Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 03-03-24

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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 on Cyprus by the Turkish Foreign Minister in Brussels.

[02] Erdogan government wins vote of confidence.

[03] Turkey's European Union Secretariat General to go under the Foreign Ministry.

[04] The Turkish Cypriots to conduct a plebiscite.

[05] A campaign to silence the Turkish Cypriot opposition has gone into action.

[06] The puppet regime's "ambassador" to Ankara admits that the "hard stance" of Rauf Denktas led the Cyprus talks into an impasse.

[07] Ankara's puppet regime in occupied Cyprus tries to exploit the war in Iraq to gain recognition.

[08] Dervis Eroglu expressed once more his opposition to the UN Plan.

[09] Twenty one bullets were fired at the car of Turkish Cypriot businessman's son who lives in the free areas.

[10] Powder sent to Mr Eroglu harmless.

[11] The puppet regime continues its efforts to gain recognition through sports.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[12] Gungor Mengi assesses Turkey's position on the Iraq war.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements on Cyprus by the Turkish Foreign Minister in Brussels

Pointing out that the European Union (EU) summit coincided with a critical period, Gul said he had meetings with many heads of government and state and foreign ministers. Gul said: ``They want to know how Turkey, which has intense relations and experiences with Iraq, will act, and they want to benefit from our experiences."

Gul said everybody wanted the war to end in the shortest time, and wished the loses to be less, and added:

"Iraq`s territorial integrity is very important. I conveyed them that Turkey respected Iraq`s territorial integrity, and that we do not have an eye on Iraqi territories, and that all sources of Iraq belonged to Iraqi people.

I told them that we had to take some measures within the scope of our experiences in 1991. I stated that refugee inflow had brought a very big burden on us 10 years ago, and that there had been preparations not to experience similar problems and to stop refugee inflow in northern Iraq."

Responding to a question about the recent situation of the contacts between Ankara and Washington, Gul said: ``Talks are underway how the motions will be operational. This should take place rapidly. It is natural that there will be rules. The Prime Ministry and Foreign Ministry work on the details with the participation of the Turkish Armed Forces.``

When asked about the demand of the United States for deportation of some Iraqi diplomats in Turkey, Gul said: ``There are some problems. Turkey is an independent country. Turkey itself takes such kind of decisions within diplomatic principles. Our intelligence and security organizations are on the alert. We will never allow illegal activities. Everybody, who are in Turkey, should abide by Turkey`s rules. Iraqi diplomats should also abide by the rules of Turkey. Foreign ministry and related institutions evaluate such kind of things, and take the right decisions independently.``

Mr Gul also responded to questions on Cyprus.

Gul said: ``Both sides had oppositions to the Annan plan, an outcome could not be reached, but the doors are not closed totally. We continue to work. I talked about this issue with the Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou. I said we should work together. There will be a meeting in the level of undersecretary. Talks will be underway on how steps can be taken regarding the solution of the Cyprus problem.

The policy of our government is toward finding solution. The doors have not been closed. I have told this to the heads of government and state, and this was welcomed.

Concrete steps will be taken in the coming period on the Cyprus issue. Steps should be taken mutually. We should not only accuse ourselves. There were also oppositions from the Greek Cypriot side to Annan plan."

Noting that there should not be a direct and official connection between Cyprus and Turkey`s membership to EU, and that this was not a pre-condition, Gul said: ``However, the influence of this issue on the political issues is obvious. We will exert efforts for the solution of this problem. Intention is important. The EU also relies on the sincere intentions of our government. The EU should act objectively. There should be reciprocal confidence. We see the problems and difficulties and we believe that we will overcome them.``

[02] Erdogan government wins vote of confidence

Parliament voted by 350 to 162 to approve Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (JDP) government, which has a comfortable majority with 364 seats apart from the parliament speaker. The opposition Republican People's Party (RPP) has 177 seats and True Path Party (TPP) 3. There are 5 independent deputies in parliament.

Abdullah Gul, now Foreign Minister, was caretaking the government after the November 3 elections from which Erdogan was banned for a conviction for inciting "religious hatred".

Gul stepped down to make way for Erdogan after the JDP leader was elected to parliament at the Siirt by-elections earlier this month.

Erdogan thanked the deputies after the vote yesterday. "It's our debt to take this historic opportunity for the reputation of our country at these difficult times," said Erdogan and wished for those times to end quickly.

NATO member Turkey and the United States are at odds over Turkey's plans to send troops into northern Iraq and its refusal to allow U.S. troops to attack Iraq from Turkish soil.

The upheaval in Ankara's relations with its traditional sponsor in Washington come as Turkey struggles to right its economy and handle around $95 billion in domestic debt with International Monetary Fund assistance.

Erdogan pledged to mobilize parliament and the government for the sake of the well-being of Turkish people.

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer extended congratulations to Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the vote. A statement from the President's Press Office said the President wished the new government success.

[03] Turkey's European Union Secretariat General to go under the Foreign Ministry

[04] The Turkish Cypriots to conduct a plebiscite

The representatives of the platform noted that their struggle is not over with the result of the Hague talks and added that the will of the people has been disregarded there.

In a two-page statement the platform noted that they could not tolerate any more the non-solution in Cyprus and pointed out that the Turkish Cypriots proved that they wanted a solution on the basis of the Annan plan and to determine their future in a democratic manner within the framework of the European Union.

[05] A campaign to silence the Turkish Cypriot opposition has gone into action

According to YENI DUZEN, in that article Mr Kanatli was criticizing the fact the secondary school students had been forced to visit military camps. Mr Kanatli had expressed the opinion that the puppet regime was trying to create a more obedient generation by crushing the young people physiologically in front of the military power and brainwashing them.

YENI DUZEN comments on the incident as follows: "It is obvious that with such investigations during a period when the opposition has increased, efforts are being exerted to silence the press of the opposition or to oppress it by putting pressure on it".

Meanwhile, pro-Denktas VOLKAN continues accusing journalists working in opposition newspapers of getting money from "foreign circles". On its 23 March 2003 edition the paper criticizes Cenk Mutluyakali, editor-in-chief of YENI DUZEN, because his paper refers to the incident which occurred recently at the barricade at the occupied Pergamos village, where the "police" of the puppet regime shot against a Turkish Cypriot who lives in Larnaca and attempted to cross over to the occupied areas. VOLKAN wonders from where had Mr Mutluyakali learned that this person was Mehmet Guzelyurtlu, son of Elmas Guzelyurtlu, the owner of the bankrupted Everest Bank.

Elsewhere VOLKAN continues asking Hasan Hasturer, journalist of KIBRIS, about his property and accuses him of getting money from Mrs Karen Fogg, former EU representative in Ankara.

[06] The puppet regime's "ambassador" to Ankara admits that the "hard stance" of Rauf Denktas led the Cyprus talks into an impasse

Addressing a conference on "The plan of Kofi Annan and the Cyprus problem", Mr Bulunc said, inter alia the following: "Under the Annan plan lays the dream of the Greek Cypriots to get hold of the whole island and turn the Turkish Cypriots into a minority. However, this game failed thanks to the hard stance of Rauf Denktas and Turkey's support to him. There are two important things in the Annan plan concerning the Turkish Cypriots. One of them is that they would have been forced to abandon the island and become a minority and the other is that Cyprus would have been turned into a Greek island. However, this remained and will remain only a dream of the Greek Cypriots".

[07] Ankara's puppet regime in occupied Cyprus tries to exploit the war in Iraq to gain recognition

"The Council of Ministers held an extraordinary meeting to assess the war against Iraq in the Middle East. Considering the fact that we are in the same region, the Council of Ministers convened to discuss the measures that should be put into effect. The `TRNC' Government and people hope that the war against Iraq will not last for a long time. The Council of Ministers, considering the developments related to Iraq, the military action taken against that country, and the proximity of the `TRNC' to the operations zone, it decided that foreign air and naval forces be allowed to use the `TRNC' airspace, airports, and seaports to quickly meet humanitarian needs in an emergency and that measures be taken to facilitate search and rescue operations in areas under `TRNC' jurisdiction."

[08] Dervis Eroglu expressed once more his opposition to the UN Plan

According to the paper, Mr Eroglu alleged that the UN Plan aims to put an end to the so-called sovereignty and equality of the Turkish Cypriots. He also claimed that the UN Plan aims at dividing the Turkish Cypriots and said that the Plan poisons the "democracy" of the puppet regime.

Referring to the Morphou issue, Mr Eroglu said that those who say that the people of Morphou will be given new houses and villas try to deceive and make fun of the persons living in the area.

[09] Twenty one bullets were fired at the car of Turkish Cypriot businessman's son who lives in the free areas

During the incident 21 bullets were fired with a machine gun against Mehmet Guzelyurtlu, son of Turkish Cypriot businessman Elmas Guzelyurtlu, who is living with his family in the free areas of Cyprus.

A correspondent of ORTAM investigated the incident and found out that Mr Mehmet Guzelyurtlu attempted to go to the occupied areas to visit relatives through Pyla, but he was stopped and turned back by the so-called police at Pergamos check-point. After staying for a while at Pyla he again attempted to cross to the occupied areas at 1:30 a.m. but again he was prevented. Subsequently fires were shot at Mr Guzelyurtlu's vehicle from a blue "police" vehicle by men dressed in uniforms of the special forces. The car was ridden with bullets, three of which hit the windscreen.

In statements he made to ORTAM's correspondent at Pyla, Mehmet's father Elmas said that his son missed his relatives and friends and wanted to visit them. He said that the shots were fired with the intention of killing the boy because otherwise they would shoot in the air or on the wheels.

The paper stresses that Mr Mehmet Guzelyurtlu asked for permission at Pergamos check-point to visit his friends and relatives after it was made known that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktas, would lift all restrictions, even allowing the Turkish Cypriots to use the Larnaca port.

[10] Powder sent to Mr Eroglu harmless

In statements he made before a meeting of the so-called council of ministers, Mr Eroglu said that the results of the analysis have shown that the powder is not anthrax. He added that if letters with powder are sent left and right and if threatening phone calls are made, the necessary measures will be taken.

[11] The puppet regime continues its efforts to gain recognition through sports

The Manager of the Monaco Football Federation, Mr Christian Michelis writes that his federation is very poor and it is not possible to travel to Cyprus.

The paper quotes statements by Mr Omel Adal, so-called President of the "Turkish Cypriot Football Association", who said that the football team of the occupied areas has proposed to Monaco to carry out the match in the beginning of June.

The paper also reports that the football team of the occupied areas will play a match with the mixed team of the Amateur teams of Marmara in Istanbul in June in return for the match played with the same team in the occupied areas some time ago.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[12] Gungor Mengi assesses Turkey's position on the Iraq war

"On the day when the first US missiles were launched, our National Assembly convened for the "lame [military authorization] motion".

The Assembly, which was to debate the opening of our airspace as the government had requested, opened with a poetry reading.

The political party spokesmen, in honour of "World Poetry Day", read poems and commemorated the anniversary of the death of Asik Veysel [a Turkish folk poet, 1894-1973].

Even France, which was standing up against the United States, had opened its airspace, but the strategic partner Turkey, which had said months ago that "We stand with the United States", which had given permission for the modernization of its bases and ports in preparation for the war, and which had gotten its cooperation in the war written into documents in the political, military, and economic areas, was still resisting.

Turkish-American relations were at the breaking point... Perhaps this restricted motion would prevent this danger from becoming even greater...

The eyes of the world were on Ankara...

And the American television stations broadcast their first reports from the Assembly session:

"They're reading poetry in the Assembly!"

The administration of amateurs, extending from the government to Cankaya [Presidential Palace], damaging in its gamble Turkey's security and economic interests, has caused serious losses, the effects of which will be felt for years to come.

And it was our National Assembly that, with its poetry session prior to the authorization motion, rounded out the pathetic comedy motif of this team of amateurs. What a shame...

The motion adopted by the Assembly yesterday authorizes Turkish troops to enter into Iraq, as well as the passage through our airspace of foreign forces taking part in the war. But it does not allow the possibility of US troops moving into Northern Iraq from Turkey.

The indecision of the government in power has damaged the foundation of trust in the Turkish-American relationship.

The Prime Minister of Israel was notified an hour and a half in advance of the air attack launched yesterday morning; no notification was given to Turkey.

The economic aid that would have made up for our economic losses has been lost.

If that were all, things might not be so bad... But it still isn't clear just what dangers and prevocational traps await Turkish troops in Iraq. [Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party - KDP - leader Mas'ud] Barzani is putting out threats that "If the Turkish Army crosses the border, there could be great suffering." And the Americans, in order to rub our noses in it, are talking in the same way.

Let us just think what we would do, without US support, on Cyprus, with the EU, with the IMF, and in the face of the Armenian plots...

Let us, on the one hand, pray for a quick and easy end to the war. Yesterday, President Bush changed his tune and said "The war could go on for a long time." Anti-Turkish lobbies will certainly point to Turkey, which closed off the Northern Front, as being responsible for whatever problems might befall American troops in Iraq.

Who is going to find the remedy for all this?

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who while such a national issue is awaiting its resolution in Ankara is going to Corum in order to seek votes for the city council elections that will be held on Sunday?

This administration has to save itself from the crows that it is using as mentors! [A reference to a Turkish proverb: He who takes a crow for his guide will never have his nose far from dung.]"

/SK

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