Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 10-07-16

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Erdogan: Restrictions on the Turkish Cypriots cannot continue

[02] Eroglu: Greek Cypriots must see the reality

[03] Ozersay assesses contacts in Brussels

[04] Debates on the population continue; Columnist estimates that around 300-320 thousand persons live in occupied Cyprus

[05] Turkish officials to attend the anniversary celebrations of the Turkish invasion

[06] KTOS continues to react to Koran lessons

[07] Erdogan meets Turkeys main opposition CHP leader

[08] Professional army in Turkey

[09] Turkish Parliament approves bill for first nuclear power plant

[10] Turkeys budget deficit down in first six months of 2010

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[11] From the Turkish Press of 15 July 2010

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Erdogan: Restrictions on the Turkish Cypriots cannot continue

Asked by Erdogan in the presence of journalists, Kucuk said his salary was 7.5-8 thousand Turkish liras monthly. The Turkish Prime Minister noted that a director could not have a monthly salary of 14 thousand Turkish liras, while a prime minister only eight thousands. This situation cannot continue, he said.

Erdogan reiterated Turkeys determination to a solution of the Cyprus problem and noted that he exchanged views with Kucuk on the ongoing negotiating process. He reiterated that the target of the Turkish side is to reach a solution by the end of 2010 and added: Esteemed UN Secretary-General confirmed the same target in his last Report on his Good Offices Mission and stressed that he will follow the issue. He used the same expressions when we had a face-to-face meeting with him during the recent G-20 Summit. The Turkish side completely shares this target and it will follow the negotiating process, exhibiting the same determination on this path as a guarantor power. () If this process is unsuccessful again, everyone should understand that the inhuman restrictions on the Turks of Cyprus cannot continue. The intransigent side cannot be rewarded and the side in favour of peace cannot be punished. Continuation of such a serious situation cannot be permitted, we can never permit this. Everybody, and mainly the EU, should do their duty on this issue.

Referring to the economic situation and Turkeys aid to the breakaway regime, Erdogan said, inter alia, the following:

We are providing the necessary support, we are securing incentives. Within this framework, the agreement regarding carrying water with pipelines has reached the signature stage. Signatures will be put during the visit of esteemed Cemil Cicek to the TRNC. As AKP government, we are happy that this dream, which has been on the agenda for decades, will materialize. ()

Noting that Turkey will mobilize all its possibilities to help the Turks of Cyprus and continue its efforts transform the northern part of Cyprus into an attractive place, Erdogan said that. Turkey will fulfill its obligations. Efforts and gossip from various circles in the TRNC about the Turkish government, will not benefit the TRNC, he said and added that the AKP government will continue to work with the Irsen Kucuk administration. ()

Responding to a question regarding Turkeys responsibility for the economic problems in the occupied areas of Cyprus, Erdogan, inter alia, said that during his term in office, aid from Turkey increased from 200 million dollars to 600 million dollars, the number of students in the universities increased from 20,000 to 42,000 and the hotels were very few and inadequate, whereas now there are four and five-star hotels.

The reform in the banking sector is also important. Opportunism is at its highest level in the market. This will be placed under control with the reform in the banking sector. ()

In his statements, Irsen Kucuk said that there is a great consensus on every issue and added that there will be no problem in the aid provided by Turkey. The support in the negotiations in Cyprus and the economic issues is important for us, he noted adding that they reaffirmed that Turkey will continue to cover 40% of their budget.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Eroglu: Greek Cypriots must see the reality

Eroglu reiterated his views that thanks to Turkey, the Turkish Cypriots acquired their state, their sovereignty and their freedom and that if it was not for Turkeys intervention they would all have been removed from the island via the Akritas plan. Eroglu said that following the opening of the barricades in 2003, it is evident that the two peoples can leave peacefully next to each other, in different areas. He said that the effort in the negotiations is to find a fair, permanent, sustainable common agreement which will acknowledge the rights of Turkish Cypriots.

He also said that the Turkish Cypriots, whose only crime was the desire to establish a state and were ostracized in January of 1963 from the Republic of Cyprus, have the same rights to the island with the Greek Cypriots. Eroglu stated that the Greek Cypriots must demonstrate their willingness for an agreement, which they have not done so far.

Moreover, in a meeting with the Association of Businessmen (ISAD) Erdogan called on the Greek Cypriot side to see the reality that it is not possible to reach an agreement which will ignore the Turkish Cypriots. Expressing his wish for an agreement by the end of the year, he said that negotiations regarding the important chapter of property are continuing. He added that although he prefers to close this before going to new chapters, the Greek Cypriot side tries to put under this chapter the issue of land and settlers.

(IS)

[03] Ozersay assesses contacts in Brussels

He said that the purpose of the contacts was to explain to EU officials their positions regarding the Cyprus negotiation process, adding: There is a distorted view concerning the positions put forward by the Turkish side in the talks. We have corrected that distorted view. We found a first-hand opportunity to voice our views in a correct and realistic way. Ozersay also said that a legal opinion from the European Parliament as regards the trade regulation has been requested, adding that the process will speed up once this is received.

Pointing out that the EU Direct Trade Regulation was not a regulation prepared by the Turkish side, Ozersay said that a proposal prepared by the EU Commission following a decision taken by the EU Council in 2004 is still pending in the EU Parliament. This is not something that we created. We are talking of a promise made to the Turks of Cyprus, he added.

Ozersay also said that EU officials were informed of the Turkish Cypriot conviction that approval and implementation of the regulation will contribute to efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.

[04] Debates on the population continue; Columnist estimates that around 300-320 thousand persons live in occupied Cyprus

On the same issue, Ejder Aslanbaba, independent self-styled MP, cited official figures according to which 51,000 persons have been given the TRNC citizenship since 1974 and added that the conflicting practices on this issue should end. We are not saying that citizenship should be granted to everyone, but persons who are born and raised here should be made citizens without any questions, he said.

Moreover, Abbas Sinay, self-styled MP with the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) in occupied Keryneia, said that the budget deficits could not be covered with a population which cannot be controlled and added that placing the flow of population under control, is a precondition, in a country which has been turned into an inn where everybody enters without questions.

Sinay noted that discrimination between people coming from Turkey and Turkish Cypriots started to function in the opposite direction and added that producers complain that discrimination in favour of the people coming from Turkey is made when credit is given. He said that the money coming from Turkey to the occupied areas of Cyprus returns to Turkey and pointed out that the luxurious life which seems to exist derives from the sales of Greek Cypriot properties. Sinay noted that priority should be given to the solution of the Cyprus problem, if they want to weather the economic crisis.

Furthermore, in his daily column in Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper under the title Is citizenship a right?, Unal Findik expresses the view that the issue of citizenship has become the most serious problem of the TRNC once more. Noting that the population of this small state was 120,000 during its establishment, in the 2006 population census the TRNC citizens were around 180,000, of which around 120,000 were born in Cyprus and the rest were mainly people born in Turkey and some in third countries.

Findik adds that population for 2010 is estimated to have exceeded 300,000. He considers exaggerated the numbers given by some that it is 500,000 or even one million. He says it is between 300,000 and 320,000. However, he adds it is possible that the population reaches 500,000 or even 750,000 if we include the numbers of workers employed in new businesses on capital from Turkey, and their families. But should we make all those people citizens, he wonders.

Citing an extract from a speech in parliament by the Minister of Interior Ilkay Kamil in which he said that the citizenship is everyones right, Findik questions whether this is so and adds: It is not possible for a person at that post not to know the meaning of becoming a minority in ones own country through the granting of citizenships in numbers higher than our own population. () In brief, when a person is in the situation of not being able to take care of his own children, does he adopt other children?

Unemployment is another important element in the citizenships issue. The strange situation in the TRNC exists in no other country in the world. While on the one hand the number of the unemployed persons, the majority of whose are unregistered, exceeds 20-25 thousand, 70-100 thousand foreign workers work in the country. What kind of a contradiction is this? I wonder, how many TRNC citizens are employed in a newly opened hotel? Or what is the percentage of the employment of local staff in the hotels which have opened before? We could add the following question as well. How many citizens have been employed in the hotels which are operating with the capital from Turkey? ()

(I/Ts.)

[05] Turkish officials to attend the anniversary celebrations of the Turkish invasion

As the paper reports, the Secretary General of the Turkish Presidency Mustafa Isen, the State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek, a delegation from the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) and the leader of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu will be among the Turkish officials to attend the celebrations. The officials will begin arriving illegally to the occupied areas since July 18.

Turkish officials are also expected to meet state and government officials. They will also attend a signing ceremony on July 19 of the intergovernmental framework agreement regarding meeting the water needs of the TRNC. Officials will attend the opening ceremonies of various infrastructure and development projects. In addition, on July 20, they will watch the aerobatic demonstrations by the Turkish Stars and attend a reception given by the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu at the Cratos Premium hotel in occupied Keryneia.

Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar newspaper (16.07.10) reports that the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to areas in order to attend the ceremonies of the breakaway regime and also inaugurate the hospital of the illegal Near East University (YDU).

(EA)

[06] KTOS continues to react to Koran lessons

Moreover, Varoglu claimed that children are being initiated into religious cults in Turkey under the pretext of vacations, and efforts to import the Sheria education in schools are intensified. He added that there are 162 schools in the country and 181 mosques. Even in places where a mosque is not needed, the government of Justice and Development Party (AKP) allots a higher budget in order to build one.

He also said that while schools are falling apart, the share of the budget for education is reduced and children are channelled to private schools. The policy followed is to impose on teachers the mentality of those who long for Sheria.

(IS)

[07] Erdogan meets Turkeys main opposition CHP leader

The meeting was long expected, since the two party leaders have rarely met since the AK Party came to power in 2002. Former CHP Chairman Deniz Baykal, who was replaced by Kilicdaroglu in May, met with Erdogan only five times in eight years.

The meeting was held at Kilicdaroglus chambers in the Parliament building. Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek, Interior Minister Besir Atalay and Public Order and Safety Undersecretary Muammer Guler accompanied the prime minister. The CHP's Secretary-General Onder Sav, parliamentary group deputy chairman Kemal Anadol and CHP Deputy Chairman Hakki Suha Okay were also present.

Todays Zaman, inter alia, reports: If needed, we would gladly lend our support [to the government] to end terrorism, the CHP leader said speaking to reporters following the meeting. He said they have similar opinions on the issue of fighting terrorism. He said that Erdogan and his colleagues informed them about the government measures on terrorism and sought their opinion. Kilicdaroglu said that they conveyed the CHP views on the economic and social dimensions of the issue.

The paper adds: Erdogan reportedly told Kilicdaroglu that professional soldiers would be deployed in military outposts along the border with northern Iraq, where Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorists are based. Stating that the government makes a distinction between the democratic initiative it launched last year to address the Kurdish issue and the issue of terrorism, Erdogan said Turkeys counterterrorism efforts will continue at full speed. While Kilicdaroglu insistently asked the prime minister about details of the structure of professional teams to be deployed along the border, Erdogan did not comment on this, saying he would make a detailed statement on the issue on Friday at his partys expanded provincial chairmen meeting.

[08] Professional army in Turkey

According to the paper, at first, special units are to be deployed to border regions where terrorism is intense. These units will comprise professional soldiers who will receive a high salary and will also be granted compensation at the end of their service. All soldiers will serve on a voluntary basis and will go through intense and challenging training for several months. They will fight terrorism applying methods used by mountain militants. The special units will not operate as a regular army. They will launch surgical strikes based on incoming intelligence and will remain in the mountains for a long period of time. In addition to defence, they will also pursue terrorists.

In this way, Turkey will shift from the defensive to the offensive approach in encountering terrorism. No new personnel will be recruited but specialists in the TSK will be used. Special unit soldiers will be between 25 and 32 years of age. With the compensation received, the soldiers will be able to have a comfortable life once their service ends, the paper writes.

The paper points out that it will be some time before the army becomes professional, and adds:. Currently, the TSK numbers of 700,000 soldiers. Around 200,000 are commissioned and non-commissioned officers. Retired Col. Mesut Ulker noted that setting up a professional army would take time and that the number of commissioned and non-commissioned officers in the regular army would decline in the process. According to Ulker, the TSK will eventually withdraw completely from domestic security matters and return to its essential duty, national defence. He noted that professionalizing the army would cause a decline in the number of personnel but an increase in its effectiveness and strike power, Todays Zaman reported.

[09] Turkish Parliament approves bill for first nuclear power plant

The paper writes: According to the agreement, which was signed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedevs official visit to Turkey in May, the two countries will cooperate in the construction and operation of the power plant. A consortium led by state-controlled Russian builder AtomStroyExport will construct the plant in Akkuyu, paying all the construction costs for the nuclear plant, which is estimated around $20 billion. The firm will be able to transfer up to 49% of its shares to another firm.

The Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) and Energy and Natural Resources Ministry will be the representatives of the two sides in the agreement. A Russian consortium will initiate work for the establishment of a company to carry out the construction project within three months. The company will be the owner of the power plant as well as all of the electricity produced. The plant will have the total capacity of 4,800 megawatts (MW) in four units. Russian companies will not have less than a 51% shares in this new company. Turkey will receive 20% of the companys net profit 15 years after each unit begins operating. The first unit is expected to be built and start operations within seven years of construction. The Turkish Electricity Trading and Contracting Company (TETAS) will sign an agreement with the company to be established, guaranteeing purchase of the electricity produced at a price 12.35 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).

[10] Turkeys budget deficit down in first six months of 2010

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara on Thursday, Simsek said that Turkeys budget deficit amounted to TL 15.4 billion in the January-June period of the year. The minister said this figure accounted for 30.7% of the governments budget deficit target for 2010. Simsek said the primary surplus amounted to TL 12 billion in the first half of the year, compared to TL 4 billion in the same period of 2009. He added that Turkeys budget revenues had increased by 19.1% in the first six months over the same period of the previous year, while expenditures climbed to 9.3%, to TL 136.5 billion.

Responding to a question the Minister said the government is not considering any tax hikes to cover the anticipated slowdown in the economy. Simsek asserted that the government places much importance on sticking to its mid-term economic program.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[11] From the Turkish Press of 15 July 2010

Sabah reveals the issues discussed during the National Security Council meeting of 24 June, and says that Turkey has decided to use both military force against the PKK and diplomatic pressure on the north Iraqi administration

Mehmet Ali Birand writing in Hurriyet stresses that the military option in general and hitting Qandil Mountain where the PKK's leading cadres are based, will not stop terrorism. What The Turkish Government needs to do is agree to a bilateral cease-fire and take certain "brave steps."

Vatan's Rusen Cakir criticizes the government for refusing to meet the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). "It is obvious that this initiative will not be very productive in solving the Kurdish and PKK problems if the two basic political parties that represent the Turkish and Kurdish nationalists are excluded."

Metin Munir in Milliyet argues that the Kurdish problem can be solved by giving the southeast --where the Kurds are in the majority-- autonomy, just as in some parts of the EU, and by pardoning all the PKK members." He adds, however, that "the political and military structures do not have the courage to make radical decisions.

A front-page report in Yeni Safak under the banner headline "Anti-terror revolution" asserts that Turkey is preparing to adopt "radical" measures against PKK terrorism entailing a shift from a defensive to an offensive policy, the formation of a special anti-terror brigade that will serve for ten years, across-the-border prevention of terrorist infiltrations, unexpected raids staged with a view to capturing terrorist chieftains, and the use of drones like the Predator and the Reaper against the terrorist group.

b) Constitutional amendments

In an article in Cumhuriyet, Cuneyt Arcayurek takes issue with Prime Minister Erdogan's assertion that the 12 September "referendum will bury the 1982 coup Constitution." Arcayurek contends that the AKP Constitution is worse than the 1982 Constitution because, "it increases the president's powers rather than decreasing them and politicizes Cankaya [Presidential Mansion]; instead of making the judiciary more independent, it makes it subservient to the government; it increases the powers of the justice minister in the Judges and Prosecutors High Council; in fact, it enables the minister to direct the judiciary."

c) Humanitarian Aid Foundation

Under the banner headline, "Nazi-zionist alliance against IHH" Vakit runs a front-page report which slams Germany for banning the activities of the Humanitarian Aid Foundation, in that country on charges of cooperating with Hamas. The report claims that the decision has been made "in line with Zionist Israel's demands". The logic behind it, the paper adds, is that all humanitarian relief organizations in Gaza are terrorists because they have to cooperate with Hamas. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EI

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