Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-09-03

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat alleges that the religious ceremony at Saint Mamas church proved that northern Cyprus is not under occupation.

[02] A delegation of the ruling Justice and Development Party of Turkey invited the Chinese Communist Party to visit occupied Cyprus.

[03] The so-called prime minister's residence in occupied Cyprus will be used as European Union coordination center.

[04] Turkey wants to be both judge and accused in the cases of the violations of the human rights of the Greek Cypriots by the occupation army.

[05] Aydan Karahan has been appointed as Turkey's new illegal envoy to the occupied area.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Columnist in Turkish Cypriot paper argues that a European solution is unavoidable in Cyprus.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat alleges that the religious ceremony at Saint Mamas church proved that northern Cyprus is not under occupation

Mr Talat claimed, inter alia, the following: "'The ceremony was broadcast live and the entire world saw it. This showed the tolerance of the Turkish Cypriot people, their democratic understanding and common sense. A very important image has been created in the world. We shall all together see its benefits. This showed another thing as well. It showed that the northern part of Cyprus is a free area. It was once more seen that it is not an area suffering under occupation like the Greek Cypriots allege and that it is a country where, in spite of its various problems, the freedoms are widely used and its people have a wide democratic understanding".

Mr Talat alleged that the Greek Cypriots have not returned to Morphou, as some circles supported before the ceremony and added that what happened was a "peaceful occupation" of Morphou. Mr Talat said that everybody in the world saw that in the occupied areas of Cyprus there is a mechanism which functions with all its institutions including the police and "has the characteristics of a serious state".

Mr Talat noted also that with the ceremony at Saint Mamas church, the Turkish Cypriots succeeded in making an advertisement of themselves in the world, which could not be made even with large amounts of money.

[02] A delegation of the ruling Justice and Development Party of Turkey invited the Chinese Communist Party to visit occupied Cyprus

Mr Disli stated that a visit of the Chinese Communist Party to occupied Cyprus will help the efforts of lifting the 'isolation' of the Turkish Cypriots and it will be received as a gesture of good will, either by Turkey or the pseudostate. In addition he said that if a delegation of the Chinese Party visits occupied Cyprus, invited either by Turkey or the pseudostate, this visit will gain a symbolic meaning.

Commenting on the issue, Turkish Cypriot daily AFRIKA newspaper (03.09.04), in the column "Letter from AFRIKA", writes inter alias the following:

"A news item from the news agency says that a delegation of the JDP invited the Chinese Communist Party to the 'TRNC''As if they invited (them) in their own house'Since when, a state in the world, invites another state to visit a third country? Is there another example like this?"

[03] The so-called prime minister's residence in occupied Cyprus will be used as European Union coordination centre

The 240-square metre residence was used by Mr Dervis Eroglu and his family at the time he "served" as so-called prime minister of the occupation regime. During that period a bomb had been placed in front of it. Mr Mehmet Ali Talat refused to stay in this residence when he became so-called prime minister and preferred to continue living in his own house. The residence, which has been empty for some months now, is renovated in order to be used as a European Union coordination centre.

[04] Turkey wants to be both judge and accused in the cases of the violations of the human rights of the Greek Cypriots by the occupation army

"The European Court of Human Rights should contribute to solution rather than further complicating the property disputes in Cyprus, says Turkey", Turkish Daily News (03.09.04) reports the following:

"The European Court of Human Rights began yesterday hearing in a key trial that is expected to set precedent over hundreds of similar pending applications from Greek Cypriots against Turkey for violating their property rights as a result of its military presence in Cyprus.

The Strasbourg-based court's verdict whether the application from Greek Cypriot woman Myra Xenides-Arestis against Turkey is admissible on the grounds of violation of her property rights will have a decisive effect in the course of pending clone applications. This is the first time court judges are to decide on a Greek Cypriot property application since the establishment of a compensation board in `Turkish Cyprus´ and an April 24 referendum on the island in which Greek Cypriots voted against a U.N.-drafted reunification plan.

A new era has started in Cyprus after the U.N. plan was turned down by Greek Cypriots, thus the court should take into consideration the changed circumstances, Daniel Bethlehem, one of the lawyers for Turkey, said at his defense statement at the first hearing of the case.

The court should keep in mind that not only Greek Cypriots but also Turkish Cypriots had to abandon their property and Greek Cypriots, by rejecting the reunification plan, showed that they wanted the situation to remain as it is, another lawyer for Turkey, Professor Zaim Necatigil, told the judges.

"The European Court of Human Rights should contribute to a solution of the problem, instead of further complicating it," he said, warning that accepting such applications from Greek Cypriots would harm efforts aimed at a solution on the island in the future. Xenides-Arestis complains in her application of the violation of her human rights under Articles 8 and 1 of the European Convention of Human Rights, regulating property rights, due to the continuing presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus since 1974.

The complaints are parallel to those brought by Titina Loizidou, another Greek Cypriot woman, who won compensation from Turkey for blocking access to her property in `Turkish Cyprus´. Turkey's refusal to pay the compensation, saying the complaint should be referred to authorities of the `TRNC´, created tension in relations between the Council of Europe -- to which the European Court of Human Rights is attached -- and Ankara.

Last year, Turkey settled the dispute by paying the agreed compensation to Loizidou.

In June 2003, the `TRNC Parliament´ passed a law introducing a compensation mechanism with a commission set up to hear compensation requests from Greek Cypriots.

That commission, said Turkey's lawyers, is a domestic remedy for complaints from Greek Cypriots and thus the European court should refer similar applications to that board, instead of Turkey.

British lawyer of Xenides-Arestis argued that the board could not be a valid remedy because the `TRNC´ was not a legally recognized entity under international law. The lawyer, Ian Brownlie, warned that a court decision to refer the applications to that board would be tantamount to recognition of the `TRNC´.

He also argued that failure of reunification of the island due to Greek Cypriot rejection of the U.N. plan could not make up for the losses of his client.

It was not clear when the court would issue its verdict whether Xenides-Arestis' application is an admissible one under the relevant articles of the European Court of Human Rights."

[05] Aydan Karahan has been appointed as Turkey's new illegal envoy to the occupied area

The paper reports that a total of 33 ambassadors have been appointed to new posts. HURRIYET further notes that the most significant aspect of these appointments is that until now young diplomats who were appointed for the first time as "ambassadors" were sent to the occupied area in Cyprus but this time Ambassador Aydan Karahan, a former "envoy" to the occupied area, has been re-appointed again to this post.

With the new decree 14 diplomats, including two women, got the title of ambassador.

Following are the names of the new appointments and their posts:

* Turkish Foreign Ministry Under secretary Ugur Ziyal to Italy.

* Deputy Under secretary Baki Ilkin to UN as Permanent Representative in New York.

* Deputy Under secretary Alev Kilic to Switzerland.

* Yusuf Bulunc to ESCO as Permanent Representative in Vienna.

* The Permanent Representative to the UN Umit Pamir to NATO as Permanent Representative.

* Director General of the Protocol Dogan Akdur to Venezuela.

* Director General Umur Apaydin Tahsin Burcuoglu to Greece.

* Director General Oktay Ozuye to China.

* Ahmet Banguoglu to Mexico.

* Director General Umur Apaydin to Hungary.

* Director General Turan Morali to Azerbaijan.

* Economy Coordinator to Iraq Ahmet Okcun to Rumania.

* Director General Ecvet Tezcan to Poland.

* Mehmet Gorkay Permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to Norway.

* Deniz Bolukbasi to WTO as Permanent representative.

* Ambassador to Hungary Aydan Karahan to the occupied areas of Cyprus.

* Ambassador to Georgia Dicle Kopuz to Croatia.

* Ambassador to Iraq Osman Paksut to Finland.

* Ambassador to Azerbaijan Unal Cevikoz to Iraq.

* Turkish Grand National Assembly Chief Advisor Engin Turker to New Zealand.

Following are the names of first time appointed ambassadors:

* Necip Erguz to Sweden.

* Ertan Tezgor to Georgia

* Birnur Fertekligil to Belarus.

* Hakki Akil to Turkmenistan.

* Halit Cevik to Syria.

* Kemal Asya to Uzbekistan.

* Serpil Alpman to Kyrgyzstan.

* Hakan Okcal to Nigeria.

* Suphan Erkula to Albania.

* Ahmet Gurkan to Brazil.

* Sakir Fakili to Kuwait.

* Number two at the Washington Embassy Naci Saribas to Qatar.

* Deputy Permanent representative in UN Altay Cengizer to Tajikistan.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Columnist in Turkish Cypriot paper argues that a European solution is unavoidable in Cyprus

"The importance of the politicians´ statements lies not in what they say, but in the things they do not say.

Has Abdullah Gul said: `We do not recognize the Republic of Cyprus?´ I am sure that he will recognize it.

Has Tayyip Erdogan said: `We shall not withdraw our troops from Cyprus?´

Have no doubt at all that he will withdraw them.

The most popular thing among Turkish politicians is to make their propaganda from Turk to Turk. They say different things to the Turkish public and different things abroad.

When asked about the reason of this contradiction they have their replies ready:

- What shall we do, we must please our voters as well. Otherwise our party loses votes.

In other countries the road of not losing votes passes through telling the truth. There is no country like ours hiding the truth'

While on the one hand Abdullah Gul says that we shall not recognize the Republic of Cyprus on the other hand he says the following:

- It does not mean that we shall recognize the Republic of Cyprus by signing the Customs Union Agreement with the Republic of Cyprus.

Are you laughing or crying?

You will both sign an agreement with a country you do not recognize and you will continue saying that you do not recognize that country.

You will get married and enter the nuptial chamber and at the same time say this is not my wife.

Because everybody around you is stupid' As if they believe in what you say and not in the realities they see with their own eyes.

It was only until yesterday that Mehmet Ali Talat was boasting to us. - I held talks with America, I held talks with Britain, I held talks with the EU, the embargoes will be lifted, the isolation will end, he was saying.

Later he saw that the matters are complicated' He immediately retreated.

-Nobody undertook concrete commitments before us, he started saying. And he put forth the following excuse:

- The Greek Cypriot side is within the law, but we are not. For years Denktas and Eroglu were saying:

- We do not give Limnitis, we shall never give Morphou. After the UN documents were made public, we realized that Eroglu and Denktas had given up both Limnitis and Morphou years ago but they did not say the truth to anybody.

Even at this moment both Denktas and Eroglu are not saying the truth to our people.

Also they are hiding from our people that as of May 1st 2004 the chemistry of the Cyprus problem has changed, that the `TRNC´ has completed its life span, that after the signing of the Customs Union Agreement between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey the `TRNC´ will come to a point of collapsing.

In anyway most of the ground was covered and only a small remained. On 17 December everything will become clear. Whether Turkey takes a date for accession negotiations from the EU or not it will come to the surface that the chemistry of the Cyprus problem has changed.

It will be understood that it is not possible anymore to let the "TRNC" to continue being isolated from the world.

Everybody will be obliged to accept that Cyprus has changed owner and the European Union is responsible for the whole of Cyprus.

And be in no doubt that the solution to the Cyprus problem will be found in this framework.

Everything may be responded to. For every negative development there is definitely the positive side".

/SK

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