Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 03-10-02

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Reference to Cyprus by the Turkish President in his speech for the opening of the new legislative year.

[02] Talat launched a campaign of meetings with world leaders; He says that the Turkish Cypriots will not make concessions from their political equality and the guarantees of Turkey.

[03] The occupation regime gave the pseudostate ´s ^Ócitizenship^Ô to a Pakistani citizen.

[04] Reference to Cyprus by Mr Verheugen during an interview with CNN-Turk television.

[05] Ali Erel said that his party never supported that the Annan Plan should be signed without any changes.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Columnist in RADIKAL assesses the political situation in Turkey.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Reference to Cyprus by the Turkish President in his speech for the opening of the new legislative year

Referring to Cyprus, President Sezer said that immense efforts were exerted last year for a solution to the Cyprus problem, and added:

^ÓDevelopments proved the impossibility of reaching a lasting solution on the island by disregarding the existence of the ^ÓTRNC^Ô. We expect this fact to be accepted by the international community, mainly the EU. We hope that new initiatives made by the Turkish side in the past few months, and constructive proposals of Denktas, would help in overcoming the confidence crisis on the island, and would help normalization of relations^Ô.

[02] Talat launched a campaign of meetings with world leaders; He says that the Turkish Cypriots will not make concessions from their political equality and the guarantees of Turkey

The paper notes that the first meeting of Mr Talat took place yesterday in Great Britain with the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Mr Talat met also the British Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Jack Straw, Defense, Jeff Hoon and European Affairs, Dennis Mc Shane.

According to KIBRIS, Mr Talat demanded from Mr Blair and his country to play ^Óa more active role so that the Turkish Cypriots may take their place as equal partners in the European Union^Ô. ^ÓWe have launched meetings in order to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots^Ô, said Mr Talat adding that he would meet with world leaders so that ^Ónot a single citizen is unjustly treated during the solution process^Ô.

Supporting that the Turkish Cypriots have already decided what they will do at the December ^Óelections^Ô in the occupied areas, Mr Talat said: ^Ó^ÅI have no doubt that the necessary lesson will be given to the forces which oppose the solution and the EU. The Annan Plan has not been sincerely negotiated. We shall negotiate this plan, being in consultation with Turkey and we shall reach a solution that preserves the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people. Afterwards we shall present it to the people to approve it. The last word will belong to our people^Ô.

Mr Talat noted that he told his interlocutors that the Turkish Cypriots would not make concessions from their political equality and the guarantees of Turkey and that the Greek Cypriots could not accede to the EU in May 2004 representing the whole of Cyprus in case a solution to the Cyprus problem is not found until then.

[03] The occupation regime gave the pseudostate ´s ^Ócitizenship^Ô to a Pakistani citizen

Adeel Mehboob, who visited occupied Cyprus three times in the past, and worked there without ^Ópermission^Ô, applied for work permit on the 25th of August 2003. However he became ^Ócitizen^Ô of the pseudostate on the 16th of September and he was given an identity card.

The paper stresses that the distribution of ^Ócitizenship^Ô on behalf of the pseudostate is without principles and out of the ^Órules^Ô and that it depends on the regime^Òs mood.

[04] Reference to Cyprus by Mr Verheugen during an interview with CNN-Turk television

Mr Verheugen said that unless a solution is found to the problem prior to Cyprus^Ò full membership on 1 May 2004, then some additional problems would be surfaced. Verheugen went on and said: ^ÓIf the situation on the island is not changed then the following decision should be made: Will it be possible to give a date to Turkey for starting the negotiations? This without doubt is an obstacle. If we look into the issue from the legal point of view, the presence of Turkish troop in the northern part of the island is already contrary to the international law.

When asked to comment on the possibility of the Cyprus government having and exercising its veto power in December 2004, Verheugen said: ^ÓYes, exactly, they could use it, not only from the theoretical point of view, but they could put this into practice. As of 1 May 2004 Cyprus will become a full member and will have the same rights and responsibilities as the other members. They will say that EU laws are suspended in the northern part of the island and this would be a very worrying situation, because the Greek Cypriot government will have right to veto. It will have the right to preclude Turkey^Òs negotiations^Ô.

The EU official went on and noted that in that case Turkey^Òs presence on the island will mean ^Óoccupying part of the island, that is, one of the members of the EU is occupied by a candidate country^Ô.

Mr Verheugen then referred to the EU Commission^Òs progress report on Turkey to be published on 5 November and said that Turkey should focus its attention on the application of fundamental freedoms, the right to expression, the right to religious freedom, fight against torture, right to establish association and foundation and struggle against irregularities.

[05] Ali Erel said that his party never supported that the Annan Plan should be signed without any changes

Mr Erel stated that his Party never supported that the Annan Plan should be signed in its present form and without being changed and added that a lot of cheap propaganda reports and lies were written regarding this issue and that SEUP rejects them. Mr Erel also said that the Annan Plan is in fact a ^Óreconciliation document^Ô and stressed that it should be used as a basis for the Cyprus talks. He also pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas never negotiated the Plan. Mr Erel said that his party and those who think the same way with SEUP believe that the Annan Plan must be negotiated and that it should be changed in favor of the Turkish Cypriots´ interest.

Asked about his party^Òs aims, Mr Erel stressed that SEUP has two main targets. ^ÓOf course we mean a solution based on the Annan Plan^Ô, he said. He added that the main criteria for the solution are known. The new state will be bi-regional and will consist of two founding states. He said that each one of these states will govern itself, that the states will have two separate parliaments and in this partnership state there will be political equality. He also added that Turkey would continue to be the guarantor power in the new state.

The second target, he said, is the EU membership and that the main objective of the SEUP is that the partnership state, which will be formed by the two founding states, will become member of the EU.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Columnist in RADIKAL assesses the political situation in Turkey

As of yesterday [Monday, 29 September], the situation report of Ankara is showing that the government is under severe pressure, both internally and in foreign policy. Also connected to this, there are indications that there is a serious period of problems prior to the opening of the TGNA [Turkish Grand National Assembly] on 1 October.

Yesterday's developments leading to this situation report were as follows:

Election Debate: The first development of the day was the ratification by the Sixth Department of the Supreme Court of Appeals of the court judgment that the DEHAP [Democratic People's Party] administrators had falsified documents in the 3 November 2002 elections. This was an expected development. Upon this, the TPP [True Path Party] wanted the protest petition, which it made immediately after the 3 November elections to the Supreme Election Board [SEB], which was rejected by saying, "There is no evidence", to be reinstated. Whereas, the SEB had announced that it would not go into action unless a petition was made to it. Upon this, the TPP, which did not want to be remembered as "the party that caused the elections to be cancelled", was forced to change its tactics: The TPP wants the SEB to consider that the approximately 1.5 million votes given to the HADEP should be assumed invalid and for the SEB to recalculate the 10 percent country election threshold. In this manner, it is aimed in the end to have the TGNA memberships of 44 JDP (Justice and Development Party] and 22 RPP [Republican People's Party] Members of Parliament [MPs], who have taken oaths as MPs, to be removed and to have the TPP members take their places. The JDP has announced that in such a situation it would hold early elections. Just like the JDP, the RPP is also saying that the judgment would be political, not legal and is claiming that the SEB would not take this judgment. But it is heard that there are circles, which have taken the SEB under psychological pressure, for such a judgment.

Call to the War School: Soon after the announcement of the judgment of the Supreme Court of Appeals, the text of the speech by the Land Forces Commander Gen. Aytac Yalman, who participated in the opening of the academic year of the Land Forces War College Command, reached the news centers. According to Gen. Yalman, who made the determination, "Our country is perhaps experiencing one of the most difficult and critical periods of the history of the Republic" and said, "We have come to these days under the risks and threats created by the religious-centered political structuring, which is trying to find ground as though it were taking revenge against the Ataturk reforms and subsequently, the separatist terrorism". Gen. Yalman said that Turkey is the only Muslim country governed with democracy, which has been possible thanks to the serious contribution of the Armed Forces. He called the young officer candidates to be alert against those who are trying to wear down the TAF [Turkish Armed Forces] within the EU debates and to oppose the silence of the internal public opinion in this course. Gen. Yalman, just like the Chief of General Staff, also emphasized on behalf of the TAF, "that it is not opposed to the EU and democracy".

Untimely Sally From the United States: The debate of requesting from Turkey the "condition of not entering Iraq unilaterally" to the US$8.5 billion loan and the debate of sending Turkish soldiers to assist the United States are continuing at full force. Just in the middle of this debate, the US administration did whatever it could do to put the Turkish government into the most difficult situation: The US Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman said, "Denktas should abandon being an obstacle to a solution on Cyprus". He did this just at the moment when Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul would start his talks with the EU officials in Brussels. Either the United States thinks Turkey is really desperate and would do anything it is told or it is trying to have Turkey take a decision not to send soldiers to Iraq and to form a foundation for preventing the EU membership activities in Turkey and abroad.

Squeezed in Iraq: The condition of "not entering Iraq unilaterally" given when providing the US$8.5 billion loan to Turkey, was not in the agreement signed in Dubai on 22 September [2003]. But it is included in the debates in the US Congress, which forms the basis for this agreement. Yesterday, at the time when the Government Spokesman Cemil Cicek said, "The use of our Armed Forces is determined by our national interests. We did not make a request for this loan. Also, we did not make our calculations assuming that the loan would come", an American diplomat was making important statements to the diplomatic reporters in Ankara. The diplomat added fuel to the flames with questions, such as "Is it normal for you to enter unilaterally? The Turkish soldiers have been there up until now. Have they solved the PKK [Worker's Party of Kurdistan] problem?" I wonder if it is desired for Turkey to reject this loan so that the Turkish economy would not relax somewhat?

I wonder how the occurrence of all of these developments one after the other and even the US dollar exchange rate starting to climb once again after many months, have affected the IMF talks being held yesterday at the Treasury?

I wonder if Ankara is being given the message, "If you solve Cyprus, then all the other problems would also end"? I wonder in fact if "the Cyprus problem would be solved, would the problems finish?"

/SK

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