Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-08-17

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Mehmet Ali Talat and Serdar Denktas will be meeting Abdullah Gul tomorrow.

[02] Statements by Mr Mehmet Ali Talat after his meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan; comments by the Turkish Cypriot press.

[03] Akinci says he would have traveled to Athens with a passport of the Republic of Cyprus if he had one.

[04] Change in the command of the 28th Division.

[05] RPP expels three deputies.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Paper: Turkey to conclude customs union agreement with Republic of Cyprus.

[07] AFRIKA columnist: "Turkish Cypriot side is cool for the opening of mass graves".

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Mehmet Ali Talat and Serdar Denktas will be meeting Abdullah Gul tomorrow

According to the paper, the "new expectations and developments" on the Cyprus problem will be discussed during the meeting.

Mr Talat and Denktas will be returning to the occupied areas of Cyprus at the same day.

[02] Statements by Mr Mehmet Ali Talat after his meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan; comments by the Turkish Cypriot press

In a statement at the illegal Tymbou Airport upon his return from Turkey where he went to meet with the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mr Talat noted that he and Erdogan assessed the Cyprus problem and Turkey's EU process.

Pointing out that there might be developments in September as regards Turkey's EU process and the Union's relations with the Turkish Cypriots, Mr Talat said that it was for this reason that the need arose to assess the developments with Turkey and that it was within this context that he met with Erdogan.

He also said that in the coming few days they will also assess the situation with the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Mr Talat noted, inter alia, the following: "I can say that we broached all the issues, be that our relations with the EU, the present phase of the Cyprus problem, latest developments in Cyprus, our relations with southern Cyprus, and our ties with Turkey, not only in term of the Cyprus problem but also in terms of our economy and other spheres. I can say, this is the most general outline of that meeting. I cannot now make any statement on specific subjects discussed, for no result has yet been obtained. Merely a general assessment of the situation was made. The results will become slowly clearer in the coming few days. This is all I can say now. '".

Asked to comment on Greek Cypriot press reports regarding the transferring of Famagusta Port to the EU and the opening of the illegal Tympou Airport, Mr Talat answered:

"Let me say that there is no such thing. It seems that this is a concoction of the Greek Cypriot press. As you know, such speculative reports appear in the Greek Cypriot press frequently. There is no such thing; there is no question, at least to date, of transferring the port to the EU. But what is at stake is that if we are going to engage in free trade and export to the EU countries, then, as the requirement of the EU laws, our port should have a certain technical and administrative capability. Also accredited experts with special training will be needed to carry out customs, health, and other operations. Now this team of experts could be assigned by the EU. But this will not mean the operation of the port by the EU, as the EU has no such demand, and besides there is no port anywhere else in the world operated by the EU. There is no such issue. The EU is not a port operating organization. But, as I said, a special team could be assigned there for a certain purpose, and this is something that we have been discussing and could endorse".

Asked on the issue of Turkey getting ready for a customs union agreement with the Republic of Cyprus within a certain deadline, Mr Talat said: "That too was discussed. There is no question of us reaching any agreement [with Turkey] on that issue, for in the final analysis it is Turkey's own business. But we have our own views on the issue, and we conveyed our views. I had actually conveyed our views in writing. We had an opportunity to assess that issue today. However, I do not think that there is any definitive date [whereby Turkey should activate customs union agreement with the Cyprus Republic]. There was no mention of such a date. But I do not know if there is such a date in some report prepared by some other working team for the Prime Minister Erdogan. But, so far no date has been mentioned regarding the inclusion of Cyprus in the Customs Union. Besides, inclusion of Cyprus in the Customs Union means the liberalization of trade, exchange of goods, and economic activity. And the liberalization of the economic activity is also our demand as Turkish Cypriots. The free trade rules and our ability to freely export and import are requirements of a free economy. As such, we should take up this entire mechanism as a whole and think about it as a whole. On the one hand Cyprus will join a Customs Union with Turkey, and we on the other hand, as the 'TRNC', have a similar arrangement, even if it is not a Customs Union in form. The contradictions between these two arrangements must be resolved. As such the issue should be considered in an integral manner. I believe that these issues will come to the EU's attention in the days ahead. As you know, August is a holiday month in Europe. I believe these issues would be placed on the EU's agenda at the end of August, in the last week of August, or in the beginning of September".

Meanwhile, commenting on Mr Talat's visit to Ankara Turkish Cypriot daily AFRIKA newspaper (17.08.04) writes, inter alia, the following, under the title "Alarm in Ankara for Cyprus":

"The yes vote in the referendum was not enough to halt Turkey's Cyprus headache. The special hearing in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on 2 September makes Turkey brooding. 'Now is the turn of the legal struggle. The special hearing at the ECHR in September will be decisive for the issue of the properties in Cyprus. The strategy determined by Talat during his meeting with Erdogan in Istanbul is not known. Turkey, however, does not want Cyprus to stand on its way as a problem until December. On the one hand no concrete answer has been given to the Greek Cypriot proposals and on the other hand the Turkish side has not yet answered to the Annanīs letter regarding the missing persons".

Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot daily GUNES newspaper (17.08.04), under the title "A warning to Talat from Turkey", reports, inter alia, the following: "Talat who has been called to Istanbul, was warned not to side step the policy that Turkey follows in Cyprus. As it is known, RTP officials have been preparing for making some gestures to the Greek Cypriots. It is noted that Turkey is not satisfied from the stance of the RTP-DP government on the Cyprus problem. Turkey worries because of the fact that the RTP-DP coalition is heading towards making gestures and concessions, while the Cyprus policy of the Republic of Turkey after the 24 April referenda was that 'the Turkish side did everything it should have done and that now is the time for the promises to be kept and the Greek Cypriots-Greece duo (to make steps)'. After the warnings by the officials of Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Erdogan has once more stressed to Talat, whom he met in Istanbul, that Turkey is not thinking of making any gestures on the Cyprus issue and warned him to behave according to this policy'".

[03] Akinci says he would have traveled to Athens with a passport of the Republic of Cyprus if he had one

"I have traveled with my own will, but as I have not a passport of the Republic of Cyprus I was forced to travel with a passport of Turkey", noted Mr Akinci in statements to HALKIN SESI.

"If I had a Cypriot passport I would travel with it, but I have not taken the current passport as I am thing to take the passport of the United Republic of Cyprus", he added.

Mr Akinci expressed his sorrow because no Turkish Cypriot athlete participated in the Olympic Games and reminded that the athletes from North and South Korea compete together in Athens.

[04] Change in the command of the 28th Division

In statements yesterday during the ceremony, the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas noted that he always felt enthusiasm when he meets Turkish soldiers and called on the Turkish army to stay for ever in Cyprus, considering it as "a part of the homeland".

[05] RPP expels three deputies

The three, Istanbul deputies Ahmet Guryuz Ketenci and Hasan Aydin and Ankara deputy Mehmet Tomanbay, were expelled by the Discipline Board of the party for what was described as "assuming a position which does not comply with membership of the party". All three had been vocal in their opposition to RPP leader Deniz Baykal, who last month easily beat off a vote of no confidence at an extraordinary party congress.

None of the three deputies offered any defence at the meeting of the Discipline Board meeting. Of the Board's 14 members, 12 voted in favour of expulsion and two against, according to Discipline Board Chairman Ismet Canakci. After the expulsions, the number of seats held by the RPP in the Grand National Assembly decreased to 168.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Paper: Turkey to conclude customs union agreement with Republic of Cyprus

"`Prime Ministerī Mr Mehmet Ali Talat, unexpectedly flew to Istanbul to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. Based on experience, we can say that Talat and Erdogan make important decisions when they meet in such a way. The rule was not broken and they made important decisions yesterday.

According to the information that has leaked from the Turkish Foreign Ministry circles, Talat and Erdogan discussed the latest developments in the Cyprus problem in addition to matters that concern the "TRNC". Furthermore, they exchanged views on the new steps Turkey plans to take.

The situation of the Turkish Cypriot Airlines Company was among the issues that concerned the `TRNCī. Considering the resignation of Prof Kaynak, chairman of the KTHY Executive Board, the Administration for Privatization in Turkey is preparing to appoint a new chairman for the company. However, the `TRNC Governmentī insists that the KTHY be transferred to the Turkish Cypriots. The problem was discussed and attention was focused on what should be done to solve it. Talat reiterated the `TRNC Government'sī demands.

Regarding the developments in the Cyprus problem, it can be said that Turkey is preparing to take historic steps. We have concluded that from the unconfirmed information we received late last night. Two of the important steps that will be on the agenda during the next few weeks can be outlined as follows: Turkey, which is a candidate member of the EU, is preparing to conclude a customs union agreement with the Republic of Cyprus, which is a member of the organization. The customs union agreement was discussed many times in the past. However, it was obstructed because of various reasons. The matter has now become essential for a date for talks on Turkey's accession. It will be recalled that the Greek Cypriot side and the EU Commission put serious pressure on Turkey, saying "a customs union agreement has to exist between a member and a candidate member of the organization."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry experts have agreed that Turkey has to conclude a customs union agreement with the Republic of Cyprus sometime before December. The question of customs union was placed on the agenda when the officials agreed that the matter might negatively affect Turkey's expectation in December. So, a date for the agreement might be established in September.

In short, Turkey will conclude a customs union agreement with the Republic of Cyprus in September. The matter was explained to Talat and he was asked to express his opinion. He responded by saying that the embargoes that keep the Turkish Cypriots in isolation should be considered and that the matter should be linked to the customs union agreement.

The EU Commission can facilitate freedom of trade for north Cyprus through amendments in its rules on trade. Turkey can ask the EU for such a gesture in return for a customs union agreement with the Republic of Cyprus.

The second step Turkey plans to take concerns the closed sector of Varosha. The Turkish Government was not in favor of the opening of the closed sector of Varosha in the past. However, it now seems to be determined to abandon the passive policy it maintained after the referendum in April. It has drawn up a plan to open Varosha to the Greek Cypriots and third country nationals who have property in the area.

It is believed that Turkey has decided to open the closed sector of Varosha because of two reasons. It believes that the Turkish side will not be able to explain why it continues to keep Varosha closed. The area, which has been closed for 30 years, is in a ruined state. Defending it is very difficult. No one is able to convincingly explain why Varosha remains closed.

The second reason is the intention to show that the Turkish Cypriot side calls for the solution of the Cyprus problem, not separation. Varosha is the Papadopoulos administration's soft belly. The EU, the United States, and most important of all, the United Nations favour the transfer of the property in Varosha to the legitimate owners under the Turkish side's control. The Turkish Foreign Ministry decided after studying the matter in depth to have the Varosha sector of Famagusta opened under the Turkish side's control. It has already planned the steps that will be taken for that purpose.

It will be useful to reiterate that the information we have received has not been confirmed. However, new developments might take place during the next few days. That is a strong possibility.

The Justice and Development Party (JDP) administration in Turkey made important initiatives on the Cyprus problem during the past two years. It adopted a pro-active policy and took the necessary steps. It maintained a passive approach after the referendum, saying "We have done what we had to do." Considering its expectation in December, it seems to have decided to adopt an active approach. We will wait and see what its decision will bring to us. Obviously, those who stressed the importance of customs union for many years were right. We hope that those who claim that the Republic of Cyprus will open an embassy in Ankara are wrong and that the Cyprus problem can be solved through a formula for the establishment of the United Republic of Cyprus. Otherwise, no one will be able to predict what the steps to be taken will bring to the Turkish Cypriots, regardless of their historic nature. Let us hope that we do not lose what we already have."

[07] AFRIKA columnist: "Turkish Cypriot side is cool for the opening of mass graves"

"The Turkish side for the last 30 years has always been cool into the opening of the mass graves. It was unwilling. It still continues the same way. It is not demonstrating a humanely approach to a humanitarian issue.

Why?

Most probably they are afraid of the fact that the propaganda campaign based on massacre policy that they carried out for 30 years will collapse."

Mehmet Levent then refers to the letter sent by the UN Secretary-General to the sides in Cyprus regarding the Missing Persons issue and the Greek Cypriot side's prompt positive reply that "we are ready to do all we could do" and continuous silence by the Turkish Cypriot side and says: "As a matter of fact opening of mass graves as well as the missing persons issue in a sense is the measure of the sincerity of the intensions of the settlement efforts. Not to accept the excavation of the mass graves means not to forgive and pardon the past. Of course it is not possible to forget the past which was kneaded with blood and tears; it is possible to draw lessons from it and not to let the same sufferings to be repeated again. And for this reason both the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots have the duty to forgive each other reciprocally. Forgiving does not mean to forget.

Just the opposite 'It means we do not want to experience this bloody past and we are firm on this'. The Greek Cypriot side with its positive reply to the Annan letter has demonstrated its intention and the stance to this end".

Mehmet Levent then criticizes the occupation regime's negative stance and the refusal to let the Greek Cypriots who wanted to lay wreaths on the graves of the Turkish Cypriots who were victims of the inter-communal clashes.

Levent asks: "Well sirs, could you tell me how the peace would come to this island if we could not shed tears together over our lost ones tombs, if we could not share our pain and suffering and if we could not forgive each other?"

/SK

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