Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 05-08-04

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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 is trying to exert pressure on Turkey regarding its EU obligations and is boasting that he will meet Blair next winter

[02] Talat leaves Turkey stressing that he will continue co-operating with the occupier of Cyprus for a solution

[03] Turkey insists on starting accession talks when 40.000 Turkish troops are violating the rights of EU citizens and Cyprus is filled with mass graves of innocent Greek Cypriots. Statements by Namik Tan

[04] The usurpers of the properties of European citizens with 40.000Turkish bayonets accuse the French Prime Minister of not behaving according to EU values. Limitless audacity by the subservient of Ankaras occupation regime

[05] The cultural heritage in the occupied areas is being destroyed while the occupation regime is gaining billions of pounds sterling by selling the properties of the Greek Cypriots to British and other foreigners

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Ilter Turkmen analyses the events that lead to the signing of the additional protocol and its aftermath

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat is trying to exert pressure on Turley regarding its EU obligations and is boasting that he will meet Blair next winter

Talat told Akgun that during his talks in Ankara he asked Turkey not to recognize the Republic of Cyprus. That would be suicide, he said. If Turkey had been asked to bomb and destroy its main cities in order to join the EU, it would not have done that. That is what Turkey is being asked to do now, he said.

Mr Talat stressed that no matter what the consequences, Turkey must not open its ports and airports to Cypriot ships or planes. He pointed out that the Greek Cypriot political parties may approach the Turkish side for a dialogue before the elections to be held in Cyprus in May.

Talat also said that he may be going to London this winter to meet with Prime Minister Blair. We were told that British officials are thinking of extending an invitation to me, he disclosed.

The fact that Talat did not stay at the Camli Mansion during his visit to Ankara was interpreted as a crisis of protocol. Talat stressed, however, that he received the open support of all the institutions in Ankara. He said that he was not disturbed by the protocol applied to him.

If that was outside the norm, the officials will surely explain the reasons. Nevertheless, I did not see anything extraordinary in my meetings with the honourable president, the prime minister, or the chief of the General Staff. I was received very well, he said.

[02] Talat leaves Turkey stressing that he will continue co-operating with the occupier of Cyprus for a solution

Speaking to reporters, Talat said: ''My visit has once again displayed the solidarity between Turkey and the TRNC.'' (Occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus). ''My meetings showed that Turkey supports the TRNC. I met Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We continuously meet Turkish officials regarding the Cyprus issue, he added.

When recalled of statements of French Premier Dominique de Villepin who said if Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, its EU entry talks cannot be possible, Talat said: ''Turkey has fulfilled the required steps. I believe entry talks with Turkey will start on October 3rd and Turkey's EU process will continue.''

''Cyprus question is still not solved. We will continue to cooperate with Turkey for solution,'' he added. When asked what the effects of Turkey's signing the Customs Union additional protocol would be on the Cyprus process, Talat said: ''We will see the effects in coming days. However, I do not think it will have effects on the process.''

Illegal BAYRAK television (03.08.05) broadcast statement made by Talat on his arrival in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus.

On his meeting with the Turkish Chief of the General Staff, Mr Talat said he had also conferred with General Hilmi Ozkok on a number of military and security issues and added that he had been reassured that the Turkish Armed Forces will always protect the Turkish Cypriot people from outside threats.

[03] Turkey insist on starting accession talks when 40.000 Turkish troops are violating the rights of EU citizens and Cyprus is filled with mass graves of innocent Greek Cypriots. Statements by Namik Tan

"The place where the Cyprus problem is discussed is the United Nations (UN)," Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said on Wednesday, noting that they believed the EU would start membership talks on October 3 as it promised to Turkey.

When recalled the statements of French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, that "it doesn't seem conceivable to me that a negotiation process of whatever kind can start with a country that does not recognize every member state of the EU," Tan said: "Turkey supports the goodoffices mission of the UN on solution of Cyprus question. We have expressed our will in this respect, and Turkey will continue to work in line with this will."

When a journalist said it was known that French President Jacques Chirac has the last say in foreign policy in France and asked whether or not Turkey requested information to learn if there is a change in France's stance, Tan said it would be inappropriate to enter into polemics on the issue. He noted that Turkey was monitoring the issue.

Asked if Turkey sees a risk pertaining to October 3rd as some other EU member countries made similar statements, Tan said some authorities made opposite statements.

Tan said there were some decisions that bring responsibilities and may yield very serious outcomes for the EU, noting that decisions taken on December 17th, was one of them. "The highest ranking officials of those countries whose authorities are making such statements, have their signatures under December 17th decisions. Those signatures bring them responsibility.

Turkey believes that entry talks will start on October 3rd within the scope of those very serious responsibilities. We believe that many officials of the countries where such statements are made will support Turkey's EU process as they promised earlier," Tan noted.

Replying to another question, Tan said it depends on the EU to issue a declaration in response to Turkey's declaration, stating that Ankara did not receive any information about it.

[04] The usurpers of the properties of European citizens with 40.000Turkish bayonets accuse the French Prime Minister of not behaving according to EU values. Limitless audacity by the subservient of Ankaras occupation regime

Reacting to the statement made by the French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Turkey, Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer described his words as fanaticism and stressed that his behaviour was not in accordance with modern EU values.

Speaking before the Council of Ministers meeting today, Mr Soyer stressed that both the EU and France were forcing the Turkish Cypriot people to live in an open air prison by continuing the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriot people.

He added that the French Prime Minister with his statement had in a sense declared the Greek Cypriot administrations leader Tassos Papadopoulos as the Guardian of this prison.

Describing the statement as a sad development, Prime Minister Soyer stressed that Mr Villepins views were against the democratic values of the European Union and against the French principles of freedom, equality and friendship.

Stressing that the Turkish Cypriot people, who had supported a solution on the island by voting in favour of the Annan Plan in last years referendum, would not be subjected to blackmail by anyone, Mr Soyer said that Turkey would be accepting the Turkish Cypriot people becoming a minority and the hijacking of the 1960 Republic of Cyprus if it recognised the Greek Cypriot Administration.

[05] The cultural heritage in the occupied areas is being destroyed while the occupation regime is gaining billions of pounds sterling by selling the usurped properties of the Greek Cypriots to British and other foreigners

The old church at the Katokopia square has been invaded by the pigeons. The old church, because of the lack of care, is in a dilapidating state. The villagers say that from time to time Greek Cypriots come and visit the church and light candles. They also said that from time to time the church is used by the local folk dance group. The villagers said that in order for the dance group to use the church, the marbles of the floor are covered by concrete thus destroying the authenticity of the church. According to rumours, children playing in the church had found several kilos of gold between 1975-76. As a result of this find, clashes started in the village and the villagers who were unable to share-out the gold had referred the case to the police.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[06] Ilter Turkmen analyses the events that lead to the signing of the additional protocol and its aftermath

Our tendency to react in an exaggerated and melodramatic manner to even the most expected developments as if they are unexpected or faits accomplis has never changed. The signing of the protocol that will allow the new EU members to join the customs union system, including south Cyprus because of its title as the Republic of Cyprus, has created a very unrealistic controversy.

It is true that the problem we are confronted with has made us very uneasy. However, we must not forget that it goes back as far as 1995. It is common knowledge that the decision that was made at the time called for the commencement of accession talks with south Cyprus for the realization of customs union between Turkey and the EU in accordance with the 1963 Ankara Agreement. The final communiqué issued at the end of the Helsinki Summit in 1999, during which Turkey was officially recognized as a candidate member, clearly said that south Cyprus might become a member even if the Cyprus problem remained unsolved. It was not difficult for us to predict that south Cyprus' membership prior to the solution of the problem would create a difficult situation for Turkey. That could have been prevented if a solution that would provide for the establishment of a bizonal federation was found in Cyprus before south Cyprus signed the agreement to join the EU. Sovereignty would be shared in the partnership state on the island.

Turkey and the TRNC [occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus] had an opportunity to realize that in the light of the conditions the Greek Cypriots would not be able to reject in 2002. However, the opportunity was lost because of wrong assessments on the interests of the two sides and heroic statements. That obstructed the adoption of a logical policy.

Turkey should have carefully avoided making tactical mistakes after south Cyprus joined the EU. But, we merely played with words in the effort we made to deal with the problem of the Greek Cypriot side's participation in customs union. It will be recalled that Cyprus was not mentioned in the first resolution that disclosed the names of the countries that would join the system. It was changed when Brussels reacted to it. However, it referred to Cyprus, not the Republic of Cyprus. The mistakes that were made had a bearing on the conclusion of a comprehensive protocol for the commencement of talks in Brussels in 2004, a document that would be approved by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

Regarding the question of recognition, it must be noted that the legal and political issues related to the Cyprus problem are very complicated. Turkey has not recognized the "Republic of Cyprus" ever since its status was violated in 1963. It recognizes the TRNC, which was established on the land south Cyprus claims to be under its sovereignty, and gives political and military support to it.

The Green Line in Cyprus is actually a cease-fire zone. The EU has drawn up the "Green Line Regulations. By doing so, it accepted the de facto border. The European Council disclosed that the EU acquis communautaire will not apply to north Cyprus. A separate referendum was held in north Cyprus in 2004. So, the Turkish Cypriot people's right to self-determination was recognized.

Turkey issued a declaration when it signed the protocol to disclose that it does not recognize the "Republic of Cyprus."

Considering all that, it cannot be said that Turkey legally recognized the "Republic of Cyprus " when it signed the protocol. However, it must be noted that, in a way, we recognized south Cyprus.

Vessels sailing under the Cyprus flag pass through the straits in Turkey without calling at any port in accordance with the Montreux Agreement. Glavcos Klerides participated in the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] summit in Istanbul as the "President of the Republic of Cyprus" in 1999. So, the confusing political and legal situation will continue to exist after the protocol is signed.

Turkey's main problem is the insistence of south Cyprus that its ships and planes be allowed to use Turkey's airports and seaports. We are trying to avoid the problem by arguing that the customs union does not apply to services at the present time. But, what we say on the matter is not very convincing.

The concept of services within the customs union system is different. In fact, the EU Commissioner Responsible for the Expansion of the organization stressed a few times that Turkey must open its ports to the ships of south Cyprus. It seems that solving that problem will be difficult.

Turkey's position in the world is rather strong at the present time. Even if the uncertainty over the outcome of its accession to the EU might increase, it must be noted that the continuation of the accession process will create economic and political advantages for Turkey. Let us leave the question of EU membership aside and note the following: Avoiding the requirements of customs union is impossible. So, the polemic over the recognition of south Cyprus is unnecessary from that point of view. It might backfire.

The prime ministers of many of the EU countries have agreed that "the signing of the protocol will not mean the recognition" of south Cyprus. So, it is difficult to understand why that is strongly challenged. There are those who criticize the Government now. But, how can their opposition in the past to the policies that would obstruct the present situation be forgotten?

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