Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 03-08-26

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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 Peace and Democracy Movement took action for a population census to be carried out in occupied Cyprus.

[02] US Ambassador in Cyprus: ^ÓA solution to the Cyprus problem before May is possible^Ô.

[03] Turkish Cypriots with Republic of Cyprus passports still face problems in Turkey.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[04] Columnist in RADIKAL supports that the Cyprus problem will be solved after the so-called elections.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The Peace and Democracy Movement took action for a population census to be carried out in occupied Cyprus

As the paper stresses, the PDM´s action gains importance after the application of the Patriotic Union Movement (PUM) to the European Court of Human Rights on the issue of the pseudoelections and the transportation of population to the island.

Mr Mustafa Akinci, the leader of PDM will give a Press Conference today in order to inform the public about this issue. Mr Akinci informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mr Abdullah Gul, about this subject.

[02] US Ambassador in Cyprus: ^ÓA solution to the Cyprus problem before May is possible^Ô

During the ceremony, Mr Klosson said that he feels very satisfied that the US is one of the countries that invest in the health sector in the island. Mr Klosson also said that they contribute with millions of dollars to the medical infrastructure of the island and support bi-communal programmes.

In addition to that, he said that they support all the efforts to reach a solution based on the Annan plan. Mr Klosson also added that he believes that it is possible that a Cyprus settlement based on the Annan plan can be reached before May.

[03] Turkish Cypriots with Republic of Cyprus passports still face problems in Turkey

The Turkish Cypriot businessman wonders what his human rights are and why Turkey does not accept travelling documents of the Turkish Cypriots (the passport of the Republic of Cyprus), which is the result of the 1960 agreements.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[04] Columnist in RADIKAL supports that the Cyprus problem will be solved after the so-called elections

According to the reflections in the press, "those in favor of peace" in Turkey and in Cyprus are waiting for the parliamentary elections to be held in December [2003] for a solution prior to May 2004 based on the Annan Plan. It is not surprising that a number of columnists in Istanbul and the TUSIAD [Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association] are included in this group. But Foreign Minister Gul also is saying in an interview that they are expecting the Annan Package to be negotiated prior to or after the elections. According to the information received, a JDP [Justice and Development Party] Deputy Chairman has been openly saying to some foreigners visiting the JDP headquarters that there will be a solution on Cyprus after the elections and that the JDP government would support in these elections the political parties, which are in favor of a solution in Cyprus.

If the government entered into this course, then it would be beneficial to review the probable developments.

If the "solution" parties win the elections, then Mr Rauf Denktas would resign. In a solution to be reached according to the Annan Plan, and especially in the light of the important duties befalling the chairmen of both sides for the interim period, as it will be impossible to be content with a proxy, then it would be necessary to hold presidential elections in a short period of time and to elect a new president. Overcoming this situation without creating a problem in the regime and for the new president to provide the needed legality on the subject of a solution is at least doubtful.

Naturally, the JDP government would want the solution to be approved by the Turkish Cypriots with a referendum and thus would want the political responsibility related to the fate of Cyprus to belong to the people.

But a referendum on its own may not be able to provide for the elimination of the responsibility of the government. Within the framework of the Guarantee Agreement in force at present, the "effective" guarantee provided to the Turkish Cypriots by Turkey would be changed radically with a solution based on the Annan Plan. The government cannot ignore the fact that Turkey's rights and responsibilities over Cyprus would attain the status of becoming void with this solution. Expressed in another way, the government is obliged to announce in advance to Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot public opinion that with the new protocol to be signed on the subject of a guarantee, Turkey's responsibility would lose its meaning. Although it is not wished, if something happens to the Turkish Cypriots in the future, then it is the requirement of minimal transparency that it should be understood as witnessed by history that the political responsibility of not being able to intervene is assumed by the government.

The Turkish Cypriot people, by electing the "solution" parties and by approving a solution based on the Annan Plan with a referendum, actually do not only accept the solution, but would in fact have also given up Turkey's "effective" guarantee. For that reason, this matter should be put clearly in the referendum and the fact that Turkey's guarantee would be ended should be confirmed with the will of the Turkish Cypriots.

The Turkish Cypriots should also know that after Cyprus becomes an EU member, the unchangeable Article 23 of the 1960 system will be eliminated, that is, Turkey, which would lose the title of "the most favored country", would not be able to protect the Turkish Cypriot community economically, legally and politically against the rights Greece has on Cyprus.

On the other hand, Turkey, which is not an EU member, just as it will not be able to resist the EU institutions against the erosion of the "special rights" stated to be included in the Annan Plan with the objective of protecting the Turkish Cypriots through the EU legislation as the result of the initiatives of the Greek Cypriots, it will also not be able to take matters to the EU International Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

Six months after such a solution, that is, before the December 2004 EU summit, Greece could reduce the Aegean problems to be sent to the International Court of Justice in the Hague to only the continental shelf and Greece could insist on the 12-mile territorial waters limit in the arbitration. Otherwise, it could say that it would veto Turkey's date for entering into negotiations with the EU. Certainly, the government should already know what it would do in such a situation.

After losing Cyprus and the Aegean, even if a date would be given to Turkey in 2005 for entering into negotiations with the EU, would the Turkish government have anything it could do if the Christian Democrats come to power in Germany in 2006 and end Turkey's EU membership negotiations?

Today, those who defend a solution based on the Annan Plan, who now know each other by their names, must have already thought how they would defend themselves if no date for entering into negotiations with the EU is given and developments against the Turkish Cypriots on the island are started.

The matter, which really makes me think, is how it would be possible to eliminate the collapse of morale in Turkey in such a situation.

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