Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 06-04-18

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkish Cypriot newspaper reports that 47 states supported the name Turkish Cypriot State for the Turkish Cypriots at the PUOIC.

[02] Soyer evaluates Bakoyannis interview to TA NEA newspaper.

[03] With the presence of foreign observers the TRNC civil defence exercise is to take place in occupied Nicosia.

[04] VOLKAN newspaper on how the EU financial assistance will be given to the Turkish Cypriots.

[05] Turkish Cypriot team decides to return to the Cyprus Football League after 32 years.

[06] Gul stated that Turkey is no longer accused over the Cyprus problem.

[07] The First Environmental Congress is to start tomorrow in occupied Nicosia.

[08] CUMHURIYET: Three new naval bases to the USA.

[09] Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meet Netherlands´ Prime Minister on 19-20 April. Cyprus on the agenda.

[10] Netherlands among EU countries skeptical about the EU enlargement.

[11] Condoleezza Rice to visit Ankara and Athens.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[12] Columnist in KIBRIS assess the developments in the Cyprus problem in the next 15 years. He sees a UK-USA alliance to change the structure of the EU.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkish Cypriot newspaper reports that 47 states supported the name Turkish Cypriot State for the Turkish Cypriots at the PUOIC

According to statements of the so-called MP of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Nazim Beratli, who had been in Istanbul before the decision was announced and conducted intensive meetings for three days, first the name of the Turkish Cypriots had been changed from Turkish Cypriot Moslem Community to Turkish Cypriot State and then this was taken to the decision taking organs of the PUOIC, which in the end were convinced to approve it.

First Egypt decided to reject the proposal, but afterwards it was convinced that the demand did not mean diplomatic recognition, said Mr Beratli and added: This is an important step. As long as we act knowing what we want and remain faithful to the will of the 24 April referendum, the advantage of the decision taken at the PUOIC is great.

The paper writes that according to a special bulletin issued by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), the General Secretary of PUOIC, Ibrahim Ahmet Auf first had a different opinion describing the Turkish Cypriots as Moslem Turk Cypriots Union.

YENI DUZEN writes that after a three hour meeting between Mr Beratli and Mr Auf, the latter was convinced and accepted submitting the proposal to the conference.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Soyer evaluates Bakoyannis interview to TA NEA newspaper

Mr Soyer stated that there is some movement as regards the Cyprus problem lately. However, he reminded that the Greek Cypriot and the Greek side reject the genuine solution initiatives which are presented by the United Nations.

Mr Soyer has also said that by saying that the Annan Plan is history, the Greek Cypriot and the Greek side are trying to destroy the ground of the UN and stated that because of this they try to gain more time.

Mr Soyer said that recently Mrs Bakoyanni made statements which referred to UN Security Council resolutions which condemn the occupation and to the EU norms. She should know that there are no such resolutions at the UN Security Council. All the decisions after September 1974 are based on the 1977-79 agreements and on the principles of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation. The basis of all the efforts made so far by the UN are these resolutions, he said.

As he said the Annan Plan is based on the 1977-79 agreements and the Ghali Set of Ideas and it is on the table. Mrs Bakoyanni is trying either to throw the Plan out of the table or to cut the tables legs, he noted.

(C/S)

[03] With the presence of foreign observers the TRNC civil defence exercise is to take place in occupied Nicosia

Special civil defence teams from Turkey comprising search-and-rescue teams will be taking part in the exercises which will be staged in Taskinkoy area of Lefkosia.

The exercises will be based on scenarios of earthquakes and other natural disasters, and feature fire-fighting and, search-and-rescue operations in daylight and at night.

This years civil defence exercises will have an international taste as many experts will be observing the displays.

In all, 63 foreign experts and defence officials from 19 countries will be in the `Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus´ to observe the planned exercises being held in Taskinkoy in Lefkosia.

The observers will be from Britain, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Brazil, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bolivia, Pakistan, South Africa, Singapore, Malta, Bosnia Hercegovina, Jordan, Afghanistan, Poland, Israel, Kirgizystan and Turkey.

The exercises will be based on scenarios of earthquakes and other natural disasters, and feature fire-fighting and, search-and-rescue operations in daylight and at night.

[04] VOLKAN newspaper on how the EU financial assistance will be given to the Turkish Cypriots

VOLKAN further reports that official correspondence as regards the projects that will be realized in the occupied area will be carried out by the EU Office in the Greek Cypriot side. It also reports that the German Company (irket) will also render service to people from the EU who will arrive in the occupied area to control the projects.

(MHY)

[05] Turkish Cypriot team decides to return to the Cyprus Football League after 32 years

HURRIYET reports that Akincilar officials decided to apply and play in the Cyprus Football League because they consider that the self-styled Football Federation in the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus has done an injustice against them.

The paper quotes KOP officials to have said: Akincilar (Louroudjina) until 32 years ago was a club under our Football Federation. As of next season they could compete in our second division. They also reportedly said that Akincilar could play its home games in a Greek Cypriot village near the mixed village of Pyla.

HURRIYET reports that the participation of the team in the Cyprus second division will become official during the coming days.

The chairman of the Akincilar Football team Emin Ozyalcin in a statement to HURRIYET said that because of the unfair treatment the self-styled Football federation had meted out to them, as a protest they decided to play in the Cyprus Football League.

The chairman of the self-styled football federation in the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus Niyazi Okutan reacted strongly against the decision of the Akincilar to play in the Cyprus Football League. He said: Regarding the `TRNC´ athletes playing in the Greek Cypriot side one has to look into the issue from two fronts. If considered as an individual this is very normal, however, a team from our league going and playing in the Greek Cypriot league as a protest because it had problems with the federation is an action that I cannot approve of.

(MHY)

[06] Gul stated that Turkey is no longer accused over the Cyprus problem

Delivering a speech at the Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), Mr Gul lashed out at criticism that Turkey is always making concessions but it gains nothing in return, saying, "Ankara has taken no steps to join the EU except those it believes in."

Underlining that democratic progress in Turkey is in accordance with requirements to fulfill the EU criteria, Mr Gul said: "I wish former governments and politicians had made progress in developing democracy in Turkey without the EU's requests."

The foreign minister stated that Turkey has become a country that's increasing its economic and democratic power, added to its well-developed military power, and asked, "Have we incurred any economic or political losses?"

Touching on the Cyprus problem, Mr Gul stressed that although Turkey has faced injustice and paid its dues in the past, the situation has changed recently. "Turkey has overcome the accusations and become an accuser. For this change to come about, Ankara's patient, decisive and conscious attitude played an important role," Mr Gul added.

Concerning Turkish foreign policy on Iraq, Mr Gul stated that many Turkish officials are either publicly or secretly exerting efforts towards the establishment of a united and democratic Iraq that can ensure its independence and political and territorial integrity.

"The Iraqi Turkomans aren't the only brothers of the Turks," said Mr Gul, who went on to underline the importance for Iraqis to leave aside tiny differences among them in order to be able to cope with the critical process of forming a government which Turkey hopes all Iraqi ethnic and religious groups will participate in.

[07] The First Environmental Congress is to start tomorrow in occupied Nicosia

The Congress, in which EU technocrats and Turkish Cypriot civil society organizations´ will participate, aims to inspire the discussion towards the development of the national environmental policy, which was approved under the TRNC Environmental Policy by the self-styled ministerial council on 15 February 2006.

The Congress is organized by the EU Coordination Centre under the so-called Prime Ministry, and it will be hosted at the Open Educational University Campus in occupied Nicosia.

Congress activities are starting tomorrow at 09:00 and it will last until 21 April.

(M/L)

[08] CUMHURIYET: Three new naval bases to the USA

Writes the paper: The aim of the depth measurements in Iskenderun Port has become clear. The United States of America have started action in order to set up three naval bases in the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. In this regard Iskenderun and Urla have been determined. Mordogan is being inspected as a third option.

On the same issue Ankara Anatolia news agency (17.04.06) reported the following from Ankara:

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) denied news reports claiming that the United States asked for new bases in Turkey.

Namik Tan, spokesman for the MFA, said on Monday: ''On April 17th, 2006, the CUMHURIYET and the AKSAM dailies claimed that the United States would establish new military bases in Turkey. Those reports are totally baseless.''

In the meantime Salih Yildiz, mayor of Yuksekova town of the eastern city of Hakkari, said that there were no signs about establishment of a military base in their home town by the United States. He also denied several news reports that a U.S. delegation visited the town for investigation.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson also denied the allegations. ''The United States did not ask for new bases from Turkey and those news reports were not true,'' he said.

[09] Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meet Netherlands´ Prime Minister on 19-20 April. Cyprus on the agenda

Prime Ministry Press Center stated on Monday that Erdogan will leave for the Netherlands on April 19th to receive ''World Leader Cycle Award'' which will be presented by Rotterdam Erasmus University as well as to deliver a speech in that university.

Mr Erdogan will also hold a meeting with Balkenende to discuss Turkey-EU relations, Cyprus and terrorism issues as well as bilateral relations between Turkey and the Netherlands.

Mr Erdogan will meet Turkish citizens and representatives of Turkish foundations in Rotterdam. He will return to Turkey on April 20th.

[10] Netherlands among EU countries skeptical about the EU enlargement

According to sources, over the weekend Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot told his European counterparts that EU-aspirant countries, especially Serbia, Macedonia and Albania, should fulfill all the requirements of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) signed with the European Union before beginning negotiations.

Political analysts have stated that Mr Bot's statements indicate that the Netherlands, which was previously known to support the EU enlargement process, will be more cautious about and skeptical of the process from now on.

France and Austria are known to be members of the anti-EU enlargement bloc, and the Netherlands' alignment with this bloc would negatively affect EU member states when taking decisions, especially on the membership of Turkey and the Balkan states, as they propose stricter conditions for future members of the Union.

[11] Condoleezza Rice to visit Ankara and Athens

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is preparing to visit Ankara and Athens sometime before the end of May, and possibly as early as next week, say Greek media reports.

If confirmed, the visit will enable Turkey to convey its views on key issues such as Cyprus, Iran, Iraq and especially Hamas. It will also be an opportunity to address Turkey's various policy differences with the U.S. in the first opportunity for face-to-face discussions with Rice since Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul last month had to call off a visit to Washington due to health problems.

Although the exact date of Rice's visit hasn't been announced yet, Greek newspapers predict that she will make the visits next Monday and Tuesday, April 25-26, just before her visit to Sofia to participate in the NATO-European Union foreign ministers meeting set for April 27-28.

According to diplomatic sources, up for discussion during Rice's visit will be Turkey's European Union membership bid, Greece and Turkey's possible contributions to efforts to find a just and lasting settlement solution to the Cyprus dispute and ways to further develop natural gas cooperation between the two countries. "Besides those issues, Turkish officials will have the opportunity to directly convey the reasons why they hosted a Hamas delegation in February, a move which was criticized by the U.S. since Hamas is recognized as a militant group," said one source. "The U.S. has also criticized Ankara's attitude towards the emerging standoff between the West and Iran regarding Tehran's nuclear program."

During her visit to Washington last month, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni was asked by high-ranking U.S. officials not to create any obstacles to Turkey's EU accession process.

In related news, it has previously been reported that Gul, scheduled to participate in the NATO-European Union meeting in Sofia, will also meet with Rice on the sidelines of the meeting.

Turkish-U.S. cooperation to combat the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is expected to be a part of the NATO-EU meeting. Recent developments in Iran, Iraq and Cyprus are expected to be the key topics of the meeting between Rice and Gul as well. Due to Gul's recent ear ailment which precludes air travel, he will travel to Bulgaria via car.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[12] Columnist in KIBRIS assess the developments in the Cyprus problem in the next 15 years. He sees a UK-USA alliance to change the structure of the EU

In an assessment of the latest developments related to the Cyprus question I made in an article last month, I noted that politicians should be judged by their hidden intentions rather than by their statements. Some readers subsequently asked who actually had such a hidden intention.

The Cyprus question is almost totally characterized by an array of hidden intention . Based on my experience I can say that the argument that a person should be judged by his deeds rather than his words could be best used for describing the situation in Cyprus.

Unfortunately, all the parties except for the Turkish Cypriots have their own hidden agendas and specific goals and interests linked with those designs and all of them pursue a hidden agenda in order to attain their goals and protect their interests.

Tassos Papadopoulos, President of the `Greek Cypriot Administration´, (Tr. Note: Republic of Cyprus) found the Annan plan, which had been negotiated to a great extent and endorsed by the international players, in his lap when he had taken office.

Of course the Annan plan required the Greek Cypriot side to make some major concessions because no solution could have been found to the Cyprus question unless the two sides agreed to yield ground.

Would Papadopoulos and the Progressive Party of the Working People, his main supporter, prefer to take a stance in favor of "leaving a considerable part of the Cypriot territory to the Turkish Cypriots and Turkish settlers while presenting half of the State to them as a gift" by saying yes to the Annan plan on 24 April 2004, when the referendums were held, or rather prefer to wage a struggle directly against Turkey after gaining an advantageous position by joining the EU as the Republic of Cyprus only six days later?

As we all know, they chose the second option. While doing that, they advised the Greek Cypriot people that they should be braced for a long-term struggle and show patience until they achieved their goals.

They launched a major campaign two years ago in order to dispel the negative atmosphere resulting from the support given by Europe and the United States for the Annan plan. They were partly successful in their efforts. They gained ground in Europe due to the fact that they are a member of the EU, which also includes Greece.

Meanwhile, the Americans refrained from taking any step that could make Papadopoulos uneasy by saying that they were not in favor of a separation in Cyprus.

The Americans declined to start direct commercial flights or to lend loans that could have been used by the Turkish Cypriots for achieving economic development and did not take many other similar steps on the grounds that they could set the stage for separation.

In response to a question I put to him about the embargoes seven days ago, Daniel Fried, US Assistant Secretary of State, said: "Any separatist step should be avoided in Cyprus."

The United States will refrain from taking those steps because Turkey rather than the Turkish Cypriots has become its main source of concern after the Greek Cypriot side started putting pressure on Turkey through the EU.

The United States is trying to change the structure of the EU by forming an alliance with the United Kingdom, which is a member of the Union.

The Cyprus question is a good bargaining chip that could be used for that purpose.

In fact, Turkey is expected to fulfill the EU criteria at least within 15 years.

The United States would not be bothered much if the Cyprus dispute remained unsolved for that 15-year period.

Why should the United States be concerned about a possible reunification considering that the Greek Cypriots are strongly in favor of a separation rather than a reunification? After all, Turkey, which is its main focus of attention, will eventually join the EU after making a series of concessions in Cyprus.

As regards Turkey, I was inclined to think in the past that only the Justice and Development Party had a hidden agenda. I, however, now believe that all the influential circles in Ankara plan to pursue a policy aimed at finding a solution to the Cyprus problem over time and achieving full membership by conducting negotiations with the EU during the intervening period.

Is there any bargaining chip other than Cyprus that Turkey could use during its negotiations with the EU?

Furthermore, the Greek Cypriot side and Greece refrain from using a veto because they know that there is a strong possibility of bargaining.

They are keen to avoid using a veto because they want to force Turkey to conduct talks that could lead to mutual concessions.

A 15-year negotiating process would not be a long period for Turkey and the EU from that standpoint.

If we make an analysis of the situation in terms of the results of the RIK poll and the hidden agendas of the parties involved, we can conclude that Cyprus is heading for a separation rather than a reunification in the near future.

Maras [occupied Famagusta] could be handed over in return for the lifting of the existing embargoes as a result of negotiations and Papadopoulos could be hailed as "the man who took Maras [occupied Famagusta] back," which would be regarded as another achievement in his political career."

The process of reconstructing Maras [occupied Famagusta] would keep both communities busy for 15 years.

The current trend towards a division could only be reversed by a popular movement to be launched by the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots.

The problem is that the majority of the Greek Cypriots no longer want to live with the Turkish Cypriots, which may eventually prompt the latter to say: "If you do not want us, we do not want you either."

We may not want them either but what do we actually want?

I cannot help making a prophecy albeit I am aware that it will be a very gloomy one. The Turkish Cypriots are moving towards a period during which they might have to resist Greek Cypriot sovereignty, which is inclined to extend towards the north, without getting help from Turkish soldiers.

Many of us may not be alive 15 years later, which is quite a short period in the history of a state.

It seems that we will eventually return to those days in 1963.

I hope that our politicians are aware of this fact.

/SK

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