Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-09-23

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] A secret summit at the so-called presidential palace

[02] Talat sees serious legal problems on the issue of the launching of direct flights

[03] A crucial discussion for the 2004 "budget", which will determine the future of the pseudo government has started in the occupation regime

[04] Rauf Denktas on his grandson's application for obtaining an identity card of the Republic of Cyprus

[05] Problems between the pseudostate and the so-called Turkish Cypriot airlines

[06] Tamer Gazioglu so-called ambassador of the occupation regime in Ankara

[07] Rauf Denktas discloses that the Greek Cypriot house he holds at Snake Island was given to him by the Turkish army

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[08] Ozker Ozgur argues that Turkey indents to keep Cyprus hostage until its accession to the EU

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] A secret summit at the so-called presidential palace

According to the paper, the press was not informed for this meeting, but they found out about it accidentally when they arrived at the "presidential palace" for the press conference of Rauf Denktas.

Replying to reporters' questions, Mr Denktas said that the meeting was not secret and that they evaluated the EU financial aid towards the Turkish Cypriots, as well as the legal cases of the Greek Cypriots at the European Court of Human Rights.

Mr Denktas, replying to another question regarding the Greek Cypriots' applications to the ECHR for their properties at the occupied area of Cyprus, said: "It is a very complicated issue. The whole point is that the Cyprus problem at the ECHR is both a political and a de facto problem, why we became two parts; why we exchanged population; why the property issue must be solved with compensations and exchange; the judges did not understand these, or by saying it is a 'political issue', they did no want to understand."

[02] Talat sees serious legal problems on the issue of the launching of direct flights

Addressing the Congress of Tourism which began yesterday in the occupied part of the island, Mr Talat noted that some intensive efforts are exerted in Brussels at COREPER regarding the approval of the EU regulations on the direct trade with the occupied areas of Cyprus and the financial aid of the EU to the Turkish Cypriots. Mr Talat argued that we are on the eve of serious developments which will influence the whole economy and the tourism of the Turkish Cypriots.

Mr Talat said that in spite of their efforts "some very big problems exist" on the issue of the direct flights and that these problems would continue. Noting that their efforts were still going on, Mr Talat said:

"In the end we are not the ones to achieve the direct flights. We shall influence other countries. Therefore, we as government shall work on the political level, but everybody who participates in this congress and the organizations to which they belong must exert similar efforts. That is, the direct flights will be a result of the decisions separately taken by countries. The latest information says that the legal ground is hard pressed and shows that there is no agreement yet. Our most important center on this issue is Britain. It has not yet been possible for Britain to overcome its own laws, as the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has personally told me, and achieve the direct flights which have been discussed at many meetings. There are still some legal difficulties on this issue. That is, the government will take the decision. The British government may say that 'direct flights to Tymbou airport can begin'. The companies concerned might begin the flights, but the legal ground for their defence at the British courts against the charges they will be facing, must be well prepared. Otherwise, if the court takes a contrary decision, it will be more difficult to change it. We have information that the British government is seriously working on the issue of the preparation of this legal ground".

Mr Talat admitted again that they are trying to overcome the legitimacy on the issue of the approval of the regulations of the EU on the direct trade and the financial aid to the Turkish Cypriots. "The situation is very difficult when you look at it from the point of view of how the legitimacy will be overcome", he noted adding that this is due to the accession agreement of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU in April 2003.

Meanwhile, in statements during a meeting he had with a delegation of the Businessmen Association, Mr Talat said that they are exerting intensive efforts in Berlin and in Brussels on the issue of the approval of the regulations of the EU on the direct trade and the financial aid to the Turkish Cypriots.

Mr Talat noted that they were expecting all the organizations to make lobby abroad promoting the Turkish side's stands and added that they will support such efforts which will give results.

[03] A crucial discussion for the 2004 "budget", which will determine the future of the pseudo government has started in the occupation regime

The "bill" of the annual 2004 budget, which was presented with delay yesterday in the "parliament", started to be discussed with a meeting of the Economy, Finance, Budget and Planning Committee. According to the "bill", the budget will reach the amount of 222 trillions, 625 billions Turkish liras. The "bill" will be discussed in the Committee until the 6th of October and then it will be brought in the "general assembly" for approval. As the paper writes the budget needs the majority of 26 "deputies" in order to pass from the "general assembly". The number of the "deputies" of the RTP and the DP is only 23.

KIBRIS, which notes that the "budget" issue is "a difficult test" for the "government", writes that Mr Mehmet Ali Talat stated that if the budget is rejected, the "government" will resign.

[04] Rauf Denktas on his grandson's application for obtaining an identity

Turkish daily Hurriyet newspaper (23.09.04), under the banner headline "I gave the permission", reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas gave yesterday a press conference, in order to clear the issue.

Mr Denktas said that their surname is continuously under the scope and this caused blood pressure to his son Serdar Denktas. He also added that it was false news that his son had a fight with his son regarding the identity cards of the Republic of Cyprus.

Denktas continued: "My grandson asked for my permission, we discussed it and there is no prohibition. Thousands of youth are obtaining this identity card. It is their right. The Greek Cypriots became the owners of the Republic of Cyprus in 1963 by taking over it."

Finally, Mr Denktas said that he has never called until now those who obtain identity cards of the Republic of Cyprus "traitors". "Let them come in front of me, let them prove that I said it. And they would explain that if I said it in the past it was in a different context", he concluded.

[05] Problems between the pseudostate and the so-called Turkish Cypriot airlines

As KIBRIS wrote on 10.09.04 there is an issue of privatization of the 50 percent share that Turkey owns of the "Turkish Cypriot Airlines".

Speaking at the opening of the Congress, Mr Deniz stated that the "Turkish Cypriot Airlines" are a big obstacle regarding the development of tourism in occupied Cyprus. He also said that the pseudogovernment has not received any information as regards what is going to happen with the TCA and admitted that the relations between the pseudogovernment and the TCA have been stopped one and a half months ago. He noted that he has no information concerning the actions of the TCA regarding the tourism issue and called the company to establish relations with his "ministry".

Mr Deniz also stated in his speech that because of the political developments that affected Cyprus, there was a 26 percent increase in the number of tourists visiting occupied Cyprus last year.

[06] Tamer Gazioglu so-called ambassador of the occupation regime in Ankara

[07] Rauf Denktas discloses that the Greek Cypriot house he holds at Snake Island was given to him by the Turkish army

He said: "The building at Snake Island was a house in ruins in a military area. Since some of the immovable properties in the possession of the army are no longer needed for them, from time to time they transfer them to the Housing Department".

He added that the house at Snake Island of four bedrooms, and the three donums, one quarter of a donum and 300 square feet of land at Bellapais were given to him for the 2,000,374 points he earned for the value of property he abandoned in the free areas.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[08] Ozker Ozgur argues that Turkey indents to keep Cyprus hostage until its accession to the EU

"For years now the elite ruling Turkey has been stressing the importance it attaches to the Greek-Turkish balance in East Mediterranean. They were saying and writing this and quite often repeating it to Denktas in Cyprus. The Turkish-Greek balance referred to was achieved with the Treaty of Lausanne and consolidated with the London-Zurich Agreements and they are stating that this balance must be protected at any price.

It is in this spirit that they were against Cyprus´ accession to the EU as a whole before Turkey and they still object to it. The reason is simple.

Greece is an EU member. Turkey is not still a member. If Cyprus as a whole becomes EU member before Turkey, if the Island is united with the EU, it is uniting with Greece. In other words, when Cyprus accedes to the EU as a whole before Turkey, ENOSIS is achieved indirectly. With the realization of ENOSIS the balance secured through the Lausanne Treaty and Zurich-London Agreements is disturbed.

This is the main reason why the Anna plan, which was prepared by the Anglo-Americans, was not possible to be approved. No doubt behind this there is a role by the relation and the differences in the region of the US and EU multinational companies.

What can be seen, however, since the elite ruling Turkey did not make concessions in the understanding of the Greco-Turkish balance, as a result the Anglo-Americans did not see any danger in changing the Annan Plan in favour of Turkey. This was achieved by the 'yes' of the Turkish Cypriots in the 24April 2004 referenda and the 'no' of the Greek Cypriots. Since the Annan plan was not implemented the whole of Cyprus could not enter the European Union. But this opened Turkey's way to a great extent. In this way the Anglo-Americans hit two birds with one stone. As the elite ruling Turkey wanted Turkish military control over Cyprus, and indirectly the USA, this was secured and on top a serious obstacle in front of Turkey's EU course was lifted.

If this conclusion is correct, what will be the course to be followed in the light of this?

Turkey, after taking a conditional or unconditional date from the EU in December, will start a process of accession negotiations. Until Turkey becomes full member of the EU, and on the ground that it is essential not to disturb the Greco-Turkish balance, Turkey will continue to keep the Turkish Cypriots hostage until it completes the accession negotiations with the EU. In other words, the Cyprus problem will be put aside until Turkey realizes its membership with the EU.

It is not clear how many years the process of Turkey's accession negotiations will last. On the Greek Cypriot side, the Papadopoulos wing, thinks that Turkey will be forced to pay a price once it enters the membership course and is playing with time. The ruling elite of Turkey will try to increase the population in northern Cyprus much more feeling the ease of being in the Greek-Turkish balance protection, while negotiating with the EU. Upon completion of its accession negotiations, Turkey, putting this time the Greco-Turkish balance under the EU roof, plans to continue to protect it until that day with the population it will transfer to Northern Cyprus.

All these calculations are made by Turkey and Greek Cypriot dominant groups. The communal existence and identity of the Turkish Cypriot is not in the sphere of their interest. They do not care at all about the future of the Turkish Cypriot worker. They seem to have almost forgotten those who went to the streets saying "we are the party of the people and the labourer". They prefer to protect their offices by going behind Tayyip Erdogan. It is imperative that Greek and Turkish Cypriots who approach the events from the workers' future point of view to do what they have to for an early solution without delay.

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