Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-06-10

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Walter Schwimmer visits Turkey. He hopes for Turkey´s support for re-election

[02] Talat meets with the Dutch ambassador in Brussels

[03] New role for Turkey in the former Ottoman empire

[04] Milliyet supports that TRT dialect broadcasts are repetitive and for show

[05] Kurdish deputes released from prison. Leyla Zana expresses hope for release of thousands more from Turkish prisons

[06] American citizens to visit with tourist passports the occupied areas of Cyprus where international criminals sought refuge at times

[07] The occupation regime wants the free movement of goods from the occupied to free areas but imposes restrictions on the movement of goods to the occupied areas

[08] Talat is accused by a Turkish Cypriot politician of becoming a part of the status quo

[09] Unemployment levels increased in occupied Cyprus

[10] Statements by Erdogan after the G-8 summit. He seems determined to continue the occupation of Cyprus and the violation of the human rights of EU citizens

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Walter Schwimmer visits Turkey and states that he will discuss with Talat concrete measures for putting an end to the isolation of the

Asked to comment on the recent developments regarding the reforms in Turkey, the broadcasting of programs in languages of minorities and the issue of Leyla Zana and the four former DEP MP's who were released yesterday, Mr Schwimmer expressed his satisfaction and said there was progress in Turkey on the issues of democracy and the respect to the human rights.

Responding to a question whether or not the way for the full membership of Turkey to the EU will be opened after the "positive steps" allegedly taken by the Turkish side on the above-mentioned issues and the Cyprus problem, Mr Schwimmer said: "I have always supported the commencement of accession negotiations with Turkey. I supported the launching of negotiations between EU and Turkey and of course a concrete date is expected to be given for this. These positive developments will be considered as a very positive step for the starting of the talks with the EU. And of course as a result of the talks new and more positive developments, new reforms will come onto the agenda. And of course we support this development".

"The reforms are never enough, but Turkey came to a very mature point for talks with the EU", he noted when asked whether the reforms which Turkey has made are enough to ensure it a date for the beginning of its accession negotiations.

Asked on the Cyprus problem Mr Schwimmer noted the following: "A decision was taken at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and they decided that the representation of the Turkish Cypriot community should be different. They said that now the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots must definitely end. My intention is also the same. When I return to Strasbourg I will be meeting with Mr Talat and I will discuss with him how we could take concrete steps. That is, we will discuss what steps could both sides make towards ending the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. Especially the Council of Europe must consider the representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community as citizens of a European state. We think that we should increase our cooperation. Finally, there will be the issue of young Turkish Cypriots being trained at the General Secretariat of the Council of Europe. We shall discuss these with Mr Talat".

Asked whether or not the Council of Europe could open an office in the occupied part of Cyprus or make some similar steps, Mr Schwimmer said: "I think that we should not confuse putting an end to the isolation with recognition. Mr Kofi Annan also said this. We must follow the road that the majority of the Turkish Cypriots showed. They want the reunification of the island and we must realize and support this. At this point we have the target of putting an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. There is the wish for ending the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community. If it is appropriate, a technical office of the Council of Europe, an office for providing technical support could be envisaged. Until today there were visits of Turkish Cypriot parliamentarians, heads of municipalities. The Council decided to put an end to this isolation. They had also contacts with Turkish Cypriot mayors. I am sure that they will also take the necessary steps and the end of this process which began with the YES decision, will be ensured".

Asked whether or not he believed that Turkey would support him at the forthcoming elections for the post of the General Secretary of the Council of Europe, Mr Schwimmer said that he will be meeting with Turkish parliamentarians who all are his close friends and have good relations with him. He expressed the hope that he could get the votes of the Turkish parliamentarians.

[02] Talat meets with the Dutch ambassador in Brussels

YENI DUZEN writes that at the meeting Talat and Bruijn exchanged views on the policies towards putting an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots,.

In statements after the meeting, Mr Talat said they have also discussed "the relations of the Turkish Cypriot people with the EU institutions" and issues regarding the necessary aid for the economic development of the Turkish Cypriots. Mr Talat alleged that the only way to give motives to the Greek Cypriots for a solution, is putting an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.

[03] New role for Turkey in the former Ottoman empire

Sources told the A.A correspondent on Tuesday that President Bush had invited Middle Eastern and North African countries to the meeting of G-8 to be held on Sea Island, Georgia.

A ''democratic aid dialogue'' mechanism is expected to be formed under the structure of the G-8 for Middle Eastern and North African countries.

Italy on behalf of G-8,Yemen on behalf of regional countries and Turkey as a ''democratic partner'' are envisaged to act as co-president of the mechanism.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the G-8 meetings tomorrow. He is expected to give the message that Turkey is ready to share its experiences with the other countries instead of being a model.

During the meetings, importance of finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and of providing stability in Iraq will be highlighted.

Recalling that there was a paragraph about the Cyprus issue in the final statement of the last G-8 summit, diplomatic sources said that the G-8 could make a statement about the Cyprus issue under the light of results of the twin referendums on the island on April 24,and Cyprus report of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Alan Larson, Undersecretary of the U.S. State Department for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs, said that Turkey could significantly contribute to regional countries within the scope of ''the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative''.

Talking to the A.A correspondent on the phone, Larson said that Turkey had a special role within the scope of the said initiative, and noted that they were very pleased that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was going to participate in G-8 summit in Sea Island, Georgia.

Larson stressed that Turkey was a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, wanted to join the European Union (EU) and had a rich democratic tradition. Stating that Turkey always respected religious tolerance and had many successes in economic field, Larson added that regional countries could benefit from this experience of Turkey.

[04] Milliyet supports that TRT dialect broadcasts are repetitive and done for show

"TRT [Turkish Radio and Television],in the broadcasts in different languages and dialects apart from Turkish that it has initiated under the title "Our Cultural Richness", has chosen a policy that has created astonishment. The only portion of the TRT tape that has not simply repeated, in translation, the same news and documentary footage, has been the music portion, which could not simply be repeated in different languages. The continuation of the broadcasts in this form could have the result of Turkey's mother-tongue broadcast reform's being assessed as "doing the barest minimum".

Following the broadcast in Bosnian on TRT the day before yesterday, there was curiosity as to what the format of yesterday's Arabic broadcast would be. The fact that the broadcasts, carried on Radio 1 and TRT 3, were a repetition on the news and documentary footage from the Bosnian broadcast, however, created astonishment.

The Arabic broadcast was transmitted at 6:10 a.m. on Radio 1 and at 10:30 a.m. on TRT 3. The broadcast lasted for 35 minutes on the radio and 30 minutes on the television. Following the program on radio 1, there was a Turkish translation, just as after the Bosnian program. The broadcast on TRT 3, which had Turkish subtitles, began with an announcement by speaker Yasemin Pamukcu, just as on the day before.

Only Voice Changed

The Arabic broadcasts were a repetition of the news and documentary items of the Bosnian broadcasts. The first news item in the program entitled "From around the Country and Around the World", just as on the previous day, concerned developments regarding the TRNC ["Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus"]. The second news item was Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's statement regarding Kirkuk. The Prime Minister's statements regarding coal distribution, the NATO summit meeting, and foreign tourists arriving in Antalya then followed, in the same order and with the same content.

In yesterday's broadcast, thus, only the person providing the "voiceover" was different. In the Arabic broadcast, it was the Arabic clips in the music portion that drew the most attention. One concert and two clips from Arab countries were broadcast.

TRT will continue today with Kurdish. There is curiosity regarding the songs that will be included in the musical portion of the broadcast, which will be done in the Kurmanci dialect of Kurdish.

The broadcasts will continue tomorrow with Circassian, and on Friday with the Zaza dialect of Kurdish.

"Insufficient Time and Personnel"

TRT officials, stating that the broadcasts were done in the form of a weekly potpourri, and that it is not possible, for technical reasons, to continually update the programs, said that "For up-to-date news in the different languages and dialects, it would be necessary to set up a [separate] television station."

Pointing out that translation of a ten-minute program takes an hour, and that editing takes even longer, the officials indicated that they are suffering from insufficient time, space, and personnel.

"TRT Broadcasts Just Going Through the Motions"

Professor Haluk Gunugur, President of the Turkish European Union Association, criticized the presentation of the same programs by changing only the translation in the scope of the mother-tongue broadcasts. Meanwhile, RTUK [Radio and Television High Council] Chairman Fatih Karaca said that "Public institutions must not make incorrect broadcasts."

Gunugur, noting that broadcasts of this type are done differently in Europe, spoke as follows:

"The programs in Europe are longer. In Spain, there are television stations that broadcast just in the Catalan and Basque languages. Not just "going through the motions" for a half-hour or 45 minutes to get by with the barest minimum. News is only meaningful if it is current. Why should I watch a news report of five days ago? Let private televisions make application, and let them broadcast, for instance, in Kurdish for 24 hours a day; there should be no obstacle to this. Abdullah Gul said this as well."

As for Karaca, he said that "TRT is a public institution. There must be no difficulties experienced in terms of the broadcasts. TRT will broadcast in line with the country's sensitivities and with the principles of public broadcasting. Public institutions in any event must not make incorrect broadcasts."

Baykal: Broadcasts Should Not Be Like School Play

RPP [opposition Republican People's Party] leader Deniz Baykal charged that the policy that TRT has adopted on the topic of mother-tongue broadcasts is strictly for show. Stating that state intervention in this issue is wrong, Baykal said the following: "It is not the responsibility of the state to engage in activities to propagate the cultural values of the various sub-groups that make up society. Everyone should be able to make broadcasts in his own native language. The broadcasts are important from the standpoint of dispelling a dogma. But they should not be made in the atmosphere of a schoolchildren's play."

[05] Kurdish deputes released from prison. Leyla Zana expresses hope for release of thousands more from Turkish prisons

The Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals decided earlier in the day to release the former DEP deputies who served 10 years of their 15-year sentence.

Following their release, former DEP [Democracy Party] deputies held a news conference at the DEHAP [Democratic People's Party] headquarters today. Speaking on behalf of the DEP deputies, Leyla Zana said: "A long time ago, we embarked on a long journey. This journey was as painful, thorny, and mountainous, as it was difficult. I would like to clearly declare, however, that my colleagues and I tolerated this difficulty with great honor. At this stage, I believe that a new era has begun and a new page has opened in this country. I believe that we can bring about brotherhood on this geographic region by holding hands and converge with the Kurds, the Turks, the Circassians, the Arabs, the Laz [citizens of the Black Sea coast],and even with the universal world by crossing borders.

Now is not the time to incite quarrels, anger, or pain; rather, now is the time for integration and for everyone -- absolutely everyone -- to purge himself of prejudices and meet with the universal values of the 21st century through feelings of brotherhood in a more scientific and unprejudiced manner.

Together, we have the chance and the opportunity to turn this country into a garden of Eden by approaching this new process again on the basis of peace, as free and equal citizens acting with the awareness of the share that falls on each of us, with a view to bringing about the internal peace of the country, by contributing great efforts, and by securing the convergence of the entire society.

I ask everyone to set aside all their resentments and anger, and to engage in efforts to resolve the problems together.

I am very weary and my heart is broken, because thousands of people are still imprisoned in this country. I can mend this broken heart only when those thousands are able to join us. While I rejoice on one side, I suffer pain on the other. We will exert efforts for a long time in order to overcome this. With the hope that dungeons and prisons will no longer occupy the agenda of the country, I thank you once again."

[06] American citizens to visit with tourist passports the occupied areas of Cyprus where international criminals sought refuge at times

In addition to initiatives of the United States, U.S. State Department Special Coordinator for Cyprus Thomas Weston visited the occupation regime´s representative in New York Resat Caglar in his office on Wednesday.

Prior to the meeting, Weston told the A.A correspondent that they supported UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for lifting unnecessary restrictions against Turkish Cypriots, and Washington adopted a proper stance.

Noting that they had been exerting efforts to have other UN Security Council member nations adopt similar stance, Weston said that Washington had been exerting efforts at several international organizations to this end.

Stressing that opposition of Greek Cypriots to lifting of isolation of Turkish Cypriots contradicted Security Council resolutions, Weston added that it was clear that lifting of restrictions would be beneficial also to Greek Cypriots, concludes Ankara Anatolia.

[07] The occupation regime wants the free movement of goods from the occupied to free areas but imposes restrictions on the movement of goods to the occupied areas

The so-called council of Ministers met under the chairmanship of Serdar Denktas, so-called Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign minister of the illegal regime. The so-called Council of ministers has decided inter alia to allow free movement of the goods from the occupied areas to the free areas but imposes restrictions on the movement of goods from the free areas.

The so-called cabinet spokesman, Hureyin Celal said that the new trade regulations with south have been adopted with certain amendments. He said that trade from the south will be limited.

[08] Talat is accused by a Turkish Cypriot politician of becoming a part of the status quo

Mr Davulcu was commenting on Mr Talat's statements as regards the issue of putting into practice the constitution of the 'Turkish Cypriot state', as it is referred in the Annan Plan. Mr Talat, who rejected this idea called the persons who support it "dreamers" causing the reaction of Mr Davulcu who accused Mr Talat of becoming part of the status quo and for disappointing the Turkish Cypriots.

Mr Davulcu stated that the Turkish Cypriots have said "yes" at the 24 April referendum and accepted the Annan Plan and called on Mr Talat to apply partly all the issues of the Annan Plan that are possible to be put in practice. He said that the will of the "people" is always above everything else and added that efforts for transforming the present "constitution" of the occupation regime to the one of the component state as it written in the Annan Plan must start the sooner.

In addition, Turkish Cypriot daily KIBRISLI newspaper (10.06.04) under the headline "To be declared" also accused Mr Talat for his statements. "In order for the changing of the status quo to begin and for a dialogue in a legal base with the word to be established, a 'Turkish Cypriot State' is demanded to be declared as well as putting into practice the constitution", writes the paper.

[09] Unemployment levels increased in occupied Cyprus

According to the figures of the so-called Labour Department of the occupation regime, there are 1843 persons who are registered as unemployed. This number is 23% bigger than the number of unemployed persons compared to the year 2003.

The paper points out that these numbers are very high, since, as it stresses, the main problem of the occupation regime is unemployment, especially among the youth.

[10] Statements by Erdogan after the G-8 summit. He seems determined to continue the occupation of Cyprus and the violation of the human rights of EU citizens

Referring to Cyprus, Mr Erdogan said: "The Cyprus issue was brought onto the agenda during our meeting with U.S. President Bush. President Bush told us that Turkey had done everything in its power about the Cyprus issue. President Bush added that the United States would continue supporting Turkey.''

EG/

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