Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 10-04-27

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[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Eroglu says that the Cyprus problem could not be solved with concessions and that all six chapters will be discussed in the negotiations

[02] Statements by Eroglu on Cyprus at Ecevits statue inauguration

[03] Reactions continue regarding the letter Eroglu sent to the UN Secretary-General4. The so-called parliament decides to hold by-elections simultaneously with the illegal local elections on June 27

[05] Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce called on the Islamic countries to make investments in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus

[06] Irsen Kucuk announces the deadline regarding the candidacies for the leadership of UBP

[07] A survey shows that the Turkish Cypriots do not trust the political parties

[08] Turkey to set up a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council with Greece and Russia

[09] Turkish and Russian Foreign Ministers discuss international issues over phone

[10] Turkish Parliament approves Articles 20, 21 and 22 of the Constitutional amendment bill

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[11] From the Turkish Press on 26 April 2010

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Eroglu says that the Cyprus problem could not be solved with concessions and that all six chapters will be discussed in the negotiations

Pointing out that the concessions of the Annan Plan period are out of the question now, Mr Eroglu noted that the principle of nothing is agreed unless everything is agreed continues to be valid.

Mr Eroglu alleged the following: I do not believe that the Cyprus problem could be settled with concessions. The important thing is to reach an agreement where the two peoples are able to live on these lands side by side in peace.

He claimed that even if President Christofias has secured some pluses for himself, every issue will be discussed in the negotiations and added that when he says that the negotiations will continue from the point they were left, he means that they will continue the negotiations on the principle that nothing is agreed unless everything is agreed.

Noting that there will be a war of tactics in the negotiations, Mr Eroglu said they will evaluate the situation with the technical team he will establish and with Turkey.

He noted that during the meeting he held with the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Davutoglu at the hand-over ceremony last Friday, they had no disagreements and they put forward some principles. Explaining that these principles will be implemented at the negotiating table and outside the negotiations, Mr Eroglu said that a meeting in Ankara could be held soon.

Mr Eroglu stated that yesterday he held a meeting with the persons who will work with him in his negotiating team. He said they evaluated the situation and focused on the necessary preparations for the commencement of the talks.

Referring to the reactions to the letter he sent to the UN Secretary-General, Mr Eroglu said:

I think that they did not read the letter clearly. If it had been read carefully, [it would be seen that] messages to the Secretary-General and the world were given. Of course there are some messages which I want to give in the first days and these will continue. My actual duty is to protect the rights of my people at the negotiating table. No one should take offense at this. Because I said that the negotiations will continue from where they are left, but all six chapters will be discussed. The [joint statement of the] 23rd of May exists in the statement I made, not [the one of] the 1st of July. There are some people who ignored this. The 23rd of May was related to the commencement of the negotiations. For many years reference is made to the parameters of the United Nations. When doing this, the issue of how to fill in these parameters is debatable. The name is not important. What is important is to fill in these parameters. We could reach nowhere by saying four sentences. I put in writing what I have been saying in the squares. I did not refer to the issue of the single sovereignty and the single identity...

Mr Eroglu went on and alleged that the Greek Cypriot side is planning to abandon the negotiating table showing as pretext the intransigence of Eroglu. He claimed that the statement he made during the election campaign and afterwards that he has no intention of abandoning the negotiations shocked President Christofias. Mr Eroglu alleged that the letter he sent to the UN Secretary-General and the expression of his will for agreement and reconciliation spoiled the plans of President Christofias. He realized that he cannot leave the negotiating table and show us as pretext, he claimed.

Mr Eroglu said that during the first days of May, Alexander Downer, UN Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Cyprus, will meet with him and President Christofias. Noting that the issues of the Turkish settlers who have acquired the citizenship of the breakaway regime, the guarantees, the property and the territory influence the solution process, Mr Eroglu reiterated that the important thing is how the parameter of the bi-zonal, bi-communal federal republic based on the political equality will be completed. If the Turkish Cypriot people is not an equal and sovereign people, who will make an agreement with whom, he wondered.

Mr Eroglu said: During the Annan Plan it was said that the plan would cease to exist if the sides or one of the sides does not accept the agreement. Afterwards a new negotiating process started and it is continued at the moment. It is not possible to respond to questions such the what I got in the Annan Plan is in my pocket, what else are you going to give me. We will discuss everything at the negotiating table. It is not possible to continue the negotiations by only giving what the Greek Cypriots want. The Turkish Cypriot people have also wishes and expectations

Mr Eroglu noted that his negotiating team will consist of five of six persons who know the Cyprus problem. He noted that the names of some persons who will participate in the team have been determined, but the necessary meetings will be held today.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Statements by Eroglu on Cyprus at Ecevits statue inauguration

A monument of former Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, an architect of the 20 July Turkish Peace Operation [1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus] which liberated the Cyprus Turkish people and brought peace to the whole island, has been inaugurated by president Dervis Eroglu in [occupied] Lefkosia. Speaking at the ceremony, Eroglu praised Ecevit for being a leading figure in the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by high level officials including the acting prime-minister Huseyin Ozgurgun, ministers and MPs, Turkish Ambassador to [occupied] Lefkosia Sakir Fakili, founding president Rauf Denktas and [occupied] Lefkosia mayor Cemal Bulutoglulari. The monument was built by the [occupied] Lefkosia municipality and the Sonmezliler Ocagi.

In his speech, president Eroglu reiterated his promise not to abandon the gained rights of the Cyprus Turkish people at the negotiations table. Calling on the international community to realize the realities in Cyprus, the president said perceiving the Cyprus problem with a unilateralist approach encourages wrong moves.

The Chairman of the Sonmezliler Ocagi, Erden Esenyel, also delivered a speech at the ceremony saying that they are proud to build a monument of Bulent Ecevit, whom he described as the 'great hero of the Cyprus cause '.

Cemal Bulutoglulari, for his part, said that the former Turkish Prime Minister Ecevit decided to send Turkish troops to Cyprus in 1974 and liberated the Cyprus Turkish people.

Bulent Ecevit who had always been by the side of the Cyprus Turkish people and had made important contributions to development of the TRNC died on the 5th of November 2006.

[03] Reactions continue regarding the letter Eroglu sent to the UN Secretary-GeneralThe Turkish Cypriot press reports today (27.04.10) about the discussion held during Mondays meeting of the self-styled assembly regarding the letter sent by the new Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

On his part, the chairman of CTP, Ferdi Soyer, stated that by signing this letter, Eroglu said yes be annem (Tr. Note: Yes, my mother, a slogan used by the supporters of the 2004 referendum for the Annan Plan.)

On his part, the chairman of Communal Democracy Party (TDP), Mehmet Cakici, accused Mr Eroglu of having no principles, and noted that there is a big contradiction between the things Eroglu said during the election period and the content of the letter.

On his part, Serdar Denktas stated that Eroglu took into consideration the feelings of those who said yes during the referendum and added that for this reason Cakici must thank Eroglu.

In addition, under the title Eroglu also said yes be annem, Yeni Duzen writes that Ferdi Soyer, strongly criticized Mr Eroglu for his letter and said: This country ran out of policy. Mr Soyer writes that in the letter Mr. Eroglu sent to the UN Secretary-General, he refers to the strong yes vote that the people said to the Annan Plan. Soyer notes that prior to the election, Mr Eroglu was saying that The will of 24 April does not exist anymore and writes that Eroglu and the National Unity Party (UBP) that criticized those who said yes to the referendum, now appear to say yes as well.

The paper also writes that TDP leader Cakici stated that UBP and Eroglu are following a strategy of delaying tactics regarding the Cyprus problem.

In addition, the paper writes that Serdar Denktas stated that Eroglu took into consideration the expectations of the people and noted that it is the content of the letter that must be discussed.

(CS)

[04] The so-called parliament decides to hold by-elections simultaneously with the illegal local elections on June 27

The by-elections will be held in order to fill the one parliamentary seat in occupied Famagusta area which is vacant after the election of Dervis Eroglu to the Turkish Cypriot leadership.

(EA)

[05] Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce called on the Islamic countries to make investments in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus

In a statement issued by the Chamber, it is noted that Sahil Celiker, member of KTTOs administrative council met with the Chairman of ICCI, Seyh Saleh Bin Abdullah Kamel as well as the Chairman of Turkish Union Of Chambers and Stock Exchanges, Rifat Hisarciklioglu. They also held bilateral meetings with the Chairmen of Commerce and Industry Chambers of the member countries of ICCI. Mr Celiker said that they briefed them regarding the latest developments in Cyprus and that the Turkish Cypriots are peaceful and support the solution.

According to a statement of the ICCI General Assembly, the next general assembly of ICCI will be held in Istanbul in 2012.

(DPs)

[06] Irsen Kucuk announces the deadline regarding the candidacies for the leadership of UBP

Speaking on the issue to the illegal TAK news agency, Mr Kucuk stated that due to the sensitive period they are experiencing, unity and cooperation in the party are very important and noted that right after the partys general assembly, they will have to deal with both the local elections and the preparations for the establishment of a coalition government.

Mr Kucuk stated that he will be a candidate for the leadership of the party as UBPs general secretary, but he has not yet announced his candidacy officially. The announcement of his candidacy will be made after holding the necessary contacts, he said.

(EA)

[07] A survey shows that the Turkish Cypriots do not trust the political parties

According to the results, the most serious problem in the occupied areas of Cyprus appears to be the lack of transparency, the partisanship and the ethnic discrimination in the public administration and in the tender bids.

The survey participants also said that the institutions that they trust more are the army, the judiciary and the non-governmental organizations. The institutions that the participants trust the least are the political parties, the media and the president.

The director of the Centre, Mine Yucel, also said in the press conference that there are many deficiencies in the country regarding the matters of administration and democracy.

(DPs)

[08] Turkey to set up a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council with Greece and Russia

Turkey will establish a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council mechanism with Greece and Russia in May, Turkey's Foreign Minister said on Monday.Ahmet Davutoglu told a parliamentary session that Turkish and Greek governments would have a joint cabinet meeting during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's upcoming visit to Greece in May. Davutoglu said such a meeting would also be held with Russia during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Ankara the same month.

Turkey plans to set up the strategic cooperation mechanism with Bulgaria and Ukraine, Davutoglu said.

Currently, Turkey carries out strategic cooperation mechanism with neighboring countries Iraq and Syria. Last year, Turkey and Iraq signed 48 agreements, while Turkey and Syria inked 51 agreements in this frame.

On problems in the Caucasia, Davutoglu said Turkey does not want the status quo to go on. Turkey aims not to allow discussion or judgment of Turkey-Armenia relations in third countries, Davutoglu said.

'Medvedev will come to Turkey in the coming month and the top issue on the agenda will be Azerbaijan's occupied territory. We assume it as our own issue and continue to keep it on the agenda on all grounds,' he said.

'Nothing can deal a blow on friendship between Turkey and Azerbaijan,' Davutoglu said. 'Everybody must know it very well.'

Davutoglu gave information to lawmakers also about government's goals for the future.

'Turkey-Armenia relations will become normalized,' he said.

'Parallel to this, occupation of Azeri lands will end and the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be resolved. The border between Azerbaijan and Armenia and also the border between Turkey and Armenia will open. It means a corridor from Erzurum [a province in the east of Turkey] will open through the Central Asia, ' he said.

Davutoglu said Turkey would not allow this issue to cast shadow on Turkey's relations with other countries anymore, especially on relations with the United States.He said Turks and Armenians will learn to share pain and common history, adding, 'they will live together.'

'This is our perspective on peace,' Davutoglu said.

[09] Turkish and Russian Foreign Ministers discuss international issues over phone

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and Russia discussed international and regional issues over a phone conversation on Sunday.

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu called his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to talk about the details of Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev's upcoming visit to Turkey, diplomatic sources said on Monday.

During their conversation, the two ministers also exchanged views regarding the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council to be set up between Turkey and Russia.

Davutoglu briefed Lavrov on his recent talks in Iran and the Balkans, as well as the Trilateral Summit of Turkey-Bosnia Herzegovina-Serbia held in Istanbul last weekend, officials said.

Furthermore, the Russian minister informed Davutoglu on the latest developments regarding the Minsk process aiming at establishing peace in security in the Caucasus region, sources added.

[10] Turkish Parliament approves Articles 20, 21 and 22 of the Constitutional amendment bill

The Turkish parliament continued late on Monday debating a government-backed constitutional amendment bill. After completing discussions on proposals by political parties, Turkish parliament debated and voted Articles 20, 21 and 22 of the constitutional reform package in the first round voting.

The 27 Article bill will be voted in two rounds. The bill will be voted Article by Article, and as a whole in both rounds. The bill needs to receive over 367 of the votes in order to be adopted. If it receives somewhere between 330 and 367 it will be put to referendum. If it receives less than 330 it will be rejected. Even if the bill receives enough votes, a second round will be held. The result of the second round of voting will count.

A total of 408 deputies attended the secret voting of Article 20 that lays down the working and trial procedures of the constitutional court. According to article 20, the constitutional court will be made up of two chambers and a grand chamber. 338 deputies voted for article 20, while 70 voted against it.

The parliament also voted Article 21 on the election criteria for members of the Military Supreme Court. 408 deputies cast votes. 338 deputies voted for while 70 voted against it.

The parliament later voted Article 22 on the High Military Administrative Court. 407 deputies attended the vote. 335 deputies voted for the article while 70 voted against it.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[11] From the Turkish Press on 26 April 2010

a) Armenian decision to freeze the ratification of the Turkish-Armenian Protocols and US President Obamas address on the anniversary of the Armenian genocide:

The Turkish-Armenian normalization process has not failed because Armenia suspended the ratification of the Turkish-Armenian protocols, writes Kadri Gursel in an article in Milliyet, arguing that it is the Justice and Development Party, AKP, which de facto froze the process by introducing the Karabakh factor into the ratification of the protocols. Now it is up to the businessmen, the NGO's, the universities, and the think tanks of the two countries to revive the dynamics of the normalization process, maintains the writer.

In an article in the same daily, Semih Idiz assesses President Obama's 24 April address and the humanitarian dimension of Turkish-Armenian relations. Noting that it is this dimension that will make us achieve progress in bilateral relations, Idiz goes on to criticize Turkey for politicizing its history.

Should we feel relieved that President Obama did not use the word genocide, asks Ferai Tinc in her article in Hurriyet, adding that we will not feel relieved until our conscience is clear. Noting that the Armenian issue is not only a political project, Tinc notes that this was the first year that a demonstration was staged in Turkey to share the pain of the Armenians and to honor the death of those killed in the 1915 incidents. Referring to those opposed to this demonstration for fear of showing signs of weakness to the outside world, Tinc argues that it is a sign of greatness and not of weakness.

In an article in Sabah, Omer Taspinar writes that instead of honoring those killed in the 1915 incidents, "every year our full attention is turned to the White House to hear what will be said like a problematic child who is waiting for the consequences of his actions." This is the second year that President Obama has refrained from using the world genocide, notes Taspinar, adding that he is careful not to undermine the Turkish-Armenian normalization process. Assessing that Obama is trying to give Ankara the political courage to endorse the Turkish-Armenian protocols, Taspinar states: "Ankara should understand the following as soon as possible: The Armenian genocide issue is no longer just a historic, legal, and diplomatic one. This issue should be discussed with its psychological and social aspects. Otherwise, rapprochement with Armenia and official mechanisms such as the 'joint history commission' will advance nowhere."

According to a report in Vatan, Nezir Karabas, Peace and Democratic Party, BDP, deputy from Bitlis, has said that the Armenians were subjected to forced exile and were massacred in 1915. Addressing the BDP provincial congress in Denizli, Karabas stated that the Turkish state should apologize to the Armenian, Kurdish, and Turkish peoples for subjecting the Armenian people to a massacre, for making the Kurds collaborate in some of the sins, and for hiding the truth from the Turkish people for 90 years.

In an article in Vatan, Ilhan Tanir views the reasons why President Obama cannot use the word genocide for the 1915 incidents. The impossibility of imposing sanctions on Iran without the cooperation of Turkey, the need the US feels for Turkey's support to achieve stability in Iraq after it withdraws its troops from that country, and Turkey's role in ameliorating relations between the United States and the Muslim world are cited as some of the reasons by the writer. The writer further draws attention to the uncertainty concerning the Manas Military Base in Kyrgyzstan following the developments in that country and the role that base has in the war in Afghanistan.

Describing the 1915 incidents as a calculated and planned massacre aimed at eradicating not only the quantitative presence of a people but its culture as well, Taraf columnist Nabi Yagci writes in his article that this "great calamity" has become one of the most important opportunities for the society's current painful awakening. Welcoming the intellectuals' search for the truth and the commemoration held to honor the victims of the 1915 killings, Yagci assesses this process as a "rebirth."

In an article entitled "President Obama is right in avoiding the word 'genocide'", Today's Zaman columnist Sahin Alpay asserts that Obama "did the right thing" in not using the word "genocide" in his 24 April statement because "genocide declarations do not help the people of Turkey face the question of what happened to the Ottoman Armenians" and because US recognition of the 1915 events as genocide would "fan anti-US sentiment" in Turkey.

In an article entitled "1915", Vakit columnist Abdurrahman Dilipak asserts that the Ottomans, Turks, and Muslims cannot held "directly" to blame for the Armenian killings that took place in 1915. He claims that what happened at that time cannot be characterized as genocide but only as mass deportation, adding that while there is no doubt that this was a "tragedy," the Americans, Russians, Germans, the British, the French, and the Greeks were as much responsible for it as the then ruling Union and Progress Party.

In an article entitled "Common pain and common mourning", Vakit columnist Mustafa Ozcan argues that it is "schizophrenic" to hold only the Union and Progress Party responsible for the 1915 events. He criticizes certain "liberals" in Turkey who "have issues with neo-nationalists" for trying to use the Armenian problem as a means of settling scores with the latter. He also asserts that it is not in anyone's interests to characterize the 1915 events as "Meds Yeghern," as Obama did in his 24 April statement, adding that such an expression could be meaningful only in the Iraqi, Afghan, or Vietnamese context.

In an article entitled "April 24, 2010: Another turning point", Today's Zaman columnist Yavuz Baydar hails a demonstration held in Istanbul's Taksim Square on 24 April in commemoration of the 1915 events as an event that "will help accelerate a normalization of the discussion and recognition of the fate of the Armenians in Turkey by Turks and will bring both the Armenians of Armenia and the diaspora closer to the Turks and Turkey of today."

In an article entitled "Thank you, Mr Obama", Milli Gazete columnist Huseyin Altinalan expresses ironic gratitude to President Obama for not describing the 1915 events as genocide in his 24 April statement. Altinalan also speculates sarcastically as to Obama's reasons for not using the word "genocide" by asking such questions as whether he is a friend of the Turks or whether he felt too "ashamed" to employ that word as the leader of a country that "subjected the Native Americans to genocide, carried out horrible atrocities in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan," "turned Somalia into a sea of blood," and is "carrying out one genocide campaign after another in Iraq and Afghanistan."

In an article entitled "Why Obama did not say 'genocide'", Zaman's Washington correspondent Ali H. Aslan cites US President Barack Obama's non-use of the word "genocide" in his 24 April statement as a new instance of US presidents refraining out of national interest considerations from keeping their pre-election promise to recognize the said events as genocide. Aslan argues that Turkey's status as an increasingly dominant regional player with the "political genes of a global power" is a factor that Obama took into account in choosing not to use the word genocide.

/EI

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