Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 01-06-18

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkey/s reaction to UNSC Resolution Extending UNFICYP Mandate.

[02] The pseudostate Does not consider UN Resolution on UNFICYP Mandate Valid.

[03] Rauf Denktash on UN Security Council Resolution 1354.

[04] The works to turn the Armenian Monastery into an hotel have been stopped after intervention by the Council of Europe.

[05] Some settlers are preparing to return to Turkey.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[06] Prof. Soysal/s Views on Cyprus Challenged.

[07] AVRUPA columnist calls on settlers and Turkish Cypriots to understand each other.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkey/s reaction to UNSC Resolution Extending UNFICYP Mandate

A Foreign Ministry statement said that the resolution can`t be accepted both in respect of the method of the adoption of the resolution and also in respect of the elements the resolution covered.

The statement noted that the resolution was adopted by the consent of the Greek Cypriot side which was referred to as the ``Cyprus government``, alleging that there is no ``Cyprus government`` which represents the whole island and which is based on the partnership of the two sides since 1963. The statement added that the activities were carried out by the Peace Keeping Force in North Cyprus to date by the cooperation of the «TRNC».

``The consent of TRNC and Turkey, the guarantor state was not taken in relation to the concerned resolution. Our views saying that a separate regulation has to be made with Turkish Cypriot officials for the activities of UNFICYP in the north of the island, were not taken into consideration. U.N. Security Council has left the activities of UNFICYP in North Cyprus with a legal uncertainty by not taking the consent of all the concerned sides in resolutions about UNFICYP`s mandate since June 2001. The U.N. principle saying that the peace keeping force can only carry out activities by the consent of the concerned sides has also been violated in this respect. The Resolution No. 1354 is also against the statement of the U.N. Secretary-General who confirmed on 12 September 2000 that the two peoples on the island are politically equal and they don`t represent each other. This resolution which serves the efforts of the Greek Cypriot side to urge the world not to recognize the Turkish Cypriot side, won`t be useful for anybody and it will constitute a new barrier in the efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus issue,`` it was noted.

[02] The pseudostate Does not Consider UN Resolution on UNFICYP Mandate Valid

The «Ministry» said in a written statement that the resolution does not reflect the realities on the island and it won`t help in the efforts of the U.N. Secretary-General for finding a compromise on the island.

The «Ministry» said that the U.N. Security Council noted that the mandate of UNFICYP was extended upon the consent of the ``Cyprus government,`` alleging that the U.N. Security Council has repeated the mistake it did for 38 years and it insists not to see the realities on the island.

``The joint republic which was founded in 1960 was overthrown by the Greek Cypriot side by use of force in 1963. There is no government which can speak on the behalf of the whole island since that date. The `Cyprus government` is the administration which only represents the Greek Cypriot side. Turkish Cypriot nation is represented by the TRNC,`` it said. Claiming that the insistence of the Security Council on this concept which does not have a legal, political and de-facto basis, constitutes one of the biggest impediments that stands in front of compromise efforts launched to solve Cyprus issue for 38 years, the statement added that all the UN peace keeping forces in the world can work by the consent and cooperation of the concerned sides.

«The ignorance of these basic rules for UNFICYP and extension of its mandate without getting the consent of TRNC and Turkey, the guarantor state on the island, is a deficiency. TRNC government will evaluate the resolution together with Turkey», it added.

[03] Rauf Denktash on UN Security Council Resolution 1354

In a statement to a «TAK» correspondent, Denktash said that although all the realities were conveyed to the UNSC members, the Council, with the initiative of the British delegate, preferred once again to continue on a line that disregards the fundamental rights and «laws» of the Turkish Cypriots. Explaining that this resolution adopted unanimously has given the green light to the Greek Cypriots, Denktash continued: The insistence of UNSC member countries, which we consider to be effective and our friends, not to diagnose the Cyprus issue and not to recognize the injustice of treating the Greek Cypriot administration as the legitimate government of the island despite the crimes it has committed against humanity is thought provoking. This is the greatest factor that prevents a conciliation in Cyprus. The UNSC has preferred to support a man of religion, with blood on his hands, in his crime of transforming a jointly established republic into a Greek Cypriot one.

Denktash said that Slovak soldiers serving in the UNFICYP obtain permission from the «TRNC president» and «the Foreign Ministry» in order to cross over to the north, adding that, however, the United Nations has refrained from openly admitting this fact or mentioning it in the resolution. He continued: «Without our permission the Slovak soldiers could not have crossed to the north. They could not have performed their duty in the north. Therefore, it is difficult to understanding the reason behind this duplicity. It would be beneficial for Slovak soldiers to fulfil their duties in the north in line with the laws and decisions of the TRNC and to openly declare that they are doing so».

Denktash further stated: «It will be our fundamental duty to take every measure and decision at every opportunity to show everyone that no one can be stationed in the north in line with the decisions and approval of the Greek Cypriot republic which others refer to as the Cyprus Government. We want everyone to accept and respect the existence of our state, our government, and our parliament because this state has not been given to us as a gift. This state is the symbol of our rights and status which we salvaged from the 1960 partnership state, which we did not allow the Greek Cypriots to usurp, and over which we shed our blood».

Alleging that the two sides agreed to the reality of living in two separate geographical regions, Denktash said that a voluntary population exchange was carried out by the UNFICYP. Claiming that a global property exchange was a natural continuation of this population exchange, Denktash added that this was a parameter agreed upon by the two sides until the EU intervention. He stressed that not interfering with the 1960 guarantee system and not diluting these guarantees with forces from the outside were among other parameters that were agreed upon and recorded.

Denktash said: «Clerides told me and Holbrooke that the Greek Cypriot side does not represent the Turkish Cypriots. Therefore, it is our most natural right to ask that our existence, our status, our equal sovereignty be acknowledged and that the inhuman embargoes be lifted. The UNSC, ignoring all these facts and hiding behind a resolution they adopted 38 years ago, which they admitted they were forced to adopt in a bid to stop the shedding of Turkish Cypriot blood on the island and to prevent a genocide, is continuing to treat the Greek Cypriots as the legitimate government. This is nothing other than a violation of human rights, and the principles of the justice and United Nations».

[04] The works to turn the Armenian Monastery into an hotel have been stopped after intervention by the Council of Europe

KIBRIS reports that the issue entered into «an impasse in Strasbourg» and that the news that the Armenian Monastery was leased for 49 years to Dervish Sonmezler to turn it to an hotel, created an uproar among the members of the Armenian Lobby at the PACE.

«Following the Armenian Lobby/s complaint» reports KIBRIS, the PACE, invited the so-called Chairman of the pseudostate/s Assembly Ertugrul Hasipoglu together with a delegation to Strasbourg. At the meeting, in Strasbourg, the issue of the Armenian Monastery and the cancelling of the «contract» was discussed.

Speaking to KIBRIS regarding the meeting Hasipoglu said that he was called to Strasbourg following the complaint raised by the Cyprus government regarding the Monastery. He said that at the meeting he defended the view that «they can use the monastery as they please».

Hasipoglu further noted that the rapporteur coming from the PACE favours the restoration of the monastery. He said that he will raise the issue during the 24 June meeting.

Businessman Dervish Sonmezler on his part, said that with a permission from the so-called Council of Ministers in 1997 he leased the Monastery to turn it to a touristic establishment. However, after the meeting in Strasbourg the «lease contract» was cancelled and the restoration work was halted.

Sonmezler claimed that the issue was kept secret and no statement was made to this effect for the last two years.

Sonmezler said: «Let them allow me either to turn the monastery into a touristic establishment or take it back».

[05] Some settlers are preparing to return to Turkey

«While the economic problems have reached their limits, a lot of businessmen, farmers, tradesmen and even employees have started selling their businesses, fields and homes», writes «Halkin Sesi», adding that the number of «For Sale» signs increases every day and shows the dimensions of the economic crisis in the pseudostate.

The paper says that even the well-known «Jet Restaurant» in occupied Nicosia, which used to be full of people, is on sale. Furthermore, some fields on the Nicosia - Famagusta road in the occupied Prastio village, were not possible to be sold even though they are for sale for a long time, concludes «Halkin Sesi».

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[06] Prof. Soysal's Views on Cyprus Challenged

Mumtaz Soysal was a left-wing constitutional expert when I attended the Faculty of Political Sciences early in the 1960s. I was among a group of students who almost worshipped him. He was among the many left-wing intellectuals who were sent to prison after a military take-over. Soysal was later elected as a deputy from one of the left-wing political parties and served as Foreign Minister for a short time. The most important initiative he made when he was the Foreign Minister was to introduce visa regulations for US citizens. Soysal shifted from the left wing to the extreme right as the years went by. Currently, he solely but strongly advocates nationalism and statism, which he retrieved from among the ideologies that have been buried in the past.

Known by his friends as one of the world's most civilized, lovable, humorous, and extremely intelligent individuals, the ideological change in Soysal remained as one of the enigmas in our time.

Soysal has been an adviser to "eternal leader" Rauf Denktash on the Cyprus problem for many decades. He is pathologically opposed to the Greek Cypriots, Greece, and the Western world. None of the foreign policy problems on which he is consulted as an adviser can be solved. That is impossible. Nevertheless, he always accuses the Greek Cypriots, Greeks, and the Western countries in his columns of being responsible for the prolongation of many problems.

Soysal is aware that the Coalition Government headed by Dervish Eroglu was forced to resign as a result of Ankara's undemocratic pressure and manoeuvres. However, he will not discuss the matter in his columns. He also is aware of why the administration was forced to resign. He will not explain that in his columns either. Furthermore, he is aware of why the extreme nationalist groups establish the National People's Movement behind closed doors in violation of the laws and without the approval of the police organisation. Nor will he comment on that either.

Soysal is aware that the administrative system in north Cyprus is based on bribery, corruption, inefficiency, backwardness, and pressure. He will not disclose that state of affairs. Nor will he make any effort to rectify the situation. As far as he is concerned, Cyprus is a pawn in Turkey's rough and inflexible foreign policy.

I can add to my list. But I believe that I have conveyed the message I had in mind: Do not ask anything to Soysal if you want to establish what is right about Cyprus. You must forget about peace in Cyprus (and between Turkey and Greece) as long as Soysal continues to advise Denktash.

That is why the way he sees Cyprus is quite different from the way I see it. Cyprus is an island that is loved by those who want peace and harmony between Turkey and Greece, regardless of the fact that Soysal does not agree with that. It is not loved by those who think like him».

[07] AVRUPA columnist calls on settlers and Turkish Cypriots to understand each other

Karaman says that there is tension and friction between these two, becausethey are different in many ways and they cannot get along with each other.

He describes how the illegal settlers were brought and settled in the occupied area and how they were given forged Cypriot identity cards with a view to making them vote as soon as possible.

Karaman lists the special treatment that was meted out to these people by the occupation regime giving them houses, land and material assistance. «The Turkish Cypriots were pushed aside and their legitimate rights were not given to them», Karaman declares and claims that this is one of the major points that created this tension between these two groups.

He concludes urging both groups to understand each other, and writes: «To ostracize these people with the idea of `Cyprus is for Cypriots/ is not a right stance».

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