Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-08-31

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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 Committee on Missing Persons met yesterday at Ledra Palace.

[02] Obstacles to the Press by the occupation regime. Ayios Dhometios check point a "first degree military zone".

[03] Turkish Cypriots who live abroad and are the old inhabitants of Vroisha village will take legal action against the Cyprus Republic accusing it for the destruction of their properties.

[04] Rallies against and in favour of the religious ceremony that will take place in Ayios Mamas church in occupied Morphou.

[05] Turkey in a legal battle to avoid the consequences of its actions in occupied Cyprus.

[06] Rights and freedoms still abused, says MAZLUM-DER.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[07] Columnist in Turkish Cypriot paper criticizes Mr Talatīs statement that for Greek Cypriots good Turks are those who share their views.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The Committee on Missing Persons met yesterday at Ledra Palace

In statements after the meeting, Mr Tatar said that they discussed the letters sent to the communities by the UN Secretary-General in December 2003 and August 2004. Mr Tatar noted that the committee decided to request the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide it with a list of international forensic experts that they recommend for selection by the CMP to carry out as soon as possible, the necessary exhumation work on sites on the whole island.

Mr Tatar said that the issue of the place that the DNA tests will be conducted would be discussed at political level.

On his part, Mr Georgiades said that they exert efforts towards achieving a result. "Our main concern should be to achieve progress, so that an answer is finally given to all those families that wait for news (regarding their missing relatives) and suffer", he added.

A second meeting of the CMP will take place on Friday.

[02] Obstacles to the Press by the occupation regime. Ayios Dhometios check point a "first degree military zone"

The reason that the regime puts forward to justify this demand is the fact that the occupied Ayios Dhometios area is a "first degree military zone", writes KIBRIS.

The paper notes that the Media representatives reacted to the fact that the regime asks from them to get permission in order to take pictures, in spite of the fact that hundreds of persons cross over to the occupied areas through Ayios Dhometios barricade every day.

[03] Turkish Cypriots who live abroad and are the old inhabitants of Vroisha village will take legal action against the Cyprus Republic accusing it for the destruction of their properties

As the paper writes, a group of old inhabitants of the village, who now live in the United Kingdom, Australia and occupied Cyprus, visited yesterday the so-called Prime Minister of the occupation regime, Mehmet Ali Talat and informed him about the situation. As they supported, "the village has been wiped up from the map" and suffered various damages. They said that about 80 buildings, the village's school, the mosque and the cultivated area have been destroyed as a result of the "ethnic cleansing policy", following 1974, as they alleged. They also stated that the vineyards have been uprooted and the village became part of the forest.

The group also said that they approached the Minister of the Interior of the Cyprus Republic, through the British High Commission and giving him a ten page document demanded compensations for their damages as the legal owners of the village. However, the Minister told them that because the Cyprus problem has not been solved they cannot make use of their rights regarding their properties. Following this answer, the group decided to start the procedure of applying to the European Court of Human Rights, trying to solve the problem firstly within the internal legal road, as the ECHR provides.

Commenting on the issue, Mr Talat described as "vandalism" the fact that the village is now destroyed and expressed his support to the old inhabitants of Vroisha.

[04] Rallies against and in favour of the religious ceremony that will take place in Ayios Mamas church in occupied Morphou

Turkish Cypriot HALKIN SESI newspaper (31.08.04) reports that the Common Action Committee of Civil Society Organisations of Morphou District organised yesterday a rally. Around 1000 persons gathered yesterday evening at the Inonu Square in occupied Morphou and protested against the decision of the pseudogovernment to "grant permission" to the Greek Cypriots to hold the religious ceremony on the 1-2 of September in Ayios Mamas church. The protesters holding flags of the Turkish Republic and the occupation regime called on the so-called Prime Minister of the pseudostate Mehmet Ali Talat to resign and shouted slogans.

"Morphou is Turkish and will remain Turkish", "No to the waking up from the bells' noices", "Turkish Cypriot speak now or remain silence forever", "The bloody priests cannot come to Morphou", shouted among other slogans the protesters.

Speaking at the rally, the so-called mayor of occupied Morphou, stated that the district has been Turkish for 30 years and that the Greek Cypriot priests are trying now to penetrate in Morphou.

Writing about the event, AFRIKA (31.08.04) reports that "the rally was a fiasco" noting that only 500 persons participated in it.

In addition, as ORTAM newspaper (31.08.04) writes, a rally in favour of peace is organised tomorrow evening at occupied Morphou. The demonstration, which is held under the slogan "You cannot prevent peace in Cyprus", is organised by the Platform This Country Is Ours. As the paper writes the Turkish Cypriots will give with this rally a meaningful answer as regards the bombing attack against the church of Ayios Mamas. It was decided that the demonstration will take place on the 1st of September in the framework of the celebration for the Peace Day in occupied Nicosia. Some Greek Cypriot Organisations, like PEO were invited and will participate in the rally. In addition, the former deputy Takis Hadjidemetriou will address the rally, while the Greek Cypriot Morphou Committee of Greek Cypriot refugees will also participate in the rally.

[05] Turkey in a legal battle to avoid the consequences of its actions in occupied Cyprus

The paper reports that to this end Turkey has submitted to the Court a 72- page defense, in which it argues that north Cyprus does not belong to Turkey and that the cases should be referred to the "TRNC Courts".

HURRIYET further reports that if the ECHR takes into account the Greek Cypriot rejection of the Annan plan and considers the "TRNC courts" as "internal legal means", Turkey would be freed of hundreds of cases opened against it at the ECHR. On Thursday the ECHR will look into the case opened by Myra Xenidis Aresti against Turkey.

[06] Rights and freedoms still abused, says MAZLUM-DER

MAZLUM-DER Vice President Halit Celik, speaking in conjunction with the release of the report, which was based on articles appearing in the media and Human Rights Supervision Commission studies, said that while the number of human rights violations had decreased, the start of conflict in certain regions had created considerable fear.

Charges filed due to violations of freedom of expression and the right to organize, students facing disciplinary charges and dismissals from employment were still significant, said Calik.

Celik said the European Court of Human Rights had fined Turkey 3 million euros in the first six months of 2004, adding that significant obstructions blocking the implementation of new laws had occurred. He also said that Turkey still had failed to pass a comprehensive constitutional amendment package in accordance with universal norms.

The report said that 205 people had claimed they were tortured or maltreated in custody. Two people died while in custody, noted the report, adding that a total of 17 people had died as a result of suicide and hunger strikes in prisons.

Prosecutors had demanded more than 1,066 years' imprisonment in cases alleging violations of freedom of expression, said the report, adding that the court had called for a total of six years, four months' imprisonment and a total of approximately TL 1.4 trillion in penalties against those found guilty.

Three newspapers were closed, one TV station was shut down for 71 days, the screening of one movie was postponed, 13 publications received warnings and two publications were closed for two months, noted the report.

Four public servants and 20 students received warnings in violation of their freedom of religion, with 33 people being placed in police custody.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[07] Columnist in Turkish Cypriot paper criticizes Mr Talatīs statement that for Greek Cypriots good Turks are those who share their views

Ali Osman criticizes Talat and asks: "What does it mean to think like Greek Cypriots?" And replies: "It means to defend the Republic of Cyprus' To say the Turkish army has occupied the north of Cyprus' To declare that the will of the Turkish Cypriots is usurped ' To say that the Turkish Cypriots have been assimilated' To say that the demographic structure of the north Cyprus has been changed through settling Turks from Turkey' To say that Turkey governs the north Cyprus through its civilian and military bureaucrats'"

Ali Osman goes on and writes that he does not share what Talat claims and says: "I am the citizen of the Republic of Cyprus. I do say that the Turkish army in the north is the occupation army'I do say that the Turkish Cypriots are assimilated, that their will is usurped by Ankara, that their demographic structure has been changed and that I am criticizing Talat's efforts to secure a negotiation date for Turkey with the EU. I am also against branding "intellectuals" those persons who help the mentality that has belittled and humiliated us by keeping us under oppression in a prison camp for thirty years. One has nothing to do with "intellectualism" when in order to secure a seat he fawns before the occupier.

Ali Osman further says that with such statements Talat is serving Denktas` understanding, who used to claim that for the Greek Cypriots "the best Turk is the dead Turk". With such statements, adds Ali Osman, Talat is putting all the Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the same basket.

"I do not share Talat's views nor do I consider the Greek Cypriots the way they describe. If in this country we do not have quislings like Talat and Denktas neither the imperialism could act so freely nor the Cypriots could be divided as Greeks and Turks", Ali Osman concludes.

/SK

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