Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 08-07-10

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Akinci said that these lands cannot endure the population coming from Turkey; Discussion at the assembly on the illegal workers

[02] European parliamentarians of Turkish origin and Mrs Claudia Roth will participate in the celebrations for the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

[03] A PACE delegation is holding contacts in the occupied areas of Cyprus

[04] Turkish Cypriot parliamentarians hold contacts in Strasbourg

[05] The environmental disaster caused by the stone quarries on the occupied Pentathaktylos Mountains has reached a point of no return

[06] Soyer said the draft-law regarding the index-linked wage will be discussed at the assembly after the summer holidays

[07] Talat attended the handover ceremony at the 4th Infantry Regiment

[08] The National Council urged the political forces to cooperate to overthrow the government

[09] More illegal immigrants from Syria

[10] The Journalists and Writers Union noted that the working conditions in the press are far from being satisfactory

[11] Turkish Prime Minister to attend Club Med summit

[12] Turkey to open embassy in Kosovo

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[13] Turkeys dilemma on European forces

[14] From the Turkish Press of 09 July 2008

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Akinci said that these lands cannot endure the population coming from Turkey; Discussion at the assembly on the illegal workers

The draft-law was submitted yesterday to the assembly by the chairman of the committee, Kadri Fellahoglu, MP with the Republican Turkish Party (UBP). Hasan Bozer, MP with the National Unity Party (UBP), who took the floor afterwards, said that they would give a positive vote to the draft-law. Mr Bozer argued that the draft-law will bandage the social wounds, but added that they have some concerns.

The MP with the Social Democrat Party (TDP), Mustafa Akinci said that these lands cannot endure this population. He said that the draft-law came onto the agenda due to some difficulties in the everyday life and noted that they should touch upon the debates brought onto the agenda by the trade unions.

He said: These lands cannot bear this population. A burden which neither the infrastructure, nor the social structure could endure is shouldered on this community. The picture we face when we walk from the Gate of Keryneia to the Sarayonu Square is not pleasant at all. This statement is not to do with those who came here and settled many years ago. However, no community can be left so undefended.

Mr Akinci noted that the transfer of population is one-sided and added that the issue should be discussed with Turkey.

The overcoming of all these difficulties passes through the solution of the Cyprus problem. I wish the procedure which will start in September to lead us to the solution, he concluded.

Replying to the criticism, the self-styled minister of internal affairs, Ozkan Murat said that they have twice brought onto the agenda such draft-laws with the aim of registering the illegal workers. He noted that the number of the people who will be benefited from the draft-law is not too large.

Replying to the allegations regarding the transfer of population, Mr Murat argued: Transfer of population means making citizens. In this sense, there is no transfer of population.

He said that the number of the registered workers was around six thousands before 2003, ten thousands in 2004, forty nine thousands in 2006 and forty six thousands in 2007.

Mr Murat said that not all the registered workers bring their families to the occupied areas and added that the number of the children of the registered workers and the military who go to school in the occupied areas is seven thousands.

Mr Murat argued that the ratio of prisoners from Turkey and prisoners from the occupied areas is also exaggerated. He alleged that 53 % of the prisoners in the central prison come from Turkey and only 6 % of them posses work permit.

Furthermore, the MP with the CTP, Kadri Fellahoglu, who addressed the assembly after Mr Murat, said that only 60 persons were given the citizenship during the past four years.

Moreover, the self-styled prime minister, Ferdi Sabit Soyer pointed out to the necessity of satisfying the workforce needs of the economic development and argued that there are more than 200 thousand foreign workers today in the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus.

Meanwhile, Mr Akinci took the floor again and replied to Mr Soyer. He said that he is not against registering the work force needed for the economy. He pointed out that the Turkish Cypriots are going for work in the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus and that much more population comes from Turkey to the occupied part of Cyprus.

Mr Akinci said that he gets the impression that the mentality which says there are no Turkish Cypriots, everybody is Turk, we just live in different geographic areas, continues.

Mr Akinci noted that the policy followed regarding the population should change, that he appreciates the fact that no citizenship is given. However, he added, the structure of the population should be protected.

Furthermore, the MP with the CTP, Mustafa Kalyoncu said that some peoples behaviour is double faced and added that while they are complaining for the illegal workers they employ illegal workers in their houses.

Meanwhile, according to Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (10.07.08), the MP with the National Unity Party (UBP), Turkay Tokel intervened when Mr Murat said that they gave the citizenship to only 60 persons during the last four years. Mr Tokel noted that when his party comes to power they give the citizenship of the breakaway regime to everybody.

(I/Ts.)

[02] European parliamentarians of Turkish origin and Mrs Claudia Roth will participate in the celebrations for the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

(I/Ts.)

[03] A PACE delegation is holding contacts in the occupied areas of Cyprus

In statements to the press, Mr Hammerburg said that they are holding contacts to discuss the human rights in the occupied part of Cyprus and examine what is done on the issue. He noted that yesterday they discussed the issue of the human trafficking with the Turkish Cypriot leader. He noted that they also discussed the measures taken in the occupied areas on this issue.

Before the meeting with the PACE official, Mr Soyer said that they would discuss the issue of the human trafficking and argued that they are experiencing a coordination problem with the government of the Republic of Cyprus.

Mr Hammerburg met also with a delegation of the Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation headed by Mrs Emine Erk. According to a statement issued by the foundation, the Turkish Cypriots asked especially from the units of the Council of Europe which are concerned with the human rights to hold more close contacts with them and exert more intensive efforts to carry out their duty. Mrs Erk said that their aim was to have close contacts and cooperation with the PACE.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Turkish Cypriot parliamentarians hold contacts in Strasbourg

The TRNC parliamentary delegation is continuing its contacts in Strasbourg.

The Republican Turkish Party-United Forces MP Salih Izbul and the National Unity Party MP Hasan Tacoy are in Strasbourg within the framework of the meetings of the European Parliament.

Mr Tacoy told BRT that they hold discussions with some members of the European Parliament and technical groups.

He said the latest developments concerning the Cyprus issue as well as the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people were on top of the agenda during the meetings.

[05] The environmental disaster caused by the stone quarries on the occupied Pentathaktylos Mountains has reached a point of no return

Thousands of trees are destroyed and underground water springs are lost every day with the dynamite which explodes at the stone quarries that extends from the area above the Larnaka tis Lapithou village which constitutes the west edge of Pentathaktylos Mountains until Karpass which constitutes its east edge, notes the paper.

The forests which are located in the surrounding area of the stone quarries are threatened from the white dust coming out from the quarries and the green colour of the trees has been turned into white. Hundreds of trees are facing the danger of dying.

(I/Ts.)

[06] Soyer said the draft-law regarding the index-linked wage will be discussed at the assembly after the summer holidays

The paper reports that the decision to postpone until after the summer recess to decide on the issue is due to both the pressure exerted by the trade unions and the great influence of the front formed by MPs of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) who oppose the draft-law.

(I/Ts.)

[07] Talat attended the handover ceremony at the 4th Infantry Regiment

Mr Talat told the army officers that while they are executing their duty in the occupied part of Cyprus they contribute to the Turkish Cypriots living in security and provide their safety. Colonel Mehmet Dagman took over the command of the regiment from Colonel Kader Kencer.

(I/Ts.)

[08] The National Council urged the political forces to cooperate to overthrow the government

(I/Ts.)

[09] More illegal immigrants from Syria

(I/Ts.)

[10] The Journalists and Writers Union noted that the working conditions in the press are far from being satisfactory

(I/Ts.)

[11] Turkish Prime Minister to attend Club Med summit

Turkish officials notified France yesterday that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be attending a summit of European and regional leaders to launch a French-promoted Union for the Mediterranean, officials from the Prime Ministry have said.

Erdogan and French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke over the phone on Tuesday, and Erdogan said he was planning to attend the July 13 summit unless an unforeseen obstacle comes up. Leaders of other countries invited to the summit had long ago confirmed whether they would be attending, leaving Turkey and Algeria as the last two countries to confirm their participation at the last minute.

Ankara has long been cautious towards the idea of a Mediterranean union, first proposed by Sarkozy, because of fears that such a union could become an alternative for Turkey's bid to join the European Union as a full member. French officials have given assurances to Ankara that the Mediterranean union will not be an alternative to its membership bid.

Sarkozy announced the union as one of his flagship ideas after winning the French presidential election last year, saying it would bring together the Mediterranean's diverse nations in a European-style institution. But the plan to draw on EU funds for a project that did not include EU states without a Mediterranean coast irked Germany and others, forcing Paris to water down the concept and broaden its membership.

Sarkozy invited the leaders of all the future member states to Sunday's summit. The only regional leader who is now expected not to come is Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.

[12] Turkey to open embassy in Kosovo

Turkey will turn its coordination office in Pristina into an embassy after a cabinet decision to open a mission in Kosovo that declared independence in February.

The decision comes in accordance with the reciprocity principle common in diplomatic relations, when Kosovo announced that it was planning to open an embassy in Ankara by the end of the year.

Last week, Kosovo's President Fatmir Seydiu announced the opening of embassies in 10 countries, including Turkey.

Turkish officials noted that Turkey is pleased with Kosovo's decision to open one of its first foreign missions in Ankara.

'Even though this is only an idea, for the time being, we are pleased that a decision has been made,' said a Turkish diplomat, who requested anonymity.

In return, Turkey's coordination office in Pristina, active for nine years and currently providing consular services, will automatically become an embassy after a cabinet decision to open a mission in Kosovo, he noted.

'No diplomat has been appointed yet, but the will is in place to open an embassy in Pristina as soon as possible,' said the diplomat, without elaborating.

This initiative is expected to further complicate Turkey's relations with Serbia, which refuses to allow Turkey's ambassador to Belgrade, Suha Umar, to assume office.

For months, Umar has not been granted an appointment by Serbian President Boris Tadic to present his credentials. Ambassadors need to formally present their credentials to the president of a host country as a diplomatic requirement to begin duties.

Kosovo's foreign mission in Ankara is expected to open this year. 'Turkey is one of the first countries that recognized Kosovo. There is no obstacle preventing the opening of a diplomatic mission in Turkey,' Mustafa Sarnic, undersecretary of the Turkish Coordination Office in Pristina, told the Turkish Daily News yesterday.

To the annoyance of Belgrade, Ankara announced its recognition of Kosovo as an independent state on Feb. 18, only one day after the breakaway majority Albanian province's secession from Serbia.

'No time frame has been fixed yet, but an embassy in Ankara is expected to be inaugurated this year,' said Sarnic.

As Kosovo grapples with the financial difficulties typical of a newborn state, its diplomatic missions in 10 countries, including the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Austria, will be opened in progressive stages.

Sarnic said Kosovo was planning to first appoint charge d'affaires to lay the legal and technical groundwork for the opening of the embassies and eventually appoint ambassadors.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[13] Turkeys dilemma on European forces

Turkey's modern history has witnessed numerous mistakes in both foreign and domestic policy issues.

One of those can be cited as Cyprus, which has fallen victim to Ankara's ill-defined policies, playing into the hands of Greece and the Greek Cypriots, as well as those outside powers who have been engaged in a power struggle in the eastern Mediterranean, where the island is located.

The controversial diaries of retired Adm. Ozden Ornek, former naval forces commander, published in the now-defunct Nokta magazine in March of last year, revealed how Cyprus was used, this time, by the military-led sectors of society to undermine the government.

The diaries, which a Turkish journalist is now seeking to have authenticated through the courts, revealed two aborted coup attempts in 2003 and 2004 against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

In addition, Ornek was quoted in his diaries as saying that Cyprus is an issue in which the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have always had the upper hand for mobilizing the Turkish public against the government on grounds that it has been selling out this national cause.

Ornek openly indicates in the alleged diaries that if the government has made any mistakes on the Cyprus issue, top commanders should have used this as an opportunity to issue a memorandum to undermine the ruling party.

Ornek's diaries refer to the attempts of the AK Party to help find a solution to the dispute on the divided island and discuss how the TSK sought to sabotage those attempts.

In fact, it was under the AK Party government that for the first time Ankara began to play a constructive role in resolving the dispute. However, the EU's acceptance of the Greek Cypriots as a member despite the divided status of the island has played a significant role in playing into the hands of the Turkish military-led ultranationalists, the Greek Cypriots and Greece, hindering prospects for a solution.

If one of the results of the unresolved status of the Cyprus issue has been problems in Turkey's accession talks with the EU, the other has been the ongoing dispute with NATO and the EU over the proper functioning of joint peacekeeping operations in conflict zones.

This is because Turkey rejects Greek Cypriot involvement in joint operations, citing several agreements signed between the parties to this end.

In return, the Greek Cypriots and Greece, both EU members, supported by several European countries, reject the Turkish arguments.

A Western military source in Ankara admits that the documents governing NATO-EU relations on peacekeeping operations were deliberately made imprecise so that all parties, and in particular Turkey, could agree upon them. He adds that one should not put the blame on Turkey alone in this dispute.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer's call from Paris on July 7, urging the EU to deepen defence ties with Turkey in a bid to overcome a long-running row hampering the two bodies' security missions, was also intended to give a message to EU members that they should not expect a solution from Turkey alone, he said.

The Reuters news agency stated that NATO member Turkey has for years blocked military cooperation between the alliance and the EU, insisting NATO intelligence cannot be shared with non-NATO EU countries, including the Greek Cypriots.

With the EU now involved in police training alongside NATO in Kosovo and Afghanistan, the standoff has held back efforts by the two to coordinate transport, force protection and other tasks there.

'We cannot allow this to go on, as our soldiers are engaged side by side in dangerous missions,' Scheffer told a defence conference organized by France, the current holder of the rotating EU presidency, according to Reuters.

As can be observed, the core of the dispute in this stalemate is Cyprus. As long as this issue is not solved, accepting the equal status of the Turkish Cypriots and their Greek counterparts on the island, Turkey's EU aspirations will be further delayed, as will any resolution to the current European defence stalemate.

But an acceptable solution on Cyprus can be found if the weight of Turkey's military-led ultranationalists on the dispute is weakened and the EU pursues fair policies.

[14] From the Turkish Press of 09 July 2008

a) Cyprus:

In an article entitled "The Island," Milliyet columnist Melih Asik asserts that the EU has advised the Turkish government to broaden the scope of the Ergenekon probe and to intensify pressure on the Turkish military because it regards it as the main obstacle to a possible settlement in Cyprus which would be consistent with the policies of the EU and Greek Cypriots. He says: "Talat's agreement with Christofias over the principle of 'single sovereignty and single citizenship' is clear evidence that he can freely do whatever he wants to. Turkey's official stance is based on 'equal sovereignty' while single sovereignty is a Greek Cypriot thesis."

b) New Political Party:

According to an article entitled "Sener Targets 20 MPs" in Milliyet, former Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener who has recently unveiled his plan to form a new political party plans to convince 20 disillusioned MPs from the AKP to resign and join his new party. The report also says that Sener established a website named "Yeni Olusum Hareketi" [movement for a new organization] which features his CV, critical comments made by Sener about the government, and two opinion polls about Sener's future role in politics.

c) Ergenekon Investigation:

An article entitled "Hilmi Ozkok: 'I can neither confirm nor deny'" by Milliyet columnist Fikret Bila highlights an interview with retired Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, former Chief of the Turkish General Staff, about the ongoing Ergenekon probe. Bila quotes Ozkok as saying that he could neither confirm nor deny allegations that Turkish generals devised a plan to stage a coup in 2004 according to the alleged diary of retired Admiral Ozden Ornek.

In an article entitled "The Empire of Fear," Ortadogu columnist Orhan Karatas accuses the AKP of trying to remain in power by creating an empire of fear. Stressing that the AKP's efforts set the stage for the current polarization and tension, Karatas also asserts that the AKP is using the Ergenekon investigation for its own purposes.

In an article entitled "An Incredible 'Coincidence,'" Cumhuriyet columnist Cuneyt Arcayurek criticizes judicial authorities for not interrogating retired Admiral Ornek about his alleged diary which, he notes, has constituted the basis for the Ergenekon investigation. Stressing that Ornek's denial that the alleged diary belongs to him was found unconvincing by the public, Arcayurek says that judicial authorities must launch an investigation in order to identify the author of the diary. He comments: "Coup scenarios connected with the denied diary, the Ergenekon investigation, and his [Ornek's] sons' close relations with companies which support Erdogan... [ellipsis as published]. It may be 'coincidence" as noted by [Fatih] Altayli. You should not say that it was an incredible coincidence. It was probably sheer coincidence."

In an article entitled "Ergenekon will break the record three days later," Radikal columnist Murat Yetkin says that information leaked to pro-government dailies about the organization called Ergenekon indicate that it is actually a shadowy and loosely organized group consisting of some retired officers who could not command support for their anti-democratic ideas while serving in the military and were later discharged and some angry and disappointed people who have suspicious relationships and are encouraged by the presence of those retired officers. The Ergenekon investigation could have provided an opportunity to purge anti-democratic groups which Turkey needs. There is still such a possibility if the indictment proves that acts of provocation that could set the stage for a coup were organized and committed by that group and leads to their conviction."

In an article entitled "Officers are angry with their commanders," Taraf columnist Lale Sariibrahimoglu says that officers within the Turkish Armed Forces are angry because Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit who will retire in August and Chief of the Ground Forces Gen. Ilker Basbug who will succeed Buyukanit have remained silent in response to the arrest of two retired generals in connection with the Ergenekon investigation.

Also front-paged is a report entitled "Assassination plan against Chief Public Prosecutor found in Eruygur's house, too," which claims that an assassination plan against Chief Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya identical to the one found on Workers' Party, IP, leader Dogu Perincek's computer was discovered in the office of Retired General Sener Eruygur, who has been arrested as part of the Ergenekon probe.

In an article entitled "Questions about the issues on the agenda", Yeni Safak columnist Kursat Bumin highlights passages from a recent article by Radikal columnist Murat Yetkin linking the coup plans claimed to have been drawn up by Sener Eruygur to former Chief of Staff General Huseyin Kivrikoglu, who is said to have gone out of his way to appoint Eruygur as Commander of the Gendarmerie.

A report entitled "Balbay conceals meeting in US" accuses Cumhuriyet columnist Mustafa Balbay, a suspect in the Ergenekon probe who was recently released from custody pending his trial, of withholding from the public information about the questions he was asked during his interrogation about a secret meeting he is claimed to have held with US Vice-President Dick Cheney and three aides in the presence of Cumhuriyet's Washington correspondent Elcin Poyrazlar on 14 February, 2008.

In an article entitled "Calculated or Coincidental?", Today's Zaman columnist Dogu Ergil asserts that the recent meeting between Prime Minister Erdogan and "the soon-to-be ... chief of General Staff" General Ilker Basbug "must be where" the Government and the top command of the Turkish Armed Forces made an agreement to eliminate the "rotten apples" involved in conspiracies against the Government and the armed forces.

Under the headline, "Indictment all but ready," Milli Gazete runs a front-page report which asserts that the indictment in the Ergenekon case is expected to be submitted to the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor in Istanbul on Friday.

ES/

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