Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 06-08-29

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] General Buyukanit took over as Chief of the General Staff.

[02] General Buyukanit stresses that the Turkish troops occupying Cyprus will not withdraw before a solution is reached.

[03] Talat met Sezer and attended the hand over ceremony of the Turkish Chief of Staff.

[04] The military court in occupied Cyprus released Sigma TV journalists.

[05] Statements by Hasan Arabica on the reactions to the Formula-1 trophy award by Talat.

[06] Gambari to brief the UN Security Council about Cyprus today.

[07] Turkey decided in principle to send troops to the Lebanon.

[08] Imports and exports for the first six months of 2006 for the occupied areas.

[09] Serdar Denktas and Soyer discussed the crisis in the coalition government.

[10] Massive blocks of buildings planned for construction workers coming from Turkey to occupied Cyprus.

[11] Hodjias from Turkey appointed in occupied Cyprus for giving religious courses.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Gen Buyukanit took over as Chief of the General Staff

Chief of the General Staff Gen Hilmi Ozkok transferred his responsibilities to Gen Yasar Buyukanit today. There were emotional moments during the State ceremony. General Ozkok described the Turkish nation as the guarantor of secularism. General Buyukanit, who is now the 25th chief of the General Staff, addressed the ceremony after he took over Gen Ozkok's responsibilities. He pointed to the four tasks of the military forces and said that the Turkish Armed Forces do not involve themselves in politics. He said that separatist terrorism will be defeated and noted: The threat of reactionism still exists. We will not withdraw from Cyprus before a just peace is established. Reducing the duration of military service is out of the question.

Those were his messages. Gen Hilmi Ozkok was decorated with the State Medal of Honor at the end of the ceremony.

[02] General Buyukanit stresses that the Turkish troops occupying Cyprus will not withdraw before a solution is reached

"Turkey has never faced as many threats as today," said Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, who has become the new Turkish Chief of General Staff today.

Speaking in the hand over ceremony held at the General Staff HQ today, Buyukanit indicated that the world has changed so much, and said: "In addition to all uncertainties and risks around us, Turkey has never been face to face with this much armed separatist terrorism, and internal and external threats that I may define as unarmed terrorism."

Gen. Buyukanit emphasized that Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state of law.

Noting that the role of the army is under discussion in Turkey in recent years, Buyukanit said: "According to our laws, the army has four main duties. The first one is to train the troops in the best way, and prepare them for any possible war. Its second duty is to protect our country and the interests of our country against external threats. The third is to fight against all threats, including terrorism that wants to demolish the unitary structure of our country. And, the fourth is to protect the fundamental principles of the Republic. All these four duties have nothing to do with internal politics, and we are given these duties under laws. The army has no luxury not to fulfill these duties."

On fundamentalism, Buyukanit said: "Fundamentalism threat has broken out when the Republic of Turkey was founded, and it still continues."

According to Gen. Buyukanit, there is a separatist terrorism threat, based on ethnic nationality, in Turkey.

"The (terrorist) organization, that uses the highest values of our age like human rights, peace, freedom and democracy, as a shield, and those who back this organization, will not be able to satisfy their desires. Our state, nation and security forces will eliminate this threat," Buyukanit stressed.

Referring to the efforts and expectations of some groups to eliminate Turkey's national force and sentence Turkey to something like Sevres (Treaty), Buyukanit said that he does not think that there is or can be such a threat in the world, and noted that the Turkish nation and state are strong.

Commenting on the Cyprus problem, Buyukanit said that Turkey has stationed a significant military force in Cyprus.

''Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), which is ensuring the security of the Turkish Cypriots successfully for over 30 years, will not withdraw from the island unless a fair and lasting peace is ensured. And, this has been declared by the Office of General Staff and government officials, and has become a state policy. We will pursue this policy, nobody should have any doubts,'' Gen. Buyukanit added.

[03] Talat met Sezer and attended the hand over ceremony of the Turkish Chief of Staff

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer met President Mehmet Ali Talat of `Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus´ (`TRNC´) in Ankara on Monday.

Talat arrived in Istanbul yesterday to assist the F1 Turkey Grand Prix at Istanbul Park Circuit. He also gave the cup to Felipe Massa of Ferrari who won Turkey Grand Prix.

President Talat is expected to attend a ceremony in Ankara later in the day in which General Staff Chief Gen. Hilmi Ozkok will hand over his post to Gen. Yasar Buyukanit.

On the same issue illegal Bayrak television (28.08.06) broadcast the following:

On the last day of his official visit to Turkey, President Mehmet Ali Talat met with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in Ankara.

As part of his contacts in the Turkish capital, the President also attended the hand over ceremony for the Chief of the Turkish General Staff.

Earlier, President Mehmet Ali Talat made it clear that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus does not intend to hand over the control of its ports to the United Nations.

The meeting between the two Presidents took place at the Cankaya Palace in the afternoon but no statement was issued at the end of the meeting.

After his talks with the Turkish President, Mr Talat attended the hand over ceremony for the Chief of the Turkish General Staff.

The Commander of the Land Forces General Yasar Buyukanit took over the position of the Chief of the Turkish General Staff from General Hilmi Ozkok at a ceremony which took place at the Headquarters of the Turkish General Staff.

The first TRNC President Rauf Denktas was also present at the ceremony.

At the end of his contacts, President Talat is expected to return to the Republic tonight.

Earlier, President Mehmet Ali Talat made it clear that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus does not intend to hand over the control of its ports to the United Nations.

Responding to questions by CNN Turk on the Cyprus issue, the President stated that there is no need for a fully functional state to hand over the control of its ports to the United Nations.

Asked whether he received any formal proposal for the hand over of the control of the TRNC ports to the United Nations, the President said he did not receive any proposal on the issue but made it clear that the TRNC is not in favor of such a move.

Responding to another question, the President said that efforts are underway to bring about a solution to the Cyprus problem before the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan leaves office at the end of the year.

(Tr. Note: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is the illegal regime set up and maintained by 40,000 Turkish in the northern part of Cyprus after ethnically cleansing the area of everything Greek).

[04] The military court in occupied Cyprus released Sigma TV journalists

The Security Forces Court has ordered the release on bail of a journalist and a cameraman working for the Greek Cypriot Sigma television channel.

The two men Adonis Pallikarides and Nikitas Dalitis were detained on Saturday while filming an area around the Lokmaci (Ledra Street) Barricade which is in a military restricted zone.

The court ordered a total of 800 New Turkish Liras bail for the release of the two men.

[05] Statements by Hasan Ercakica on the reactions to the Formula-1 trophy award by Talat

The Presidential Spokesman Hasan Ercakica has said that reaction by the Greek Cypriot Administration to the presentation of the Formula-1 Trophy by President Mehmet Ali Talat is the proof that it is still continuing its efforts to maintain the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot People.

In a written statement today, Mr Ercakica said that the Greek Cypriot Administration cannot even tolerate the presentation of an award at a sporting competition by the TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat.

Criticizing the Greek Cypriot Administration for its approach towards the Turkish Cypriot Side, he said that the Greek Cypriot Side acted in violation of the spirit of sports by trying to politicize the sporting event.

Also pointing out that the Greek Cypriot Side has been trying to abuse the crisis in Lebanon for its own purposes, Mr Ercakica reminded words by the President of the PSEKA Fillipe Christopher who said that the war in Lebanon should be benefited.

Complaining that the Greek Cypriot Side has been trying to use every opportunity to activate the feelings of hatred towards the Turkish Cypriot People, he said such approaches are just feeding lack of confidence between the two communities and making it more difficult to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.

`The Greek Cypriot Side could only contribute to efforts aimed at bringing about a solution to the Cyprus problem by ending its negative approach` he noted.

[06] Gambari to brief the UN Security Council about Cyprus today

It has been reported that the United Nations Secretary Generals Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari will be briefing the UN Security Council about the contacts that have been continuing between the Presidential Undersecretary Rasit Pertev and Tassos Djionis - an aide to the Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos.

The two men have been continuing their contacts since the 31st of July in line with an agreement reached between the two sides earlier.

According to a statement issued on the UN Security Councils official website, Mr Gambari will be informing members of the UN Security Council on the talks between the two men which have been continuing since the 31st of July.

The latest developments on the Cyprus issue are also expected to be taken up by members of the Security Council.

On the 8th of July, President Mehmet Ali Talat and the Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos having met at the presence of the UN Secretary- Generals Undersecretary for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari, had reached a five-point Agreement of Principles -according to which - the two sides would exchange proposals concerning the issues making up the substance of the Cyprus problem.

The two leaders had also agreed that the technical committees be set up.

[07] Turkey decided in principle to send troops to the Lebanon

"We have decided in principle to contribute troops to the United Nations peace-keeping force to be deployed in Lebanon within the framework of UNSC resolution 1701. As government, we will ask for parliament to reconvene as soon as possible," said Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, who also acts as spokesman for the government, on Monday.

Speaking after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, Cicek said: "Today's meeting was focused on recent developments in the Middle East. Turkey has been pursuing an active policy since the beginning of the crisis."

"Our government will ask for parliament to reconvene this week or next to approve sending troops to Lebanon. We took into consideration Turkey's interests while making our decision," he said.

"As a regional power, Turkey cannot be just an onlooker to what was going on in Lebanon. Turkey will continue fulfilling its responsibilities," he told reporters.

Cicek added: "We are aware of the situation in the region. Since the very beginning, our government has indicated that it would contribute to the United Nations force under certain conditions. We waited for the United Nations to adopt a resolution. Secondly, we stressed that Turkish troops should be sent to Lebanon not to implement peace, but to preserve it. And thirdly, we sought for approval of all relevant parties to send in Turkish troops. During the talks, the parties expressed their positive opinion about our contribution."

Upon a question about opposition of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to send Turkish troops to Lebanon, Cicek said: "The President explained his own views. We respect him. However, our government thinks that Turkey's national interests require our troops' participation in the UN mission. Now, our parliament will make the final decision."

When asked whether Turkish troops will assume a task such as disarming Hezbollah, Cicek said: "The United Nations force does not have such a mission. We earlier indicated that Turkish troops will not be involved in disarmament efforts."

[08] Imports and exports for the first six months of 2006 for the occupied areas

Decrease was also recorded in the exports in the same period. In June 2005 the exports were 5.2 million dollars, while in the same period of 2006 they decreased to 3.6 millions.

The imports for the period January June 2006 remained at the level of the imports during the same period last year, while the exports increased by 1 %. The imports from Turkey in the same period increased to 387.9 million dollars. 68.7 % of the imports during the period January June 2006 were from Turkey and 31.3 % from third countries.

The exports to Turkey decreased to 55.4% in the period of January June 2006, while the exports to third countries increased to 44.6 %.

(I/Ts.)

[09] Serdar Denktas and Soyer discussed the crisis in the coalition government

During the meeting, which lasted one hour, no reconciliation was reached on the differences of the partners. The General Secretary of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Omer Kalyoncu and the MP of the Democratic Party (DP), Mustafa Arabacioglu participated also in the meeting.

According to information acquired by the paper, the DP did not accept the proposal made by the CTP on the issue of the reforms in the public sector.

The situation was discussed last night by the competent organs of the DP. The CTPs central administrative committee is expected to discuss the developments today, whereas the partys council will do this later.

Mr Soyer told the paper that they are acting with responsibility and that they will continue to act very carefully, cold-headedly and with responsibility so that a situation which will cause harm to the Turkish Cypriots is not created.

(I/Ts.)

[10] Massive blocks of buildings planned for construction workers coming from Turkey to occupied Cyprus

``Massive camps for construction workers are to be built in or around Girne, (occupied Kyrenia), Gazi Magusa (occupied Famagusta), Guzelyurt, (occupied Morphou) Iskele (occupied Trikomo) and Lefkosia, CYPRUS TODAY can reveal.

The camps will house an estimated 25,000 construction workers, mostly from mainland Turkey, who are currently living rough on construction sites or in nearby shanties. Plans for the camps have been drawn up by the `TRNC´ Contractors´ Union and are being backed by the government.

Union director Cafer Gurcafer said the aim was for each contractor company to establish its own site on land which will be set aside in the five municipalities. In addition to accommodation with modern facilities such as proper sanitation and drinking water, they will also have offices and warehouses and act as maintenance depots for equipment. At night, they will provide secure storage for vehicles and machines which are now usually left on building sites after the working day.

Mr Gurcafer said: We will complete the infrastructure, such as installing electricity and water, within three months and start building the contractors´ camps in around a year, with completion in two years. Once this is done workers will be banned from sleeping in or around building sites or living rough. It will be the contractor company´s responsibility to ensure that the new facilities are used.

He said it was too early to talk about the precise location of each of the camps or their probable size, but he added that they would have to be big enough for all the functions they would have to fulfil.

Minister of Labour and Social Security Sonay Adem said he supported the camp plan. There has been a big improvement in the health conditions of workers´ accommodation when compared with the period when there were no government inspections or investigations, he said. But there are still employers who have not taken any action to improve the living and working conditions of their employees. Inspections at night have started to identify these companies.

As part of a general crackdown on construction companies that do not abide by the law, Mr Adem said those caught recruiting people without work permits would be banned from importing labour for a year. The same penalty will now apply to those employers not providing their workers with proper accommodation.

Everyone will learn to live by the rules and learn that those who come to work in this country are also human, said the Minister.

CYPRUS TODAY interviewed around a dozen construction workers picked at random on building sites in the TRNC. All said they were living either on the sites, usually in partially completed villas, in tents or in home-made shacks. Few had proper sanitation and many had no readily available drinking water. One man, Mustafa Atalay, a construction worker for five years, said his living and working conditions were harsh. We face difficulty in finding drinking water at work, he said. We have water to take showers when we go to where we live. However, we are the lucky ones. I have lots of friends who do not have a place to stay. Or a place to take a shower or use a bathroom.

I am happy that something may be done to improve things.´´

[11] Hodjias from Turkey appointed in occupied Cyprus for giving religious courses

According to the self-styled Minister of National Education and Culture, Canan Oztoprak, religious education should take place in schools. For this reason, they asked teachers from Turkey the new school year.

The paper also notes that imams had also been brought from Turkey to teach the Koran in all mosques.

(M/L)

/SK

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