Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 01-09-05

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Greece urges Turkish Cypriots to resume peace talks.

[02] Cyprus impasse defies de Soto/s efforts.

[03] The Turkish Cypriot newspapers on the visit of Greek Foreign Minister to Cyprus.

[04] Turkish Cypriot so-called assembly delegation to Burkina Faso and Morocco.

[05] NPM is preparing for its «National Congress».

[06] The so-called police prevent a demonstration of a group of PEYAK/s depositors.

[07] Rauf Denktas: De Soto says there are common grounds for talks, we say no.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Greece urges Turkish Cypriots to resume peace talks

«Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou urged Turkish Cypriots on Tuesday to return to U.N.-brokered peace talks over divided Cyprus and join the island's push for European Union membership.

Papandreou, who is on a two-day visit to Cyprus, told reporters that Greece hoped current U.N. efforts to resume the talks would succeed.

U.N. special envoy Alvaro de Soto is currently holding talks in Cyprus to try to revive the stalled talks, which broke down in January after Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas demanded both sides be given equal status.

Greek Cypriots have said the two sides should form a closely-knit federation, while Denktas has insisted the two sides join as a loose confederation.

The need to achieve a settlement is becoming urgent as Cyprus is moving closer towards European Union membership, which Denktas has opposed, arguing it does not take into account Turkish Cypriot interests.

Papandreou urged the Turkish Cypriot leadership not to lose the chance of an EU role.

"Certainly we see that this is a great opportunity, not only for the Greek Cypriot community but for Cyprus as a whole, and that means the Turkish Cypriot community also becoming part of the European Union and this it can do by helping the solution of the Cyprus problem," Papandreou said.

"Cyprus will be part of the European Union. The question is whether it will be part of the European Union with or without the Turkish Cypriots. We hope they will be with us," Papandreou said.

[02] Cyprus impasse defies de Soto/s efforts

«The impasse in the Cyprus peace process is defying intense shuttle diplomacy efforts by a senior U.N. official as the two sides on the island cling to hardline positions.

Sources with insight to the efforts of Alvaro de Soto, the special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who aims to break a 10-month deadlock in the Cyprus talks process, told the Turkish Daily News that while Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides has been refusing any formula that may give credence to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas has been insisting on recognition of the "equal status" of the two sides on the island.

The sources said at the heart of the discussions of de Soto with the two Cypriot leaders were two statements delivered by Annan last year. While Turkish Cypriot President Denktas reportedly has been demanding the special envoy to clarify whether the Sept. 12 statement of Annan was still valid, Clerides has been demanding continuation of the Cyprus talks process in line with a Nov. 8 non-paper presented to the two sides by the Secretary-General.

The Cyprus proximity talks process landed in a deadlock on Nov. 8, 2000, when Secretary-General Annan presented to the two sides a "non-paper" stating the aim of the process is to establish a "unitary state with one indivisible sovereignty."

The Sept. 12 statement of Annan Key points in the Sept. 12, 2000, statement of Annan were "equality of the two sides" and recognition by the Secretary-General that each side on the island represented itself and only itself and cannot talk on behalf of the other.

In the Sept. 12 statement he read separately to Denktas and Clerides at the start of the fourth round of Cyprus proximity talks, Annan had said each party on the island "represents its side -- and no one else -- as the political equal of the other."

That remark of Annan was a move designed to satisfy a key Turkish Cypriot demand from the Secretary-General to acknowledge publicly that the internationally recognized administration of Clerides was only the government of Greek Cypriots and cannot represent Turkish Cypriots.

Furthermore, in that statement, Annan had made clear that the Cyprus peace talks were aiming at reaching "a comprehensive settlement enshrining a new partnership on which to build a better future in peace, security and prosperity on a united island."

The Secretary-General had also stressed that the equal status of the parties "must and should be recognized explicitly in the comprehensive settlement which will embody the results of the detailed negotiations required to translate this concept into clear and practical provisions."

Not only the Greek Cypriot Parliament rejected any talks with the Turkish Cypriot side on the basis of the Sept. 12 statement of Annan, Clerides has reportedly been asking de Soto to avoid deviating from the Nov. 8 "non-paper" of the Secretary-General, which was rejected outright by the Turkish Cypriot side.

Denktas: Aim is to establish a new partnership

Meeting with de Soto on Monday, Turkish Cypriot President Denktas said the aim of the Cyprus peace talks was to establish a "new partnership" on Cyprus between the two peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean island.

"We will see at the end of these contacts whether the Greek Cypriot side accepts the criteria that were put forth in the Sept. 12 statement of the Secretary-General that there are two sides on the island and neither side could dominate the other," Denktas said.

The Nov. 8 'non-paper'

The Nov. 8 "non-paper" was presented by Annan presumably to balance out the complaints from the Greek Cypriot side that the Sept. 12 statement was "pro-Turkish."

Full details of the 10-page Nov. 8 "non-paper" were not disclosed to the press, but leaks to the Greek Cypriot press since then indicate that contrary to the Sept. 12 ideas he spelled out, the Secretary-General made a recourse to the cliche that the aim of the Cyprus talks was establishment of a "single international legal personality" for Cyprus and "one sovereign indissoluble common state" on the island.

De Soto striving to bring about a new base for talks Unable to break the impasse in the talks, de Soto has been avoiding direct response to the Sept. 12 references of Denktas or Nov. 8 references of Clerides and trying to establish a totally new base for the future of the Cyprus peace talks, the sources said.

De Soto, who so far met four times with Clerides and twice with Denktas over the past three days, will have two more meetings with each of the leaders before he concludes his latest contacts on the island on Sept. 5.

He is anticipated to make a statement to the press at the Ledra Palace headquarters of the U.N. Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in the Nicosia buffer zone dividing the city into the Turkish Cypriot north and Greek Cypriot south, before leaving the island.

[03] The Turkish Cypriot newspapers on the visit of Greek Foreign Minister to Cyprus

The newspapers publish their reports with the following headlines:

KIBRIS: "EU threat from Papandreou". The paper alleges Mr Papandreou's statement that "Cyprus will be part of the European Union with or without the Turkish Cypriots", constitutes a threat.

HALKIN SESI: "EU show from Papandreou"

BIRLIK: "Papandreou is in South Cyprus"

AVRUPA: "Cyprus accession into EU is a historical opportunity". Papandreou sent a message to the Turkish Cypriots and to Turkey, "Cyprus will be part of the European Union, you (Turkish Cypriots) have to act", the paper writes.

VATAN: "George Papandreou in an effort to change the agenda into an EU membership"

YENIDUZEN: "EU membership is a historical opportunity and will be realized"

ORTAM: "EU membership is a historical opportunity and will be realized"

KIBRISLI: "Papandreou's intention is EU membership"

Finally, Yeni Demokrat has no report at all about the visit.

[04] Turkish Cypriot so-called assembly delegation to Burkina Faso and Morocco

The so-called Assembly has decided to be represented in the above meetings by a delegation headed by its «Speaker», Ertugrul Hasipoglu. The members of the delegation will be the following: Ilker Nevzat (National Unity Party), Huseyin Oztoprak (Democratic Party), Tahsin Mertekci (Communal Liberation Party), Ferdi Sabit Soyer (Republican Turkish Party) and Selik Yolak (international relations director of the so-called assembly).

[05] NPM is preparing for its «National Congress»

NPM co-ordinator, Mr Taner Etkin, the Acting Chairman of the National People/s Foundation (NPF), Mr Orhan Yucel and the Chairman of NPM Organizations Council, Mr Huseyin Alasya and members of NPM briefed on the preparations being made for NPM/s First National Congress to be held in occupied Nicosia on 9 September.

Speaking after the meeting the «Rector» of the so-called Kyrenia American University said that being the first private university of the occupied areas KAU supports «the existence, sovereignty and independence of the `TRNC/ and the first class citizenship of the Turkish Cypriots».

KIBRISLI (5.9.01) also reports that the National Youth Movement and the National Teachers/ Movement issued statements calling on the Turkish Cypriots to attend the «First National Congress» and raise their voices against the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo and their Turkish Cypriot collaborators and in favour of the pseudostate and motherland Turkey.

The paper also reports that the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce yesterday organized a press conference at the Mustafa Cagatay Conference Centre during which the Chairman of the Chamber, Mr. Ali Erel, expressed the Chamber/s opposition to the National People/s Congress because it contributes towards dividing the Turkish Cypriots into camps.

Mr. Erel also described as unacceptable the actions by Turkish Cypriot organizaitons which present Turkey as an occupying power in Cyprus and offend the Turkish army. Concluding Mr Erel called on the Turkish Cypriots to avoid actions that threaten internal peace and stressed that the division into camps is more dangerous than the economic crisis.

[06] The so-called police prevents a demonstration of a group of PEYAK`s depositors

The protesters carried saucepans, whistles and eggs. The president of PEYAK Depositors` Association, Ahmet Otuken said that they light candles to protest against those who brought darkness to the «country» and called on the pseudogovernment to resign if it cannot solve the problems of the PEYAK depositors.

Meanwhile, the General Secretary of Communal Liberation Party, Ozal Ziya, who participated in the demonstration, expressed the view that if Turkey wanted there would be no depositors` problem in the occupied areas of Cyprus.

[07] Rauf Denktas: De Soto says there are common grounds for talks, we say no

Denktas said that in his news conference today de Soto will issue an invitation and explain the basis for the common grounds he has found, and the Turkish Cypriot side will respond to that.

KV/SK

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