Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 09-08-21

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat says the guarantees of Turkey are a sine qua non for Turkish Cypriots

[02] Eroglu says no plans should be prepared outside the negotiating table of the Cyprus problem and come over the ocean, like the Annan Plan

[03] Talat inspects archaeological excavations at occupied Galinoporni village

[04] A Turkish Cypriot eye witness describes a murder of Greek Cypriot prisoners of war during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus

[05] The chairman of the Association of the Families of the Martyrs said 1700 Turks lost their lives in the 1974 Turkish invasion of the island

[06] A protocol was signed for overcoming the liquidity problem in the market in the occupied areas o Cyprus

[07] A fire burned 500 donums of forest between the occupied villages of Dikomo and Bogazi

[08] The holy month of Ramadan started today

[09] The International Women Cup in volleyball to take place in the occupied areas of Cyprus

[10] The breakaway regime will be represented at the 78th Izmir International Fair

[11] The folkloric dance group of the occupied Karavas municipality represented the breakaway regime in festivals in Romania and Hungary

[12] The new president of Civil Defence Organization Levent Akyildiz paid a visit yesterday to the Turkish Cypriot leader Talat

[13] National Security Council recommends the continuation of governments Kurdish move

[14] Rassmussen is expected to visit Turkey during the holy month of Ramadan; Cyprus is reportedly on the top of his agenda

[15] Turkey and Syria signed a protocol to build a natural gas pipeline; Discussion on the cooperation in electricity production

[16] Turkey to host the ministerial meeting of friends of Democratic Pakistan

[17] Ergenekon planned attack on Izmir NATO base

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[18] From the Turkish Press of 20 August 2009

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat says the guarantees of Turkey are a sine qua non for Turkish Cypriots

Referring to the issue of the map, Mr Talat noted: It is wrong to discuss the map before seeing that we could agree. First we shall see that we could agree and then we shall discuss the map.

Mr Talat alleged that if the Greek Cypriot side shows a decisive stance like the Turkish Cypriot side, there will be no reason for the Cyprus problem not to be solved. Mr Talat claimed the following:

If Mr Christofias does not insist on putting forward a comical demand such as deciding which Turkish Cypriot will be elected, if he takes into consideration the conditions which have been changing for 35 years in the property issue and abandons incomprehensible proposals such as the old owners of the property will decide, everybody should apply this and if he becomes more flexible, there is no reason for us not to solve the Cyprus problem.

He reiterated that as Turkish Cypriots and Turkey they believe that a solution could be reached until the end of this year and a referendum could be held in the beginning of 2010. He alleged that President Christofias should prepare and convince his people for the solution and added: Unfortunately, he is doing exactly the opposite.

Mr Talat said that there is a serious disagreement on the issue of the election of the President and the Vice President of the Republic and claimed that the Greek Cypriot approach could not be accepted by the Turkish Cypriots. He added: This is something inconceivable. It came for the first time onto the agenda of the Cyprus talks. We have said in advance that we could not accept it. What we could not accept is for the will of the Turkish Cypriot people to be watered down. In brief, while the Turkish Cypriot people are taking their decision, they should definitely see their political equality and everybody should recognize this. Everybody should know that the solution to be reached should be based on two communities.

Mr Talat said that the property is another issue where disagreement exists and added that the proposals of the Turkish side on this issue are similar to the mentality of the Annan Plan, while the Greek side wants the property owner to have the final saying. He alleged that the Greek proposals will create uncertainty on the issue of what will happen with the properties and they could not be accepted by the Turkish side.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Eroglu says no plans should be prepared outside the negotiating table of the Cyprus problem and come over the ocean, like the Annan Plan

Mr Eroglu alleged that the breakaway regime continues to exist as a state with excellent roads through which you can reach anywhere, with a modern communication system, with its airlines and airports and all the elements needed for a state. He said that around 30 small and medium-sized states have recently declared their independence and were recognized, but the struggle of the Turkish Cypriots is not accepted and there are some states which exert efforts to put them under the yoke of the Greek Cypriots.

The road was built with the aid of Turkey. The Turkish ambassador to the occupied part of Lefkosia, Sakir Fakili, who attended the opening ceremony, said that Turkey has always been providing every support it could for the economy and the infrastructure of the breakaway regime.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Talat inspects archaeological excavations at occupied Galinoporni village

Speaking to reporters at the site, Mr. Talat described as inhuman the pressure put by the Greek Cypriot side on the foreign scientists who participate in the excavations and alleged that the isolation is merciless and tyrannical.

Mr. Talat stated also that he visited Kings Hill with the aim to inspect once more the excavation carried out in the area and to extend his support to the excavations. He also said that the excavations carried out at the Hill indicate the continuation of the merciless isolation. Mr. Talat stated also that the pressure, allegedly put by the Greek Cypriot side on the foreign scientists who are participating in the excavation works, is a serious effort exerted with the aim of forcing the international community to withdraw its interest about this area. Mr. Talat claimed also that the result of the pressure exerted by the Greek Cypriot side was to stop the international funds provided for the excavations. He then called on the world to understand their sufferings and the pressure exerted against them.

In his statements also, the co-president of the excavations, Mr. Bulent Kizilduman said, inter alia, that the excavations at the Kings Hill continue for five years adding that they constitute the first international project of the TRNC in the archeological field. He also added that their main goal is to carry out a scientific work, although he said they confront difficulties posed by the Greek Cypriot side. Lastly, he said that as a result of the Greek Cypriot side pressure, the fund provided from Germany has been stopped.

(AK)

[04] A Turkish Cypriot eye witness describes a murder of Greek Cypriot prisoners of war during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus

Reminding that the remains of only 550 out of 1970 missing persons have been found for five years of excavations, Mr Levent reports that after it was revealed that Turkish Cypriot fighters killed five Greek Cypriots prisoners who surrendered and kneeled down in the area of occupied Chatoz village, a person called journalist Ali Osman and described to him what he knew and saw during the invasion. Mr Levent reports, inter alia, the following:

Look, another eye witness has shown up. When it was alleged that Turkish Cypriot fighters killed those five Greek Cypriot prisoners who kneeled down, he succumbed, called us and told our Ali Osman what he knew and saw. [He did it] with fear and hesitation, however. He does not want his picture to be published in the newspaper. He said he was a fighter in 1974. He participated in the war. He said the following:

We were ordered to load the Greek Cypriots who were captured into tracks and take them to the Landing Coast. One fighter was appointed to every track. The prisoners were tied hand and foot. Each one of us was holding one Thomson-typed weapon. When we took them to the Landing Coast, soldiers were coming out from the ship which arrived from Turkey. We brought the Greek Cypriots down from the track and put them to sit by the sea. After the soldiers came down, they would be put into the ship and taken to Turkey. I do not know how it happened, but when the soldiers who came out of the ships saw the Greek Cypriot prisoners in front of them on the shore all of a sudden, they attacked. They killed most of them there by hitting them with their bayonets and their steel helmets. I still see the scene of that day in front of my eyes. We were petrified in front of the screams of pain of the Greek Cypriot prisoners, the blood of which was splashing out of their head. We were not in position of doing anything. With one word, what was done was savagery. This scene and the fact that I could do nothing preyed on my mind for 35 years. I decided to tell you this because I trust you.

Afterwards they gathered them and took those who were dead or the wounded to Turkey. He said they incited the soldiers who did this savagery before they came to the shore. They told them that the soldiers who came ashore before them were captured by the Greek Cypriots, who tortured them, cut off their sexual organs and put them into their mouth. And in this manner they took their revenge. What shall we do? Shall we not look and ask for those who did all these?

(I/Ts.)

[05] The chairman of the Association of the Families of the Martyrs said 1700 Turks lost their lives in the 1974 Turkish invasion of the island

Yeni Duzens editor-in-chief, Cenk Mutluyakali called Ertan Ersan, Chairman of the Association of the Families of the Martyrs, who told Mr Mutluyakali that the official number of those who lost their lives then is around 1700 persons. He said that 502 missing persons and 530 Turkish soldiers are included in this number.

(I/Ts.)

[06] A protocol was signed for overcoming the liquidity problem in the market in the occupied areas o Cyprus

(I/Ts.)

[07] A fire burned 500 donums of forest between the occupied villages of Dikomo and Bogazi

(I/Ts.)

[08] The holy month of Ramadan started today

(I/Ts.)

[09] The International Women Cup in volleyball to take place in the occupied areas of Cyprus

(I/Ts.)

[10] The breakaway regime will be represented at the 78th Izmir International Fair

(EA)

[11] The folkloric dance group of the occupied Karavas municipality represented the breakaway regime in festivals in Romania and Hungary

(EA)

[12] The new president of Civil Defence Organization Levent Akyildiz paid a visit yesterday to the Turkish Cypriot leader Talat

The new President of the Civil Defence Organization Levent Akyildiz has been received by President Mehmet Ali Talat. Mr Akyildiz replaces Omer Faruk Bozdemir who completes his two years of term in office. Mr Bozdemir also accompanied Akyildiz during the visit. No statement was issued after the meeting.

[13] National Security Council recommends the continuation of governments Kurdish move

Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) said on Thursday government should continue efforts on democratic move which was initiated to deal with the Kurdish issue and carried out under coordination of Interior Minister Besir Atalay.After a 7-hour meeting, the council said in a statement that council members were briefed about efforts of Interior Ministry, which were carried out to cement unity of Turkey and Turkish people, and to ensure peace, prosperity and happiness of people.

The council recommended continuation to ministry's efforts, the statement said.

The statement also said situation in Iraq was discussed in the light of recent developments and added that developments regarding the tripartite mechanism formed by Turkey, the United States and Iraq was reviewed. The statement pointed out the importance of talks with Iraqi groups and said the council was informed about the meeting of Turkey-Iraq High Level Strategic Cooperation Council. Council members also thanked Naval Forces Commander Gen. Metin Atac and Air Forces Commander Gen. Aydogan Babaoglu, who attended the MGK gathering for the last time as they would retire as of August 30, the statement added.

[14] Rassmussen is expected to visit Turkey during the holy month of Ramadan; Cyprus is reportedly on the top of his agenda

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who previously drew harsh criticism surrounding the publication of cartoons insulting the Prophet Muhammad in his home country of Denmark, is expected to visit Turkey shortly during Ramadan and attend an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) that will be hosted by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul.

Coordination between NATO and Turkish officials is still under way for setting an exact date for Rasmussen's visit, diplomatic sources told Today's Zaman on Thursday, noting that the visit was likely to take place in late August.

Rasmussen's first stop in Turkey will be Istanbul, where he will be hosted at an iftar by Prime Minister Erdogan. Then he will proceed to the capital, Ankara, where he is expected to have talks with both President Abdullah Gul and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the same diplomatic sources added.

Ankara believes that his participation in an iftar during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan will offer a unique opportunity to Rasmussen, the former Danish prime minister, to deliver messages displaying his attention to religious sensitivities and his willingness to seek reconciliation with the Muslim world.

During a NATO summit held in Brussels in early April, Ankara refused to give the go-ahead for Rasmussen's bid to become secretary-general until it received last-minute guarantees that he would reach out to the Muslim world, which was infuriated by the publication of the Muhammad cartoons.

Ankara had said Rasmussen would be a bad choice to replace then-NATO Secretary-General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, whose term in office expired on July 31, at a time when NATO planned to expand its operations in Afghanistan. The row over Rasmussen threatened the image of unity at NATO's 60th anniversary summit and was resolved only after President Abdullah Gul received assurances from US President Barack Obama, including pledges that Turkish commanders would be present in the alliance's command and that one of Rasmussen's deputies would be a Turk.

Only a few days after the NATO summit, Rasmussen delivered a speech at a session during the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) meeting held in Istanbul. It was the first time he publicly addressed the cartoon controversy of 2006 after Turkey threatened to block his bid for NATO secretary-general due to the way he handled the crisis.

I respect Islam as one of the world's major religions as well as its religious symbols, Rasmussen said. I was deeply distressed that the cartoons were seen by many Muslims as an attempt by Denmark to mark and insult or behave disrespectfully towards Islam or the Prophet Muhammad. Nothing could be further from my mind, he added.

During my tenure as secretary-general of NATO, I will pay close attention to the religious and cultural sensibilities of the different communities that populate our increasingly pluralistic and globalized world, Rasmussen pledged. In early August, on his first working day in office in Brussels, Rasmussen announced that he will visit Greece and Turkey as soon as possible, in a push to thaw the conflict over Cyprus and improve NATO cooperation with the European Union.

It is a priority for me to get rid of these obstacles [caused by the Cyprus conflict] ... It is an issue which will be discussed with Turkish and Greek leaders when I pay early introductory visits later this month, Rasmussen said. These two countries will be among the very first to which I pay introductory visits.

[15] Turkey and Syria signed a protocol to build a natural gas pipeline; Discussion on the cooperation in electricity production

Turkey and Syria on Thursday signed a protocol regarding construction of a natural gas pipeline.

Turkish Energy & Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz and Syrian Oil Minister Sufiyan al-Aw signed the protocol in Damascus.

Speaking after the signing ceremony, Yildiz said Arab natural gas was an important part of Turkey's energy policies.

Yildiz said an important step has been taken on Syria's gas supply thanks to the natural gas pipeline, underlining the importance of the protocol for the region.Yildiz said they planned to conclude construction of the pipeline within 15 or 18 months, indicating that Egypt's natural gas could be shipped to Europe via Turkey after completion of the pipeline.

Syrian minister said Turkey and Syria have initiatives to explore oil jointly and noted that talks were underway to establish a joint company.

Moreover, Ankara Anatolia news agency (20.08.09) reported the following from Damascus:

Turkish Energy & Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz met on Thursday Syrian Electricity Minister Ahmad Qusay Kayali.

Speaking at the meeting, Kayali expressed Syria's willingness to make cooperation with Turkey in many areas.

We have projects on electricity distribution, current meter and electricity production and we expect Turkish companies to join the tenders, he added.Kayali said they prepared a new law to regularize Syrian energy market noting they wanted to make cooperation on solar, wind and renewable energy resources.Yildiz said Turkey was ready to extend support to Syria on every matter, and noted that Turkish companies acting on areas of distribution and production could exchange views with the Syrian companies.

Yildiz was separately received by Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-Utri.

[16] Turkey to host the ministerial meeting of friends of Democratic Pakistan

Ministerial meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) will take place in Istanbul between August 24 and 25, 2009.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshsi will co-chair the second ministerial meeting of the group in Ciragan Hotel.

Sweden, United Arab Emirates and Canada will attend the meeting in foreign ministry level and other countries are expected to be represented in undersecretary and private representative level.

Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, will also attend the meeting.

FoDP is a comprehensive process aiming at finding solutions to the problems of Pakistan.Representatives from 20 countries and 6 international organizations will attend the meeting in Istanbul.

Malakand Pilot Project will form an important initiative within this framework. This meeting will also focus on the public-private partnership and concentrate on the importance of utilizing the dynamism of the private sector.

The project targets development of Pakistan's Malakand region, having 6.5 million population. This project is expected to constitute an example for the other regions of Pakistan.

The meeting will also enable Pakistani businessmen meet with the businessmen and executives of countries that are members of FoDP.

On August 24, in parallel to the meeting of senior officials, a meeting of the business community will be held with the aim of providing impetus to the overall process. The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) and Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) of Turkey will host the meeting.

Job opportunities and cooperation facilities in energy and infrastructure in Pakistan will be reviewed at this meeting.

First ministerial meeting of the FoDP was held in Japanese capital of Tokyo on April 17, 2009.

[17] Ergenekon planned attack on Izmir NATO base

Ergenekon, a clandestine terrorist organization charged with numerous assassinations, attacks and plotting to overthrow the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, was plotting to attack a NATO base in Izmir, recent evidence acquired in the investigations shows.

Documents acquired during the investigation show that the organization had copied the signatures of more than 2,000 employees working at the NATO base in Izmir's Sirinyer station. Documents also reveal that Ergenekon was planning to rent a building next to the NATO base's outside parking lot for six months, paying the total sum for the rent up front. The evidence comes mostly from a search conducted in the house of Hayati Ozcan, an Ergenekon suspect who was arrested during the investigation.

Ozcan is the Ulusal Kanal television network's Izmir representative. Many administrators of this channel have been apprehended during the investigation. This new evidence is included in the third indictment, accepted by a court last month. A compact disc with files containing scans of 2,401 signatures of NATO base employees was also found during the search.

The third indictment states that evidence including documents detailing the technical specifications of the NATO building clearly indicates that Ergenekon was planning a major attack on the NATO building in Izmir.

An army officer arrested as part of the investigation into Ergenekon smuggled dozens of documents that could be incriminating evidence outside his office days before he was apprehended, the prosecution has claimed based on phone conversations monitored by the police.

The prosecution also claims in the third Ergenekon indictment that Ergenekon formed death squads to assassinate important minority community leaders and other public figures, including the head of the Alevi-Bektai Federation, Ali Balk1z, and the spiritual leader of Turkey's Armenian community, Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan.

In a document titled The Intimidation Plan found in the home of Ergenekon suspect Ibrahim Sahin, who is accused of establishing death squads for Ergenekon using the military's resources, various assassination plots are explained in detail.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[18] From the Turkish Press of 20 August 2009

Kurdish Issue:

According to a report by Namik Durukan in Milliyet, Abdullah Ocalan's lawyers were unable to sail to Imrali because of a technical breakdown in the boat taking them there. Hamit Geylani, Democratic Society Party, DTP, deputy from Hakkari, however, is reported to have said that this excuse is not convincing, adding: "This turning back if not legal, neither is it technical. It is political. It was not a technical breakdown, it was a political obstacle."

In an article in Milliyet, Fikret Bila relates the views on Deniz Baykal, the leader of the Republican People's Party, CHP, on the government's Kurdish overture, his red lines on the solution of the Kurdish issue, and the concept of ethnic identity. Baykal also explains his proposals for a solution which entail economic and educational investments.

Questioning whether the DTP is entitled to represent the Kurds in an article in Milliyet, Taha Akyol declares that according to a KONDA poll, although Kurds constitute 15.7 percent of the population in the country, the DTP received only 5.7 percent of their votes. Concluding that the DTP cannot speak in the name of all the Kurds, Akyol goes on to relate the findings of the poll regarding the distribution of Kurds around the country and their inclination to migrate, arriving at the conclusion that had there been separatism there would not have been this social movement. In conclusion, Akyol says that we should appreciate the "unitary state" and welcome the expansion of cultural freedoms that will be introduced through the "democratic overture."

Relating a meeting he held with the Ocalan's lawyers in an article in Milliyet, Kadir Gursel sums up his views on the solution of the Kurdish issue which he has conveyed to the lawyers. Underlining that extreme demands bordering on federation will damage the Kurdish overture, Gursel argues that so long as the PKK/DTP does not convince the Turkish public that it does not have separatist goals, the political deadlock cannot be overcome. Urging the DTP to support the Justice and Development Party, AKP, in this process, Gursel calls on the PKK to be realistic and to seek a general amnesty and the right to take its place within the democratic system in exchange for laying down its arms. Only after peace is achieved should the other dimensions of the problem be discussed, maintains Gursel, concluding: "If Ocalan's road map comes out as maximalist 'Kurdish manifesto' devoid of nuances that makes historical demands, then, I am afraid that it will completely block the path to a solution instead of opening it."

Relating a conversation he held with Felicity Party, SP, leader Numan Kurtulmus on the Kurdish issue, Hurriyet columnist Sukru Kucuksahin sums up the party leader's views on the issue as follows: The prime minister should hold talks with everyone including the CHP and the Nationalist Action Party, MHP; neither Ocalan nor his lawyers can be considered an interlocutor on the issue; the venue for a solution is the Turkish Grand National Assembly, TBMM, and, therefore, the DTP should be included in the process; the impression that this overture is guided by the United States or the EU will deadlock the process and eliminate the support of the public. In his 550-word column, Kucuksahin goes on to relate a conversation he held with "a significant member of the cabinet" who is reported to have said that the prime minister might meet with MHP leader Bahceli and Baykal. The minister, denying any foreign initiative in the overture, nevertheless agrees that the US and EU approaches facilitate the implementation of the government's policies.

Commenting on the recent "Kurdish initiative" in an article in Hurriyet Daily News, Burak Bekdil says that this is not the first time that the Turkish state has talked to the PKK and that there is nothing new about the Turkish government talking to the DTP. It would be unfair to accuse the AKP government of "bargaining with the terrorists, directly or indirectly," claims Bekdil, adding that the problem is the lack of sincerity of the PKK in its claim for peace.

Reiterating her view that the recent process being introduced as an "overture" to resolve the Kurdish has a zero chance of success, Radikal columnist Nuray Mert, in an article, writes: "Separating the Kurds and the PKK can, to a certain extent, be beneficial to placing the Kurdish issue within a democratic political framework. After a certain point, however, it marginalizes the Kurds who are 'pro-PKK' and it can be an excuse to ignore the reality that a solution should include these people as well, irrespective of their numbers. The PKK is a political organization that has launched an armed struggle. All states declare those who have launched an armed struggle against that state as 'terrorists.' Those whom the state considers to be 'terrorists' are 'freedom and liberation fighters' for those who believe in their cause. Naturally, the state refrains from uttering this fact. However, we are not the state. In that case we can speak openly. The issue Turkey is facing is not a terror problem but 'an armed political struggle.'" Acknowledging the collective demands of the Kurds, Mert draws a parallel between the opposition parties and the democrats in the country, explaining that both view the solution of the Kurdish issue in a democratization process based on individual rights while ignoring the other demands of the Kurds.

In an article entitled "Mumtaz Soysal is encouraging racism", Zaman columnist Sahin Alpay slams Cumhuriyet columnist [and Former Foreign Minister] Mumtaz Soysal for proposing in a recent article that the Kurds of Turkey be exchanged with the Iraqi Turkomans so that the unity of the Turkish nation-state could be maintained. Sahin denounces Soysal's article as one reflecting the same "terrible mentality" that paved the way for the deportation of Ottoman Armenians in 1915, the imposition of a "wealth tax" on non-Muslim groups in 1942, and the 6-7 September riots against non-Muslim minorities in 1955.

Under the headline, "Government to engage the public in Kurdish initiative," Today's Zaman carries a front-page report which quotes Edibe Sozen, the AKP's "Deputy Chairwoman," as having said in a statement made to this daily that the Government has set up a "Public Information Committee specifically for the purpose of continually informing the public about the new Kurdish initiative ..."

In an article entitled "Former diplomat's confession of deception", Today's Zaman columnist Lale Sariibrahimoglu argues that "if Turkey has been going through a traumatic and unstable period for decades, the underlying reason stems from the fact that contentious issues such as the Kurdish question and the Cyprus and Armenian disputes have been swept under the rug and were treated as non-existent."

In an article entitled "Could anything right come out of so many lies?", Milli Gazete columnist Hasan Unal asserts that the ruling AKP is using the concept of "democratization" as a means of making strategic concessions to foreign players on the Cyprus issue, the Armenian issue, and the Kurdish question. He argues that what is called democratization is part of a US plan to persuade Turkey to abandon its nation-state identity and ally itself with the "puppet" Kurdish state in northern Iraq so as to antagonize Arabs and Iran.

EG/

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