Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 08-11-20

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] Statements by the US ambassador to Cyprus, Mr. Frank Urbancic on the Cyprus problem.

[02] Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat will hold contacts in Turkey

[03] Statements by Soyer on the global financial crisis

[04] Turkish Cypriot students expressed great interest for the Greek language.

[05] Foreign countries to participate at a conference of the illegal Eastern Mediterranean University (DAU)

[06] HIS leader accuses the self-styled coalition government for its financial policy

[07] Cemal Bulutoglullari reelected at the chairmanship of the Turkish Cypriot Municipalities Union

[08] Students of illegal Eastern Mediterranean University (DAU) arrested by the so-called police for narcotics

[09] Turkish Cypriot potatoes producers were informed about export within the Green Line regulation

[10] US, Iraq, Turkey hold talks on PKK

[11] An updated allocation of seats in Turkish parliament

[12] Turkey will explore oil and national gas in Black Sea

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by the US ambassador to Cyprus, Mr. Frank Urbancic on the Cyprus problem.

Speaking to the newspaper, Mr. Urbancic said, inter alia, that the two leaders in Cyprus continue negotiating without any intervention from abroad and stressed the need for the two leaders to find the way for the solution. He then called on the two leaders to be ready to show flexibility. Mr. Urbancic said also that with the existing atmosphere the two leaders could be accused of anything else except from the non-solution and he pointed out that the possibility for the non-solution will be invoiced to Christofias and Talat.

Mr. Urbancic went on and expressed the hope that a solution will be achieved during 2009. Frank Urbancic stated that his country supports a solution to the Cyprus problem and underlined the need for both sides to be ready to make sacrifices when it will be necessary to do so.

Regarding the background of the two leaders, Mr. Urbancic said that the USA did not considered the past of the two leaders normal, but even though, the USA supports them today, he said. Urbancic also said that the USA did not support Christofias policy in the past. He then said that the two leaders should not miss this important opportunity for solution and called on the two leaders not to act having as basis their past.

Mr. Urbancic said also that the USA supports the exerting efforts for the solution and that his country is ready to offer any kind of help for the solution.

(AK)

[02] Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat will hold contacts in Turkey

Within the framework of his contacts in Ankara, Mr. Talat will also meet with the Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ali Babacan. Moreover, tomorrow, the Turkish Cypriot leader will deliver a speech at the Bilkent University. Mr. Talat will return to the occupied areas tomorrow night, after concluding his contacts.

(AK)

[03] Statements by Soyer on the global financial crisis

Mr. Soyer went on and said that naturally the occupied areas will feel the effects of the financial crisis that has gripped the world. He then also said that the issue of the writing off the retirement premium, the writing off the 13 salary and the issue of taxing bonus are not included on the agenda of the government.

(AK)

[04] Turkish Cypriot students expressed great interest for the Greek language.

(AK)

[05] Foreign countries to participate at a conference of the illegal Eastern Mediterranean University (DAU)

The paper writes that the conference will start today and will continue for two days. Among the participants at the conference will be academicians, diplomats, and researchers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Turkey and the occupied areas.

(AK)

[06] HIS leader accuses the self-styled coalition government for its financial policy

He went on and stated that the Dubai model must be adopted in order the economy of the occupation regime to improve.

Referring to the negotiations for the solution of the Cyprus problem, Mr Yonluer stated that Turkeys State Minister, Cemil Cicek, who visited occupied Cyprus for the anniversary of the unilateral declaration of the TRNC referred to a two states solution. However, Mr Talat is trying to take the rights of the Turkish Cypriot out of their hands and continues to have secret talks with Mr Christofias, he stated. He also added that when elections take place and HIS comes to power, it will remove Talat as negotiator.

(CS)

[07] Cemal Bulutoglullari reelected at the chairmanship of the Turkish Cypriot Municipalities Union

()

[08] Students of illegal Eastern Mediterranean University (DAU) arrested by the so-called police for narcotics

(AK)

[09] Turkish Cypriot potatoes producers were informed about export within the Green Line regulation

Potatoes producers attended an informative meeting today organized jointly by the Agricultural Products Corporation, EU Commissions support offices and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce.

Addressing the participants, the President of the Agricultural Products Corporation Cevat Adakul said that in 2007 one thousand five hundred tones of potatoes had been sold to South Cyprus and EU countries and this year four thousand tones had been sold. He said that they too wanted to sell potatoes to south Cyprus and EU countries using ports in North Cyprus and added that the government was continuing to work on making this a reality.

Adakul expressed the hope that Turkish Cypriot producers will also be able to export their potatoes to EU countries during this time when a solution is being sought to the Cyprus problem. Noting that the European Union was aiming to increase its quota of potato imports to 20 thousand tones Mr. Adakul said they expected a helping hand from EU experts to overcome the deficiencies in northern Cyprus.

Explaining that there were certain criterias that needed to be met to be able to export products to EU countries, Mr. Adakul called on producers to apply these rules when exporting their products overseas.

Grant Wilkinson, EU expert on plant care informed the participants of the paperwork procedures that must be fulfilled if they choose to export their products to other EU countries within the framework of the Greek Line regulation.

[10] US, Iraq, Turkey hold talks on PKK

As the Iraqi government approved a deal that sets a deadline for US withdrawal from Iraq, diplomatic traffic between Baghdad and Ankara has speeded up.

U.S., Iraqi and Turkish officials yesterday agreed to form a joint committee to combat the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK, after holding three-way talks in Baghdad, as part of efforts to boost cooperation against Kurdish terrorists who use Iraq as a base for attacks on Turkey, AFP reported.

The committee will "track the threat represented by the PKK to the security and the stability of Turkey and Iraq," Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement. It will also "enact forceful measures to stop all activities undertaken by this organization inside Iraqi territory or in any region adjacent to the Turkish-Iraqi border," Dabbagh said.

The announcement followed a meeting to discuss the plan between U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, visiting Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Al-Maliki on the other hand is sending a delegation to Turkey. The delegation led by Akram al-Hakim, the state minister for reconciliation affairs, is expected to arrive in Ankara today to brief Turkish officials on the pact, private NTV television reported.

Turkey has stepped up cross-border air strikes and the shelling of northern Iraq since the PKK, killed 17 Turkish soldiers in an ambush in southeastern Turkey last month.

Turkey accuses Iraq of failing to rein in the fighters and the issue has strained relations between the neighboring countries.

Washington and Baghdad both consider the PKK a terrorist group and say Turkey has a right to take limited cross-border action against the fighters. But they fear a large-scale Turkish military response could destabilize northern Iraq. Last month Turkey's parliament extended by one year the government's mandate to strike the PKK in northern Iraq, where Turkish officials estimate about 2,000 fighters are hiding out in the mountains.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, visited Turkey last month to discuss efforts to fight the PKK. Turkish officials also visited Baghdad to discuss the issue in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Murat Ozcelik, Turkey's special envoy to Iraq, who also attended the meeting, will stay in Baghdad to hold talks with the central government and officials from the northern Iraqi administration.

[11] An updated allocation of seats in Turkish parliament

With Aktan's death, number MPs of the Nationalist Movement Party dropped to 69 as number of vacant seats rose to four.

An updated allocation of seats in Turkish parliament is as follows:

The Justice and Development (AK) Party:   338
Republican People's Party (CHP):           98
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP):      69
Democratic Society Party (DTP):            21
Democratic Left Party (DSP):               13
Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP):         1
Great Unity Party (BBP):                    1
Independents:                               5
Vacant:                                     4
Total:                                    550

[12] Turkey will explore oil and national gas in Black Sea

Turkey will explore for oil and natural gas in the Black Sea, authorities said on Wednesday.

Turkey's Petroleum Corp. (TPAO) signed on Wednesday a cooperation agreement with U.S. Exxon Mobil Exploration Company to explore for oil and natural gas beneath the Black Sea.

TPAO's director general Mehmet Uysal and ExxonMobil's vice president Elwyn Griffiths put their signatures under the agreement at the Sheraton Hotel in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

Under the agreement, the two corporations will invest 400-500 million USD in oil and natural gas exploration.

ExxonMobil will become operator during the initial exploration phase and earn a 50 percent interest in the licenses covering the north of Kastamonu, Bartin and Samsun provinces.

TPAO and ExxonMobil intend to collaborate to merge skills and operational abilities during the development and production phases. Seismic acquisition and evaluation programs for the two blocks (Samsun block and the eastern block) are currently being operated by TPAO and are scheduled for completion in 2009. Assignment of the interest to ExxonMobil by TPAO is subject to Turkish government approval.

"Finding oil and natural gas resources in the Black Sea will contribute to regional peace and stability, and world energy supply safety," Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Hilmi Guler said during the signature ceremony.Turkey had earlier signed a deal with Brazilian oil company Petrobras to explore oil and natural gas in the Black Sea.

EG/

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