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

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The Federal administration on the agenda of the leaders

[02] Izzet Izcan accused Talat and the AKP of supporting a two-states solution as regards the Cyprus problem

[03] Izcan and Kalyoncu quarrelled over the occupied Greek Cypriot properties

[04] The Turkish Cypriot lobby Embargoed Association which is participating in the Human Dimension in Warsaw stated that Chrysi Aygi organization is acting in a racist manner

[05] Former British MP was interviewed on Turkish Cypriot television channel ADA TV

[06] The financial market crisis was not felt in the occupied areas

[07] The 6th Unit of the Electricity Power Plant will arrive today in the occupied areas of Cyprus from Finland

[08] A Turkish citizen, who is being tried in Turkey for a crime, has escaped to Larnaca

[09] Turkish diplomat: Cyprus cause would not affect Turkeys election to the UN Security Council

[10] Turkish army presses government to increase authority in the fight against terrorism

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[11] Turkey and the EU three years on

[12] From the Turkish Press of 07 October 2008

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The Federal administration on the agenda of the leaders

Speaking yesterday at his weekly briefing to the press, Hasan Ercakica, the spokesman of the Turkish Cypriot leader, stated that the two leaders will meet on Friday at 9.30 in the morning after a 20-day break. He was evaluating the reports that the negotiations are not going well and are moving slowly. We also share the criticism that the negotiations are moving quite slowly. The finding of a solution to the Cyprus problem is the principal duty and responsibility of the Turkish and the Greek Cypriot political leaders. Therefore, it is a necessity that the process be continued in a more powerful and speedy manner, Mr Ercakica said. The spokesman of the Turkish Cypriot leader went on and added that there are many issues yet to be taken up at the negotiations and that it is too early to say that the negotiations are progressing well or not.

Mr Ercakica stated that it is quite possible for the process to be speeded up and by the end of the year a speedy progress to be safeguarded. According to Ercakica, Mr Talat believes that before the end of the year 2008 it is possible for a solution to be found and added that negotiations will be completed by the end of 2008 and reaching an agreement by the beginning of 2009 should be the goals of the leaders.

Referring to the statement of Mr Talat to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mr Ercakica stated that President Christofias tried to tilde the balances. He accused the Greek Cypriot side of trying to prevent Mr Talat from making a statement to PACE. Mr Ercakica assessed that Europes responses to Mr Talats statement were positive.

(CS)

[02] Izzet Izcan accused Talat and the AKP of supporting a two-states solution as regards the Cyprus problem

Mr Izcan stated that the statement of Mr Talat before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) put forward the two-states solution. He also said that the solution of the Cyprus problem is not based on the political equality of the two states but on the political equality of the two communities.

(CS)

[03] Izcan and Kalyoncu quarrelled over the occupied Greek Cypriot properties

Reacting to Kalyoncus statements, Mr Izcan said that Kalyoncu has taken a special education in Moscow and Brussels to sling mud and libel people.

(DPs)

[04] The Turkish Cypriot lobby Embargoed Association which is participating in the Human Dimension in Warsaw stated that Chrysi Aygi organization is acting in a racist manner

KIBRIS also writes that speaking at the Human Dimension meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is taking place in Warsaw, Poland, the chairman of the Embargoed Association, Ergin Balli, stated that the organization Chrysi Aygi which is active in the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus, is acting in a racist manner. He also stated that the organization which is against the solution of the Cyprus problem, wants to eliminate the Turkish Cypriots and it threatens the Greek and the Turkish Cypriots who support a federal partnership in Cyprus.

(CS)

[05] Former British MP was interviewed on Turkish Cypriot television channel ADA TV

Commenting on the Memorandum signed between Britain and the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Day said: Of course, Britain will act and must act protecting its interests. But this memorandum was signed at a wrong time and it was unnecessary. The whole purpose was to protect the British bases.

Referring to the direct flights, Mr Day said: There is a huge probability that the hearing will be secured in February and there would be direct flights between Britain and the North Cyprus.

Commenting on the Cyprus report prepared by the German MP Joachim Horster and adopted by PACE, Mr Day said that the report was one-sided.

(DPs)

[06] The financial market crisis was not felt in the occupied areas

In statements to the paper, Huseyin Denizoglu, deputy general director of the Universal Bank, stated that at the 2000-2001 bank crisis faced by Turkey and the TRNC the banks were forced to strengthen their internal structure. Therefore the measures taken strengthened the banks.

(CS)

[07] The 6th Unit of the Electricity Power Plant will arrive today in the occupied areas of Cyprus from Finland

The paper clarifies that the 6th Unit, which weighs 300 tons, came from Italy while the generator, of the main machine will be arriving in occupied Cyprus in two weeks time from Finland, and it will be put into operation.

(CS)

[08] A Turkish citizen, who is being tried in Turkey for a crime, has escaped to Larnaca

Sinems father, in a statement to the press yesterday after the court hearing, said that the accused was not kept under custody; he did not attend the hearings. He added: His lawyers say that he did not attend the hearings in order not to cause unpleasant incidents at the court. This is not an acceptable argument. They are trying a person who committed a crime, but was not put under arrest. The man received sailors documents and went abroad. At this moment, he is in South Cyprus, in Larnaca. He has even changed his name to Vasilis.

(DPs)

[09] Turkish diplomat: Cyprus cause would not affect Turkeys election to the UN Security Council

Baki Ilkin, Turkeys permanent representative to the UN told Ankara Anatolia (AA) correspondent that Turkey was working to strengthen peace and security in its own region. If it joins the Council, it will have the opportunity to contribute more directly to peace and security, he said.

The UN General Assembly will vote for non-permanent seats at the UN Security Council for the term 2009-1020 on October 17th. 192 countries will join the voting. Turkey, competing in the Western European and Others Group, has to win votes of 128 votes (or votes of two-thirds of countries joining the voting) to secure a seat at the UN Security Council. Austria and Iceland are the other candidates in this group. Only two countries can become a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the period of 2009-2010.

Ambassador Baki Ilkin said that the last time Turkey shared a two-year UN Security Council membership with Poland was in 1961.

Ilkin said that 30 percent of issues on the Councils agenda were comprised of problems that occurred in Turkeys vicinity, and enumerated them as Kosovo, Irans nuclear program controversy, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestinian-Israeli dispute, Georgian-Russian crisis and Afghanistan. If Turkey joins the council, it will contribute to efforts to solve these problems as a regional country, he also said.

Ilkin said that Cyprus cause would not affect the election, but Turkeys participation in the council would help it explain its views for a settlement in a better way.

The Turkish diplomat wished that Turkey would be elected in the first round of voting, and said that Turkeys President Abdullah Gul and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan lobbied for Turkey during the visit they paid to New York in September to participate in the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly.

Ilkin also said that Foreign Minister Babacan would visit New York in the following week to lobby for Turkey ahead of the voting for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council.

The United Nations Security Council is the branch of the UN charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization for military action. The council has five permanent members, including France, China, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States.

Ten other members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The members are chosen by regional groups and confirmed by the United Nations General Assembly. The African bloc chooses three members; the Latin America and the Caribbean, Asian, and Western European and Others blocs choose two members each; and the Eastern European bloc chooses one member. Also, one of these members is an Arab country, alternately from the Asian or African bloc.

Austria was a member of the Security Council twice, including the periods 1973-1974 and 1991-1992, however Iceland has never joined the Council. Turkey was a member of the council in 1951-1952, 1954-1955 and 1961.

[10] Turkish army presses government to increase authority in the fight against terrorism

The Turkish army piles pressure on the government demanding an increase in its authority in its fight against terror, a move that has heightened fears of a backtracking in freedoms as well as human rights.

The Turkish justice minister said on Tuesday the country is not in a position to make a choice between freedom and security in a bid to soothe concerns that state of emergency conditions would return to the southeastern regions.

'We must assess both our freedom and security and not back track from either of them Our colleagues working on the technical details (of the new legislation) take this into consideration,' Mehmet Ali Sahin told reporters.

The Turkish army had demanded five legislative amendments to strengthen its hand in its fight against the terror organization, PKK. Those demands have not been elaborated.

The government had made a series of legislation amendments to comply with European Union standards and, as a result, curbed the militarys authority both in politics and security.

Hurriyet daily reported a meeting was held between officials from the Justice Ministry and military. In the meeting military officials demanded to have the same rights as the police forces and gendarmerie in its fight against terrorism.

They also demanded an extension to the four-day long custody period for those detained in anti-terrorism operations and asked for the custody period for each crime to be individually defined.

The demands of the military to widen its authority has raised concerns among experts over the situation of freedoms and rights.

Experts and observers say that making legal amendments to widen the authority of the military without declaring a state of emergency would violate the constitution.

'If the conditions are in place, then a state of emergency should be declared. This is under the governments authority. If the military uses the authority of state of emergency periods without an official declaration, it would violate the constitution,' an expert, who declined to be named, told Hurriyet.

Declaration of a state of emergency is particularly sensitive in Turkey. The government had given extraordinary authority to military officials as well as government officials in the southeastern regions to fight against terrorism when the PKKs actions peaked in late 1990s and early 2000s.

The last two states of emergency were lifted in November 2002 in the southeastern regions of Diyarbakir and Sirnak, strongholds of the terror organization. Both provinces had been governed under a state of emergency rule that once covered 11 other provinces, for 15 years.

Re-launching the state of emergency is likely to receive a harsh reaction from the European Union.

Radikal daily said Tuesday the PKKs bloody attack on Friday, which left 17 soldiers killed and 20 other injured, had became an excuse for attempts to limit rights and freedoms.

According the report, the military had demanded a search right for the unseen sections of cars, the removal of the judicial warrant condition for house searches and ID checks, an extension of the mandate of police and gendarmerie to military officials including interrogations, the authority to block communication using signal-jamming and to allow the gendarmerie to conduct investigations in the areas currently under the jurisdiction of the police forces during operations.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[11] Turkey and the EU three years on

It has been just over three years since the European Union opened membership negotiations with Turkey. It was clear from the start that this was going to be a complicated and long journey with many difficulties along the way.

Therefore it is not really surprising that the last three years have been full of frustration and disappointment.

A vicious circle of blame has materialized, with the EU and Turkey pointing fingers at each other over lack of progress. This has resulted in a relationship which is void of trust, which in turn has contributed to a lack of commitment from both sides that neither party seems to be in a hurry to remedy. While Turkey complains that the EU process moves too slowly, is being sabotaged by some member states and Turkey is being treated unfairly, EU member states remain divided on Turkish accession, protest that Turkeys reform process is virtually nonexistent and believe too many reforms exist only on paper. Turkey recently introduced its Third National Program for the EU -- a long list of reforms ranging from sewage collection to military expenditure. But at the same time, many of the priorities of the Second National Program remain unfinished or unimplemented. Turning written reform to action seems an increasingly difficult task for the government. Will the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) block the reforms? Will the Constitutional Court block those reforms that require constitutional changes? Will the government have enough money to implement them?

While Ankaras top brass continue to voice their support for the EU, stating it is a priority, there are no follow-up actions. Meanwhile, the EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn continues to push Turkey to find new momentum and asks member states to stick to their commitments and speak with one voice. The EU seems to be allowing Turkey to open only two negotiating chapters per presidency. If things carry on like this, Turkey may end up negotiating for 18 years! But at the same time the number of chapters available to be opened is also diminishing. Eight have already been frozen due to Turkeys failure to extend its EU Customs Union to the Republic of Cyprus, and as many as five are being unnecessarily blocked by the French.

Yet both sides still seem to get something out of this weird relationship. Being a country negotiating EU membership increases Turkeys prestige and weight on the international stage. It also continues to help Turkey attract foreign investment. For the EU, it means having some sort of influence on Turkey.

After the publication of the commissions progress report in November, two new chapters are expected to be opened by the French presidency in December. The EU baton then passes to the Czech Republic, followed by Sweden. Expectations for the Czech presidency should not be high. Firstly, the Czech Republic is a small and inexperienced country so there is a limit to what it can do. Secondly, Prague will give priority to the new Eastern Partnership which has been initiated by Sweden and Poland to strengthen ties with Eastern Europe. Then there is the Cyprus issue. In the best case scenario a solution will be found within the first half of next year and Turkey will be able to normalize relations with a new united Cyprus including the defrosting of frozen chapters. But a non-solution will continue to be a hefty burden on Ankaras relations with the EU. European Parliament elections in June may also result in an increase in members opposed to Turkish accession given that many candidates will run on a nationalist platform. The government will also face bi-elections in March which may make Erdogans position increasingly precarious over reforms. The Swedes have already stated that enlargement will be a priority and Stockholm will give a big push to Turkey during its presidency. But that said it is also likely that the Irish will hold a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty during this period, so clearly the Swedes will have to place a lot of focus here too. There will also be elections in Germany on Sept. 27, 2009, when there is a strong possibility that the Christian Democrats may return as a single party government, which could mean a toughening of their position on Turkey. And lastly, the European Commissions term ends in the autumn and Turkey may be faced with a new interlocutor given there are no guarantees that Rehn will return.

In this climate of enlargement fatigue and uncertainty over the unions future, the EU will have no appetite to boost relations with Turkey. Rather, they will just allow things to plod on as they have done for the last three years. As for Turkey, Ankara shows all the signs of continuing to do the minimum, too, with an EU policy seemingly based on declarations of intent. This really is a crying shame as both sides have so much to gain from developing a strong and meaningful partnership.

[12] From the Turkish Press of 07 October 2008

Reactions to PKK attack:

Turkish papers primarily focus on the reactions to the PKK attack on Aktutun [Bezele in Kurdish] military post on 3 October. CHP leader Deniz Baykal says Turkey could only defeat "terrorism" by solving the northern Iraqi problem through talks with the Iraqi government and the United States and by adopting a resolute struggle against any attempt to legitimize or politicize "terrorism" at home, according to a Cumhuriyet report. MHP leader Devlet Bahceli calls for an intensified cross-border operation with the aim of creating a "security zone" in northern Iraq, according to a report in Star.

A Radikal report quotes CHP Izmir Deputy Canan Aritman as saying that both the government and military leaders have to account for the deaths of 15 soldiers, and specifically criticizing Deputy Chief of the General Staff Hasan Igsiz's assertion that they could not relocate Aktutun outpost to a secure location because of lack of funds.

A Milliyet report says that the 3 October attack was organized by Kadri Celik, alias Ape Huseyin, the planner of the Daglica [Oremar in Kurdish] attack on 21 October 2007, adding that the PKK guerrillas used wet overcoats to evade thermal cameras and used "Ilga" and "Strella-7" shoulder-fired Russian missiles that were transferred to the PKK camps via Greece.

On the other hand, the army generals have asked the AKP government to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMUK) to enable soldiers to conduct unrestricted searches in private homes and vehicles, says a Radikal report pointing out that if these demands are met it would be a return to the days of OHAL [Emergency Situation Rule that existed in the southeast for many years].

After opposing to the military's proposals to restrict freedoms and speculating that with the attack the PKK wanted to undermine AKP's popularity ahead of the upcoming local elections in Turkey and increase its room of manoeuvre in northern Iraq by fomenting a conflict between Turkey and Iraq, Cengiz Candar declares in his column for Referans that if the Erdogan government still goes on repeating the state's old mentality about terrorism and fails to launch a fresh opening on the Kurdish issue, it would mean Turkey has learned nothing from the past calamities.

Oral Calislar declares in his column in Radikal that Turkey never faced the Kurdish problem with any seriousness and, instead, chose the easy way of declaring it a problem of terrorism. Arguing that the Kurdish problem is not a question of terrorism but a problem of Kurdish national identity as well as a political and social problem, Calislar say this problem should be solved by political means and not by military measures.

Sami Kohen says in his column in Milliyet that creating a buffer zone in northern Iraq would not solve any problem, rather it will drag Turkey into the trap of the PKK. A similar view is expressed by Hasan Cemal in his column for the same paper. He says attempt to create such a zone would further aggravate and internationalize the Kurdish problem. He points out that the PKK exists because the Kurdish problem exists, and as long as the existence of the Kurdish problem is ignored the PKK problem cannot be solved. Hasan Cemal calls on Prime Minister Erdogan to gather courage and admit the existence of the Kurdish problem and produce a comprehensive strategy for its solution.

Commenting on military weaknesses that enable the PKK attack to be devastating and criticizing the army leadership for its tactical mistakes, Hincal Uluc, in his column in Sabah, proposes that the war in the region should not be directed by army generals from Ankara, instead a special permanent command should be established in the southeast to fight this low-intensity war.

Commenting on the failure of Turkish assimilation policy towards the Kurds and threats against liberal columnists wanting a democratic solution, Murat Belge says in his column for Taraf that since the Ottoman times the Turkish leaders have been pretending that a problem could be eliminated by simply murdering those who say that there is a problem and it needs to be solved.

Enis Berberoglu declares in his column in Hurriyet that Turks should not feel tired of fighting the PKK because they have to realize that losing the fight against terrorism would be tantamount to losing their republic and homeland.

Noting that most Kurds do not support the PKK, Taha Akyol, in his column in Milliyet, warns that resorting to terrorism would lead to a bloody civil war in Turkey as Kurds will not be able to partition Turkey because the Turks and Kurds are demographically interspersed.

After giving some credence to Abdullah Ocalan's recent claims that Israel is fomenting Kurdish nationalism and hence a Kurdish-Turkish clash, Yalcin Bayer, in his column in Hurriyet, quotes an unnamed "expert politician" as saying that Turkey should pressure the new US administration and the Iraqi government to take measures against the PKK in northern Iraq, and force Europe to cut the financial aid flow to the PKK.

Ruhat Mengi, in her column in Vatan joins some critics who say that instead of buying armoured cars and perquisites for high officials and generals, the money should have been used to strengthen the Aktutun outpost, and then goes on to accuse the United States of hoodwinking Turkey. She says the PKK has a helicopter runway on Mt Qandil, yet Turkish government, whose survival depends on foreign powers, does not dare to ask the United States about the purpose of that runway.

Going further, Yigit Bulut argues in his column in Vatan that the PKK attack is part of the US plan to dent the image of the Turkish Army, which Americans see as an obstacle to their designs in the Middle East and in Turkey. Bulut believes the Europeans too are working alongside the United States for the same purpose.

Finally, in a column in Hurriyet, Bekir Coskun says the Turkish government fears to criticize the United States over the PKK presence in Iraq because the Turkish leaders [Erdogan and Gul], who have been attending the martyrs' funeral without any feeling of shame, are dependent on the United States. All that remains to the people to do is "to sob over and forget" the PKK attacks.

ES/

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