Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 02-03-12

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by the Turkish Cypriot leader before a meeting with Eroglu and Cosar.

[02] Eroglu opens a parking place in Moprhou reiterating that the area will not be returned to the Greek Cypriots.

[03] The pseudostate maintains its activities in Azerbaijan.

[04] Professor Bakir Caglar: "Mr Denktas is at the table because of the money, nothing else".

[05] Talat criticized the pseudogovernment about the "passport law".

[06] Dean of "EMU" promoted the university in the Middle East.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[07] Columnist of AFRIKA comments on the plan prepared by the paper.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by the Turkish Cypriot leader before a meeting with Eroglu and Cosar

Replying to reporters' questions before the meeting, Denktas said that a second break can be taken in the Cyprus talks. The talks can be recessed because of Easter and his appointments abroad on 21-25 April, Denktas remarked, adding that he has not yet informed Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides, but he will do so and draft a program.

Pointing out that Alvaro de Soto, UN Secretary-General's special envoy for Cyprus, must also brief New York about the talks and therefore, no time will be wasted if a recess is taken, Denktas said that these developments will be discussed during tomorrow's meeting. Denktas stated that his contacts in April are appointments he had asked to set, but he received a reply only now.

Asked if there is progress with regard to the missing persons issue, Denktas noted that the relevant document was submitted, but there has not been any response yet. Denktas added: "The Greek Cypriots are continuing to level unacceptable allegations against Turkey about the missing persons issue. Therefore they are saying: `If they hear our response at this stage, these circles will claim that the Turks have no bad intentions, they are ready for everything, and ask why the Greek Cypriots are stalling/. This is why they are maintaining their silence".

Denktas further alleged that every passing day new documents are being revealed by the Greek Cypriots with regard to the missing persons issue. Denktas said: " What the Greek Cypriots did and how many people they killed in the 1974 coup has not been revealed, but taking advantage of the fact that Turkey arrived in Cyprus five days later, many of these names were added to the missing persons list and used for propaganda purposes. The Turkish Cypriots obtained documents revealing this. The investigation into this matter is continuing. No humanitarian decision was adopted on this humanitarian issue. The list of those who died in the 15 July coup was never published".

Referring to the proposal on a three-way territorial solution, Denktas said: "They are saying that under a three-way system, there will not be a great population transfer or a new refugee problem. I cannot understand this. Where will our people who are currently living in the three-way region go when the Greek Cypriots who used to live there return to their places?

These aspects stand before us as problems. All problems can be solved in goodwill, through acceptance of the facts, and by renouncing the intention to transform Cyprus into a Greek Cypriot island. A solution can be attained quickly as long as the policy to take the Turkish Cypriots back to the 1960 position under the threat of the EU is renounced.

The desire to reach a conciliation on the part of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots should not be misunderstood or misinterpreted. This is a matter of resolving a problem that is liable to create a big crisis in the region in compliance with the dignity, rights, equality, and sovereignty of both sides".

Asked if the three-region solution plan was discussed with EU's Verheugen, Denktas said that this subject was not discussed in any way. Pointing out that there are many lessons to be learned from the Belgian model, Denktas said that there are lessons to be learned in connection with how Belgium, which has two languages, is represented in the EU and how the decisions are adopted. One of the three regions in Belgium is the big center Brussels, and the people living in Brussels continue to live in the third region in accordance with the rules of that city, Denktas explained.

Denktas said that there are also lessons to be learned form Switzerland, but in all these places sovereignty is essential, and the cantons are sovereign. Noting that there are claims that the rights demanded by the Turkish Cypriots would accord Denktas the opportunity to divide Cyprus for ever and to take his region and run, Denktas said that he is thinking of measures to prevent the Turkish Cypriots from losing their rights again, and this is a most natural right.

Denktas said that he wants a model that will ensure the failure of those who want to possess the entire island, and he does not want anything else. Noting that he sees a serious opportunity for conciliation, Denktas stated that peace can be achieved if the Greek Cypriots are not treated as the legitimate government, if they are told that a real and lasting peace is based on a balanced system, and if the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot people is accepted.

Denktas stressed that both sides should want the same thing. He noted that although until now the Greek Cypriots advocated the EU and a united Cyprus and regarded Turkish Cypriot politics as an obstruction, the foreign countries are still expecting the Turkish Cypriots to be flexible for the solution of the problem. It is important for the two sides to form a united body that will enable them to join the EU, Denktas stated, adding that the Turkish Cypriots displayed utmost flexibility, and in return they want their existence, equality, and sovereignty to be accepted and their territory to be guaranteed. He said: " Without these guarantees, they cannot lead us anywhere under the banner of this or that constitutional amendment".

[02] Eroglu opens a parking place in Morphou reiterating that the area will not be returned to the Greek Cypriots

The paper notes that the parking- place was constructed by the so-called "Municipality" of Morphou and cost about 150 billion Turkish Liras. The area of the parking - place is 6.500 square metres.

[03] The pseudostate maintains its activities in Azerbaijan

[04] Professor Bakir Caglar: "Mr Denktas is at the table because of the money, nothing else"

The speakers at the conference, organized by the Turkish Cypriot Coordination Committee (UK), were Professor Bakir Caglar, a lecturer from Istanbul University, Baroness Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat MEP for London and Teberruken Ulucay, an EU expert from occupied Cyprus.

The meeting was jointly chaired by the leader of Haringey Council George Meehan and Chair of the Cyprus Turkish Democratic Association Hasan Raif. Among the guests were MEPs Mary Honeyball and Claude Moraes and North London Labour MPs Stephen Twigg, Andy Love, Joan Ryan and David Lammy. Mayor of Enfield Yasemin Brett and councilors Nilgun Canver and Meral Ece. Leader of Enfield Council Doug Taylor also attended the conference.

All the speakers emphasized the importance of a solution in Cyprus and said they supported the two leaders in their search for a settlement. They also stressed the importance of a Cypriot state with a single international identity joining the European Union.

Teberruken Ulucay, the first speaker at the conference said a Federal solution and membership of the EU would be the last chance for existence of the Turkish Cypriots on the island. He also said the Turkish Cypriot community should take part at the negotiations for EU membership and that the solution to the Cyprus problem would open the way to such developments. Mr Ulucay called for the international community to support the positive developments on the island.

Professor Bakir Caglar, a Turkish Cypriot academic who lectures at Istanbul University claimed Mr Denktas attended the negotiating table because of Euro promises. `Mr Denktas is at the table because of the money, nothing else/ he said.

Mr Caglar also said that Cyprus would join the EU regardless of what happens at the negotiating table. `50,000 Turkish Cypriots fled Cyprus after 1974 and 2,000 people received Cyprus passports in the year 2001. If Cyprus joins the EU without a solution, then a big number of Turkish Cypriots will continue to leave the island/ he said.

Baroness Sarah Ludford on the other hand, called for a more active European Union intervention to support the Cyprus peace process. She told the conference that she believed a number of confidence-building measures should be put in place to help underpin the Denktas-Clerides talks.

She said `EU should offer a package deal that gives a bit to everyone, so as to oil the wheels of compromise. We should not wait for issues of recognition and status to be resolved, the important thing is to boost economic and human contacts now/.

Baroness Sarah Ludfords proposed a six-point plan which included opening a European Commission office in North Cyprus, lifting or at least immediate easing of the economic embargo on the North and invitation by the EU for Turkish Cypriot representatives to take part on an equal footing in accession talks and the island/s team to be simply called `Cyprus delegation/.

[05] Talat criticized the pseudogovernment about the "passport law"

Talat said: "The policy, which defends that the administration in the south does not represent us and struggles against the concept that the Geek Cypriots have seized the title of the Cyprus Government after 1963, will fall in serious inconsistency with prohibiting the right of possessing a passport which derives from the 1960 Constitution".

"In addition to that, because of the different current problems, they will fall in a clash situation with our people who are benefiting or they want to benefit from this application. Let us not forget that if the Greek Cypriot side gives passports this does not mean that they represent also the Turkish Cypriots. If the DP-NUP government insists on this fanatical stance, it will give a great help to the Greek Cypriots who will

try to exploit the necessity of the Turkish Cypriots (to hold a passport of the Cyprus Republic)", Talat pointed out.

[06] Dean of "EMU" promoted the university in the the Middle East

Prof. Dr Oral, who assessed his trip as successful, said that their aim is to increase the foreign students from 8% to 15%. During his visit to Lebanon between 1-5 March, Dr Oral met separately with the Lebanese Minister of National Education Abdel Rahim Murad and the Minister of Social Affairs, Dr Asaad Diab.

The Minister of National Education, Abdel Rahim Murad, said that he was informed about the academic programmes of "EMU" and that they are ready to cooperate. The Minister of Social Affairs, Dr Asaad Diab said that he wants to visit again the "EMU".

During his visit to Jordan (25-28 February), Dr Oral met with the General Secretary for Tertiary Education, Dr Omar M. Shdeifat. He also met with the Dean of Jordan Technology University, Dr Saad Hijazi, who said that they are ready to cooperate with "EMU" in every way and proposed also to Dr Oral to open an "EMU Tourism School" under the auspices of Jordan Technology University.

KIBRIS (12/3/02) reports that the Dean of "EMU" Dr Oral briefed in deatail yesterday the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas about his contacts in Iran, Jordan, United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[07] Columnist of AFRIKA comments on the plan prepared by the paper

"The 'Alternative Solution Draft Plan' of AFRIKA has become a 'Handbook', which those who search for a solution to the Cyprus problem cannot abandon and to which they will always resort when they find difficulties. Firstly they faced difficulties on the issues of territory and the refugees.

They found an alternative in the proposals of AFRIKA, which provide for three zones. Some people said that this was a USA plan. Some showed Belgium as an example. Some insisted that this (translator's note: the idea of three zones) existed in the Emerson plan. However, no one could say no, there cannot be three zones. Absolutely no one.

Really the patent for the three zones belongs neither to the USA nor to the EU. The Greek Cypriot press is trying in vain. It is searching for the patent of the three zones elsewhere. 'The three zones' are purely a local product. The patent rights belong to a Turkish Cypriot. When Orbay Deliceirmak was talking about a solution of three zones and claiming our rights deriving from the 1960 Agreements, the EU had not been formed and the solution of the Cyprus problem had not been on the agenda of the USA. The creation of the 'Conflict Resolution Groups' of the Americans and their interest towards solving the Cyprus problem began in the first half of the 1990/s, whereas the interest of the EU started after the beginning of the accession talks between EU and Cyprus.

However, the important thing is the following: The Greek Cypriot side is ready to discuss the three zones as an alternative solution. Denktas, on the other hand, cannot be against this. He is only saying this: 'When the Greek Cypriots settle in their houses which are to remain in the Federal Zone, what is going to happen with the Turkish Cypriots who live in those houses?' . It is obvious that Denktas has not read carefully the proposals of AFRIKA, because the answer to his question is there: 'When the refugees (Greek Cypriots or Turks) who have a house in the territory of the Federal Republic of Cyprus return to their places, new settlements will be constructed in the same region for the refugees who will remain homeless in order to prevent the creation of a new refugee problem'.

Didn't we say that there is nothing, which cannot be found in the 'Alternative draft plan' of AFRIKA!

Now they are locked on to the issue of the population brought into the Northern Cyprus after 1974. On this issue as well, AFRIKA put criteria, which are internationally accepted. The Greek Cypriot side is now discussing these criteria.

The Greek Cypriots have now started to protest against the British bases, to which they were closing their ayes until now. What happened? While we are trying to find a solution in Cyprus, the British started their attack. They say that they would turn their sovereign bases in the island into an 'operational base'. That is, they will turn Cyprus into constant nuclear target. They will start from Cyprus all their operations in the Middle East. They will burn this island, which claims to be a heaven for the tourists.

The solution is in the proposals of AFRIKA. It is the demilitarization, disarmament of Cyprus, which should become free from military bases.

Let us say the following, before we forget: Our Greek Cypriot friends cannot find these proposals of FRIKA regarding the bases in the USA plans or in the Emerson plan.

And a last minute development: The NUP - DP government brought urgently onto the agenda of the Legislative and Political Affairs Committee of the parliament a 'Passport Draft Law' in order to forbid obtaining passports of the Republic of Cyprus.

The solution for this is, as AFRIKA propose in the `Alternative Draft Solution Plan', for the Turkish Cypriots to claim their rights in the Republic of Cyprus with a 'Preliminary Agreement' before the 'Framework Agreement'.

It was not in vain that AFRIKA proposed the signing of a 'preliminary agreement' within a month, in its strategy for a three-stage solution".

KV/SK

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