Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 99-09-09

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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. 163/99 -- 9.9.99

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkey denies reports on US exclusion of ``TRNC''.

[02] Denktash pleased with meetings in Washington.

[03] Turkish paper claims to detail US plan for Cyprus.

[04] Denktash warns against face-to-face talks on Cyprus.

[05] Gurel receives US Coordinator.

[06] Atacanli: No detailed information about a US Cyprus plan.

[07] Denktash says no need to adopt position according to US.

[08] Ecevit said facing demands for concessions on US visit.

[09] Free area and occupied area compared.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[10] Columnist on US´ Cyprus stance.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkey denies reports on US exclusion of ``TRNC''

In reply to a question during his weekly news conference, Turkish Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Sermet Atacanli said that it was evident that reports to the effect that the United States will exclude ``TRNC'' and deal with Turkey directly are not true. Noting that no confirmation on this issue has been received, Atacanli added that the scope and framework of a solution to the Cyprus issue are clear.

``The sides involved in the Cyprus issue are clear: The TRNc is one of the essential sides. This has been confirmed by the UN resolutions as well. For this reason, there is absolutely no change on our side with regard to the scope and framework'', he said.

[02] Denktash pleased with meetings in Washington

In Washington, Denktash also participated in interview on the English and Turkish language broadcasts of the Voice of America. Later, he visited the Washington Times facilities and spoke to the newspaper´s foreign news correspondents on the history and latest phase of the Cyprus problem. Denktash then delivered a lecture at the Strategic and International Research Center. (see Bulletin No. 162, dated 8.9.99, item 5). US State Department officials, other government officials, foreign mission representatives, as well as academicians and journalists attended the lecture. After the lecture, which lasted three hours and attracted great interest, Denktash replied to questions and offered detailed information on the Turkish Cypriot position regarding the Cyprus issue.

[03] Turkish paper claims to detail US plan for Cyprus

The report adds that Weston is bringing with him the new US plan for Cyprus. He is going to explain the outline of this plan to the Turkish and the Greek sides during his visit. Yet the main talks with the Turkish side will be held when Foreign Minister Ismail Cem visits New York and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit meets with Bill Clinton on 28 September. The outline of the US plan, according to the report, is as follows:

[01] A federation with two sides and two communities will be established in Cyprus. The two sides will enjoy equal political rights. Despite the fact

[02] A common currency will be adopted in Cyprus. Yet the two sides will freely attend to their own internal affairs. They will also be able to form

[03] Famagusta will be given to the Greek Cypriots. The new state will be under the control of the Greek side.

[01] The US will act as guarantor of this settlement. A multi-national force involving US soldiers will be set up.

[02] The right of free circulation will be granted to both sides.

[03] All the defence treaties signed by the two sides will be annulled. The island will be cleared of all heavy weaponry.

[04] Countries acting as guarantors in Cyprus (Britain, Turkey and Greece) will also decrease the amount of their weaponry and the number of their

The reports further adds that Ankara has reservations about the US plan, certain elements of which have been leaked to the press. Turkey expressly objects to the guarantee agreement being diluted. The establishment of a multi-national peace force and the proposed reduction in the number Turkish soldiers on the island are also projects that Ankara is unwilling to accept.

Turkey also objects to the establishment of a federation with two sides and two communities. It has been reported that the idea of political equality pleases the Turkish government but that Ankara prefers confederation to federation.

[04] Denktash warns against face-to-face talks on Cyprus

Denktash replied to HURRIYET´s questions after he suffered from a throat infection. His views can be summed up as follows: `` - I held talks with a number of Greek Cypriot leaders for 20 years. We failed to reach a result. What will change if we agree to hold talks with the Greek Cypriot side again? Milosevic put pressure on the people in Kosovo. He used arms against them. Was he able to force them to surrender? Glafcos Clerides believes that he holds a strong position. That is why he said in the past:

`I will participate in the talks. That is a tactical approach. I will say `yes´ to everything you object to. Our government is gaining strength. The Greek Cypriots do not want to solve any problem´. The problem is as simple as that. - Regarding Cyprus, the world must make the right diagnosis. The Cyprus problem cannot be solved if the Greek Cypriot side is recognized as the government and the green light is given to the Greek Cypriots to join the EU, regardless of Turkey´s objection. Face-to-face talks can be held only between the two states on the island. I have visited New York to inform Kofi Annan accordingly before he invites us to meet. - I am not a dictator. I have a parliament, people, and laws. The TRNC and Turkey have a procedure to hold talks as two individual states. That is our national policy. - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is aware of that state of affairs. However, he has been forced by the G-8 countries, particularly the United States, to force us to meet face-to-face. President Clinton´s close colleagues have treated him very unjustly. - Can Kofi Annan force us to hold talks with Glafcos Clerides? No, he cannot do so. His task is to follow the procedure that is acceptable to the two sides through his good offices. Now is the time to make the right diagnosis on the problem in the light of the laws and the realities. Now is the time to make an arrangement for a summit between the two states. Otherwise, face-to-face talks will do more harm than good''.

[05] Gurel receives US Coordinator

Responding to questions of journalists after the meeting which lasted for nearly one hour, Weston described his contacts in Ankara as productive.

He said that the Cyprus question was taken up in detail during his meeting with Gurel.

Recalling that he will return to the US on Thursday to continue his contacts on the Cyprus question, Weston told reporters that he will come together with Rauf Denktash on Sunday to this end.

When reminded about the news reports claiming that the US has prepared a Cyprus Plan, and that he came to Ankara to submit the plan to Turkish officials, Weston said that he has not any plans with him.

Stressing that he believes that the Cyprus question can be solved only by a reconciliation between communities, Weston told reporters that neither the US nor another one intends to impose certain plans on the sides.

Describing the Cyprus question as a very complicated issue, Weston recalled that many sides were included in the Cyprus question.

Weston underlined that the US will strive to find a peaceful solution to the question. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources said that any plan prepared by the US was not brought onto the agenda of the Gurel-Weston meeting.

[06] Atacanli: No detailed information about a US Cyprus plan

[07] Denktash says no need to adopt position according to US

``The US has own interests. We don´t have to determine a position according to the US. Our duty is to explain our position and interests with their reasons,'' he stated.

Denktash, who will proceed to New York after wrapping up contacts in Washington D.C., said he will request UN Secretary General Kofi Annan not to make an invitation by explaining that the basis was still not ready.

``Then, the Secretary General will either announce the results by making the invitation or request time to prepare the basis by considering our statement important. I do not sit at a negotiation table with an authority called Cyprus government,'' he said.

Responding to questions about the plans that were claimed to be prepared by the US, Denktash said the Greek Cypriot press had been the circle that was firstly aware of these news.

Alleging that it was understood that those plans had been prepared together with the Greek lobby as Greek Cypriot press had put forward new factors about which the Turkish side had no information, Denktash said, ``and this is a reason that such plans should be paid attention. We can´t accept such plans that were prepared together with the Greek lobby''.

Regarding the news that Richard Holbrooke, who was appointed as the US Permanent Representative to the UN, had an opinion that Turkey should be regarded as the interlocutor in spite of him, he said, ``it was revealed that Mr. Holbrooke did not make such a statement''.

Responding to another question, Denktash said Holbrooke did not request an appointment during his visit to the US and he did not make such a demand.

[08] Ecevit said facing demands for concessions on US visit

The one-week visit Prime Minister Ecevit will pay to Washington and New York is considered very important for the future of Turkish-American relations which have developed dramatically in recent years and which have begun to be described as ``strategic''. US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who visited Istanbul for three hours to see the earthquake damage in the Marmara region on location, had earlier disclosed that relations between the two countries will be discussed in detail in meetings between President Clinton and Ecevit. The issues to be discussed include US aid to Turkey in the aftermath of the earthquake, the PKK and Kurdish problem, the future of Iraq, the new entity in northern Iraq, the Cyprus problem, and the development of Turkish-Greek relations. The political issues on which Clinton will ask Ecevit for easements are Cyprus, Iraq, the Kurdish problem and human rights and democratization. Specifically on Cyprus, the report says: This problem has been on the agenda of the US government for years, but no progress has been achieved because of a lack of a suitable political climate. The US administration wants to see concrete progress on this problem during Ecevit´s visit. Ecevit´s visit will come immediately after Rauf Denktash ongoing contacts at the UN in New York. During the visit, the United States will ask Turkey to exercise its influence over the ``TRNC'' and to act more flexibly in finding a solution on the island. The United States will demand that the insistence on the existence of two ``states'' on the island be dropped and that the sides sit at the negotiating table without any preconditions.

[09] Free area and occupied area compared

Free areas Occupied areas

Inflation average 1.3 % 70%

Unemployment 3.3% 6.4%

Tourism profits 6.5 trillion TL 864 billion TL

Number of cars 493,386 115,000 (DP)

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[10] Columnist on US´ Cyprus stance

He also says that to his question ``Will Clinton put pressure on Ecevit in connection with the Cyprus problem?'', they responded: ``No , he will definitely not do so. However, there is an expectation. The initiatives aimed at establishing closer relations with Turkey will be maintained. President Clinton will tell that to Ecevit.''

His third question, he says, was: ``How will President Clinton explain Washington´s expectation?'' According to him, they replied: ``He will say:

`The United States is a very close friend of Turkey. We have always proved that. We have always supported you in Iraq, in your relations with other countries, in your effort to join the EU, and in your effort to capture Workers Party of Kurdistan leader Abdullah Ocalan. We have not been able to solve two problems. One of them is related to Iraq and the other to the Eastern Mediterranean, in other words, to Cyprus. We greatly welcomed the rapprochement between Greece and Turkey. We now expect it to have a bearing on Cyprus´ . That will be the framework of his approach.''

Sertoglu adds that his colleagues made a number of recommendations as well. They said: ``Look, President Clinton appointed Alfred Moses as his Special Envoy to Cyprus. He is the former Chairman of the American-Jewish Congress. You must quickly move to contact him. The Jewish Lobby in Washington supports Turkey. You must give them something if you want them to put pressure on the White House in favour of Turkey. For God´s sake, adopt a flexible approach. The Greeks have been making an effort to approach the Jewish Lobby. Keep that in mind. Denktash has frequently said that the Greek Cypriots do not want to reach an agreement. Well, he now has an opportunity to prove that to the world. There is something else that you should know. The US Administration wants Kofi Annan to convey the invitation he will make to Denktash and Clerides in accordance with the G-8 plan after 28 February. That is because it does not want the call to cast a shadow over Ecevit´s visit.''

Sertoglu outlines the conclusion he has drawn from his contacts as follows:

``The style of Holbrooke and Bandler has made Ankara uneasy. However, considering the relations between Turkey and the United States, the officials prefer not to react to their statements, some of which make Ankara very upset. Furthermore, Ankara is opposed to the G-8 plan. The officials want the shuttle diplomacy to be maintained. Nevertheless, they do not want the door to be closed. Nor do they want Cyprus to be like Kosovo. They are worried that Turkey might again be forced to intervene against an unreasonable Greek Cypriot action. They are convinced that Turkey´s intervention will force Greece to take action. They fear that such a development will affect the entire region. They are seriously worried about that''.

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

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