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

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Letter by Denktas to Erdogan urging Ankara not to hurry for a solution in Cyprus.

[02] Ankara's puppet regime in occupied Cyprus criticizes the measures announced by the Cyprus government in favour of the Turkish Cypriots.

[03] Statements by the Turkish Foreign Minister at Kas /Kastellorizo.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[04] Columnist in SABAH says Turkish politicians can do nothing without permission from the army.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Letter by Denktas to Erdogan urging Ankara not to hurry for a solution in Cyprus

According to Turkish daily CUMHURIYET, (05.05.03) in his letter Denktas called on the Turkish Prime Minister to visit the occupied areas and said: "Please fulfill your responsibility to the National cause by visiting the island, thus balancing Simitis's visit".

The letter sent to Erdogan by Denktas carries the date of 14 April 2003, two days before Cyprus signed the Accession Treaty in Athens on 16 April, 2003.

CNN Turk reports that in his letter Denktas criticized Turkey by saying: "It is not possible to say that Turkey has shown the necessary reaction to an attempt that openly aims at writing off one of Turkey's basic rights. Then it would be difficult to talk about the 1960 Agreements, let alone defending them, if we attend the signing ceremony of the Treaty.

Denktas went on and claimed that once the EU completes Cyprus's accession then it will bypass Turkey's EU membership.

In his letter Denktas urges Ankara not to hurry on the Cyprus problem. He says that until 1st May, 2004, either "we will surrender or we will struggle to make ourselves acceptable. At present Turkey is not exhibiting the dynamism that it should".

In the letter Denktas disclosed that there was a coupe attempt against him. He also said that it is impossible to continue with de Soto.

Finally, Denktas accused Turkey of being hesitant. He said that the hesitation demonstrated by Turkey in the face of Greece, Britain and the Greek Cypriots' attempt to change the rights stipulated under the 1960 agreements. "We do not know what to do in the face of this hesitation", Denktas said.

[02] Ankara's puppet regime in occupied Cyprus criticizes the measures announced by the Cyprus government in favour of the Turkish Cypriots

The paper reports that the so-called Council of Ministers held an extraordinary meeting yesterday under the chairmanship of so-called Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu to make an assessment of the measures the National Council and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus announced.

In a written statement after the meeting, the Spokesman of the "Council of Ministers", so-called Minister of Works and Communications Salih Miroglu said the proposals announced were being studied. He alleged, that the Greek Cypriot approach and method used in announcing the measures were far from the desire for creating an atmosphere of friendship and cooperation.

Mr Miroglu said: "It has been observed that the content and the method of the announcement are not compatible with the positive atmosphere created between the two "peoples" as a result of the unilateral implementation of the "TRNC" decision to facilitate the process of "border" crossings. It seems apparent that the Greek Cypriot Administration has failed to rid itself of the misconceptions of the past. It can regrettably be seen that the Greek Cypriot Administration in South Cyprus has already started to exploit the Accession Treaty it signed with the EU in violation of the international treaties. It tends to exploit this Treaty to remove the equal status of the two sides in Cyprus and to do away with the prospect of establishing a new partnership based on compromise."

The paper adds: "Miroglu referred to the demand the Greek Cypriots made for the implementation of the Third Vienna Agreement and the return of Varosha. He recalled that the return of Varosha, in exchange for the removal of the embargoes, was among the comprehensive confidence-building measures the Turkish Cypriot side has submitted to the Greek Cypriot side.

Miroglu noted that the demand in connection with the Karpass Greek Cypriots was among the conflicting positions of the Greek Cypriot National Council. He said: "While confirming on the one hand that the Greek Cypriot Administration accepted, with all its consequences, the Voluntary Population Exchange, carried out under the auspices of the UN in 1975, the National Council upholds on the other hand the right to return to the properties owned."

Spokesman Miroglu stressed that the Committee on Missing Persons, set up under a decision of the UN General Assembly, was the place to solve the missing persons issue. "If the Greek Cypriot side secures the functioning of this committee, the Turkish Cypriot side is prepared to continue to make every effort for the solution of this problem fast," he said.

Asked by a newsman about the efforts to set up direct telephone communication between North Cyprus and South Cyprus, Miroglu said an agreement on this matter could be concluded with the main firms of the GSM operators in the "TRNC", which are members of the Roaming Associated."

[03] Statements by the Turkish Foreign Minister at Kas/Kastellorizo

Gul said that the new defense concepts discussed in Europe were on the agenda of the meeting, adding that he would explain the ideas of Turkey about that issue during the meeting. Gul added that they would also take up the recent developments about the Middle East peace process and post-war era in Iraq.

Gul said that the years 2003 and 2004 were very critical for the EU membership process of Turkey, adding: ``EU is the number one priority for Turkey and the government. The EU is not only the issue of the government, we want all sections of the society including NGOs to take part in the EU process,``

In reply to a question about the ``package of proposals`` of the Cyprus Government for Turkish Cypriots, Gul said: ``The things that could not be done on paper are done in practice. Both sides try to do that and passages between the two sides increased the trust.

When the sides sit around the negotiation table, there won`t be many things left to be done. There are things that can be accepted and can`t be accepted in the package of the Greek Cypriot side.

But the embargo should immediately be lifted, because embargoes are no longer acceptable in the world. EU and the whole world have to review the issue of embargo carefully. Certainly Turkey should lift the embargo on the Greek Cypriot side. These are steps which need to be taken reciprocally.``

When asked if recognition of the Republic of Cyprus was among the steps to be taken by Turkey, Gul said: ``Recognition can only be possible when lasting peace is ensured. Now we discuss the issues which will ease the process of reaching the final solution.``

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[04] Columnist in SABAH says Turkish politicians can do nothing without permission from the army

"All the Turkish governments established in the period extending from 1960 up till the present have been coalition governments. The army became a partner in each and every government after the fall of the Menderes/Bayar duo. The soldiers have the "golden share" in the state. This share gives the soldiers the right to veto any government. Politicians cannot do anything without getting the necessary permission from the soldiers with regard to critical issues such as issues pertaining to Cyprus and the EU.

The soldiers are represented in a number of organs of the state, including the National Security Council [NSC]. The views of the soldiers must be received with regard to a range of issues extending from education to privatization issues. The NSC, which is probably the strongest institution of the Turkish state, is a military institution from top to bottom.

From this perspective, the Turkish army does not resemble other armies existing throughout the world. There is no army in other countries with the great role and influence enjoyed by the Turkish army. However, Turkey does not have any chance of gaining EU membership before diminishing the role that the army plays in the country.

The support that the Turkish people are extending to the army is the main reason why the soldiers have so much power in our country. The Turkish people, who do not trust the politicians, view the soldiers as an element of confidence and as a judge. That is, the people view the soldiers as the last institution that may intervene when all the means for overcoming a deadlock--encountering deadlocks has become a sort of routine in Turkey--are consumed.

The politicians and not the soldiers are behind the reason why a military democracy exists in Turkey. The soldiers may be pleased for being above everything. However, the politicians are responsible for rendering the soldiers above everything and for preventing the soldiers from abandoning the position of being above everything in the country.

Turkey is not a country with a homogeneous religious and ethnic structure. Each and every religious and ethnic group has its own agenda in the country. The inability to unite all these groups under a single aim or to treat these groups equally is the greatest failure of the Republic of Turkey.

The soldiers are staying above us because the politicians have failed to introduce a common agenda. We all know that the soldiers are the ones who are holding JDP [Justice and Development Party] along the secular line. Who would have been sure that had the President and the soldiers attended the 23 April reception ceremony held by Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and shaken hands with Arinc's headscarf-wearing spouse, alcoholic beverages would not have been eliminated in the next year's reception and that Islamic prayers would not have been said in the same reception two years later?

Law is above everything in democracies. However, Turkey is not a state of law. This is why the soldiers are above everything in Turkey, and they will remain so until the Turkish politicians gain the confidence of the people."

/SK

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