Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 03-06-06

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Highlights of statements made by the Turkish Cypriot leader during a press conference in occupied Nicosia.

[02] Ismail Cem met with the UN Secretary-General.

[03] Serbian and Montenegrin Prime Ministers reply to questions on applying the Serbia-Montenegro model in Cyprus.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[04] AFRIKA: New tanks arrived in Famagusta.

[05] Commentary in MILLIYET compares the views of the Turkish government and the army on foreign policy issues.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Highlights of statements made by the Turkish Cypriot leader during a press conference in occupied Nicosia

Mr Denktas inter alia said: "Our timetable is not the timetable set by the EU but the timetable that Turkey will be admitted to the EU. It would be wrong to limit ourselves to dates such as 2004, so, our date should be delayed until Turkey´s accession date. Our entry into the EU is not possible if Turkey is not present".

In reply to a question Mr Denktas said that Turkish Cypriots, who visited their homes and villages in the south, said that their homes and villages were destroyed and they are getting ready to recourse to Cyprus courts to ask for compensation.

Denktas went on and said that he will not accept the EU package as it is. "We want them to change the package", Denktas noted.

To a question regarding Strovilia, Denktas claimed that what he was aware of is that a house belonging to a Greek Cypriot whose owner was dead was prepared for "policemen" to rest when Strovilia gate is opened to traffic.

To another question Denktas said that US policy on Cyprus did not change, that is, support to the Annan Plan. "Here our roads depart with them", he said.

[02] Ismail Cem met with the UN Secretary-General

After the meeting Cem said that he is of the impression that the UN Secretary- General could engage in important changes in the document he had prepared on Cyprus.

[03] Serbian and Montenegrin Prime Ministers reply to questions on applying the Serbia-Montenegro model in Cyprus

Their replies to questions on applying the model in Cyprus are as follows:

Question: Do you think that there is a great similarity between the Turkish Cypriots and the Montenegrins? They too have a small population compared with the Greek Cypriots, and they too want to maintain their independence.

Jukanovich: First of all, the people's right to choose under what kind of state they want to live should be respected. The second principle which is important is how to maintain regional peace and stability. Of course while advancing towards this direction one should not give up the ideals.

Question: Do you think that this model could be applied in Cyprus?

Zivkovic: Why not? As far as I am concerned it is worth trying in Cyprus as well.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[04] AFRIKA: New tanks arrived in Famagusta

The chief editor of AFRIKA, Mr Sener Levent, writing in his column "Angle" (Açı), says:

"The other night an unprecedented thing happened. Towards midnight all the telephones in north Cyprus were silenced .

Both mobile and ordinary telephones were silenced .

It was towards midnight.There were no lines at all.

We went to the Telecommunications Authority and asked.the technical staff were in a mess .

What is going on?

They said that the telecommunication lines were crushed.

For two hours it was impossible to call .

It was 02:00 hours when the telecommunication lines were restored.

At the same time there was intensive traffic at the Famagusta port.

The Tanks have arrived at the port.

Noise uproar .Doomsday.

As though the Third Operation was about to start.

Those who were coming out of the theatrical show while returning to their homes witnessed this chaos.

They have to wait until the roads were opened to traffic.

After all, the tanks were passing .No bones about it, these are tanks. And they are passing in the middle of the night.

For two hours the uproar did not stop.

When life returned to normal it was 02:00 hours.

For the last two-three days there is tension in the area which the Greek Cypriots call Strovilia and which we call Akyar.

This is the area where the Greek Cypriots launched a protest that the Turkish troops brought their positions forward. This issue was included in the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan`s latest report to the UN Security Council. Once more Annan warned that the status quo ante should be restored.

Since no one pays attention to these warnings . one could launch as many protests as possible.

Why this tension?

Our administration has cut off the electricity and water supplies to the Greek Cypriots living in the area and asked the Greek Cypriots to apply to the Famagusta municipality to have these services.

For days the Greek Cypriot press deals with this issue under banner headlines .

Branding it Denktas' provocation.

There are three Greek Cypriot houses in the area .

The issue was reported to our public only yesterday.

With a few days delay.

You can find this news from the official news agency in our paper´s other pages.

The Turkish side does not deny the fact that it has cut off the electricity and water supplies.

But it tries to give reasons to this action...They were engaged in road building and arranging parking places.

For this reason they have cut off electricity and water supplies.

Those who think that "All is quite in the western Front" are mistaken .

There is action.

Unless peace is regained the dark clouds will never disperse .

The Turkish troops started to man the forward posts and take positions on the borders.

After Louroudjina now it is Pergamos's turn.

As of today Turkish troops will be deployed there too.

Troops serving in the Security Forces have been deployed to other areas.

Peace Forces are deployed at the forward position .

Where are we heading for?

Are we heading for a settlement, are we heading for peace?

Or, is there something else?

Do the tanks that arrived at the port give signs of the approaching peace?

Will the peace that arrives, come with the tanks?

Do not hurry to go to summer siesta sleep.Cyprus's summers are worse than winters.

Raise your head and see further than the Annan plan.

At the ports that we will use for exporting goods to EU, tanks are unloaded .

Be careful, the wolves should not surprise you while you are sleeping."

[05] Commentary in MILLIYET compares the views of the Turkish government and the army on foreign policy issues

To what extent does the Turkish Armed Forces' [TAF] viewpoint regarding certain foreign policy issues overlap or clash with the government's attitude?

The speeches made by the Chief of Staff and General Staff Second in Command enable us to assess the issue.

As I said in yesterday's article, the comprehensive speeches concerning foreign policy, which were issued by Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, show that the TAF have adopted a new and different attitude toward certain foreign policy issues ranging from relations with the EU to globalization.

The TAF's approach to certain issues is the same as the policies adopted by the government.

Now let us look at how the military and the political administration approach certain foreign policy issues:

Basically, there is no need to draw a line between the military and civilians on the issue of the EU. The determination of the current government to achieve integration with the EU is obvious. The latest speeches issued by the commanders must have dispelled all doubts concerning the TAF's vision of Europe and its desire to join the EU.

Nevertheless, there are certain important differences of opinion concerning the steps that need to be taken to achieve these goals, in other words regarding political reforms. For instance, it is known that the TAF object to certain items of the sixth adaptation package. The military is suspicious of and even concerned about the criteria, which are a product of the EU's own rules, and give priority to security issues whereas civilian officials are inclined to adopt a braver and more assertive political approach. This is the reason for both current differences of opinion and those that arise at similar instances.

The TAF and the government see eye to eye on the issue of terrorism as well. Recently Gen. Ozkok lamented that Europe had not included the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan] and KADEK [Freedom and Democracy Congress of Kurdistan] in its list of terrorist organizations. Turkish diplomats also mentioned this to friends many times. This time the difference stems from the fact that the Chief of Staff used tough and critical words while suggesting imposing sanctions on states that do not fulfill their pledges.

At this stage, the military and the civilian administration seem to have adopted the same approach towards the Iraq issue as well. On various occasions the government spoke of the type of Iraq Turkey would like to see. Gen. Ozkok confirmed this and said Turkey wants to look ahead rather than to the past. He said Turkey wants to play an active role in the restructuring of Iraq. Turkish diplomats are also exerting effort to this end.

The commanders did not mention it directly but it can be seen that their approach to Iran and to the problems of the Middle East in general are similar to those of the government and the Foreign Ministry. In this sense, it is meaningful that Gen. Ozkok said, "Turkey produces security in the region rather than consuming it."

The Cyprus issue was not included in the latest statements by leaders of the Turkish military. However, the TAF's opinion on the issue is known from previous statements. The statements Prime Minister Erdogan issued immediately after he took office had signaled a different policy whereas later statements indicated that the government had moved closer to the army. However, it can still be said that approaches are different with regard to this issue.

That the civilian and military factions, which basically think the same on foreign policy issues, have different opinions on certain issues should be considered natural. It is always useful to discuss these differences before pushing them to the point of friction.

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