Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 02-03-15

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] CLP supports that the "passport law" will show that the Turkish Cypriot side does not seek a solution to the Cyprus problem.

[02] Nakhichevan people seek status similar to occupied Cyprus.

[03] Pakistan is planning to use the pseudostate/s logo on its postal bags instead of Mersin 10, Turkey, claims KIBRIS newspaper.

[04] Politicians split over Eken issue.

[05] A delegation of the pseudo-Assembly will attend the meeting of the Interparliamentary Union.

[06] The so-called Foreign Affairs ministry did not give permission to women from the free areas to attend a conference in the occupied areas.

[07] The pseudostate will be represented at the International Tourism Fair in Berlin.

[08] The Restaurant Owners/ Union demands the reopening of Derynia checkpoint.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[09] Mehmet Ali Birand describes Denktas/ approach in the second round of talks. He no longer demands a sovereign state but a sovereign entity.

[10] Columnist of AFRIKA describes as "thickheaded" those who insist that the three freedoms must be limited in Cyprus.

[11] AFRIKA says that the so-called assembly represents Ankara, not the Turkish Cypriots.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] CLP supports that the "passport law" will show that the Turkish Cypriot side does not seek a solution to the Cyprus problem

CLP's General Secretary, Ozal Ziya stresses in the statement that "the decisions taken by the Denktas - National Unity Party coalition in the name of the 'national policy'" bring the Turkish Cypriots closer to poverty, isolation, illegality and annihilation.

Meanwhile, announcement on the "passport law" was also issued by the platform "This country is ours", which notes that "oppression and threats" will not silence the Turkish Cypriots. The Platform argues also that efforts are exerted in the occupied areas to shelve step by step the principles of the modern democracy, the human rights and the law.

Furthermore, criticizing the "law" Ahmet Barcin, chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Secondary School Teachers Trade Union (KTOEOS), wondered what will happen with the 4.300 Turkish Cypriots who work in the free areas of Cyprus or for some reasons live abroad or with those who take salaries and pensions from the Republic of Cyprus.

[02] Nakhichevan people seek status similar to occupied Cyprus

Accompanied by Igdir Mayor Nurettin Aras, Dogru was welcomed by Turkish Consul General in Nakhichevan Gunsel Goktan.

"I will make the necessary initiatives to set up an open bazzar on the piece of land belonging to the Turkish Agriculture Enterprises General Directorate, which is at Turkey-Nakhichegvan-Iran-Armenia border. The people of Nakhichevan are also demanding to enter Turkey without passports. We will launch studies in line with these demands", Dogru noted.

Meeting Nakhichevan Parliament Speaker Talibov, Dogru said that he was visiting Nakhichevan in order to show the interest given by Turkey to the latter, stressing that Nakhichevan was a gateway opening to the Turkic republic.

Talibov noted that Nakhichevan owed its present status to Turkey, adding that they were seeking to improve the current good relations between the two countries. Talibov stated that Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, which is currently under Armenian blockade, was receiving Turkey/s support for 11 years and added that they had blood bonds with Turkey.

[03] Pakistan is planning to use the pseudostate/s logo on its postal bags instead of Mersin 10, Turkey, claims KIBRIS newspaper

As member states, the directors of the postal services of Turkey, Pakistan, Azerbaidjan, Georgia and the pseudostate took part while Iran and Afghanistan attended as observers and would be members.

KIBRIS reports that the psuedostate was represented by Alp Aydinova, the so-called Director of the Postal Department.

Czech Jane Masak has represented the Universal Postal Union (UPU) as observer.

Alp Aydinova, has said that since a lot of Pakistani students are studying in the occupied area, and with a view to speedily delivering their letters, they have proposed to write on the postal bags sent from Pakistan "TRNC" instead of Mersin 10 Turkey. He said that the proposal was accepted and the Pakistani Postal Services will do the necessary study towards this end.

Alp Aydinova, writes the report, in statements to illegal TAK News Agency, said that the meeting was very useful.

The meeting was opened by the Pakistani Minister of Communication and Railways Javed Ashraf.

Aydinova also said that the Second Meeting of the Executive Council of Eurasia will be held either in Turkey or Azerbaidjan in the first half of 2003.

[04] Politicians split over Eken issue

The Bagcilar Prosecutors' Office has opened an investigation into the retired generals who made these statements, on charges of violating the first clause of Article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code, which deals with the praising of crime.

A number of prominent retired military figures, including former Chief of Staff Dogan Gures, and two former regional commanders, namely, Necati Ozgen and Hasan Kundakci, told HURRIYET newspaper that Eken did everything he did with their knowledge.

Retired Col. Korkut Eken, a former National Intelligence Organization (MIT) official and a major figure in Susurluk, the so-called state gang scandal of 1996, has now been put in prison to serve a sentence for forming a gang along with some members of the police force's Special Operations Team, which he trained himself.

The former generals' statements came some five years after the accident that took place in the Susurluk province of the Aegean, seen as one of the biggest scandals in Turkish political history, showing ties between the mafia and the state.

Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi said that a brand-new legal process may begin in the light of these statements.

"If some special commands were given on special occasions, then the crime that emerged in the aftermath can be accepted as never happening," Izgi said.

Izgi stated that a policy that jails heroes like Eken and pardons traitors is not present in Turkey.

Former member of Parliamentary Susurluk Commission and Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Fikri Saglar told the Turkish Daily News in a telephone interview that the timing of the statements was remarkable.

"People like Eken begin talking after they are jailed. According to the Court of Cassation, those who formed, supported and benefited from this gang should face trial," Saglar said.

Some politicians argue that the retired generals who supported Eken should be tried, while others believe that this is a judicial issue and prefer not to make further comments. Opposition Saadet (happiness or contentment) Party (SP) leader Recai Kutan said on Thursday that he regarded these statements as being strange.

"First, the Court of Cassation approved the imprisonment decision. Then, the generals decided to make statements. It would be better for them to make these statements before," Kutan said.

Interior Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen is among the politicians who argue the timing of the statement.

"It is natural for those who were on duty during that period, but I wonder why they didn't make these statements during the trial," Yucelen said.

Meanwhile, Eken's attorney has told reporters that they have appealed to the Court of Cassation to correct the verdict, and expected a positive response in the light of the retired generals' statements.

Two polls: For and Against

The generals' joint declaration of support to Eken created mainly two poles in political circles. Some politicians argued that the retired generals who spoke on behalf of Eken should also face trial, while some others cautiously support the retired generals.

However, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Thursday, before his departure for Spain, that as the head of government he would not comment on the debate over the imprisonment of Eken.

"It is a judicial matter," Ecevit said.

Ecevit is not the only politician who views it as a judicial issue. Parliamentary Human Rights Commission Chairman Huseyin Akgun from the senior coalition partner Nationalist Action Party (MHP) also said that there was an ongoing legal process on this issue, but he also added: "Eken is one of the rare brave heroes of Turkey. His commanders have announced that he was acting according to their commands."

Main opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller is among those who carefully supported Eken.

"We have no right to name the decision of the court as being 'good' or 'bad.' During that period [Ciller was the prime minister of Turkey during the emergence of the Susurluk Scandal], I said that those who die or are killed in the name of this state and this nation are sacred," Ciller told the reporters.

"These people patriotically fight for the integrity of this country, but we should also be respectful to the decisions of the judiciary," Ciller added.

On the other side of the dispute, there are politicians who claim that these generals should face trial.

Democratic Left Party (DSP) Deputy Ali Arabaci said that the statements made by the retired generals revealed that those who created Susurluk were fully protected by the state.

Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Group Chairman Bulent Arinc said on Thursday that praising a crime was a crime in itself according to Article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), and stated that those who had declared that they have given the command should be tried.

[05] A delegation of the pseudo-Assembly will attend the meeting of the Interparliamentary Union

The delegation, headed by the so-called Assembly Speaker Zeki Serter, will fly tomorrow to Morocco and will return in the occupied areas on 24 March. The delegation is consisting of so-called Chairman of the Law and Political Affairs Committee, so-called MP of National Unity Party Ilker Nevzat, the vice-president of the Democratic Party, Huseyin Oztoprak, the so-called MP of Communal Liberation Party, Tahsin Mertekci, the so-called Director of Foreign Affairs of the pseudo-assembly, Seyit Yolak and the General Secretary of the Republican Turkish Party, Ferdi Sabit Soyer.

According to the paper, during the meetings of the Interparlamentarian Union, there will be meetings between the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots Representatives on an equal basis. These meetings will be held under the auspices of the Interparliamentary Union and three administrators who will be appointed by the Union. The latest developments of the Cyprus problem will be discussed in these meetings.

[06] The so-called Foreign Affairs ministry did not give permission to women from the free areas to attend a conference in the occupied areas

The leader of the PWU Oya Talat said that the so-called Foreign Affairs Ministry cancelled the permission that they had taken for their foreign guests only 24 hours before the conference and added that they really felt ashamed to their guests.

In an announcement made to the press, Oya Talat said that this behaviour that supports the claim that "you live in antidemocratic and oppressive state", which is expressed by the Greek Cypriot side on every opportunity, indicates the environment that we are living in.

[07] The pseudostate will be represented at the International Tourism Fair in Berlin

[08] The Restaurant Owners/ Union demands the reopening of Derynia checkpoint

One of their demands is for the checkpoint at Derynia to be opened. They claimed that if the checkpoint is opened again UN soldiers and tourists can enter the occupied areas and their restaurants will be working again.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[09] Mehmet Ali Birand describes Denktas/ approach in the second round of talks. He no longer demands a sovoreign state but a sovereign entity

"To break the deadlock in the Cyprus talks, the Turkish side has put forth a new formula. If it is accepted in principle, more of the same will be coming. The ball is now in the Greek Cypriots' court.

A result of some kind has to be attained in Cyprus by June, or stretching this, by September at the latest. Either a solution will be found and the two sides will together become a full member of the European Union, or the lack of a solution will become final. A lack of a solution will upset everybody.

Tension will mount in Cyprus. Tension will inevitably spill into the Aegean, bringing an end to the peaceful climate in Turkish-Greek relations. Strongly worded statements will be traded, and military exercises will be held, increasing the tension. The economy will be affected. Tourism will be undermined. Tourism revenues will decline while military spending will grow. The dollar rate will go up and the fragile balance will be disrupted.

Relations between Turkey and the EU, already tensing up, will deteriorate further, and this will prevent Brussels from setting a date for the start of accession talks with Turkey. No one wants this scenario.

Everybody, including the United States, the EU, Greece and Turkey, has been following the developments with the hope that a solution will be found.

However, no progress could be made in the first round of the Denktas-Clerides talks. The two sides did not go beyond a mere reiteration, each of their respective, well-known old stances.

Denktas had made a significant sacrifice to be able to initiate these talks. If he had not altered his stance, if he had not abandoned some of these principles, the two sides would not now be sitting at the negotiating table.

When he did all that, Denktas wanted to see Clerides's hand, that is, to see whether Clerides really intended to reach a solution. Also, he wanted to show that he himself had no intention of preventing a solution. He could not see what he wanted during the first round of the talks.

Now the second round has begun.

Right at the start of this round, Denktas appears on the scene with a new approach. Until now, he has kept emphasizing the need for the `TRNC/ to be a sovereign state. Now he offers a new description: a sovereign entity.

His aim is to give Clerides some relief and more room for movement.

The Turkish side has left behind its old thesis, the one envisaging a Cyprus solution based on "two separate independent, that is, Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot, states."

Now it is suggesting the formation of a central government with limited powers, which would represent the island abroad and would be responsible for the economy, the monetary system, the legal system et cetera, while leaving everything else to the two ENTITIES.

Translated into everyday language, this means that the Turkish Entity will be governing itself in all matters that pertain to domestic affairs and the Greek Entity will be responsible for its own affairs.

However, this principle must be adopted initially

The usage of the word "ENTITY" reflects the Turkish side's biggest sensitivity. Before everything else, the highly rich Greek Cypriot Entity and the Turkish Cypriot Entity are being placed side by side. It would be so very easy for the rich one to swallow the poor one. To prevent this, the poorer entity has to be equipped with defense mechanisms. How will it be protected?

The Turkish Cypriot Entity wants to retain the "leaving the new Cyprus state" option -- which would be exercised if the Greek Cypriots attempted to swallow the Turkish Cypriot Entity. If the Greek Cypriots do not have any such intention, the name to be used would not matter at all, call it ENTITY or something else.

The Turkish side's approach is as follows: This suggestion should, at first, be adopted "in principle" so that the details can be filled in later.

The Greek Cypriot side's general approach is that first an agreement should be reached on other issues, and then the "principle" should be tackled and the solution should be "named."

Cyprus cannot be left to Denktas and Clerides alone!

It is not clear yet whether this new approach will lead to any results. What we know is that there is a certain date for the resolution of the Cyprus problem, and that a lot of time has been spent in vain on the island, with the players merely making the ball go round and round in the field.

The Greek Cypriots maintain the kind of stance that indicates that they have still not seen the realities. They still think it is possible to return to pre-1974 status. No, this is impossible. No one in Turkey would accept that kind of approach. What happens then? Will this opportunity be wasted? Will this climate not be put to good use? It must not be wasted.

Somebody must put things on the right track, protect this process. The countries that have the greatest stake in all this, are Turkey and Greece.

In other words, with each passing day it becomes more of an unaffordable luxury for Ismail Cem and George Papandreou to watch the developments from afar and to say, "Let the leaders of the two communities on the island find the solution." They must step between the two sides, intervene.

This is because Cyprus directly involves the security of these two countries more than anyone else.

If a solution can be found in Cyprus, this will benefit Turkey and Greece most.

If no solution can be found in Cyprus, Turkey and Greece will pay the highest price in many ways.

Let us hope that Cem and Papandreou have a game plan on this issue..."

[10] Columnist of AFRIKA describes as "thickheaded" those who insist that the three freedoms must be limited in Cyprus

"We shall inevitably shout to those who do not want to understand the realities, which we have got tired to repeat: -You people, peace cannot come if you have these heads. Joining the EU is not possible. We say this, but who understands it?. They have no heads. They have bells.

Let us take things one by one in order to be able to comment on them. What is the aim of an agreement, which will ensure the limitation of the three freedoms? It is obvious which the three freedoms are: The rights of settlement, movement and to own property. That is, the right of coming from the South to the north to, settle, move and acquire property will be limited. Of course the limitation is not asked only for the South. The same conditions will be valid for those who want to go from the North to the South.

Very well, who wants this? The heads in our sides, which have not changed. Do those who live in the South want this thing? Does the EU or the World wants it? The answer is no.

In other words, with the limitation of the three freedoms the Greek Cypriots and the Greeks will not be able to come here and use those rights. However, if we join the EU other European people could come to the Northern part of Cyprus and use the rights provided by the principles of the three freedoms. This is the one side of the issue, the one shameful side.

If in an agreement the desirable limitation of the three freedoms is necessary for the Northern part of Cyprus, naturally this will be valid for those who wish to go to Southern Cyprus. That is, if I want to go to the South I may be forced to the same limitations of the three freedoms. . What right do you have to force those in Southern Cyprus to forbid my going to the South? That is, if we enter the EU I could go to any country member of the EU and use without any problem my three freedom rights, but there will be limitations for me to do this in Southern Cyprus. This is a head and what a head. It is like a bell!

Hey you thickheads, if we are to join the EU, there are some inviolable rules of the Union, which have not and will not change. In parallel with the human rights, the modern law etc, there are the three freedoms as well. While the EU and the world lift existing boundaries among the countries and head towards the creation of citizens of the world, you support the limitation of the three freedoms. Both we and the world are trying to explain to you that this will not and cannot happen. You do not and will not understand it easily! .".

[11] AFRIKA says that the so-called assembly represents Ankara, not the Turkish Cypriots

".Erdogan Sorakin, chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Primary School Teachers Trade Union, talked for the first time after the beginning of the face-to-face talks, as soon as the passport issue blazed up. He said: Every one should know that the issue of whom the assembly represents will come onto the agenda in case such a law, which intents to harm the identity of the Turkish Cypriots, is decreed.

It means that until now we did not know whom the assembly represents and only after the passport law is enacted we shall find it out. It means that this assembly was representing us until now! Everything was fine! But if the passport law passes we shall begin to have doubts for the first time on the issue of whether or not it represent us! .Do not worry Mr Erdogan. Everybody knows it, and not only this, for a long time now. Everybody knows that this assembly does not represent us and that it is dependent and controlled from far away. It cannot save its honour. .This assembly was founded on 15 November 1983. It represents Ankara, not us. How come and you did not understand it so far? .".

KV/SK

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