Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 08-05-20

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] On the celebrations of the 19th May

[02] Kibris reports that the tourism sector in the occupied areas of the Republic is on the verge of collapsing

[03] A new five star hotel to be built on the Mare Monte Hotel site in occupied Karavas. Investment based on tourists from the free areas

[04] Babacan to visit Washington in June; Efforts to lobby for Turkeys bid for a seat on the UNSC

[B] Commentaries, Editorials and Analysis

[05] Columnist in Radikal writes on his impressions from his recent trip to Cyprus

[06] A reply to Niyazi Kizilyurek on parthenogenesis

[07] From the Turkish Press of 19 May 2008

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] On the celebrations of the 19th May

Addressing the ceremony at the Ataturk Stadium in occupied Lefkosia, Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said: The celebrations of the 19th of May have existed since the existence of the Turkish Cypriot. This day was celebrated even during the most difficult times, during the British colonial period and the period of struggle 1964-74. It is impossible not to celebrate this day. The excitement, which is inside the people, is the most important thing. During the ceremony, the Turkish Ambassador in occupied Lefkosia, Turkekul Kurttekin gave to the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat a bag of soil brought from Ataturks Mausoleum. Talat took the bag and kissed the soil.

Meanwhile, there was a reaction to the announcement of KTOEOS (Cyprus Turkish Secondary School Teachers Union) that their members did not attend the celebrations within the framework of their strike, but as an alternative action they instead marched for respect to Ataturk.

(DPs)

[02] Kibris reports that the tourism sector in the occupied areas of the Republic is on the verge of collapsing

The Turkish Cypriot Hoteliers Union (KITOB), the Turkish Cypriot Travel Agents Union (KITSAB) and the Turkish Cypriot Car Rentals Union (KAIB) issued a joint written declaration in which they say that the Tourism sector is on the verge of collapsing and called on the breakaway regime to take urgent measures to address the problems that the sector is facing.

In the statement the reasons for the present situation are listed as follows: High cost of living, disorganized structure of the sector, environmental problems, unstable flight schedules, political pressure exerted on the north Cyprus and the indifference of the politicians towards this sector. The statement accused the self-styled government of not taking long term measures to heal the wounds.

(MHY)

[03] A new five star hotel to be built on the Mare Monte Hotel site in occupied Karavas. Investment based on tourists from the free areas

A major leisure complex featuring sports facilities, shops, cinemas and a marina is to be built around a new five star hotel and casino on the Mare Monte Hotel site in Alsancak (occupied Karavas), Cyprus Today can reveal.

Work on the development is due to begin next year with expected completion in 2013, said Orlando Calumeno, financial director of Istanbul-based Net Holding Group, which owns the 460,000m2 site and the adjoining Merit Crystal Cove Hotel.

Mr Calumeno said the leisure facilities, including the hotel, would provide around 1,500 new local jobs once completed, in addition to work for an army of builders during the five-year construction period.

'The Mare Monte site will become a top-notch quality recreation site for people living in and visiting Cyprus' he said. It will offer a shopping center of 20,000m2, an integrated sports centre and bowling alleys in addition to cinemas and a small marina.

'Building work is due to begin when technical project drawings have been finalized in 2009 for a master plan'. He said the total cost of the scheme would be announced once the plan was completed.

Mr Calumeno said the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel, the new 300 room five-star hotel and its associated leisure complex would be managed locally as part of the Merit International Hotels and Resorts chain, which is part of Net Holding. The two hotels would share marketing and other facilities, including the sea shore connecting them.

'Tourism remains a key component of the islands economy', he said. 'High quality resorts are necessary for spurring further growth and projects like Mare Monte will increase the flow of tourists coming in from the South, another essential local driving force in tourism.

Latest political developments also indicate positive expectations for direct flights to and from North Cyprus and/or the lifting of its isolation.

Net Holding Group continues to believe firmly in the potential of the island and its commitment since 1996 grows year-by-year. Cyprus was, is and will remain the jewel of the Mediterranean and our investment, interest and love for it is a never-ending story.'

[04] Babacan to visit Washington in June; Efforts to lobby for Turkeys bid for a seat on the UNSC

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will pay an official visit to the US capital in early June, reliable sources in Washington told Today's Zaman yesterday, noting that the visit is likely to take place between June 3 and 9.

Babacan has already asked for appointments with US Vice President Dick Cheney and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as well as with Stephen Hadley, President George W. Bush's national security advisor, the same sources said. Babacan is also expected to deliver a speech at a Washington-based think tank before heading for New York on June 9 in order to lobby for Turkey's bid for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council for 2009-2010. Both Turkish and US diplomatic sources underlined that the visit is still in the planning phase and that contacts and details have yet to be determined.

Babacan's visit will be the first senior-level visit from Ankara to Washington after Turkey's chief prosecutor in March presented a case to the Constitutional Court to shut down the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and ban its leaders from politics on charges of it being a focal point of anti-secular activities. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former AK Party member President Abdullah Gul are among those whom the prosecutor is seeking to ban from politics.

The most recent remarks from a senior US official concerning the closure case came last Thursday when Matt Bryza, US deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, briefly said that Turkey's voters should determine the country's political future and that the voters had spoken twice last year. He also referred reporters to remarks by Rice at an annual conference held last month in Washington by the American-Turkish Council (ATC). In her speech at the conference Rice made oblique references to the case, comparing Turkey's tensions with the efforts of the United States to resolve its own constitutional problems over time.

When asked about the issue by a reporter after the speech, Rice said the US is following the developments closely and called it a matter for Turks to decide. We believe and hope that this will be decided within Turkey's secular democratic context and by secular democratic principles, she said, in remarks which have been widely interpreted as reflecting a rather cautious line.

[B] Commentaries, Editorials and Analysis

[05] Columnist in Radikal writes on his impressions from his recent trip to Cyprus

As a result of my impressions, I reached to the following main opinion: the election of Christofias in the place of Papadopoulos in the island and the wind of optimism that started to blow towards the solution in the international arena can stop before not long time passes. The Turkish Cypriot side, in spite of its disappointment and its loss of excitement in the recent years, maintains its will for solution. The problem is on the Greek Cypriot side. Yes, Christofias has a style and language that cannot be compared with Papadopoulos. He is more flexible and creative to some issues than his predecessor, but in the final analysis the realities, which are put in the middle as an obstacle to the solution, cast a shadow to his credibility.

Guven continues: After listening to Christofias, the final aim is not the solution of the Cyprus problem; the man thinks that the presence of the Turkish army in Cyprus must be ended as well as the right of Turkeys intervention. He sets in reverse the cause-effect argument; he runs the carriage in front of the horses. There is a reality that it seems the Greek Cypriot leader cannot comprehend or he does not want to comprehend: the Cyprus problem is so locked that it can be solved only with four keys. Whether Christofias accepts it or not, the lock will never be opened without Turkeys key.

If the Greek Cypriot side has really the will for solution there is only one issue to be taken up: the issue of the arrangement of the property issue. The Annan plan has solved the other problems within its various balances. When the sides decide to sit down and seriously consider the property issue, at that time it means that the problem is really considered.

And the bottom line: Before the fate of the AKP is made known, one should not expect any decisive decision from Christofias or an opening in Cyprus.

(DPs)

[06] A reply to Niyazi Kizilyurek on parthenogenesis

In an article in issue 147 of the Cyprus Observer, 9 to 15 May 2008, the writer stated that there would be a problem resulting from the statement: There is the Cyprus Republic (of the Greek Cypriots) and there is the TRNC and the new state 'the United Republic of Cyprus will be built upon these two states' because such an approach proposes a confederate organisation of two separate independent states which are open to using the right to separate independent states which are open to using the right to separate and it is crystal clear that the Greek Cypriots will reject such a proposal'.

Is that true? Apart from agreeing on a confederation, the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus could just as well agree to join as a unitarian side with a federal government as exists, for example, in Austria. Whether this is the political aim of the Turkish Cypriots or not is another question. The third possibility would be that the [Greek Cypriot] Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus could reach agreement to establish a federal state like Switzerlands.

According to present international law a federal state is a perpetual union of several sovereign states with organs of its own and is vested with powers, not only over the member states, but also over its citizens of one nationality. The union is based firstly on an international treaty signed by the member states and secondly on a subsequently accepted constitution of the federal state. One may question whether the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a sovereign and independent state? In international law a state does NOT come into being by the recognition by other states but has to be considered sovereign and independent when it fulfils the criteria of the Montevideo 1933 Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, despite the fact that it is not recognised by other states or recognised by one or more states only as is the case for example with Taiwan or more recently Kosovo.

Subtitle: Rejected UN plan

The UN Secretary Generals plan [the Annan Plan] for the reunification of Cyprus was a culmination of decades of negotiations, including those provisions which translated the political equality of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot peoples into practical terms, bizonality, security advancements and the virgin birth approach. The 'Virgin Birth' design of the Annan Plan allowed each side to maintain its position on how the new state of affairs would come into being, since both sides rejected the sole continuity of the other.

Considering that 76% of the Greek Cypriot voters, in the simultaneous referendums, rejected the Annan Plan and with that the Virgin Birth designs of this plan, we have to accept that the Virgin Birth approach will not be feasible. The rest the question is whether it will be possible to establish the 'United Cyprus Republic' on the basis of the two communities on the island?

First of all what is a community? It is doubtful that it is a legal entity, entitled to conclude international agreements, such as on the establishment of a federal state?

In his broadcast speech on 7 April 2004, before the referendum, Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos was very clear in his challenge to the complete philosophy and fundamental aspects of the Annan Plan when he said: We are asked to dissolve the Republic of Cyprus, the only security of our [Greek Cypriot] people, the only shield and guarantee of our historic physiognomy to dissolve our internationally recognised state entity at the very moment this is reinforced through our accession to the European Union. I have received a state that is internationally recognised. I will not hand it over as a community, without the right to speak internationally!

Subtitle: Both communities want to remain 'separate'

Although today the ruling parties on both sides of the border have the same ideological background, which will no doubt make the negotiations between the two sides easier, nevertheless Turkish Cypriot President Comrade Mehmet Ali Talat cannot, and will not, give up the Turkish Cypriot President Comrade Mehmet Ali Talat cannot, and will not, give up the Turkish Cypriot distinct identity, political equality, the Treaties of Guarantee and of Alliance and the needed bizonality that together are essential for the Turkish Cypriots physical, political and economic survival and security.

On the other side of the 'Green Line', the Greek Cypriot President Conrade Demetris Christofias follows in respect to the Virgin Birth design containing two constituent States the exact line as his predecessor.

The consequence of this is that if the Greek Cypriot side indeed wants a solution on the basis of a bicommunal, bi-territorial federation, which they say they do, they have to accept the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as one of the co-founders of the United Cyprus Republic. The Government of the Republic of Cyprus has already for a long time in a 'de facto' way accepted the Government of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as its partner in these negotiations.

The Republic of Cyprus recognising the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 'de jure' as a sovereign and independent state, on the moment of signing the international treaty to establish the United Republic of Cyprus, would not make any legal difference, because at that same moment the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as well as the Republic of Cyprus would become the constituent states of the new perpetual union to be called the 'United Republic of Cyprus'.

Refusal to do so by the Greek Cypriots would no doubt lead to two sovereign and independent states in Cyprus, even when this would not be the aim of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (like the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic of the former Czechoslovakia). This brings us back to confederation mentioned at the start. If it came about that the Greek Cypriots could not reach an agreement on the establishment of a federation then they may ask themselves whether the turned down proposal of a confederation would nevertheless be the next best alternative.

Anyhow, it is not up to us foreigners to tell the Greek and Turkish Cypriots how they should solve their problems. We can only monitor with the greatest of interest the developments.

[07] From the Turkish Press of 19 May 2008

a) Closure case against AKP:

In Milliyet Semih Idiz views the increasing reaction to the lawsuit against the ruling AKP [Justice and Development Party] abroad and argues that the closure of the party will not have a significant economic impact on the country. In his column in Istanbul Milliyet, he claims that the capital circles will view the way the party is closed and maintain their position if the closure does not harm their interests. However, he warns that Turkey's relations with the EU will be affected. He notes: Even if the closure of the party does not undermine Turkey's relations with the EU, it will create an opportunity for the Western forces that are against Turkey to intensify their criticisms. That will strengthen the anti-Western feelings in the Turkish people. The effects of the closure of the AKP will be felt in time. Meanwhile, Ankara will use its energy in the effort it will make to explain the party's closure to the rest of the world. However, the signs that exist at the present time indicate that it will find it difficult to do so.

According to a column by Ilnur Cevik in Ankara The New Anatolian, Prime Minister Erdogan is the main target of the Lawsuit that has been filed to close down the ruling AKP.

In an article entitled "An exasperating US Policy toward Turkey", Zaman's Washington correspondent Ali H. Aslan criticizes the Bush administration sharply for not evincing any "serious concern" over the closure case against the AKP and "behaving as though nothing had happened" despite the fact that the government in Ankara is waging a "life-or-death struggle" against a lawsuit which is set to have "grave implications for Turkish-US relations" as well as for Turkey's stability.

b) Visit of Queen Elizabeth II:

According to a report in Istanbul Milliyet, a presidential embargo has been imposed on daily Vakit because of the newspaper's opposition to Queen Elizabeth's visit to Turkey. The report recalls the importance PM Erdogan attached to the newspaper's editor, Hasan Karakaya, in the past and notes that the opposition to the visit brought to light yet another dispute between President Gul and the newspaper.

Mehmet M Yilmaz, in a column in Istanbul Hurriyet, wonders why the presidential palace failed to invite the MHP [Nationalist Action Party] to President Gul's banquet for Queen Elizabeth. Stressing that only three MHP deputies received invitations a few hours before the occasion, he notes: They decided not to attend. How could those who organized the banquet make such a mistake? The officials asked the three MHP deputies to participate without their spouses. They also asked them to wear a tuxedo. However, it seems that they failed to ask the officials of the Prime Minister's Office to dress up in the same way.

Erol Manisali views Queen Elizabeth's visit to Turkey in a column in Istanbul Cumhuriyet. He argues that it was welcomed by the ruling AKP but not the people. Manisali describes it as an expression of gratitude for the support the AKP has given to the occupation of Iraq, the transfer of Turkey's most important establishments to the British banks and oil monopolies, and the compliance with British demands on Cyprus, and notes: The British newspapers reported that the Turkish people were not interested in the royal visit. That is right because the people are aware of the realities and conspiracies, regardless of the oligarchic measures that are taken to prevent them from being informed.

In an article entitled "Watch out against the British", Yeni Safak columnist Yusuf Kaplan explains why Queen Elizabeth's recent visit to Turkey was "not an ordinary event." He underlines the "remarkable importance" of the fact that the visit has taken place at a time when US supremacy faces a "legitimacy crisis" and Britain is gradually moving into areas under the United States' "strategic domination." He claims that Britain took advantage of the process started by the September 11 strikes to regain the confidence of the Arabs, adding that the Queen's visit was the culmination of Britain's establishment of "deep relations" with Turkey in the post-9/11 era.

c) Developments in the region:

In an article entitled "Iran and the United States: what's next?", Today's Zaman columnist Omer Taspinar asserts that "the emergence of Iran as a much stronger regional power" has been one of the unforeseen results of the US occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and that "the law of unintended consequences is something that future American presidents will have to keep in mind next time they wage war in the Middle East."

A report in Milli Gazette entitled "Bush singles out Iran as a target again" criticizes President Bush for asserting that it would be an "unforgivable betrayal of future generations" to fail to oppose Iran's nuclear weapons program in his address to the World Economic Forum in Egypt. The report also accuses Bush of displaying his "paranoia" about Hizballah in expressing concern following his meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, the "puppet leader of the Palestinian administration," that Hizballah will undermine democracy.

In a column in Istanbul Sabah, Omer Taspinar views Turkey's relations with the United States, stressing that Turkey is not on Washington's agenda. Noting the problems that concern Washington in the world, he asserts: Washington finds it difficult to give a meaning to the controversies in Turkey. Unfortunately, the Turkish officials believe that Turkey is the most important country in the world. I do not wish to be misunderstood. Turkey is important for the United States. However, the US officials maintain a careful approach because of the problems they encountered in the past. They fear that whatever they might say will be misunderstood. The US diplomats are frustrated. Serious crises exist in the world. In view of that, Turkey's unique problems are not on Washington's agenda.

d) Restrictions on smoking:

Under the headline, "Smokers out of the door," Yeni Safak publishes a front-page report which informs that Turkey has started to enforce a smoking ban in closed places as of today along with heavy fines for those who violate the ban or allow it to be violated.

Under the headline, "Why is drinking alcohol allowed?" Vakit runs a front-page report which expresses regret at the fact that while smoking in closed places has been banned, the public consumption of liquor, "the mother of all evils," is still allowed.

ES/

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