Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 05-07-11

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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 whole of the Turkish Cypriot opposition except the National Unity Party expresses its concern regarding the new migration law

[02] Asil Nadir is buying cheaply the land in the occupied area of Cyprus and sell it to the foreigners

[03] RADIKAL: Declaration crisis with the EU

[04] The 11th of July a day of pride for the Turkish Cypriot press

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[05] Columnist in SABAH hopes that the Putin-Erdogan meeting may pave the way for a new referendum

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The whole of the Turkish Cypriot opposition except the National Unity Party expresses its concern regarding the new migration law

All the political parties see the fact that the illegal life is being registered as a positive step, while the opposition, except the National Unity Party (NUP), expresses its concern regarding the possibility of those who get work permit becoming citizens of the pseudostate in the future and demands the modification of the law on this point.

The General Secretary of the Republican Turkish Party (RTP), Omer Kalyoncu expressing the support of his party to the law, argued that the problems regarding the public order will be arranged with this law.

The vice president of the Democratic Party (DP) Ertugrul Hasipoglu described the law as a correct decision and added that 15-20 thousand persons have been registered while another eight thousand persons who worked illegally returned to their country.

The deputy General Secretary of the NUP, Huseyin Ozgurgun said that as the main opposition party they supported the law and gave their approval for its getting into effect.

The General Secretary of the Peace and Democracy Movement (PDM), Mehmet Cakici said that the law was positive from the point of view of registering the illegal life. He added, though, that it includes dangers from the point of view of putting 30 50 thousand persons into the position of being able to take the citizenship of the regime. This will create a great problem in the future, he said.

The General Secretary of the United Cyprus Party (UCP) Izzet Izcan said that they think that the law was positive from the point of view of registering the illegal life, but he noted that the entrances of the occupied areas must be controlled seriously in the future. He said that the persons who will work legally for five years in the occupied areas will obtain the right to apply for citizenship. This will cause many problems and the conditions of living of the Turkish Cypriots will be damaged.

The General Secretary of the Communal Liberation Party (CLP), Mehmet Davulcu described the law as positive step from the point of view of registering the illegal life in the occupied areas, but he reiterated their stance against the entering to the pseudostate from Turkey by showing only identity card. If this is not abolished and if more strict control is not conducted at the entrances, he noted, thousands of persons who went to Turkey after the law got into effect will return and cause the same problems.

[02] Asil Nadir is buying cheaply the land in the occupied area of Cyprus and sell it to the foreigners

According to the paper, the villagers sold so cheap their land to Asil Nadir, because their land is part of the Akanthou Regulation, where any development or construction in a forest land is forbidden. But Asil Nadir is trying to exclude his property from the regulation and in exchange he offers support to the government through the media he owns.

Meanwhile, he seeking to sell the land to foreigners at between 15,000 20,000 sterling per donum, writes VOLKAN.

[03] RADIKAL: Declaration crisis with the EU

Internet version of the Turkish daily RADIKAL newspaper (11.07.05), reports that the EU term president Britain, objected to Turkey´s demand of making a statement, while signing of the additional protocol to the Ankara agreement that We reserve our position in Cyprus.

The report says that in the face of British pressure: Let us sign the protocol and don´t engage in any statement, forced Turkey to suspend the signing process.

In order for Turkey to start accession negotiation on 3rd of October, it has to sign the protocol that extends the Customs Union agreement to EU ten new countries including Cyprus.

The paper reports that Turkey was inclined to sign the agreement prior to the EU General Affairs council meeting to be held between 17-18 July. However, it adds, Turkey, in the face of unexpected British warning was in difficulty. Earlier Britain did not take a negative stance towards Turkeys demands. However, when it took the term presidency it immediately demanded from Turkey to give up the idea of making a statement regarding Cyprus.

London´s warning, writes the paper, created a major concern in Ankara, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and senior officials at the Turkish Foreign Ministry have decided to suspend the signing process. RADIKAL reports that Foreign Minister Gul, who will attend the memorial service in Srebrenitsa in Bosnia, is planning to discuss this issue with his British counterpart Jack Straw.

Turkish Foreign Ministry officials commenting on the issue have expressed the view that this is an unacceptable situation and that the government had already politically banded itself and no one should expect that Turkey should give up making the Declaration and Britain is one of the countries that know this fact better. The officials recalled that Turkey always made similar statement to all International Documents where the name of the Republic of Cyprus is mentioned: A plot is being hatched, let us wait and we will see, said the diplomat.

RADIKAL reports that, the statement which was prepared by a delegation among whom there were foreign experts as well, stipulates that signing of the protocol does not mean recognition. On the other hand, reports RADIKAL, the EU sources stated that, British Prime Minister Tony Blair had already stated that signing of the protocol does not mean recognition, and from Turkeys point of views this is a guarantee. The same sources warn that a strong statement by Turkey will diminish the importance of the signature and as a result Brussels will object to this and the EU Commission will give a written reply.

An EU Ambassador said: It would be a major mistake by Turkey, for not signing the protocol prior to the General Affairs Council meeting. At the Council meeting where the negotiation framework document regarding Turkey will be discussed will become a major trump card in the hands of those who are against Turkey. The same ambassador went on and said: Turkey, will take the signed document to the Turkish Grand National Assembly in order to get Assembly´s approval and this will not happen before 3rd of October. Diplomatic circles say that, attacks in London, made protocol a secondary issue thus giving time for a sound evaluation of the problem.

[04] The 11th of July a day of pride for the Turkish Cypriot press

As the paper writes Saddet newspaper was published on 11th of July 1889. The Turkish Cypriot Union of Journalists has published today the newspaper BASIN which is distributed free in the honour of this anniversary.

Moreover, KIBRIS newspaper was published on the 11th of July 1989 using the slogan True voice, true promise. According to Basaran Duzgun, who refers to the papers anniversary in his everyday column Backstage, KIBRIS has the biggest circulation among all the other newspapers in occupied Cyprus. The circulation of KIBRIS in June 2004 was 281.123, while in June 2005 the circulation was 340.810. The paper has a circulation of 11.360 daily.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[05] Columnist in SABAH hopes that the Putin-Erdogan meeting may pave the way for a new referendum

The Turkish and Russian Foreign Ministries have been very busy during the past week. They are making arrangements for the realization of President Putin's invitation to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Putin invited Erdogan to visit Sochi, a Russian summer resort like Antalya in Turkey. Putin invited Erdogan when he called him to discuss the possibility of the removal of Russia's ban on vegetable and fruit imports from Turkey. Erdogan accepted the invitation.

The Putin-Erdogan summit in Sochi will take place on 17 or 18 July, if everything goes well. Erdogan will travel to Sochi a day before he visits Mongolia on 19-20 July. Putin will host him in his summer palace.

Subtitle: Fourth meeting

The Sochi summit will be the fourth meeting between the two leaders during the past year. Putin visited Ankara early in December. They met again during the ceremony that was held to inaugurate the TOBB [Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges] business center in Moscow a month later. Putin held a dinner for Erdogan at his dacha outside Moscow. The two leaders met, although briefly, when Erdogan visited Moscow on the 50th anniversary of World War II.

Putin and Erdogan called each other four times. Referring to what the two leaders will discuss during their fourth meeting in Sochi, the Foreign Ministry officials said: "The summit will mainly indicate the sincere and friendly relations between the two leaders and the importance the two countries attach to their cooperation. Every issue will be on the table, including regional and international problems."

Subtitle: Cyprus on the agenda

Cyprus will be the main issue on the summit's agenda. It will be recalled that the report UN Secretary General Kofi Annan submitted to the UN Security Council on 28 May 2004 on the referendum that was held on the island, which called for the lifting of the sanctions on the Turkish Cypriot side, was suspended because of Russia's threat to veto the document.

Erdogan discussed the matter with Putin when he visited Moscow in January. Putin promised in the presence of reporters and businessmen to remove Russia's threat to veto the document by saying, "The isolation of the `TRNC´ [occupied areas of Cyprus] is unfair."

However, Russia has not made an initiative to that effect during the past six months. Meanwhile, Kofi Annan dispatched Sir Kieran Prendergast, UN Undersecretary for Political Affairs, to hold talks in the `TRNC´, Greek Cypriot side, Ankara, and Athens early last month. Erdogan asked Kofi Annan when he visited the United States last month to submit his report to the UN Security Council to be approved as soon as possible. He conveyed his request in a disappointed tone. But, considering Prendergast's conclusion that "a solution cannot be found to solve the problem before the two sides reach an agreement," Annan withdrew his report a week after he met Erdogan. He indirectly linked his decision to do so to the Greek Cypriot side's excessive demands and Russia's threat to veto the document. He said, "First, the obstacles must be lifted."

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks on the Greek Cypriot side when he visited the island. `TRNC President´ Mehmet Ali Talat criticized him for failing to cross into the Turkish Cypriot side when he visited the green line.

Subtitle: To ask for support

Erdogan is expected to renew his call in Sochi for Russia's contribution to the solution of the Cyprus problem before the talks on Turkey's accession to the EU begin on 3 October. Meanwhile, it has been reported that he will also ask for Russia's contribution to the solution of the problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia on Nagorno Karabakh.

In addition, the agenda will include matters related to the promotion of economic cooperation between Turkey and Russia, regional developments, including those in the Caucasus, Balkan countries, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, the restructuring of the UN Security Council, and the oil to be pumped through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

Regarding the outcome of the Sochi summit, it will be important if it paves the way for a new referendum in Cyprus.

/SK

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