Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 02-07-15

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkish Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel on the Cyprus issue.

[02] Talat: "Denktas has to get rid of his obsessions".

[03] Cem:"Our priority is not to topple the government".

[04] Gokkalp: "We will lose Cyprus if we do not behave with sensitivity on the EU issue".

[05] Turkey will buy JSF war helicopters.

[06] Kutlay Erk claims that they have 350.000 dollars to take from the Nicosia Municipality.

[07] Resat Caglar is the new representative of the pseudostate in New York.

[08] New chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Young Businessmen.

[09] A Greek Cypriot was illegally arrested by the occupation authorities for crossing into the occupied areas.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkish Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel on the Cyprus issue

[02] Talat: "Denktas has to get rid of his obsessions"

In a written statement issued on Friday, Mr Talat notes that Mr Denktas, "accuses everybody except himself, as he usually does", instead of estimating the recent statement of the UN Security Council regarding the face-to-face talks and examining the line followed in the talks.

The RTP leader underlines that Mr Denktas does this during a period in which the economy of the Turkish Cypriots is at a deadlock and everybody knows that the solution to the Cyprus problem and the accession to the EU is the only way for overcoming this.

Mr Talat noted, inter alia, the following: ".Denktas must finally see that it is time to unify all the communal wisdom and energy for the solution and the EU accession. Denktas must not cause tension, taking advantage of the political uncertainty in Turkey. It is obvious from Denktas' reaction that the recent statement of the Security Council was not a surprise for him. Now is not the time to make Cyprus a tool for the political games of the opponents of the EU in Turkey. No one could bear the historical responsibility of this.".

[03] Cem: "Our priority is not to topple the government"

"Former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, who recently resigned from the coalition main partner Democratic Left Party (DLP) and formed a troika with Husamettin Ozkan and Kemal Dervis, said that the new formation's priority was not to blame or topple the current government.

Attending a live TV program broadcast by CNN Turk on Sunday, Cem said that there was a disagreement among the coalition partners, stressing that the government's ability to work and produce solutions has eroded.

Touching on the election date, Cem said that the new formation needed three months to prepare for the elections. 'It seems difficult for the election to be held at the end of September. It may be held at the beginning of November. We need three months to comfortably prepare for the election', Cem added. Cem stated that the new formation would gather all sections of society, in particular, workers, employers, villagers and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on the axis of social democracy.

Cem said that they would start making preparations to set up a new party on Monday, with the deputies who resigned from the DLP, and added that State Minister Kemal Dervis might not be able to attend this meeting because of his special status. He hinted that they would set an election schedule for the new party with these deputies.

Meanwhile, the new political party that aims to dislodge Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has signalled it will try to defuse the tension between religion and secularism that has torn Turkish politics in the past by embracing an tolerant attitude.

Cem, who resigned Thursday from his post as Ecevit's foreign minister, announced Friday that he was creating a party made up of 46 lawmakers who have quit Ecevit's party since Monday. The group, also expected to include the popular Economy Minister Kemal Dervis, who remains in office, is set to pose a major challenge to Ecevit in elections that are likely to come in autumn.

In secular Turkey, the headscarf is barred for university students and public sector workers, and the ban has created intense political controversy.

'I have never had a problem with people wearing headscarves. Why should I have?/ Sabah on Sunday quoted Cem as saying. "We are not concerned with headscarves, but with modern attitudes'.

The division between Islam and secularism that has often inflamed Turkish politics, notably when the fiercely secular army forced a pro-Islamic government out of office in 1997.

Meanwhile, Dervis called for closer ties between the new party and the Republican People's Party, or RPP, in an attempt to unite centre-of-left voters, whose loyalties have been divided by different parties.

Ecevit, whose government's majority is down to 12 with the latest defections, has said further departures could force his government out of office. The ailing 77-year-old premier has been the dominant figure on the Turkish left for decades.

An alliance would vault the newly created party into a leadership position among the left and give Cem's party the infrastructure that it lacks, such as a headquarters.

Cem played down any moves toward an alliance. 'It is possible, there might be some contacts too, but there is no such thing on our agenda at the moment,' Cem told private NTV television. 'Right now, we have no plans for unification or forming an election alliance with any party.'

The leader of the RPP, Deniz Baykal, was also cautious about an alliance. 'If we were going to rejoin, why did we separate?' Baykal asked. Baykal also said the leadership of the new party lacked political vision. 'A political party should carry a meaning more than the fame and image of its leaders,' Baykal said in apparent reference to the popular Cem and Dervis. Elections are not yet certain, but both of Ecevit's coalition partners have called for early balloting in September or November.

Baykal's party, established in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern secular Turkey, is the richest party in Turkey. But it failed to reach the 10 percent threshold necessary to enter parliament in the 1999 general elections, in which many of its supporters defected to Ecevit's party, which follows a similar but more centrist ideology.

Cem has said that his party would press for Turkish membership in the European Union and would pass EU-oriented reforms, such as abolishing the death penalty and granting cultural rights to minority Kurds. Ecevit's nationalist coalition allies have said that they will block any such reforms while they are in power.

The dispute between the left and nationalists within the government - along with the premier's declining health - helped lead to the mass resignations from his party.

Ecevit's group had 82 seats as of Sunday and is the third largest in parliament. The biggest is his coalition partner, the Nationalist Action Party, with 127 seats. The second largest group is the centre-right True Path Party with 85 seats.

[04] Gokkalp: "We will lose Cyprus if we do not behave with sensitivity on the EU issue"

Answering yesterday questions of reporters, Mr Gokkalp noted that Turkey faces "sensitive issues" such as the Cyprus problem and the right of having education in the mother tongue. The Turkish Minister added: "We cannot enter the EU unconditionally. Before accessing to the EU everything must be discussed and examined in detail. .If we do not behave with sensitivity on the EU issue, we will lose Cyprus".

[05] Turkey will buy JSF war helicopters

The agreement was signed by Dursun Ali Ercan, Permanent Undersecretary of Defense Industry on behalf of the Turkish side and Peter Aldridge on behalf of the United States.

[06] Kutlay Erk claims that they have 350.000 dollars to take from the Nicosia Municipality

According to Mr Erk, the Municipality of Nicosia owes to the Turkish Cypriot municipality the above -mentioned sum for covering the expenses of the Nicosia Sewer System.

Referring to the office of the chairman of the so-called "Municipalities' Union", Mr Erk said that traditionally this post is occupied by the "mayor" of Nicosia and added that if this tradition does not continue due to political reasons, the "mayors" elected by the Republican Turkish Party (RTP) will consider it as an act against them and will define their new strategy.

[07] Resat Caglar is the new representative of the pseudostate in New York

The paper writes that the appointment of Mr Caglar, who will take the place of Aytug Plumer, is to be valid from 1 August 2002.

[08] New chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Young Businessmen

[09] A Greek Cypriot was illegally arrested by the occupation authorities for crossing into the occupied areas

Ilias was brought before a so-called court in occupied Famagusta. The illegal court ordered Ilia to be under custody for three days.

IT/SK

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