Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 02-02-06

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Rauf Denktas stresses the importance of realities ignoring the illegal presence of the occupation troops of Turkey.

[02] The Turkish Armed Forces will establish their own radio and television.

[03] Inflation in the occupied areas.

[04] New buildings in the occupied areas.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[05] Columnist in RADIKAL draws comparisons between the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and a possible military operation in Iraq.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Rauf Denktas stresses the importance of realities ignoring the illegal presence of the occupation troops of Turkey

Denktas said that "the Turkish Cypriots constitute a light and a symbol in the struggle for freedom and against colonization and in their loyalty to the motherland", adding: "We are happy and proud to represent such a people".

Denktas further expressed the wish that this struggle will end successfully. He noted that this success depends on both sides accepting one another and discovering how they can represent the entire island to the world. Pointing out that he is exerting efforts in that direction, Denktas recalled that after his meeting with Clerides yesterday he made a statement to reporters to the effect that if the realities are accepted, then peace is near and possible. He said that his statement appeared in various dailies as "peace is near, peace is possible/, adding: "The headline should have read `if the realities are accepted" to ensure that the people realize the importance of the realities.

Alleging that the whole fight is about the realities and that the Cyprus Government does not want to accept the existence of the Turkish Cypriots, Denktas then referred to an article a US professor allegedly wrote on the Cyprus issue: "In his article, the professor said that the path to uniting the two states separated as south and north passes through mutual acceptance. An agreement to be reached to the contrary will create millions of judicial problems". Noting that both sides should well understand this issue, Denktas said: "When we talk about an agreement based on the principle of two states, we say this well aware of these problems. With God's will we shall find that path. The message the dailies conveyed to the people to the effect that peace is near and possible while ignoring the content was not the right approach".

[02] The Turkish Armed Forces will establish their own radio and television

According to the paper a bill has been drafted in Turkey with the aim of allowing the Turkish Armed Forces [TAF] to make radio and television broadcasts for the purpose of providing direct information to the people so as to warn the people in cases of crises, wars, and extraordinary situations.

The bill envisages carrying out the project under the Meteorology and Police Radio status by providing TAF with a frequency free of any charge.

State Minister Yilmaz Karakoyunlu has submitted the bill to the pertinent institutions, asking these institutions to indicate their opinions about the project. The bill envisages the introduction of amendments to Article 4 of the Law number 2954 on Turkish Radio and Television.

The regulation envisaged in the new bill is as follows: "The organizing of radio and television broadcasts and making broadcasts within and outside the country is under state monopoly. This monopoly is under the control of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation. However, the Radio and Television High Council [RTUK] may provide frequencies to TAF, the police, or the meteorology institution in order for these institutions to set up radio and television stations and make continuous broadcasts in order to issue warnings and notices on condition that these broadcasts are made in accordance with the principles determined in the subject matter law."

Recalling the tasks conducted by the TAF and indicating that the present era of crises and full-scale wars require readiness and that the threat is quickly approaching the vital resources of nations, the bill says the following in its reason: "Keeping the nation informed and prepared against every kind of threat and danger during extraordinary times, such as the one we are going through now, is one of the basic principles for winning a war. The utilization of mass communication tools--which require special preparation and training in the technical level--starting from the present peaceful era, is of inevitable necessity.

"It is believed that due to this need, the radio and television broadcasts that will be made by the TAF will make contributions in the fields where the TAF functions and will assist in keeping the people informed starting from the peace days."

The bill cites the American Military Radio and Television in the United States and the British Communication Service in Britain as examples in its explanatory note. The bill notes in its reason that direct information will be provided to the people during times of crises, extraordinary situations, and wars with the help of the broadcasts made by TAF in order to warn the people against similar situations.

[03] Inflation in the occupied areas

[04] New buildings in the occupied areas

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[05] Columnist in RADIKAL draws comparisons between the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and a possible military operation in Iraq.

The full text of the commentary is as follows:

"In general the Foreign Ministry formulates foreign policy. After this policy is approved by the government the military takes the necessary measures to implement it.

All visible signs suggest that the Turkish Foreign Ministry has still not formulated a policy to answer the question: "What will Turkey do if the United States intervenes in Iraq?" Consequently the government has not made a decision and has not forwarded it to the military. Given these circumstances it is hard to interpret predictions by an American columnist to the effect that "Turkish tanks and U.S. special operations troops will soon enter Baghdad."

In contrast the situation in Cyprus is different.

Turkey's Cyprus policy and the military measures required to implement that policy are clearly known. Land Forces Commander Gen. Hilmi Ozkok articulated this policy unambiguously in Cyprus last weekend.

After the Gulf War Turkey described the circumstances created by the United States in Iraq as an "unstable situation that is at odds with Ankara's views on the preservation of Iraq's territorial integrity and that is fraught with serious developments." It was pointed out that this should be of concern not only to Turkey but also Syria and Iran.

Turkey has considerable experience about the potential military developments that may occur in Iraq and has taken precautions against them. However now new possibilities are at issue.

What must Turkey do if the United States intervenes?

Is not the answer to this question more political than military? Which senior government official, chiefly the Prime Minister, has given any tangible signs on this issue thus far? Of course there are some points over which Turkey has demonstrated absolute resolve. For example it has said unambiguously and repeatedly that the establishment of a Kurdish state will never be allowed.

The General Staff obviously has detailed plans to respond to such a possibility.

The 1960 London-Zurich agreements regarding Cyprus made Turkey a guarantor power in Cyprus. Consequently there was a real possibility that the TAF [Turkish Armed Forces] would have to stage an amphibious operation some day. However the internal recovery process in the TAF after 27 May prevented the necessary measures from being taken, and Turkey was caught unprepared in the face of the incidents of 1963.

The guarantee agreement was diplomatic. However the military preparation it required could be undertaken only after a lesson was learned.

Similarly Turkey was not prepared when Saddam used chemical weapons against the insurgent Kurds in Halabja in 1988. In particular the Turkish government had not made plans even for the political situation that could emerge. We did not know what to do when tens of thousands of people fleeing Saddam's wrath flooded our borders.

Ozal took a hasty decision and allowed nearly 100,000 refugees virtually to invade Turkey without making any preparations.

That situation also dealt a blow to the TAF's battle against the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] which began in 1984. It was later discovered that numerous PKK militants infiltrated Turkey by that channel. When a similar human wave flooded our soil three years later it was viewed as "a new tactic to cross borders using civilian masses."

Now there are many more possibilities and a correspondingly large number of measures that may be taken against them. However, before anyone thinks about sending Turkish tanks into Baghdad, the Foreign Ministry must formulate a policy in order to play the game by its rules".

KV/SK

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