Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 05-05-09

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The so-called coalition government got vote of confidence.

[02] Mr Soyer stated that they will start a legal battle with the Greek Cypriots.

[03] The so-called Prime Minister lives in a house that belongs to a Greek Cypriot.

[04] Turkish Cypriot lawyer points out that the so-called Compensations Committee is established based only on the principle of "expropriating land on racial basis".

[05] Turkey's Permanent Representative to the UN commented on the Cyprus issue.

[06] Akinci stated that the issue of bringing an end to the fact that Turkish citizens enter occupied Cyprus using their identity card is a social demand.

[07] Turkish Prime Minister will participate in COE Summit. Row as to who gives orders in the occupation regime.

[08] The so-called police beat workers on strike at the illegal Tymbou airport.

[09] VATAN newspaper supports that some Greek Cypriot employers make immoral proposals to their employees asking to bring them drugs and bullets from occupied Cyprus.

[10] DP will join ANAP.

[11] The debate on government decree on Incirlik air base continues.

[12] Exclusive statements by Serdar Denktas to Turkish Daily News.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The so-called coalition government got vote of confidence

Totally 28 "deputies" gave vote of confidence, while 19 "deputies" didn't give vote of confidence to the so-called coalition government led by the "Prime Minister" Ferdi Sabit Soyer. "Deputies" of the opposition parties National Unity Party (NUP) and Peace and Democracy Movement (PDM) didn't give vote of confidence to the so-called coalition government.

The so-called government program was presented to the "Assembly" last Tuesday and the discussions on it were completed late Friday.

The so-called coalition government has 29 seats in the 50-seat "assembly".

Mr Ferdi Sabit Soyer, addressing the "assembly" after his "government" won vote of confidence, said that the "government" would take into consideration the criticisms and they would be in dialogue with all sections of the society. He also said that they would also be in cooperation with the so-called President Mehmet Ali Talat and Turkey in the Cyprus solution process.

Making a peace call to the government of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Soyer said: "Turkish Cypriots want to build a future with the Greek Cypriots on the basis of political equality and partnership."

Referring to the remarks of the President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr Tassos Papadopoulos, Mr Soyer said: "Papadopoulos told a foreign delegation that 'can 82 percent of a population be equal with that of 18 percent?' Such a discourse was against the EU principles and democratic values".

[02] Mr Soyer stated that they will start a legal battle with the Greek Cypriots

Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily Cyprus TIMES newspaper (09/05/05) reports that during the meeting of Mr Soyer with a delegation of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry, Mr Soyer said that they will start a legal battle with the Greek Cypriots alongside the ongoing political battle and added: "We will not bow our heads to the property game and we will not allow them to drag our people into a state of fear and anxiety. We will stand up to this affair that Greek ruling powers have started with their perception of dominance. We will strive and succeed to reach a conclusion in accordance with the will of the Turkish Cypriots and their political equality as demonstrated on the 24th of April. We will confront the Greek ruling powers in the legal arena. I want to relay the message that we will increase our efforts in this respect while continuing our political struggle."

Noting that they will keep pushing for the lifting of "sanctions" with the aid of various segments of the community, Mr Soyer concluded that they will be successful and that he disagreed with the view that international law was preventing the lifting of sanctions.

[03] The so-called Prime Minister lives in a house that belongs to a Greek Cypriot

The paper wonders whether Mr Soyer will appear before a court of the Republic of Cyprus if he gets a summons.

[04] Turkish Cypriot lawyer points out that the so-called Compensations Committee is established based only on the principle of "expropriating land on racial basis"

Responding to a question, Mr Hakki said, inter alia the following:

"According to the Article 159 of the `TRNCī constitution, the Greek Cypriot property, which was already abandoned on 13 February 1975, the day the Turkish Cypriot Federated State was declared, has automatically become the `TRNCī state property as our 1985 constitution entered into force. That is, there is an attempt for expropriation based only on the principle of the race. The Compensations Committee we are talking about has been established on the basis of this principle. The European Court of Human Rights, even if it does not at all go into details in the Xenides-Arestis case, by referring to article 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights gives the impression that it will not approve this methodology of article 159. ..."

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot YENI DUZEN newspaper (09.05.05) publishes an interview with Turkish Cypriot lawyer Ali Fevzi Yesilada who says that there is a contradiction in the so-called constitution of the occupation regime on the issue of the occupied Greek Cypriot properties, because in article 159 the Turkish Cypriots claim that the Greek Cypriots have no rights any more over their occupied properties, while afterwards they said that if the Greek Cypriots made an application to the regime and take compensation, their property rights will be eliminated.

[05] Turkey's Permanent Representative to the UN commented on the Cyprus issue

Mr Ilklin, inter alia, said that whether the Cyprus process would progress or not depended on Greek Cypriot side's answer to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He also noted that there was no new development on the Cyprus issue in the United Nations and added: "UN Secretary-General Annan has a clear demand. The Secretary-General said that if the Greek Cypriot side explains clearly, in a written statement, provisions of the Annan plan on which the side has concerns, he would examine these objections. He said that otherwise he would not deal with them. Everyone waits for the answer of Greek Cypriot side currently".

Alleging that the Greek Cypriot side's basic problem stemmed from the philosophy and basic parameters of Annan plan, Mr Ilkin said: The "Greek Cypriot side thinks that it was the only government of the island and expects Turkish Cypriots to be included in itself as a society or minority. It is the solution for Greek Cypriots. The Turkish Cypriot side wants a solution based on a political equality."

Mr Ilkin noted that it was difficult to put into action the Annan plan, stating that the Turkish side supported the plan, since it was based on partnership and added that the Greek Cypriot side rejected the plan for the same reason.

Replying to a question, Mr Ilkin said that if Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's schedule of his visit to the United States became definite and the date of his visit was to be appropriate for Annan's program, Erdogan and Annan could have a meeting. Mr Ilkin said that both sides wanted to have a meeting.

Stating that the Republican People's Party (RPP) deputy Kemal Dervis was elected as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Director and it was a great prestige for Turkey, Mr Ilkin said that Dervis would visit New York at the beginning of next month and hold talks there for 10 days.

[06] Akinci stated that the issue of bringing an end to the fact that Turkish citizens enter occupied Cyprus using their identity card, is a social demand

According to a statement issued by the PDM's political bureau, Mr Akinci said that this is "a social demand" and called on the so-called government of the pseudostate to listen to this demand. He also called on the so-called government to discuss the issue with Turkish officials and to remove this practice, claiming that the Turkish Cypriots are left defenceless by its "state".

Mr Akinci stated that the fact that the "government" changed in the pseudostate does not mean that the status quo has also changed. "The most important element that the status quo should change would be the transfer of the Turkish administration to the Turkish Cypriots", he stated.

Mr Akinci also said that the most important issue at the agenda of the society is the guarantee of the security of life and property.

[07] Turkish Prime Minister will participate in COE Summit. Row as to who gives orders in the occupation regime

[08] The so-called police beat workers on strike at the illegal Tymbou airport

Members of the HAVA - Sen Trade Union were arrested because they entered the building of the "airport" during the strike.

The paper writes that charges have been filed against 178 persons. The lawyers of the trade union Savas Atakan and Suleyman Dolmaci are among these persons.

Meanwhile, under the banner front-page title "The Prime Minister as well does not know", Turkish Cypriot daily AFRIKA newspaper (08.05.05) reports that the so-called prime minister of the regime, Mr Ferdi Sabit Soyer, said he did not know by whose orders the "police" were sent to the illegal airport. The trade union asked Mr Soyer, the following: "You said that you did not know. Who gave the police the instruction to interfere? Does the person who gave the instruction not have to inform you?"

Responding to this question Mr Soyer said: "I have launched an investigation and I will find out".

[09] VATAN newspaper supports that some Greek Cypriot employers make immoral proposals to their employees asking to bring them drugs and bullets from occupied Cyprus

As the paper writes, one worker that did not want his name to be published alleged that his Greek Cypriot employer called him and asked him to do "dirty business". As he said, his employer told him that he could give him 500 Cyprus pounds in order to bring him Turkish bullets from the pseudostate. The Turkish Cypriot worker stated that he refused because it was not according to his values to get dirty money. As he alleged, the employer insisted for some time on this and in the end he fired him.

In addition another worker, with the initials H.M. told the paper that his Greek Cypriot employer gave him 100 Cyprus pounds and asked him to bring him drugs from occupied Cyprus.

The paper also writes that some of the workers that made statements on this issue said that this kind of immoral proposals started after frequent visits made by the police of the Republic of Cyprus to their employers.

The paper writes that the workers are under the threat of loosing their jobs if they do not obey to the request of their employers and writes that some workers quitted the job themselves for these reasons.

[10] DP will join ANAP

Releasing a statement, the DP leader Omer Yildirim said that his party decided to join Motherland Party in the extraordinary convention it held today. He also added that he hoped that this reunification would be beneficial to Turkey.

[11] The debate on government decree on Incirlik air base continues

But, the Cabinet's decree did not grant "block authorization" initially sought by the United States for logistical purposes while sources said that the authorization provided for in the new decree was based on the request conveyed by the Prime Minister to the General Staff.

The Cabinet's decision, which has provided the United States with new military facilities at Incirlik while allowing it to accommodate its troops there, has led to speculation that it conflicted with the Constitution. The government argues that seeking parliamentary approval was not necessary as the authorization was granted in accordance with the UN Security Council's resolutions. Article 92 of the Constitution, however, clearly stipulates that presence of foreign military forces in Turkey may be permitted only if it is approved by the National Assembly.

[12] Exclusive statements by Serdar Denktas to Turkish Daily News

"Turkish Cypriot Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Serdar Denktas has stated that northern Cyprus will not accept any settlement beyond a peace plan proposed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

In an exclusive interview with the Turkish Daily News concerning the search for a settlement in the Cyprus dispute, the Turkish Cypriot minister said the Cyprus dispute should be resolved within the next two years and that if there were no solution by that time, the Turkish Cypriots would proceed on their own path. Cyprus has been split into a Turkish Cypriot-controlled north and Greek Cypriot south since 1974, when Turkey intervened on the island. Turkey still maintains some 40,000 troops in the north and is the only country to recognize the state.

"We made all the concessions we can in the Annan plan. Despite these concessions, we voted for the plan. If this plan is deviated from, then nobody can guarantee that the Turkish Cypriots will say 'yes' as they did before. Therefore, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his colleagues should certainly take all of these sensitivities into consideration. We neither have the strength to wait for the good mood of the Greek Cypriots nor do we have the endurance to make our people live under these conditions. That's why we will wait and strive for a settlement on the island for two more years, but if there is still no solution, then efforts for a common solution to the problem in cooperation with the Greek Cypriots will come to an end, and we'll proceed along our own path. Now we have a second president, and our institutional structure has become even stronger, but we have no intention of awaiting a 10th president for a solution to the decades-old problem. We'll extend our full support to Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat for two years," Denktas said.

Expressing his views concerning the dropping of Annan's report on Turkish Cypriot isolation from the agenda of the U.N. Security Council, Denktas said: "Such an event, namely the dropping of a report drafted by the U.N. Secretary-General from the Security Council agenda, has occurred for the first time in the history of the United Nations. This issue is about the secretary-general's own prestige. He should think about the issue more than us. There was a lot of wording in that report that we were not satisfied with, but at least there were facts revealed in the report. We expect Annan to defend the report he drafted and exert efforts for its adoption in the Security Council."

Stating that the attitude assumed by the European Union would lead to the lack of a solution on the island, Denktas emphasized that the Greek Cypriots objected to any solution to the dispute because of the strength of their EU membership.

"It was the Turkish Cypriots who strove for a solution over the last 10 years. The border crossings and the approval of the Annan blueprint are examples. What did the Greek Cypriots do? They said 'no' to everything. They are abusing the current situation. Now when the negotiations open [with Turkey], they will press Turkey to withdraw 2,000 troops from the island as a condition for approving Turkey's EU integration. I believe they have ulterior motives. If we bow to the Greek Cypriot demands in this process, there will be nothing left on Cyprus on which we can make concessions. If 80-million-strong Turkey joins the EU, 1-million-strong northern Cyprus will face serious economic and social pressure," he said.

Commenting on the EU failing to keep its promises for financial assistance to the Turkish Cypriots, Denktas said many pledges were made but that none of them had been kept. "There is nothing concrete that will meet the expectations of our people. The Greek Cypriots are objecting [to financial assistance being extended to the Turkish side by the EU]. A Greek Cypriot vote is needed to receive economic help. The Greek Cypriots are not voting for this," he added.

Commenting on Turkey's policies on its path to the EU, Denktas said it could be seen that Turkey had demonstrated its goodwill for settlement on the island.

Of course, everyone can see this in the way they want. What I've observed is that there are not many people who want to see steps taken by Turkey. When it comes to the EU, it must safeguard the rights of its member, Greek Cyprus, so we expect nothing from the EU. When it comes to the United States we used to expect that it might do something, but now we see the United States is hesitating and not taking any steps. When it comes to the secretary-general, he says the United Nations will not take the initiative unless both sides are in agreement. The Turkish Cypriots displayed their intentions for a solution. The Greek Cypriots seem to admit that they are the party against reconciliation. They're not taking any steps, not approaching a solution, and they will not do so. This shows that there will be no initiative for a deal due to the Greek Cypriot stance, and this means punishing the Turkish Cypriots," he said.

Denktas dwelled on the possibility that Turkish Cyprus relations might become strained in October when Turkey is scheduled to start accession talks with the EU.

"A number of conditions have been put before Turkey in addition to the Copenhagen criteria, and fulfilling these conditions depends on Turkey; however, if the EU does not agree to take Turkey in at the end of the year, it will resort to the easiest path [available] and will put emphasis on Cyprus. The EU will say Cyprus remains unresolved and that the Turks did nothing. That is, they will use the media and portray the Cyprus problem as the only reason for non-membership. This may spark problems between northern Cyprus and Turkey. That's why we, as the Turkish Cypriots, should describe the developments very well; otherwise, relations between Cyprus and Turkey will be threatened", he said"

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article