Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 09-07-24

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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 38th meeting between Christofias-Talat; Statements by Talat after the meeting. Talat goes to Istanbul

[02] Reactions continue about the appointment of the permanent undersecretary of Economy and Planning by Turkey Cakici stated that this is an insult to the Turkish Cypriots

[03] Ozgurgun accused the Greek Cypriot side for the issue with the vessel carrying the flag of Korea Peoples Republic.

[04] YKP Secretary on the demographic structure of the occupied areas of Cyprus

[05] The unveiling ceremony of the memorial of Ataturk is taking place today-Volkan criticizes Talat for not participating in the ceremony

[06] Two self-styled ministers flied secretly to Italy in order to make tourism agreements

[07] Foreign press members were informed about the illegal universities

[08] Traditional dance group of the illegal Keryneia municipality attended an international festival in Poland

[09] Turkey and Libya signed Joint Economic Committee protocol in Ankara

[10] Turkish Defense Minister leaves for France to participate at defense meeting

[11] The ten points of Ocalans road map

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[12] No room for naiveté over Cyprus

[13] From the Turkish Press of 23 July 2009

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The 38th meeting between Christofias-Talat; Statements by Talat after the meeting. Talat goes to Istanbul

Taye Brook Zerihoun, UN Secretary General's special representative to Cyprus, said that the meeting of the two leaders lasted around two hours. Issues such as "Migration", "Citizenship" and "Right of Asylum" were discussed on Thursday, Zerihoun said. The next meeting between Talat and Christofias is scheduled to take place on July 30.

Moreover, illegal Bayrak television (23.07.09) broadcast the following:

The president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Mehmet Ali Talat has said that a proposal has been made to the Greek Cypriot side suggesting that the issues on which the two sides failed to agree in the first round should be taken up at the leaders level in the second round.

The president was speaking on his return to the presidential palace at the end of his discussions with the Greek Cypriot Leader Demetris Christofias. Mr Talat said that the contents of the talks would be determined depending on the Greek Cypriot sides response to this proposal.

The president told reporters that opening statements were made on the issues of aliens, immigration, citizenship and asylum at todays meeting, and that the objective was to complete discussions on these issues on Thursday, the 30th of July when the two leaders will meet.

Once we have completed the first round, we can start the second round with the chapter on governance and power sharing or any other chapter he added.

`We want the issues, on which no agreement was reached and needed to be taken up seriously, to be discussed at the leaders level and to achieve progress. If successful, we will be able to achieve further progress on other issues as well`, the President said.

He stated that contents of the talks for which a program has been drawn up until October, would be determined after the Greek Cypriot Sides response to the proposal.

The president also noted that senior aides of the two leaders would meet to discuss the use the Yesilirmak Gate (Limnitis crossing-point) for the ceremony to be held in Erenkoy to mark the anniversary of the Erenkoy Resistance and the religious ceremony to be held at the Saint Mamas Church in Guzelyurt [occupied village of Morphou].

Responding to a question on his tête-à-tête meeting with Demetris Christofias, president Talat said they have made an evaluation of the mutual statements made on the 15th and 20th of July and discussed the issues of security and guarantees and the issues of citizenship, immigration and asylum.

Reading out a statement at the end of today s meeting, the UN Secretary General s Special Representative for Cyprus Taye Brook Zerihoun said that special representatives of the two leaders will meet on Monday to continue talks on the opening of the Yesil1rmak (Limnitis) crossing point.

The two leaders will hold two more meetings until the 6th of August when a break will be given to the talks. The full-fledged negotiations will be resumed on the 3rd of September.

Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (24.07.09) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, will fly to Istanbul today in order to meet with representatives of various media institutions. Mr Talat will return to the occupied areas in the evening.

[02] Reactions continue about the appointment of the permanent undersecretary of Economy and Planning by Turkey Cakici stated that this is an insult to the Turkish Cypriots

The Trade Unions conveyed to Sakir Fakili, the self-styled Turkish ambassador to occupied Lefkosia, a joint letter, which includes their demands and their views. The letter was prepared by Guven Varoglu, the Chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Primary School Teachers Trade Union (KTOS). The representatives and the chairmen of the thirty two Trade Unions gathered at 10.00 oclock in the morning in front of the embassy and asked at 10.30 to meet with ambassador Sakir Fakili and to convey to him their letter. However, the self-styled police, which took broad security measures in front of the embassy, prevented the chairmen of the Trade Unions from approaching the embassy and as a result the President of the Cyprus Turkish Public Employees Union (KTAMS) Ahmet Kaptan, speaking in the name of the chairmen of the Unions, protested against the attitude of the police. He stated that they are chairmen of Trade Unions and that they did not go to the embassy in order to cause troubles, but to have a meeting and to ask the withdrawal of the wrong action towards the Turkish Cypriots.

Upon this, the officials of the embassy convey to the self-styled Turkish ambassador Sakir Fakili the Unions demand for a meeting, but he replied that he could meet with five representatives of the Trade Unions. The Trade Unions then refused to meet with Mr Fakili, saying that either all, or no one will meet with him and they conveyed the letter to the officials of the embassy.

Speaking during a press conference following this development, the Chairman of KTOS Guven Varoglu, protested against the behavior of Mr Fakili to ask to meet only with five persons and stated that this behavior is not in accordance with democracy. On the issue of the appointment of the permanent undersecretary of Economy and Planning by Turkey Mr Varoglu stated that It is a sign of the not trusting of the Turks of Cyprus.

Commenting on the same issue, Turkish Cypriot daily Volkan newspaper (24.07.09) criticizes strongly the Trade Unions which protested in front of the self-styled Turkish embassy of the motherland, as it notes. The paper which accused the Trade Unions as those who did not show any reactions against the Greek Cypriot administration, which does not recognize the political will of the Turkish Cypriot people and which impose any inhuman embargoes to our people for 45 years, writes that these Unions now attacked the motherland, which is the only country that recognizes our state, is offering billions of dollars of aid to our people, safeguards our security and to which we own it everything.

Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (24.07.09) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, was asked to comment on the issue of the appointment of the permanent undersecretary of Economy and Planning by Turkey. However, Mr Talat stated that he has nothing to say on this issue. I think this is an issue of the government. I do not want to get into this at this stage, he stated.

Moreover, under the title Cakici: The appointment of the undersecretary is an insult to our people, Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (24.07.09) reports that the leader of the Social Democratic Party (TDP) Mehmet Cakici criticized the appointment by Turkey of a permanent undersecretary of Economy and Planning, and characterized this as an insult to the Turkish Cypriot people.

Mr. Cakici alleged also that the state officials who kept silent since the appointment was made, disregard the Turkish Cypriot people. He then said that with this appointment, an effort was made to mortgage the will of the Turkish Cypriots and added the following: By appointing undersecretaries and directors for our foreign policy and our economy, what a Turkish Cypriot rule is in North Cyprus? The political leaders behave like puppets towards basic problems and this is their policy. It is not enough to say it, we have to get out of this unhealthy structure, Mr. Cakici said.

(CS/AC)

[03] Ozgurgun accused the Greek Cypriot side for the issue with the vessel carrying the flag of Korea Peoples Republic.

In his written statement yesterday, the self-styled foreign minister expressed his opposition to the fact that the Greek Cypriot administration has intercepted the vessel carrying the flag of Korean Peoples Republic and which was left from the Famagusta port as well as the fact that it has arrested members of the crew and he stated that the ports of the occupation regime are open for trade.

In his written statement yesterday regarding the issue, Mr. Ozgurgun said that the interception of the vessel which was carrying the flag of the Republic of Korea by the Greek Cypriot administration is compatible neither with the international law nor with the EU policy.

Noting also that the European Commissioner of the EU Responsible for Enlargement Mr. Olli Rehn has confirmed that the trade to be carried from the Famagusta port is compatible with the international rules and laws, Mr. Ozgurgun added that with this stance, the Greek Cypriot administration shows its insincerity as regards the efforts for reaching to a lasting solution and its frivolity as regards the ongoing negotiation process.

On the same issue, Turkish Cypriot daily Bakis newspaper reports that Mr. Ozgurgun described the proposals by the Governments Spokesman Mr. Stefanos Stefanou that a trade could be conducted by Turkish Cypriots, as ridiculous and said: The situation regarding the Direct Trade Regulation is obvious, it has been shelved due to the obstacles put by Greek Cypriots. The other Regulation which was prepared with the aim to lift the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, that it the Financial Aid Regulation, it has been accepted with a lot of difficulties due the obstacles put by Greek Cypriots, and today, it is still known that the delay for its implementation is because of the difficulties obstructed by the Greek Cypriot administration. These realities were pointed out in the annual report of the Commission regarding the implementation of the regulation. Also, in the framework of the Green Line Regulation, the problems which our producers confront due to the obstacles put by the Greek Cypriot side, continue.

(AK)

[04] YKP Secretary on the demographic structure of the occupied areas of Cyprus

Mr Kanatli stated that since 1975 until today thousands of Turkish Cypriots left the island, hundreds of thousands of Turks from Turkey moved in the island and the demographic structure has been seriously distorted. As he added, to those opposing to this they said, A Turk is coming and a Turk is leaving and they continued to transfer population in violation of the Geneva Convention.

Mr Kanatli said: On the one hand with the nationalist elements Turkification imposed, and on the other hand, under the guise of the freedom of religion, Sunni-Islam imposed. Finally, Mr Kanatli called on all organizations to struggle against the conquest understanding.

(EA)

[05] The unveiling ceremony of the memorial of Ataturk is taking place today-Volkan criticizes Talat for not participating in the ceremony

Commenting on the issue, Turkish Cypriot daily Volkan newspaper (24.07.09) writes that Mr Talat is going to Istanbul in order not to be in the unveiling ceremony of the memorial of Ataturk that is taking place at 19.30 this evening. The paper accuses Mr Talat of objecting against the memorial and for trying to prevent the monuments erection.

(CS)

[06] Two self-styled ministers flied secretly to Italy in order to make tourism agreements

(CS)

[07] Foreign press members were informed about the illegal universities

Addressing the event, that took place at the illegal GAUs social facilities, GAUs rector, Prof. Dr. Nilgun Sarp, stated that in the road to become the TRNC a leader country, together with the scientific productions and the academic works of the universities, they are moving ahead with safe steps. Dr. Sarp went on and said that the illegal universities have gained accreditation by Turkeys Higher Education Council (YOK) and that they are universities recognized by the world, adding that thousands of foreign students from more than 60 countries create a cultural mosaic in the island and spread the Turkish Cypriot culture to the world.

After the speech, video-clips regarding the illegal universities and the occupied areas of Cyprus were presented.

(EA)

[08] Traditional dance group of the illegal Keryneia municipality attended an international festival in Poland

According to a statement issued by the illegal municipality, together with the illegal regime, traditional dance groups from Nepal, Italy, Greece, Senegal, Turkey, Ukraine and Twain were attended the festival.

(EA)

[09] Turkey and Libya signed Joint Economic Committee protocol in Ankara

Turkish and Libyan parties signed a Turkey-Libya Joint Economic Committee (JEC) protocol in Ankara on Thursday.

Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim and Libya's Secretary of the General People's Committee for Public Works Matuq Muhammad Matuq signed the protocol after the meeting of JEC which took place in Ankara on July 20 and 22.The protocol said the two countries would sign a free trade agreement and talks on establishment of industrial zones in Libya by Turkish and Libyan companies would be completed by September 2009.

A working group would be set up to develop joint investment projects in Africa and the first meeting of the group would be held in October 2009, it said.Cooperation between small and medium scale enterprises of the two countries would be boosted, the protocol said.

The two parties would also cooperate in several areas such as construction, tourism, education, social security and labor force, it said.

[10] Turkish Defense Minister leaves for France to participate at defense meeting

The Turkish defense minister left for France on Thursday.

Turkey's National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul will participate in a meeting of the defense ministers of A400M military transport aircraft project participating countries.The A400M programme is a direct result of a commonly expressed need by European Air Forces for a new generation military airlifter. The scope of this initiative to jointly specify and procure an aircraft of a common definition remains unique at this stage.

European NATO members issued a Request for Proposal in September 1997. It was to respond to this RFP that the aerospace industries of the concerned nations came together in the partnership now known as Airbus Military. June 2001 saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which represented a major milestone towards the industrial launch of the A400M.In May 2003, the contract was signed between Airbus Military Sociedad Limitada and OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matière d'Armement), representing Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey, and United Kingdom for a total of 180 aircraft.

In April 2005 South Africa ordered eight aircraft, followed in December by a contract signed with Malaysia for four aircraft. Both nations became A400M programme partners, bringing the total commitment to 192 aircraft.

The A400M was initially scheduled to start being delivered at the end of 2009 but the programme has suffered from a delay of at least three years and clients have threatened to cancel their orders.

The military transport plane was unveiled last year but it has been hit by delays in building its massive turbo-prop engines, putting the 20-billion-euro (28-billion-dollar) project at risk.

[11] The ten points of Ocalans road map

According to Sabah, the ten points are as follows:

1. The Constitution should include the term Citizen of Turkey

2. Kurdish should be accepted as language for education and learning. This should be included in the Constitution.

3. The cease fire should continue. A general amnesty without any condition should be declared.

4. During the transition period wise men should take initiative.

5. Obstacles before entering into politics should be removed. Everybody should be allowed to enter into politics including those PKK members who were pardoned.

6. Isolation imposed on Abdullah Ocalan should be removed.

7. Local Authorities should strengthen. Democratic autonomy should be accepted.

8. A Fact Finding Commission should be established so that it will investigate all the incidents that happened at that time headed by the unaccounted crimes which were committed.

9. Village warden (Koruculuk) system should be abolished.

10. There should be a land reform.

(MHY)

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[12] No room for naiveté over Cyprus

Recently a European diplomat - one of these young ones newly appointed to Ankara who wants to ask the ultimate king is naked question wondered if Cyprus was worth risking Turkeys chances at EU membership for. It was of course a naive question, and one that has been asked dozens of times before.

The answer - as always - is a simple one. It is not Cyprus that is endangering Turkeys bid for the EU. What is endangering Turkeys bid are those in Europe who are using Cyprus to keep Turkeys EU aspirations at bay. Of course, there is another way of answering this question.

Let us assume for one moment that Turkey did everything that those calling for concessions in Cyprus want. Will this mean that the EU doors will all of a sudden open for Turkey, and that the obstacles that have been placed in its path during the membership negotiations will evaporate into thin air?

Does this mean that France, for example, will unblock the four chapters in the membership negotiations that it does not want negotiated because they lead to full membership in the end, and not the special relationship it envisages for Turkey?

Today there is hardly a Turk left who believes that the EU is a fair player as far as Cyprus is concerned. The Annan Plan process made sure of that. The simple fact is that the blue print for a settlement drawn by the then U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, and which also got the strong endorsement of the EU, was scuttled by the Greek Cypriots in a referendum in 2003 when they overwhelming voted for a resounding No.

It will be recalled, however, that the Turkish Cypriots at the time did the opposite and voted a resounding Yes to the Annan Plan, only to end up with nothing in the end. Not only was the Greek Cypriot side admitted to the EU - despite spoiling a unique chance for a settlement but the Turkish Cypriot side was left out in the cold.

In addition to this, once in, the Greek side started almost immediately to use its membership against Turkey. There are many in Europe who now see the real raison detre behind the drive for EU membership by the Greek Cypriots was the leverage this would give them against Turkey, and developments have proved this assumption to be correct.

It has become almost standard for EU diplomats today to whisper that it was a mistake giving Greek Cypriots membership under these conditions. But this remark leads nowhere and certainly does not make the Turkish side anymore confident in the EU.

Put bluntly, even Turkish Cypriots who were in favor of the settlement in 2003, which would have unified an unarmed federative Cyprus under one flag and under an equitable power sharing arrangement - based on bi-communality and bi-zonality - have no faith left in the EU and its supposed enticements.

The last general elections that brought ultranationalist Dervis Eroglu back to power in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus shows this clearly. It is even doubtful that a referendum today for another settlement blueprint, that includes the elements mentioned above, would be endorsed by the Turkish Cypriots, and there are objective reasons for this.

Many in Europe refuse to accept these objective reasons, of course. This is why the remarks a few days ago by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt in the European Parliament, in response to a Greek Cypriot deputy who wanted Turkey to be castigated for occupying Cyprus, was a welcome change.

For those who dont know what happened, Bildt according to press reports responded to the deputy in question by turning the clock back and reminding him that the military junta in power in Athens 1974 was a prime mover in the events that transpired 35 years ago.

The Greek Cypriot administration wasted no time, of course in crying foul play and attacking Bildt. They were doubly annoyed because Sweden is the EUs current term president. Neither could it have pleased them much that this awareness of what actually happened in Cyprus over the past half a century is beginning to be judged more objectively in Europe by some.

Looked at from the EUs perspective, the current Cyprus talks between Presidents Talat and Christofias, do not appear to be going anywhere. At least that is the impression one gets from the statements being made by both sides.

The basic problem has not changed in all these decades. Greek Cypriots still refuse to accept Turkish Cypriots as equal partners in a power sharing arrangement. They want to see them merely as a privileged minority enjoying certain autonomy.

But this is not the way the Republic of Cyprus, recognized by the whole world, was established at the time. The Turks and the Greeks were co-founders of that republic, and the Turks see no reason to step down from that position, especially after all that has transpired since.

Thus, we have the stalemate that is moving gradually towards a permanent division of the island. Will this lead in the end to Turkey loosing its EU bid? That seems unlikely since more and more people in Europe understand the Cyprus issue much better today.

As for those who have orchestrated the Cyprus issue as a means of keeping Turkey away from the EU, they will continue to refuse to see some of the objective facts concerning this problem. In other words, their agenda does not include a sincere desire to see the Cyprus issue resolved.

What it does involve is using this issue to their own ends. Otherwise one would see much more pressure being put on the Greek Cypriot administration by them for a settlement. Only the naive fail to see this today.

[13] From the Turkish Press of 23 July 2009

a) Kurdish question

The statements issued by Erdogan show that the efforts launched for the solution of the Kurdish issue do not include the Democratic Society Party, DTP, or Abdullah Ocalan, asserts Fikret Bila and underlines in a commentary in Milliyet that the strong reaction displayed by the prime minister against the AKP deputies who implied that with DTP and Imrali may be accepted as interlocutors shows that he is trying to keep a distance from Ocalan and the DTP. Drawing attention to Republican People's Party, CHP, Chairman Deniz Baykal's and Nationalist Action Party, MHP, Group Acting Chairman Oktay Vural's concerns in this regard, Bila says: "As I stressed yesterday, the situation is very different from that reported in the media organs affiliated with the PKK."

The AKP government does not have a comprehensive strategy for the solution of the Kurdish problem asserts Kadri Gursel in a commentary in the same newspaper and stresses that it is impossible to resolve the Kurdish problem without talking to the Kurds. Gursel points out that the AKP had missed a "historic opportunity" for solving this problem in 2005-2007 due to the fact that it had abandoned the EU process and it had set off on an "internal strategic journey."

The Kurdish issue and the PKK issue are not identical, but there is a close relationship between the two and it is impossible to see this any other way if we really want the bloodshed to end, emphasizes Cengiz Candar in an article in Hurriyet Daily News and, referring to the road map that will be announced by Ocalan on 15 August, says: "Turning Ocalan into a part of the solution can only be achieved through the road map's serious genuine and solid contributions to the eradication of violence. He should be encouraged to prepare a road map in this direction."

For the time being the "Kurdish overture" is actually the "northern Iraq overture" argues Cuneyt Ulsever in an article in the same newspaper Hurriyet and continues: "As it withdraws from Iraq, the United States wants us to become the sponsors of northern Iraq in an Iraq that has reached the verge of a civil war." Asserting that the United States will accept to remove the PKK from northern Iraq on condition that Turkey resolves the Kurdish problem at home, Ulsever stresses that despite the fact that the Turkish Army has announced that it supports a civilian solution, "there is no civilian will that will lead a civilian solution" and that therefore Ocalan is gradually becoming more powerful.

I am not very optimistic about the road map that will be announced by Ocalan in August, says Rusen Cakir in a commentary in the same newspaper and explains that rather than proposing to lay down arms, Ocalan may propose a conditional cease-fire. Drawing attention to the egocentric nature of Ocalan Cakir emphasizes that it is very difficult for such a person to prepare a feasible road map. Arguing that Ocalan is not a democratic person, Cakir notes that it will be very naive to expect a person like Ocalan to prepare a road map that will pave the path for Turkey's democratization.

In an article entitled "What opportunity are they talking about?", Milli Gazete columnist Hasan Unal argues that what is being represented as a "historic opportunity" to solve the Kurdish question is part of a project to establish a "puppet" Kurdish state in northern Iraq that would serve US and Israeli interests.

b) Opinion Polls by SONAR

Guneri Civaoglu, in an article in Milliyet, refers to an opinion poll conducted by SONAR two years after the 22 July elections. According to the poll, the AKP's popularity rate has dropped to 36.26%, while the CHP's votes have increased to 25.13%.

EG/

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