Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-08-04

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Greek and Turkish Cypriots to communicate by phone through Turkey. Ankara is exerting efforts to show that it is lifting the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots imposes by the Turkish army.

[02] Talat admits that foreigners buying property in occupied Cyprus are being cheated.

[03] Turkey's Minister of Education will illegally be visiting the occupied area of Cyprus.

[04] UCP criticizes the illegal sales of Greek Cypriot properties and describes "positive" the measures of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus towards the Turkish Cypriots.

[05] PUM: The Turkish Cypriots should use the Cyprus pound.

[06] Talat to participate in a conference organized by the British Labour Party.

[07] The football team of Samiland will be coming to the occupied part of Nicosia for a game.

[08] Retired lieutenant general Hasan Kundakci will reportedly be visiting the occupied part of Cyprus.

[09] Turkey has new political party.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] Ottoman criteria for Turkey's accession to the EU.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Greek and Turkish Cypriots to communicate by phone through Turkey. Ankara is exerting efforts to show that it is lifting the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots imposes by the Turkish army

The so-called Undersecretary of the Ministry of Public works and Transportation of the regime Ankara set up in occupied Cyprus, Mr Sener Cagin, stated that "Turkish Cypriots can now contact south Cyprus by dialing 00357 and then the telephone number of the person they want to talk to. They will then be able to connect with South Cyprus through Turkey".

Mr Sener Cagin concluded: "This is not what was desired. Direct telephone conversations should be established. The aim is to establish direct telephone lines between the `Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus´ and South Cyprus".

AFRIKA (04.08.04) covers the issue under the title: "We shall speak on the phone with South Cyprus as if it is a foreign country", and notes that the cost for the phone calls will be 295 thousand TL per minute.

[02] Talat admits that foreigners buying property in occupied Cyprus are being cheated

Mehmet Ali Talat complained that there are reports according to which people are complaining that they have been cheated and are victims of swindle in selling immovable property to the foreigners in the occupied area .Talat said: "Certain things are happening in selling property to the foreigners where sometimes it gives the impression that swindling is involved as well, which puts us in a very difficult situation before the world. This really hurt us. This is the biggest harm that one could do for us as `government´. This can not go on like this. This is very dangerous and risky. This kind of treatment not only put the contractors into difficulty but the whole of the society, and the whole country. For this reason we are very sensitive and we will not be lenient and turn a blind eye. We will complete all the deficiencies in legislation concerning the property."

In his turn the Chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Contractors Union Sevket Abohorlu complained about the illegal contractors and workers and said that this issue caused concern among the members of the Union. He said that people start building prior to securing the necessary "permit".

[03] Turkey's Minister of Education will illegally be visiting the occupied area of Cyprus

A Turkish Cypriot "parliamentary" delegation had visited Ankara the day before and met with HEB officials, who rejected the Turkish Cypriot demand for the revision of the decision taken on 8 July. The president of HEB, Erdogan Tezic, said that "the 8 July decision will not be changed". Other HEB officials stated that they did not feel the need to change the decision and that they believe that the problem could be solved with quotas and additional quotas.

Mr Mehmet Caglar, the head of the Turkish Cypriot "parliamentary" delegation, said that they could not accept the decision of HEB and that they informed its officials that they would establish a committee in the occupied areas of Cyprus and fight against the decision.

Meanwhile, referring to the development of the issue Turkish Daily News (03.08.04, internet version), writes inter alia, the following: "The HEB ruling, announced to TRNC universities two weeks ago, has drawn loud criticism from Turkish Cypriot academics and lawmakers, who said it would be a serious blow to the already frail economy. A resolution drafted by an ad hoc committee set up to examine the issue and presented to Parliament last week called on HEB to cancel its ruling.

However, HEB officials were previously defiant on their decision, with HEB member Professor Barbaros Guncer saying, 'There will be no retraction of the ruling.'

'Calls for the withdrawal of the ruling would be tantamount to saying, 'I give up on high-quality education',' he said.

According to Guncer, TRNC universities were initially granted certain privileges until they improved their capacity to maintain international standards. 'We now believe that universities in Cyprus are as good as our universities. For this reason, we introduce the same criteria for the entry of students,' he said.

The decision will cut a major source of income for the Turkish Cypriot economy. 70 percent of students in TRNC universities are from Turkey and these universities were able to attract Turkish high school graduates by allowing them to register despite the low marks they may have been awarded at university entrance exams in Turkey.

The HEB decision came days before university registrations started two weeks ago. TRNC authorities said the decision, if executed, would decrease the overall number of students studying in the TRNC by up to 80 percent".

Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot daily KIBRISLI newspaper (04.08.04) expresses the opinion that HEB "is applying the policy of taking revenge" from the Turkish Cypriots and the Erdogan government which "is in favour of a solution in Cyprus and the accession to the EU". The paper argues that "behind HEB there are supporters of the status quo, who are in continuous conflict with the Erdogan government".

Turkish Cypriot YENI DUZEN newspaper (04.08.04) describes the decision as "verdict without a trial".

[04] UCP criticizes the illegal sales of Greek Cypriot properties and describes "positive" the measures of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus towards the Turkish Cypriots

In a written statement issued yesterday the UCP stresses the importance of the creation of a basis for a common country for the Cypriots and therefore, it supports, facilitating the movement of capital, products and labour between the occupied and the free areas of Cyprus is a pre-condition. UCP expresses the opinion that not only the port of occupied Famagusta but all the ports and airports of Cyprus will be used jointly by all Cypriots.

Referring to the plundering of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied part of Cyprus, the party notes: "Selling to others the immovable properties of Turkish Cypriots in the south and the properties of the Greek Cypriots in the north or building in them without their approval, is unacceptable".

[05] PUM: The Turkish Cypriots should use the Cyprus pound

In a statement issued yesterday the party's Secretary for Financial Affairs, Yasar Karakas notes that the Turkish Cypriots should discuss this issue with the Greek Cypriots. Mr Karakas points out that the losses of the Turkish Cypriots will continue in case they pass from using the Turkish Lira to the use of the "New Turkish Lira".

[06] Talat to participate in a conference organized by the British Labour Party

The conference will be organized on 26 September in Brighton by Mrs Ayfer Orhan, a candidate with the Labour Party in the parliamentary elections, within the framework of the "Great Conference" of the party between 26 and 29 September. According to the paper, with this conference the issues regarding Turkey and Cyprus will be discussed for the first time at a Conference of the Labour Party.

[07] The football team of Samiland will be coming to the occupied part of Nicosia for a game

Noting that this was their first serious foreign contact, Mr Adal said that Samiland will be coming to the occupied part of Nicosia in February 2005 in order to play the second match.

Mr Adal noted that before the match in Norway "the national anthems of the two countries" were played and during the match the flag of the occupation regime was hoisted in Norway.

[08] Retired lieutenant general Hasan Kundakci will reportedly be visiting the occupied part of Cyprus

[09] Turkey has new political party

The party, which has yet to define its political position, was established by businessman Ahmet Yilmaz and associates. Yilmaz lodged all the required documentation with the Interior Ministry on Monday to formalise the founding of the new movement.

Later, speaking to reporters, Yilmaz said that "Our Party" had been set up to serve all Turks.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] Ottoman criteria for Turkey´s accession to the EU

The commentary is as follows: "Turkey is a country candidate to become member of the Union of the Europeans. And it expects to get a date for commencement of accession talks in December 2004. Why? Because it alleges that it has met the Copenhagen criteria.

Is this right?

What do the Copenhagen criteria demand from each candidate country? They demand the following:

1. To exhibit respect for democracy, the rule of law, for human rights and for minorities and to guarantee the protection and stability of the institutions.

2. To have functioning market economy and the quality of standing against the competition pressure and the marketing forces within the Union.

3. To shoulder the responsibility of membership, which includes adherence to the political, economic and monetary union targets.

Let us put aside items 2 and 3 of the above criteria and deal with only the first.

In other words let us examine Democracy, the rule of law, Human Rights and the issue of the minorities.

In Turkey is there the Democracy which is called the "European Democracy"?

For example, in Turkey is there "freedom of thought, speech and expression"? As in Europe I mean' To match the rules of Western European Democracy.

The answer is NO.

If the democratic rules were applied, Turkey would not be in Cyprus with its army for 30 years nor could it continue to insist on keeping its troops in Cyprus.

In a country where the democratic rules are not valid can it be called a "state of law"?

The same is valid for Human Rights and the minority issues.

Naturally for Turkey there are things it has implemented in Cyprus as well.

Turkey might say that the Cyprus problem is not in the Copenhagen criteria. In fact Cyprus as such is not in the Copenhagen criteria in a written form'

However, looking on whether Turkey applies the Human Rights or not, is it possible not to examine their implementation in Cyprus? Are Turkey´s actions in Cyprus not important?

If full implementation of the rules of democracy in times of peace is not enough, what do you do in case of war? Do you apply the rule of war? Did you comply with this?

Did you comply with the Geneva Convention? Since you are a rule of law what kind of behaviours did you involve yourself in a country you went with your army?

Did you respect the Human Rights and the Democratic Rights of the human beings of the country you invaded with your troops? Did you respect their democratic rights? Or did you trample upon them?

Did you not bring over your citizens to the land you have occupied? And did you not distribute the properties of the local people to your citizens you brought from Turkey? And on top you made them sell these properties.

Did you not give to the population you brought the right to vote?

In other words, a country which validates the Copenhagen criteria in its own country, should not have the right to enter a European Union country with its army and claim that it complies with the Copenhagen criteria.

Can you imagine this?

A country candidate to become member of the EU, that is Turkey, will occupy 36% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus which is an EU member, it will allow its people to plunder the local people's properties and force them to sell to others and then come and say: `I have fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria´.

The Union of the Europeans will be a mere spectator' At least let them change these criteria and in their place put Ottoman Criteria'"

/SK

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