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

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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 announces that the Turkish side as well started working on the cleaning of the minefields, long after the Greek Cypriot side had unilaterally done so.

[02] Soyer: Work is going on to remove embargo.

[03] Emine Erk admits that the return of their properties to the Greek Cypriots is inevitable.

[04] The Additional Protocol between Turkey and the occupied area of Cyprus was put in effect.

[05] A new USA delegation to visit illegally the occupied by 40,000 Turkish troops areas of Cyprus.

[06] Azerbaijani FM defends the direct flights to the occupied area of Cyprus.

[07] Turkish fears that their manipulations in the occupied areas of Cyprus might be taking place in Northern Iraq.

[08] Turkish officers continue to be expelled without any legal means open to them.

[09] Turkey bans Swiss Economy Ministers visit to Turkey because of the Armenian genocide issue.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] Columnist in MILLIYET assesses the discussions on the signing of the Additional Protocol as if the world has forgotten that 40,000 Turkish troops continue to violate the human rights of EU citizens.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat announces that the Turkish side as well started working on the cleaning of the minefields, long after the Greek Cypriot side had unilaterally done so

In his regular monthly statements, Mr Talat noted that Turkey recognizing the Republic of Cyprus was not possible and that Turkey would only recognize a new structure created after a possible solution of the Cyprus problem.

Mr Talat described the direct flight from Azerbaijan to the illegal Tymbou airport as one of the most important developments of the recent periods and added that the most important characteristic of this flight was that no other country than the Republic of Cyprus and Greece reacted to this, because the whole world sees the injustice of the isolation and considers the isolation to be unjust.

Referring to the issue of the missing persons since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus he said that the work on this issue will be stopped until the laboratory is established and the necessary arrangements for the realization of the DNA tests are made. After August the excavations which are not urgent will be conducted and then period for analysis will begin, he added.

[02] Soyer: Work is going on to remove embargo

Soyer also added that the so-called Sports Ministry is preparing to take part in the 2006 Commonwealth Games to be held in Australia.

[03] Emine Erk admits that the return of their properties to the Greek Cypriots is inevitable

Mrs Erk noted that the greatest danger for the pseudostate was creating new Loizidou cases by doing absolutely nothing.

Mrs Erk suggested a legal arrangement to be made which will be providing for the return of their properties to the Greek Cypriots, taking as a guide the Annan plan and having in mind the interests of the Turkish Cypriots.

AFRIKA invokes political observers who noted that the title deeds issued by the occupation regime must be annulled so that the occupied Greek Cypriot property could be returned to its owners.

Turkish Cypriot daily ORTAM newspaper (08.08.05) refers to the issue under the banner headlines return of property to the Greek Cypriots and adds: Let Talat and Soyer continue acting as guarantors of the title deeds; the reality is coming to surface.

Turkish Cypriot daily VOLKAN newspaper (08.08.05) writes that the Turkish Cypriot Foundation for Human Rights has been established upon encouragement of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Talat and with the financial aid of the RTP-DP pseudogovernment.

VOLKAN refers to the problems that, according to its own view, will be created if the proposal for legal arrangement providing for returning the Greek Cypriot properties to their owners is realized and argues that the property regime in the occupied areas will completely be upset, the territorial existence of the pseudostate will be annihilated, the land development and constructions sector will collapse, the investments and the production will stop and internal conflicts will occur.

[04] The Additional Protocol between Turkey and the occupied area of Cyprus was put in effect

[05] A new USA delegation to visit illegally the occupied by 40,000 Turkish troops areas of Cyprus

The paper notes that the new delegation, which will be composed of five members of the American Congress and two members of the US Senate, will be holding contacts in the pseudostate as the guests of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry.

Within the framework of its contacts, the delegation will visit the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, the so-called speaker of the parliament Fatma Ekenoglu, the prime minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer and the foreign minister Serdar Denktas.

The US delegation is expected to leave the island on the 14th of August.

[06] Azerbaijani FM defends the direct flights to the occupied area of Cyprus

[07] Turkish fears that their manipulations in the occupied areas of Cyprus might be taking place in Northern Iraq

"Turkey closely monitors the developments pertaining to residential registration of thousands of Kurds in Kirkuk city of Iraq," Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said on Friday.

In a weekly news conference, Tan said: "Turkey knows the efforts of some groups in Kirkuk."

Tan recalled that preparations for the constitution reached the final stage in Iraq, stating that, "concluding the constitution with an understanding which takes under

guarantee Iraq's unity and territorial integrity and underlines national ownership of places characterized as being Iraq's national asset and wealth, such as Kirkuk, is the expectation and target of Iraqi people before everybody else. Turkey supports this will."

[08] Turkish officers continue to be expelled without any legal means open to them

HURRIYET has obtained information regarding the dialogue that took place in the Supreme Military Council (YAS) between the military and Prime Minister [Recep] Tayyip Erdogan and National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, who expressed "reservations" regarding the expulsion of 11 personnel from the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF).

According to information obtained from reliable sources, of the 11 personnel expelled from the TAF, one was a junior officer, while the other 10 were non-commissioned officers. All of the 11 were expelled from the TAF because they had engaged in religious-reactionary [Turkish irticai] activities.

All of the information and findings gathered regarding the religious-reactionary activities of these personnel were laid out in detail to the members of the YAS. The military explained that the personnel in question had been monitored for some time, that they had been provided the necessary warnings, and even that their units had been changed in order to keep them away from religious-reactionary circles. When the 11 individuals did not adhere to the warnings and continued their relations with religious-reactionary movements, it was decided at the YAS for them to be separated from the TAF.

Just as had been the case in previous YAS meetings, Erdogan and Gonul continued to indicate, as the reason for their expressing reservations regarding the expulsion of the 11 personnel from the TAF, the fact that legal channels [to appeal the decision] are not open to them.

Subtitle: Submitted to other authority

The military provided the following response to this rationale:

"These individuals have been observed for a long time. They were warned, and they were reassigned to different units. Despite this, they continued their religious-reactionary activities. We are in the position of being employers. But they operated on the orders of another authority, apart from the State and the Turkish Armed Forces. There can be no place in the TAF for those who submit to religious reaction. We, as the employers, are thus abrogating the employment contract of those who have submitted to another authority."

[09] Turkey bans Swiss Economy Ministers visit to Turkey because of the Armenian genocide issue

The Swiss Embassy in Ankara has been officially informed that Minister of Economy Joseph Deiss' visit to Turkey in September has been cancelled because Labor Party leader Dogu Perincek was interrogated in Switzerland for saying that the "Armenian genocide is a lie."

The Swiss Embassy was informed on the cancellation of Deiss' visit as Minister of Culture Kursat Tuzmen's guest through a political note on 4 August. The note said that Tuzmen will not be available.

According to the Swiss media organs, the Swiss Ministry of Economy regretted Turkey's decision. They quoted the Ministry officials as saying, "We will be sorry if the interrogation is the real reason for Turkey's decision because there is separation of forces in Switzerland."

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] Columnist in MILLIYET assesses the discussions on the signing of the Additional Protocol as if the world has forgotten that 40,000 Turkish troops continue to violate the human rights of EU citizens

Questions, questions, questions... Questions that show just how complicated the situation is: Does having signed the Supplementary Protocol for the expansion of the Customs Union mean recognizing the Greek Cypriot administration?

According to the opposition, and to the ninth President, [Suleyman] Demirel, yes, it does entail recognition!

But if it had been you, what would you have done? There is no answer to this!

France is aware that the signing of the Supplementary Protocol does not mean recognition, and yet now, in order to place obstacles before Turkey, it is saying that Turkey's recognition of the Greek Cypriot administration is a condition for beginning the [EU accession] negotiations on 3 October!

So given this situation, yet another question: Is Turkey going to recognize the Greek Cypriot sector for the sake of beginning negotiations on 3 October?

The answer to this question is clear: "Absolutely not..."

Perhaps the question that Turkey is going to face more than this is: Turkey does not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration, but is it not going to be necessary, based on the Customs Union, to open Turkish ports and airports to the Greek Cypriots?

Ankara's response:

"Never! Absolutely not! Neither we, nor any other government... Let no one in Europe, including in Paris, give way to such a fantasy!"

Ankara is resolute, but yet it uses a "soft" language in its official statements. When I noted this, my interlocutor corrected me:

"It would be better to say 'cool-headed' rather than 'soft'!"

Europe is going through a spell of pathological inner-directedness. French chauvinism is leading the way in this process, both by rejecting the EU Constitution and by taking a hostile stance towards Turkey.

Both President [Jacques] Chirac and Prime Minister [Dominique de] Villepin are making statements against Turkey that shock even the French press, but not because they are anti-Turkish. It is in order to engage in politics via the fit of chauvinism that the French have fallen into!

Hostility to Turkey is virtually the symbol of the "introversion" prevailing in Europe!

Ankara judges that entering into high-tension debates with Europe, and thus creating sides within Europe vis-à-vis Turkey, would be against Turkey's interests!

For this reason, it is essential that we remain truly "cool-headed".

Could France, by using Cyprus as a pretext, prevent the initiation of negotiations on 3 October?!

No. Because the 17 December [ 2004] decision was made with consensus in the Commission, and they would have to reach a decision with consensus once again saying "No, we are not going to take up negotiations with Turkey" in order for France to thwart it. This is impossible.

In addition, the fact that a friendly country like Great Britain, with a visionary leader like [Tony] Blair, has the [EU] Term Presidency, is a positive factor.

Even so, it is clear that the negotiations process is going to be very difficult; we are going to encounter a good many tricks of the "Franks" which will eat away at our nerves.

On this point, there are two issues the importance of which I want to stress:

- Turkey still does not recognize the Greek Cypriot sector, and, far from recognizing it, can never open its ports and airports to the Greek Cypriots. This is every bit as important as the Lausanne Treaty or the Misak-i Milli [the "National Pact" of 1920, which established Turkey's borders].

- Whether or not membership comes about in the end, we are benefiting from the "negotiations process". There are, for instance, the positive development of the economy, the fact that foreign capital inflows are approaching 15 billion dollars, the creation in one year of jobs for 1.288 million people, the fall in inflation despite the petroleum prices... In all of this, the "EU process" plays just as great a role as the economic policies... And we are also aware of the positive effects of this process for building a state based on laws.

In summary: No concessions to the Greek Cypriots, but continuing to benefit from the "EU process"...

There may or may not be membership in the end; that is an issue for a decade from now.

/SK

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