Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 06-12-05

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Namik Tan comments on the property law.

[02] The Swedish Foreign Minister is visiting Ankara.

[03] The Turkish Prime Minister expresses pleasure over support from Norway.

[04] The French-German initiative on Turkeys EU negotiation set Washington in motion. Washington to approach Scandinavian countries.

[05] Ertugrul Apakan officially appointed as Turkey´s Foreign Ministry undersecretary.

[06] Inflation rate increases in the occupied part of Cyprus.

[07] Mainland Turk was found dead on the occupied Akanthou beach with two passports in his pocket.

[08] AKSAM writes that Abdullah Gul could be the next Turkish President.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Namik Tan comments on the property law

A Greek Cypriot law on `former´ Greek Cypriot properties is deepening the division of the island, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said on Monday.

The `Greek Cypriot administration´ recently passed a law that sets prison sentences of up to 7 years for foreigners and Turkish Cypriots who benefited from ` `former´ Greek Cypriot properties that `remained´ in the `TRNC´ after 1974, the year when the island `split into a Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north´.

As the latest development, a Russian couple, who had bought a `former´ Greek Cypriot country house, was arrested by the Greek Cypriot police in November and has been awaiting to stand trial since then.

"The law risks making the solution impossible," Namik Tan said. "This development only heightened bi-communal tensions and deepened the division."

The issue of former properties has proved the hardest and the most complicated problem in crafting a solution to reunite the divided island.

[02] The Swedish Foreign Minister is visiting Ankara

The Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt arrives in Ankara today for talks with the Turkish Government, expected to focus mainly on Turkeys relations with the European Union and the effects on this relationship of the decision by the European Commission to recommend a slowdown in Turkeys accession negotiations.

Mr Bildt will be meeting his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to search for ways into how the tense atmosphere between the Union and Turkey can be softened, after the Commissions decision.

One of the critics of the Commissions recommendation, the Swedish Foreign Minister called for the continuation of Turkeys accession negotiations for full membership.

Drawing attention to Turkeys strategic location and its nearness to the Middle East, the Swedish Foreign Minister said the Commissions decision has had an effect of a sudden brake in a moving vehicle.

On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news agency (04.12.06) reports that the Swedish Foreign Minister in an article he wrote to the HERALD TRIBUNE last month, underscored that the EU should not close its doors to Turkey and indicated that the EU has strong strategic interests in Turkey´s membership.

In the article, Bildt wrote that Turkey was not responsible for the insolubility in the Cyprus question, and emphasized that Turkey's membership would add economic dynamism, demographical strength and cultural diversity to the EU.

[03] The Turkish Prime Minister expresses pleasure over support from Norway

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday expressed the pleasure he felt over the article of Norwegian Parliament President Thorbjorn Jagland published in Aftenposten newspaper dated December 1st.

Boosting relations between Turkey and Norway and Turkey's EU process were discussed during the meeting of Erdogan with Jagland.

Referring to Jagland's article published in Aftenposten newspaper, Erdogan said: "We need bold voices like you."

Jagland on his part indicated that this was the view of the whole Norwegian parliament.

The view that "opposing to Turkey's EU membership is a point of view belonging to Medieval Ages," was expressed in the article entitled, "Turkey Should Take Place in the EU."

In the article which mentioned the contributions Turkey would make to the EU, it was also stated that, "I hope we will assist boosting relations with this country that will have an importance in the fate of our continent."

"If the EU closes its doors to Turkey, it will strengthen its image of a Christian club," Mr Jagland said in the article. On the Cyprus issue he said: "Instead of speaking to Turkey, you should speak to Greek Cypriots who are wrong."

Furthermore, THE NEW ANATOLIAN newspaper (05.12.06) reports that visiting Norwegian Parliament Speaker Thorbjorn Jagland said on Monday that some European Union countries haven't adopted a fair attitude towards Turkey's efforts for membership and warned that a freezing of Turkey's accession talks would be a mistake.

Jagland, after his meeting with Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, said Norway and Turkey have several common interests, noting that both countries are members of NATO, but not members of the EU.

Underlining that they are carefully following Turkey's membership process, the Norwegian Parliament speaker stated that suspending or freezing accession talks with Turkey would be a mistake. "Turkey is very important for Europe and the region," he said stressing, "Turkey has a role to bridge West and East."

His counterpart Arinc expressed his pleasure at Jagland's visit and underlined that bilateral relations between Norway and Turkey are on the rise. He also praised Jagland's article entitled" Turkey will be in Europe," which was published in Norwegian daily Aftenposten last week. "Jagland's article reflects Turkey's position well," Arinc added.

Norway is not an EU country. Two plebiscites in 1972 and 1994 on joining the European Union failed by narrow margins.

[04] The French-German initiative on Turkeys EU negotiation set Washington in motion. Washington to approach Scandinavian countries

The US Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson met yesterday with the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul and they talked about this issue. Washington will try to become part of the activity against this initiative, both at the meeting of the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs that will take place on the 11th of December and at the EU Summit three days later. It will also approach Britain and the Scandinavian countries which are against this initiative. However, the US initiative will not be extended at great length in order for France and Germany not to react against it.

The paper, invoking backstage sources, writes that during the NATO Summit in Riga, Mr Chirac has announced to the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan the idea of a fixed period for reviewing the negotiations. The paper writes that Mr Chirac told the Turkish Prime Minister that this is a way to calm the public opinion in France and Germany. The Turkish government did not confirm this report.

(C/S)

[05] Ertugrul Apakan officially appointed as Turkey´s Foreign Ministry undersecretary

Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan officially became the new undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry with the publication of a government decree in the Official Gazette over the weekend following President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's approval.

Apakan served as deputy undersecretary before replacing Ambassador Ali Tuygan, who has been appointed Turkey's permanent representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Apakan, who started his career at the Foreign Ministry in 1971, is regarded as an authority on the decades-long Cyprus issue as well as on Turkish-Greek relations. When he was granted the title of ambassador in 1996, he was named Turkey's ambassador to the `Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC)´. Upon his return to headquarters in 2000, he became director-general of the department that handles Cypriot and Greek issues. He became deputy undersecretary in 2004 but continued to cover the same issues under his new title.

A sports hall as well as a university library in northern Cyprus are named after Apakan, signs of the tremendous respect felt for him in the `KKTC´.

[06] Inflation rate increases in the occupied part of Cyprus

The inflation rate for the last month has been announced as 0.4% by the `State Planning Organization´.

With the latest figures, the inflation for the year ending November has reached to 19.5 per cent.

The highest rise was recorded in the prices of food, non-alcoholic drinks, health spending and clothing.

[07] Mainland Turk was found dead on the occupied Akanthou beach with two passports in his pocket

(MHY)

[08] AKSAM writes that Abdullah Gul could be the next Turkish President

The paper writes that this development is very important for AKPs balance because in this way no other names will appear as candidates for the elections and the party will not lose its power.

(C/S)

/SK

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article