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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 00-08-21
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA
No. 158/00 -- 21.08.00
[A] NEWS ITEMS
[01] Turkish Cypriot Organizations, Unions, Talat slam economic measures
Illegal Bayrak Radio 1 (16:13 hours, 18/8/00) carries the reactions of
political parties, organizations, and associations with regard to the
economic recovery measures adopted by the so-called council of ministers on
16 August.
According to illegal Bayrak, Republican Turkish Party leader Mehmet Ali
Talat charged that the economic measures will lead the pseudostate's
economy and the people into a full-fledged impasse. In a written statement,
Talat described the bit-by-bit implementation of the economic package,
which he said was prepared by Turkey, as disrespect for the people. Talat
said that the ``coalition'' has forgotten that the pseudostate is even more
expensive than Turkey, adding: ``Just for the sake of improving the balance
of the budget, the government laid a heavy burden on the people and on the
economy by means of taxes and price hikes. From now on, life will be even
more unbearable in every area.'' Talat accused Dervis Eroglu and Mustafa
Akinci of driving the pseudostate's economy into an impasse to save their
own political future.
Dev-Is, the Federation of Revolutionary Workers Unions, described the
decisions adopted by the ``Council of Ministers'' on 16 August as ``a death
command for the workers.'' Dev-Is leader Ali Gulle said that the necessary
response will be given soon to the mentality that has condemned the people
to unemployment and is refusing to pay out the money belonging to the
workers, who are also bank depositors.
The reaction of the Young Businessmen Association to the recent price hikes
and additional taxes is also carried in the same newscast. Warning that the
price hikes and the additional tax will further exacerbate the inflation
and the market will shrink further, the association accused the
``government'' of being devoid of economic sense. In a written statement,
association leader Vargun Varer said that the announcement of price hikes
and additional taxes created disappointment among young businessmen. He
called on the ``government'' to explain the reasons for not implementing
savings measures while it raised VAT rates, and to appease the public
conscience.
[02] New Commander said to trigger opposition's reaction Halkin Sesi
(19/8/00) reports that Brigadier General Ozeyranli, whose
dispute with the opposition in the occupied area gave birth to a crisis,
was replaced by Galip Mendi, who himself generated a new crisis. Mendi's
name was involved in Kutlu Adali's assassination, which occurred at the
time when he was serving as the chief of the ``Civilian Defense
Organization (SST)'' in the occupied area.
In a statement he made, Mehmet Ali Talat, the CTP (Republican Turkish
Party) leader, said that the crisis is going to get gradually worse. Talat
did not approve Brigadier General Galip Mendi's appointment to the
``Defense Forces Headquarters (GKK)'' in the occupied area, a post which
became available after Brigadier General Ali Nihat Ozeyranli left office.
Talat noted that the Turkish General Staff is making a great mistake by
appointing to the ``GKK'' a person whose name is involved in the Kutlu
Adali murder and said, ``They are making a serious mistake. I hope the new
incumbent will not make us yearn for the one who has left and that common
sense will have the upper hand. In order to get out of this chaos, all the
sides must do something.'' Izzet Izcan, the YBH (Patriotic Unity Movement)
general secretary, also drew attention to the fact that the name of
Brigadier General Mendi is involved in the speculations regarding the Adali
murder. Izcan said, ``There was some uneasiness about this, anyway. The
people regarded it negatively. This person was appointed to the office of
the Security Headquarters by a special request of Denktash. The appointment
of a problematic person who is in favor of harshness, after the former
commander who stirred up problems, increased the pace of the responses. The
appointment will bring about a new crisis. They want to intimidate the
people in this way.'' Ilkay Adali, the widow of Kutlu Adali, one of the
Yeniduzen newspaper reporters who was killed by an unknown assassin in 1996,
said the following concerning her husband's assassination: ``They planned
an operation against the Saint Barnabas Monastery in 1996. Kutlu Adali
began to receive death threats following an article that he wrote on this
operation. SST Chief Galip Mendi had threatened Adali once. Two days after
my husband was murdered, Mendi and some other people were dismissed from
their jobs. We received some notification concerning the murder. The names
of Orhan Alban and Huseyin Demirci were given. Demirci continues to receive
a salary from the SST. He used to meet Mendi continuously. This person is
still carrying a weapon and is wearing a military uniform. But in no way
was their evidence taken. The incident was covered up.''
Ilkay Adali, who considers Galip Mendi's appointment to the General Staff
Headquarters as a threat, said, ``Turkey does not want the Cypriot Turks to
live here. They are intimidating the people. We who love our country can
never be traitors.''
[03] New VAT rates KIBRIS (19/8/00) reports that the Value Added Tax (VAT)
rates which were
re-determined by the pseudostate's so-called council of ministers by taking
into consideration the economic and social situation, will enter into
effect on August 21.
The new VAT rates will be implemented as 0,3,9,13 and 20 percent according
to the different goods and services.
[04] Asil Nadir proposal to bail out Cypriot bank A report in daily
Milliyet (19/8/00) says that depositors of Kibris Endustri
Bank have responded positively to a proposal made by Asil Nadir, owner of
the bank, to the so-called government.
At a meeting held with the depositors on 17 August the sides approved a
program that calls for the bank's resumption of all banking operations from
1 September.
Reporting the deal he has struck with the bank's depositors, via his daily,
Kibris, Asil Nadir made the following statement to the newspaper: ``Our
primary goal is to turn our bank into an organization that will make
contributions to the national economy again, though a joint management team
to be set up together with our depositors after completing necessary
formalities with the government''.
The plan that Nadir has devised in order to bail the bank out is as
follows:
``Ownership of Kibris will be transferred to the bank. In addition to this,
$10 million in cash will be deposited in the bank on 20 February 2001 in
order to strengthen its liquidity. From 8 November all deposits up to TL1
billion will be paid to small depositors. Depositors will be represented on
the board of the new Endustri Bank to be created. Interest accrued from 8
May 2000 to date will be added to the principal and interest payments will
start in September. They will be paid regularly on a monthly basis. In
return, all deposits will be converted into pounds sterling from September
and kept in the bank for six months. Any depositor claiming his or her
money will receive it only at the beginning of March.''
[05] Pseudo-assembly delegation to attend meetings in Strasbourg and
Indonesia
According to KIBRIS (19.8.00) two separate delegations from the so-called
TRNC assembly will participate in the Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly meeting in Strasbourg and in the Interparliamentary Union meeting
in Indonesia.
So-called deputy speaker of the pseudo-assembly, Salih Cosar, will head the
delegation that will attend the meeting in Strasbourg between 24 September
and 1st October. Ertugrul Hasipoglu, so-called assembly speaker, will head
the delegation that will travel to Indonesia between 13-21 October. After
the Interparliamentary Union meeting the delegation will go to Australia
for contacts with Turkish Associations.
[06] Fire KIBRIS (21/8/00) reports that a fire broke out yesterday in the
occupied
village of Kormakitis and burned 70 hectares of land.
[07] Salamis dig yields Roman house Cyprus Today (19-25/8/00) reports that
remains of a Roman house have been
uncovered by an archaeological team illegally excavating at the Salamis
ruins, outside occupied Famagusta.
Professor Coskun Ozgunel, head of ``Eastern Mediterranean University Centre
for the Protection of Archaeological and Cultural Heritage'', said the
discovery had been made to the north-west of the forum area. He described
the house as being of the late-Roman period, built on a street dating back
to the Hellenistic era.
This year's illegal excavation work, which was arranged under a two-year-
old joint scheme involving ``Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU)'' and
Ankara University, began in June and is to continue until the end of the
month. A 20-strong team has been concentrated on excavating the ``stoke-
hole'' for Salamis's Roman bath and the area of the agora, or forum.
Professor Ozgunel said a restoration expert, Ilknur Yildirim of the
Conservation Laboratory of Ankara's Anatolian Civilisations Museum, had
arranged for restoration and maintenance of the ``sun'' mosaic at Salamis.
A similar mosaic is found in Syria.
[08] UK visa applications According to KIBRIS (21.08.2000) there were 14,
500 visa applications for the
UK from the occupied area in the last three years.
The paper reports that the British High Commission in Cyprus has turned
down 5.5% of the applications.
KIBRIS says that in 1998 5,458 applications were made, in 1999 there were 6,
078 applications, while in the first seven months of 2000 there were 3,510
visa applications.
Britain has introduced visa requirements for people coming from the
occupied area, with a view to precluding the asylum seekers.
Following this decision the number of asylum seekers was drastically
reduced.
[09] Number of tourists decreased According to KIBRIS (21/8/00) the number
of tourists from third countries
(other than Turkey) who visited the occupied area has decreased in the last
five years.
According to a bulletin of the Turkish Cypriot Hotel Owners Union (KITOB),
the number of foreign tourists who visited the occupied area has decreased
from 95,079 in 1994 to 77,250 in 1999.
[10] 48816 new ``TRNC citizens'' since 1974 According to weekly TOPLUM
POSTASI (17/08/00), 48816 people has been made
``citizens'' in the occupied area since 1974.
The paper reports that this has been published ``officially'' for the first
time.
The so-called ad-hoc Committee established by a ``council of ministers''
decision in May 1999 completed its work in June 2000.
The paper says that the Committee did not elaborate on people who were
given so-called Identity Cards without receiving ``citizenship'' at the
same time. The so-called Aliens Department refused to provide information
about the former citizenship of those people who received ``TRNC
citizenship''.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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