Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 03-05-02

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The RPP leader Deniz Baykal: "In Cyprus we want a single state, a functional state, we want peace".

[02] Statement issued after a meeting of the Turkish National Security Council.

[03] Rauf Denktas to examine the Cyprus Government's package from the political point of view.

[04] Efforts by Turkey to impose conditions on the ECHR on the Loizidou case.

[05] Reaction by Turkish Cypriot political Parties to the Cyprus Government's package of measures in favour of the Turkish Cypriots.

[06] Turkish Students think media and military are the dominating power.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[07] Commentary in AFRIKA newspaper wonders whether the measures were planned long ago.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The RPP leader Deniz Baykal: "In Cyprus we want a single state, a functional state, we want peace"

Lecturing at the Second Congress of the Students of the International Relations organized by the Aegean University International Relations Group on "In the 21st Century Foreign Policy, Regions and Security", Baykal said that there are two communities in Cyprus and that these two communities should pull together a Cyprus and accept that they have to organize under a single state. Baykal said the following: "We do not want to divide, partition Cyprus. We do not have behind our minds a second agenda point as regards Cyprus. Let the Cypriots in Cyprus live in peace. Let them establish a single state. Let them have a single flag. Let their state that they would establish be a functional one. I speak with the full awareness of the responsibility that falls upon us. To establish a functional single state in Cyprus means to accept the fact that the Turkish Cypriots, who are a minority in Cyprus, would not be in a position to jeopardize the functioning of the state. Yes, we do accept this. If in order to reach an agreement in Cyprus we have to show certain flexibility as regards the territory, and if the territory that we are controlling today is larger than the population we have, and if there is need to reduce a little bit of this territory, we do accept to demonstrate flexibility on this issue as well. We want a single state, a functional state; we want territorial flexibility and peace."

Baykal went on and said: "However, until this moment no agreement came about from these parameters .The Annan Plan was not enough to secure this agreement. Why was it not sufficient? Because the starting point of the Annan plan was different from that of this peace agreement. In Cyprus there are two geographies and two communities. And if there is search for a peace now, then the starting point should be this situation.

This situation should be taken as a basis. The Annan plan did not take this situation as a basis but it tried to change it .It did not accept it. It did not satisfy the Turks because it aimed at destroying this situation".

Baykal went on and said that the Cyprus problem has started to be solved not on the negotiation table but in the course of life. "The crossings demonstrated that the `TRNC' is a different community and has a different identity. Those who want to cross from south to the north and in doing this, if they are producing a passport to the authorities in the north and with the permission of this authority, they are moving about, it means to accept the international identity of that authority", Baykal concluded.

[02] Statement issued after a meeting of the Turkish National Security Council

The National Security Council [NSC] held its routine monthly meeting on 30 April 2003. The Council reviewed domestic and foreign developments concerning our country's security and public order. In this respect, the importance and need to meticulously protect secularism -- one of the state's basic characteristics -- were emphasized.

The developments concerning Iraq were assessed in detail and it was decided to continue to closely monitor these developments and to continue to make the necessary contacts.

All the developments concerning Cyprus were reviewed comprehensively.

Furthermore, the NSC was briefed on the latest developments regarding the oil pipelines, and the measures that need to be taken were discussed.

Reporting on the NSC meeting Istanbul HURRIYET newspaper (01.05.03) publishes the following report by Ugur Ergan and Hasan Tufekci under the title:: "Four Important Decisions":

The tensions that began with the 23 April reception were carried over to the National Security Council [NSC]. In this, the longest lasting NSC meeting since 28 February 1997, the priority issue on the agenda was "preservation of secularism". The first sentence of the final declaration published after both the nine-hour NSC meeting of 28 February and the seven-and-a-half hour meeting on 30 April read: "The importance of the principle of secularism, which is one of the founding qualities of the State, and its meticulous preservation, was emphasized."

In the declaration after it said, "Domestic and foreign developments affecting our country's security plus its law and order were reviewed". These developments were listed under four headings. Among these articles, priority was given to preserving "the principle of secularism". Thus the preservation of secularism became one of the priority articles. The other three articles covered Iraq, Cyprus and oil pipelines.

According to information received the military wing of the NSC submitted a detailed report on reactionary activity at the meeting, which was chaired by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The government wing also submitted a counter document on the matters of [reactionary] appointments and [Foreign Ministry] circulars concerning the National View Movement and Fethullah Gulen schools. One NSC member briefed HURRIYET before the meeting took place and said the government had no intention of ramping up the tension at the NSC and actually saw an easing in tensions to be in the country's best interests.

The same official said: "We shall avoid unnecessary tension. However, if as was echoed earlier in the media certain reports are placed before us and certain things said then we have also prepared our own files and things to say." He gave the message that the government had prepared a "counter-file". Prior to the meeting there had been talk behind the scenes that the government wing might raise the issue of the meetings held by NSC General Secretary Gen. Tuncer Kilinc in Berlin and Brussels with Turkish citizens and that generated large repercussions in the public eye.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul worked with Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal at the Foreign Ministry in connection with the circular concerning Fethullah Gulen schools and the National View Movement, circulars that had caused consternation within the military wing. They worked to prepare an evaluation of "positive views" held by previous governments with respect to Gulen schools and the National View plus demands for them voiced by Turkish citizens living abroad.

As the "reactionary" issue was not the primary focus of the NSC, this topic became the second article at the meeting of the permanent members. The military wing announced that they had given the single-party JDP government a five-and-a-half month trial period and had decided to voice their concerns after an increase in activities not in line with secularism. Among the concerns voiced were the government's staffing of state institutions, the circular concerning Gulen schools and the National View plus government work to affect changes in the Higher Education Board [HEB] system.

Permission will definitely not be given for the terms of the circular sent by the Foreign Ministry to Turkish diplomatic missions abroad to be abused by the organizations named within them. The government gave explicit promises to this effect. Foreign Minister Gul said, "If necessary we shall recall the circular."

The JDP is not going to carry out more [partisan] appointment changes than previous governments. Erdogan requested that the Imam Hatip School graduate civil servants whose appointments were put on hold by President Sezer act according to their current situation and not as they were 15 years ago.

The JDP members gave specific assurances when it came to secularism. It was emphasized that the founding principles of the Republic would be preserved with great care and that any degradation of these principles would be forbidden. At the meeting both the military and civilian wings reached unanimous agreement on the preservation of the principle of secularism. Consulates shall be opened in the northern Iraq towns of Mosul, Kirkuk and al-Sulaymaniyah. Open and warm dialogue with the Kurds shall be maintained so as to prevent any clashes between the Kurds and Arabs. Among the decisions taken was one to send a special representative to Kurdistan Democracy Party Leader Masud Barzani.

[03] Rauf Denktas to examine the Cyprus Government's package from the political point of view

Responding to the questions of reporters about the package of measures for the Turkish Cypriots that was issued by the Cyprus Government on Wednesday, Denktas said: ``I don`t clearly know the contents of the package. I will find the opportunity to examine it when I return to the Island. We will evaluate how it would be considered in political terms. The Greek Cypriot side has two packages. It is clear that they announced the first package to the world immediately. This was made to overshadow our initiative. They launch initiatives for giving minority rights to Turkish Cypriots. They reject the existence of `TRNC'. We should see the full text.``

Stating that many Greek Cypriots entered into the occupied areas after he opened gates at the ceasefire line, Denktas said: `` The `TRNC' exists. We opened gates to Greek Cypriots. This was a step.``

Denktas added: ``We could not open the border gates as negotiations were underway. Talks continue since 1961. If we had done this as talks were underway, they would think that we did it to hamper the talks. U.N. Secretary-General`s Cyprus Special Envoy Alvaro de Soto was amazed over opening of borders by us. This means he did not understand anything about the Cyprus question. However, a dispute will erupt if Greek Cypriots come, take a house that belongs to the Turkish side, and say `this is my house`.`` 4.Efforts by Turkey to impose conditions on the ECHR on the Loizidou case Ankara Anatolia news agency (01.05.03) reported from Ankara that Turkey launched initiative to the Council of Europe (COE) aiming to drop the Loizidou case from the agenda. Turkey was sentenced in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to pay compensation.

The initiative targets Turkey`s paying the compensation on condition that ``similar applications would not be resulted and that it should not form a precedent and it should not determine Turkey`s attitude in the future`` and ``an influential way of domestic law`` would be created through a committee that would be set up in the occupied areas of Cyprus for similar cases.

According to this, if a law is issued to develop compensation methods for goods which were expropriated under Article 159 of the puppet regime's illegal constitution and a compensation committee is formed by independent people, similar cases in the ECHR can be sent to this committee for ``applying to means of domestic law.``

Decisions of the committee will be binding for the government. The committee will determine the compensation by taking into consideration loss of income that occurred throughout the time in which goods could not be reached and according to the value of the good.

Loizidou is the only case which Turkey did not fulfill ECHR decisions.

Dropping the Louziou case from the agenda is important also for the European Council because there are concerns that the European Court of Human Rights` only decision that is not implemented may form an example for other cases as well.

Istanbul NTV television (30.04.03) had broadcast that Turkey has decided to give its conditional agreement to the Council of Europe proposal to set up special courts for the property cases in Cyprus. The condition is that the court judges should be Turkish Cypriots. Ankara will also agree to pay compensation in the Loizidou case on condition that it does not set a precedent.

[05] Reaction by Turkish Cypriot political Parties to the Cyprus Government's package of measures in favour of the Turkish Cypriots

The leader of the Republican Turkish Party (RTP), Mr Mehmet Ali Talat, has said that at first sight they found the proposals worth considering, however he said they are short of their expectations. He said: "We as Turkish Cypriots expect that there will be openings that will confirm our equal partnership rights and that will integrate us with the world. Within this framework we are ready to consider and evaluate every proposal that aims at the rapprochement of the two communities".

The leader of the Communal Liberation Party (CLP), Mr Huseyin Angolemli, has said that the openings should be in line with the Annan Plan. He said that at first sight they have found certain points in the proposal positive, however, he added they did not find the necessary time to study the whole of the proposals. Angolemli noted that once they study the proposals they will make a statement to the public. He noted that they welcome and continue to support any step that would facilitate a lasting solution in Cyprus.

In his turn Mr Suha Turkoz, the General Secretary of the National Unity Party (NUP), which is the so-called ruling party in the occupied area, claimed that they consider the proposals "ridiculous". He claimed that they were not their expectations .Turkoz alleged that the proposals are a contempt for the Turkish Cypriots.

[06] Turkish Students think media and military are the dominating power

The research was carried out by Gazi University, headed by Dr. Erdinc Yazici, lecturer at the Faculty of Economic and Administration Sciences. Some 37,600 students in 58 universities took part in the research titled "The socio-cultural profile of the university youth."

While the students believed media, military, businessmen, and politicians were the most effective powers respectively, they believed workers, civil servants and peasants together with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were the weakest considering political and social effects.

The students want the power of workers, civil servants, peasants and NGOs to increase.

When asked about their opinions on democracy, 60.7 percent of the students believed it was the best regime.

The students believe that the primary problem of Turkey that should be solved is the education system and the second important problem according to the students is the cost of living, inflation and distribution of wealth. Other problems mentioned included democracy, human rights, corruption and the judicial system.

Among the students, 57 percent of them think that they don't have enough freedom of thought at universities and 36.9 percent think they have partial freedom. Only 6.1 percent believe they have freedom of thought.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[07] Commentary in AFRIKA newspaper wonders whether the measures were planned long ago

"It seems as if all that is going on is part of a plan prepared a long time ago.

The opening of the gates in one day. The connection of telephones in one day. It is not very convincing.

Does it not come to your mind too that it was prepared since long ago? Yesterday, the correspondents of Greek television ERT and newspaper ETHNOS, one of Athens large circulation papers, were in AFRIKA's offices.

Like everyone else they too asked: "Who opened the doors and why?" In our view Ankara did, but most probably America, England and Greece were informed.

Perhaps the best reply to the question `who opened the doors' is given by Alvaro de Soto.`

He says: `Of course I was very pleased with the opening of the gates. This fact was a surprise for me. I did not expect such a thing from Denktas. I do not ask where this came from because it is a very good move. Mr Alvaro de Soto, who, as a matter of fact was always optimistic, this time he added that he was not very hopeful for a solution.

As regards the statements made by the leader of the Republican People's Party, Mr Deniz Baykal, the other day at the Aegean University, these were very surprising.

Because we could not trust our eyes we read the news several times. `What are you talking about.

Although until yesterday Mr Baykal was speaking about immediate recognition of the `TRNC' now he was saying exactly the opposite. One single state. He supported one flag in Cyprus. And moreover calling the Turkish Cypriots a minority.

If we accept that Baykal is the spokesman of the military wing in the parliament this ninety degree turn is gaining more significance.

Has Turkey entered into a new course? Could it be that a decision was taken on the Cyprus Republic formula? Do not be surprised if in the coming days developments in this direction take place.

On the package of measures announced by Papadopoulos in favour of the Turkish Cypriots this time our opposition parties did not react strongly as in the past.

Talat said they found the measures worth examining while Angolemli stated that from the first look some items are approached positively.

Also there was no strong reaction from the Turkish side to the Greek Cypriots' demand for Famagusta and the resettlement of twenty thousand Greek Cypriots in the Karpass peninsula region. What do you think? Is everything on the way? Are we heading for a solution? Are all these planned since a long time? Do not worry. It will not be long until these questions will be clarified.. "

/SK

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