 10 days ago. Turkey´s realities were explained to him.

And, he appeared to have understood them.

The press reports were very optimistic because Fischer himself exuded a positive impression of his Ankara visit. The headlines read `Germany is trying to persuade the EU,´ `Germany gave the green light for Turkey´s full candidacy´, or `German Chancellor´s Gerhard Schroder´s special representative, Walter Leissner Keep, will visit Greece, Sweden, and Italy, which took a position against Turkey at the Cologne summit´. The positive assessment of Fischer´s Ankara visit could have been thus summed up in the following short sentence: With the new leftist coalition in power, an important change in Germany´s policy toward Turkey could be observed. A newspaper headline even said, `the relations with Europe have been entrusted to an old friend.´

But the latest anti-Turkey situation in Germany as reported by Prof. Faruk Sen, and especially Fischer´s negative position on arms sales have come to show that in essence there is not much change in Bonn´s policy on Turkey.

Turkey has once again deluded itself''.

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

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