Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 03-06-19

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] For the first time since 23 April 2003, Rauf Denktas refers to the possibility of gradually closing the gates and argues that the 1960 Agreements are the alternative to the Annan plan.

[02] Reports say the Turkish Cypriot Airlines do not meet the Flight Safety Regulations.

[03] Eroglu distributed property in the occupied village of Assia to young people.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[04] AFRIKA: "Not a thousandth of what the Greek Cypriot side does on the issue of the missing persons is done by the Turkish side".

[05] Turkish Cypriot producers from occupied Elia will resort to dynamic action.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] For the first time since 23 April 2003, Rauf Denktas refers to the possibility of gradually closing the gates and argues that the 1960 Agreements are the alternative to the Annan plan

Mr Denktas argued that he could never accept that the Turkish Cypriots should export their products via the legal ports of the island and added that he would never permit this to happen. If there is an exporter who wishes to do this we shall prevent him from doing so, noted Mr Denktas adding that such events could lead to the gradual closure of the gates.

Furthermore, alleging that the Annan plan contains many negative elements for the Turkish side, Mr Denktas said that he would never accept an agreement within the framework of this plan. The Turkish Cypriot leader said that the US State Department's Special Coordinator for Cyprus, Mr Tomas Weston exerted pressure on him on this issue. This, he continued, shows that Mr Weston considers more important the interests of America than the interests of the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey.

Mr Denktas expressed the opinion that the basis for a possible future agreement in Cyprus would be the 1960 Agreements and added that "the Annan plan is not without an alternative".

Mr Denktas attacked also the EU, claiming that the Union wants to give Cyprus to Greece and to leave for Turkey only a basis in Karpass peninsula or give it the island of Lesbos, in the Aegean.

[02] Reports say the Turkish Cypriot Airlines do not meet the Flight Safety Regulations

"The SHGM [Directorate General of Civil Aviation] Control Team conducted inspections at the `Turkish Cypriot Airlines' [KTHY] between 28-31 May to verify compliance with relevant regulations in the following fields: general management and organization, quality management system, flight operations, flight training, and ground operations. In the report that it drew up, the Control Team emphasized that "the KTHY fails to meet the Turkish and international civil aviation criteria and comply with some of the operational rules and flight safety guidelines."

Here are the points made in the report:

1. The KTHY does not include flight safety management within its system. Personnel in charge of flight safety are not given any training.

2. The flight safety board meetings that should be regularly convened are not held at all.

3. The KTHY does not possess the Accident Prevention and Flight Safety Manual.

4. No rules are observed in the appointment of personnel.

5. The training records that should be found in the dossier of Saadettin Gezmek, a member of the KTHY Board of Directors, are missing.

The report raises questions about Zafer Yildirim, who was appointed by the ruling JDP [Justice and Development Party] as Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of the KTHY. It says: "According to his training file, Yildirim received a passing grade on the examination administered in 2003 following the conversion training. However, it aroused our suspicions to see that the name of the instructor and the date of the exam, both of which should have been on the test results report, were at the top of the question sheet. Yildirim obtained a passing grade on the non-normal procedures test, too. Yet, asked whether the handwriting on the answer sheet belonged to him, Captain Yildirim failed to give an unequivocal response."

[03] Eroglu distributed property in the occupied village of Assia to young people

Replying to a question whether there is a guarantee for these building plots, Eroglu said: "There is a guarantee. We made you property owners and nobody can take this land from you. We are against the Annan plan, which is not possible to be accepted in the way it is."

Eroglu continued: "Greek Cypriots, who come to this area including also Assia village, are saying 'These houses are ours! We will return to these houses!' But the Greek Cypriots can come permanently only with the signature of the Annan plan."

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[04] AFRIKA: "Not a thousandth of what the Greek Cypriot side does on the issue of the missing persons is done by the Turkish side"

"Our citizens follow with interest the list of the Turkish missing persons published by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Many of our citizens went to the South to investigate the issue of their missing relatives. They have appealed to the authorities concerned and acquired important information.

According to the information given to one of our citizens by the authorities, the 'missing persons' from Omorphita have been buried in two regions and six different places. At Ayios Vassilis and Strovolos. The massive grave at Ayios Vassilis has been opened by the Reed Cross and 21 corpses were found. The identity of the eleven of them has been identified. However, the identity of the ten of them was not possible to be identified. They said that the identity of these ten persons who are buried at Mevlevi Tekke is not yet known.

After the information they acquired the relatives of the missing persons appealed to a competent person at the Association of the (Turkish Cypriot) Martyrs' Families. They asked them: 'Why do you not have the DNA test done, in order to identify the bones?'

The answer they got is very impressive: 'Why are you dealing with these issues? Is it because the Greeks promised to give you a bag of bones?'

These are the words of a man who built a career on the bones of the martyrs. You could not think of any words worse than these if you want to denigrate a relative of a martyr, could you?

The relatives of the martyrs complained to our paper and relieved themselves to us saying: ' We do not want money. We are looking for our martyrs'. They could not swallow the answer of the 'competent person'.

They said: 'If they want we could give them in writing that we shall not take money from the Greek Cypriots. Finding our missing relatives after so many years is enough for us. We shall make graves for them, visit them and put there some flowers'.

Unfortunately, the Turkish side does not do even a thousandth of what the Greek Cypriot side does on the issue of the missing persons. The Greek Cypriots have announced where the massive graves of the Turks are in the South. The Turks, however, have not yet announced where the graves in the North are. The Greek Cypriot side encourages the family members of the missing persons to have a DNA test and helps them to find their relatives. The Turkish side does not even care. It does not care either about the Greek Cypriot missing persons or about the Turkish Cypriot missing persons. Those who for many years are building their policy on the martyrs have not made the slightest move for the identification of their bones.

Do you not know why we have not achieved peace for so long? It is because we are still going for a picnic on the massive graves, without knowing it!"

[05] Turkish Cypriot producers from occupied Elia will resort to dynamic action

Hasturer writes: "The chairman of the Elia Producers' Union, Mr Mehmet Bicen, announced last night that 'their activities in the north have reached to a certain stage and we have received their results. We have shaken up the status quo supporters in the north, now it is the turn of the status quo supporters in the south'. On 18 July we will put the goods that we have produced on the tracks and will cross into the south through Kermia. Let those who have the guts stop us'.

If people of Elia said this, then they are going to do it. These kinds of actions will pull down the walls. The Turkish Cypriot producer, who thinks that he is not getting the right price for his produce from the wholesale buyer and he is prone to the wholesalers' blackmail, considers the market in the south closer and reliable to him. The action by the Elia Producers will be the first and historic page of the new pages.

Without doubt these actions will definitely put into difficulty the Greek Cypriot administrators of the Republic of Cyprus. The Greek Cypriot administrators, who until now prove to be successful because of Denktas' incredible mistakes, when they face the Turkish Cypriot producers they will see that the style they were using until now against Denktas is no more valid", Hasturer concludes.

/SK

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