Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 10-11-02

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[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Press reports on the discussion in Ankara on the property issue

[02] Eroglu rejects discussion of territory; Reference to his meeting in Ankara

[03] PACE Presidents contacts in occupied Cyprus

[04] Tore: TRNC to start direct trade with Iraq and Libya

[05] Mamali says the law regarding the Property Compensation Commission is contrary to human rights

[06] A new shopping centre in occupied Cyprus

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[07] Bagis addresses a EP Greens conference, calls for Direct Trade Regulation

[08] A conference by overseas Turks

[09] Kurtulmus establishes new party in Turkey

[10] Highlights

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Press reports on the discussion in Ankara on the property issue

Daily Kibris (02.11.10) reports that Ankara is trying to strengthen the Property Compensation Commission and provide it with the necessary financial means to make payments for the occupied Greek Cypriot properties. Citing reliable sources, the paper writes that Ankara, which is in favour of the solution of the property issue by compensating the Greek Cypriots who left property in the north or through the exchange of property, wants the Commission to speed up decision-making and become stronger.

The paper reports that modern financing techniques were discussed, adding that the target is, with the support of Turkeys leading banks, to solve the issue of compensations, in a way that the Greek Cypriot properties in the northern occupied part of Cyprus pass under Turkish control, eliminating international pressures.

Moreover, the issue of speeding up the title-deed procedures was examined during the meeting. In this framework, it was decided to provide assistance to the land registry offices in the occupied part of Cyprus in order to increase productivity.

The paper writes, inter alia, the following: Despite the fact that the first preference is the exchange of the Greek Cypriot properties in the north with Turkish Cypriot properties in the south, it is considered that Turkeys strong banks could offer credit to the market so as to satisfy the Greek Cypriots who do not accept this (exchange) and thus serious investments could be made on the properties which will not constitute a problem from the point of view of international law. The paper reports that Ankara supports encouragement of Turkish companies which want to invest in the occupied part of Cyprus.

Daily Havadis (02.11.10), citing backstage information on the meeting, says that Turkey does no longer want to pay compensation for the occupied Greek Cypriot properties. The last straw was the recent conviction of Turkey by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to pay over 13 million Euros as compensation to 19 Greek Cypriot refugees. The paper adds that the Turkish government officials told the Turkish Cypriot delegation that we are hard up for money, you pay now. Havadis writes that the Turkish government of the Property Compensation Commission to speed up its work and to block the way of the Greek Cypriots to European courts.

Under the title The process of compensation accelerates, daily Halkin Sesi reports that after the recent decision of the ECHR, Ankara demanded speeding up of the property compensation process in the occupied part of Cyprus. The paper writes that the meeting started with Eroglu, Prime Minister Erdogan, President Gul State Minister Cemil Cicek and State Minister Ali Babacan, and continued with the participation of their delegations.

Moreover, daily Haberdar (02.11.10) reports that Turkey submitted a proposal to the Turkish Cypriot side that one third of the compensation for occupied Greek Cypriot properties examined by the Property Compensation Commission should be paid by the person who is in possession the aforementioned property. Citing information published in Kibris Postasi news portal, the paper writes that according to the suggestion, the property owner will benefit from the increased value of the property.

(I/Ts)

[02] Eroglu rejects discussion of territory; Reference to his meeting in Ankara

In statements yesterday at his office after meeting with President Christofias within the framework of the negotiations, Eroglu said that President Christofias accepted his proposal to establish a separate committee on opening new crossing points. The aim is to enable the negotiating delegations to spend more time on the property issue, he said.

Eroglu said that they once more discussed the proposals of the sides on the property issue and the points on which each side insists. He noted that their representatives will meet twice this week with the aim of overcoming these disagreements or bridging the gap between the views of the sides.

Asked to comment on President Christofias statement that he wants to discuss the territory issue, Eroglu recalled that from the very beginning of the discussions of the property issue, President Christofias has been saying that the territory or the settlers are issues closely related to the property and that they should be taken up together. Eroglu noted that it is not possible to take up another issue before achieving progress on the property issue and expressed the view that in fact all chapters are related with each other.

Eroglu said that the territory issue should be discussed last. This, he said, Mr Christofias himself said this in an interview when he was negotiating with Mr Talat. We have the property issue in front of us, which is a very important chapter, he said. Eroglu noted that within the next 15-16 days they will see whether any convergence can be achieved.

Moreover, Eroglu evaluated his meeting yesterday in Ankara with President Gul, Prime Minister Erdogan and other Turkish officials. He said it was once more acknowledged that there is harmony with Turkey on the Cyprus problem. He alleged that the Turkish proposals on the property issue have been prepared based on the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), according to which the people who live on a land or property for 35 years also have rights. Therefore creating other injustices to correct a mistake would be contrary to human rights, he claimed.

Eroglu said that views were exchanged on the meeting to be held with the UN Secretary-General in New York, and the work of the Property Compensation Commission and the need to speed the process. Eroglu expressed satisfaction with the meeting.

He said that President Gul attaches great importance to the property issue and added that it was agreed that speeding up the property issue and achieving some convergences by 18 November, would facilitate the meeting to be held in New York with the UN Secretary-General.

Responding to a relevant question Eroglu said the ECHR ruling on compensation to Greek Cypriot refugees was not discussed. He pointed out that the ECHR decision was taken before its decision that the Property Compensation Commission is a legal mechanism for property issues in Cyprus.

Asked whether there will be any change in the Turkish sides positions on the property issue after the Ankara Summit, Eroglu replied negatively and added that if the other side has good will, there may be improvements on some issues.

Referring to ECHR decisions on property lawsuits regarding Cyprus, Eroglu alleged: if you make an agreement ignoring the 36 years which have elapsed, this agreement will have little chance of lasting. For this reason we are looking for an agreement taking into consideration the years which have passed and we believe that such an agreement could be lasting. We are trying to explain this to our interlocutor.

(I/Ts)

[03] PACE Presidents contacts in occupied Cyprus

After his contacts with Greek Cypriot officials as well as with President Demetris Christofias, PACE President crossed over to the occupied areas through the Ledra Palace crossing point, yesterday afternoon, where he met with the so-called parliament speaker Hasan Bozer, the UBP parliamentarian Ahmet Eti and the CTP parliamentarian Mehmet Caglar.

Speaking to reporters upon crossing to the occupied areas, Cavusoglu said that he is visiting Cyprus as the President of PACE. Noting that he had several meetings in the south, he said that he will have contacts in the TRNC as well. Cavusoglu said that he wanted to be informed on the ongoing negotiations on the Cyprus problem between the two leaders, adding that PACE supports a peaceful solution. He also said, inter alia, that officials should avoid statements that damage the negotiation process.

Asked whether he thinks there will be a solution by the end of 2010, Cavusoglu said that there is no time to be lost in the negotiations. He added that Turkey desires a solution by the end of the year, and that Turkey has made great efforts on the issue.

The so-called parliament speaker Bozer stated Cavusoglus visit to the TRNC, in his capacity of the president of PACE, is of a great importance. Noting that this is the first time that Cavusolgu is visiting the TRNC, he said that crossing over from the north to the TRNC showed once again the reality that there are two separate authorities, two separate peoples and two separate states.

[04] Tore: TRNC to start direct trade with Iraq and Libya

Furthermore, commenting on his contacts in the Sudanese capital Khartoum last week, in the framework of the 5th Ministerial Conference on Agriculture and Food Security of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Tore said the results of his meetings will reflect on trade in the near future. He said that the Libyan Minister is ready to break the embargoes on the TRNC and noted that preparations will start soon to convert bilateral relations into trade. Referring to the direct trade between the TRNC and Iran, Tore said initiatives are underway for direct trade with Iraq.

[05] Mamali says the law regarding the Property Compensation Commission is contrary to human rights

Recalling that the Greek Cypriot refugees who file applications to the Commission are given the right to repossess their occupied property, exchange it or be compensated for it, Mamali noted that some properties do not fall under the law. He said that the law does not recognize to the Greek Cypriots the right to file applications for properties on which military installations exist or which are allocated to Turkish Cypriots in exchange to property they abandoned in the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus. He said that these limitations do not constitute an excuse in international law. He also pointed out that according to the law, the Greek Cypriots who want to be compensated by the Commission should denounce ownership rights on their occupied property. He recalled the ECHR decisions according to which compensation should be paid to Greek Cypriot refugees without affecting their rights.

(I/Ts.)

[06] A new shopping centre in occupied Cyprus

The shopping centre to be named Forum Akdeniz - Lefkosa, will include stores, supermarket, cinema, restaurants, cafes, business centre and conference rooms. The shopping mall will cover an area of 54,000 square metres and will be opened in 2012.

A delegation headed by TurkMalls CEO, Levent Eyuboglu, is currently in the occupied areas to be briefed on the project.

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[07] Bagis addresses an EP Greens conference, calls for Direct Trade Regulation

Rebecca Harms, co-chairperson of the Greens in the EP, referred to what her colleague Daniel Cohn-Bendit said in the 2004 meeting of the Greens in Istanbul. He said we want a Bosporus miracle' regarding Turkish membership. Now, another miracle has happened, she said, adding that Europe is facing a crisis both economically and regarding the issue of integration. The EU is facing a crisis but there is a miracle in Turkey, she said. Because of its economic success, Turkey has been emancipated in its foreign policy. This was in reference to the Turkish success in coming out of one of the worlds worst economic crises, while the European states still suffer the severest effects of the crisis.

Inter alia, the paper reports that the leaders of the Greens in the EP, joined by the French Green Helene Flautre, who also serves as the co-chairperson of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, at a press conference yesterday at the Istanbul Congress Centre, emphasized the interdependence of Turkey and Europe, saying that both sides have to identify obstacles in front of Turkeys full EU membership. One of those obstacles has been identified as the issue of Cyprus.

According to Flautre, the issue of Cyprus will be solved when Europeans understand that their future is with Turkey. Cohn-Bendit said the Greens are for direct trade, so they will try to pass a majority vote at the EP plenary for the direct trade regulation. Nothing has been finalized yet. We are for direct trade -- for opening the ports on the island. Then Turkey should reduce the number of its soldiers on the island, he said.

One other issue the Greens emphasized is the topic of energy policies. They said that in an emerging economy like Turkey ecological errors are likely to occur. The Greens debated energy security in Turkey and in the EU, and nuclear energy, Necdet Pamir, World Energy Council Turkish National Committee Board Member, Dr. Sule Ergun, Hacettepe University Department of Nuclear Engineering, and Arif Kunar, energy expert and activist from Ankara joined the debate, which was opened by an address by Egemen Bagis, Turkeys chief EU negotiator.

Moreover, Turkish daily Sabah (02.11.10) reports that Egemen Bagis, addressing the conference referred to the negotiation chapters which have been suspended for Turkeys EU bid and called on the European Parliament to accept the Direct Trade Regulation adding that its acceptance will be a big step towards overcoming the political obstacles. He added that then Turkey will then open its ports to the Greek Cypriots.

[08] A conference by overseas Turks

According to the paper, the main issue of discussion was the common problems of Turks living in north Cyprus, Iraq, West Thrace and Caucasus.

(AK)

[09] Kurtulmus establishes new party in Turkey

Explaining the partys symbol, an Ottoman-style sun, Numan Kurtulmus said it signifies the start of a new day, a new era for Turkey. The party will work to create a new central structure that will have the people as its basis and build a Turkey where all people will enjoy justice, prosperity and independence equally, Kurtulmus said adding that November 1, 2010, will be a day remembered in Turkish politics.

Former Ministry of Finance Undersecretary Hasan Basri Aktan and former Democrat Party (DP) members Cagri Erhan, Erol Goka, Beyhan Aslan, Fethi Karaaslan and Mehmet Bekaroglu are among the founding members of HSP, which is also referred to as the Has Party. The word has means proper or appropriate in Turkish.

[10] Highlights

a) Istanbul suicide bombing / Kurdish issue

Writing in Hurriyet Daily News.com, Yusuf Kanli says that it will not be a "surprise if the separatist gang as well as its collaborators in politics and media engage in an effort to place the blame of the Sunday morning's heinous attack in the Taksim Square on the Turkish deep state, or on those 'coup perpetrator' elements in the Turkish Armed Forces." Nevertheless, he adds, Turkey should "undertake whatever is required to bring an end to this bloodshed. Seeking dialogue and some other peaceful means, however, does not mean the Turkish state should abandon its fundamental duty of defending the Turkish people or giving in to terrorism and compromising from key national interests because of some lunatic demands of the collaborators of terrorists..."

In a commentary in Vatan, Ruhat Mengi writes that it is "obvious" that PKK carried out the bomb attack in Taksim as Abdullah Ocalan had said in September that "he will not be responsible with what happens unless the conditions are met seven-eight days after the referendum."

In his commentary entitled "Nonaction..." in Star, Ahmet Altan explains that the AKP and the state are working in two different lines and adds: "On the one hand there are the military preparations within the framework of the marginalization project, and on the other, a solution or the semblance of a solution." Altan concludes that the "if the Turkish state does not turn Turkey into a state for the Kurds of Turkey and not try to throw the PKK out of Qandil through military force only, there is the risk of having the violence spread to the cities."

Today's Zaman columnist Emre Uslu asserts that despite a PKK statement denying involvement in yesterday's suicide bomb attack in Istanbul, the "de facto fragmentation of the PKK" gives reason to believe that the attack may have been carried out by "a wing that operates under the banner of the PKK."

Bugun carries a front-page report which quotes Sedat Laciner, General Coordinator of a think tank called the International Institute of Strategic Studies, (USAK), as saying that the People's Confederation of Kurdistan, (KCK), many members of which currently stand trial in Diyarbakir, is an urban version of the PKK which aims to establish a second state in Turkey.

b) Turkish-American relations

In an article entitled "Time to rethink Turkish-American relations", Today's Zaman columnist Omer Taspinar finds it "hard to avoid a sense of gloom and doom in Turkish-American relations when you look at the deteriorating dynamics of this once-strategic partnership." Taspinar identifies "two fundamental problems that have exacerbated relations since the demise of the Soviet Union," namely "the absence of a common enemy" and the fact that "as a by-product of the post-Soviet order, the centre of gravity [in bilateral relations] shifted from Eurasia to the Middle East."

In an article in Zaman, its Washington correspondent Ali H. Aslan asserts that the US democrats are highly likely to lose their majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections. He predicts "developments with implications for Turkey" in the "new period" that will start after the elections in the United States, asserting that Ankara is highly likely to come under pressure from Washington to "either be with us or against us" vis-à-vis Iran.

Milli Gazete columnist Abdullah Ozkan links what he describes as declining popular support for Barack Obama likely to be indicated by the results of tomorrow's midterm elections to the US president's "failure to take part in serious cooperation projects that could serve the cause of global peace," his continuation of George W. Bush's "aggressive foreign policies," his "unconditional support" for Israel, his "disregard" for "Turkey and Brazil's extremely reasonable agreement over Iran," and his "failure to take measures to address inequities in income distribution and promote security and peace at home."

c) NATO message

In an article in Yeni Safak entitled "Davutoglu issues 'Democratic NATO' message", columnist Yasin Aktay comments on Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's remarks at a reception at the Turkish Consulate in Xi'an, China announcing, in response to a question about NATO's request for permission to install missile defence systems on Turkish soil, that Turkey is at the centre of NATO rather than outside it, that it is not a country that needs to be persuaded by NATO, and that Turkey does not want another Cold War zone around it. Aktay lauds this statement as one that expresses perfectly the "unorthodox" spirit of Turkey's current foreign policy, which has turned Ankara from a "passive onlooker" into a "direction-setter" in decision-making processes within international alliances. Aktay claims that Turkey is well-positioned to show that most of NATO's threat perceptions are based on wrong information or groundless fears. He also argues that the Turkish-Chinese rapprochement taking place "in the shadow of the missile defence agenda" suggests that the Cold War atmosphere is set to be increasingly replaced by a climate of increasing affinity between regional peoples and countries.

d) Reception debate

Yeni Safak columnist Hakan Albayrak accuses the top brass of the Turkish Armed Forces, (TSK), of "rebelling" against President Gul by not attending the 29 October Republic Day Reception. Albayrak asks the four-star generals whether they are aware that their behaviour will have a "destructive" impact on the psychology of fallen soldiers' veiled relatives.

In an article in Yeni Akit columnist Abdurrahman Dilipak criticizes the TSK's top military officials for the way they committed a "breach of discipline" by not attending the 29 October Republic Day Reception held by "the commander-in-chief." He claims that the top brass of the military will be forced into toeing the Government's line if and when they see more retired and serving TSK officials taken into police custody on charges of plotting to overthrow the ruling Justice and Development Party, AKP. He also calls on Parliament to pass legislation making the General Staff subordinate to the Office of the Defence Minister.

Zaman carries a front-page report under the headline "We were hopeful about new leader but were disappointed," which quotes Helene Flautre, Co-Chairperson of the Turkish-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission, as saying that CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu missed an opportunity to make a gesture toward public opinion by not attending the presidential reception marking Republic Day.

Today's Zaman columnist Sahin Alpay criticizes the TSK and CHP's "boycott" of the recent presidential reception marking Republic Day as "perhaps the most conspicuous manifestation of the fact that something is terribly wrong (if not rotten) in the state of Turkey."

Today's Zaman columnist Yavuz Baydar criticizes high-ranking generals' "refusal" to attend the 29 October reception at the Presidential Mansion as an act that "damages the rising reputation of an economically successful, regionally respected, highly aspiring actor" and serves to represent Ankara as a capital characterized by "bitter divisions and small-minded, self-destructive calculations ..."

e) AKP foreign policies

Writing in Milliyet, Semih Idiz assesses the recent National Security Policy Document adopted at the latest National Security Council (MGK), with regard the decision to refer to "Israel's actions in the Middle East as a threat to Turkey."

Hurriyet Daily News.com carries an article by Milliyet commentator Sami Kohen on reports "that Turkey and Greece are very close to reaching agreement over the Aegean issues", adding that there is a "really historic opportunity for the two countries to settle bilateral relations on a firm ground of friendship and cooperation after finally settling the issues."

Writing in Milliyet about Turkey's perception of threat, Kadri Gursel says that while "Turkey is being used by Iran in the nuclear crisis, there has been a dramatic loss of trust for Turkey among the Western alliance, in particular the United States."

f) Tension in CHP

Yeni Akit carries a front-page report with the above headline that there is increasing tension within the main opposition Republican People's Party, (CHP), regarding the need to hold a new congress to determine its new statutes following Kilicdaroglu's election as the new leader. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EG

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