Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 10-12-28

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Eroglu returned to the occupied areas of Cyprus

[02] Davutoglu: The agreement between Cyprus and Israel is invalid; Kucuk: The Turkish Foreign Ministry will contribute to the Geneva meeting

[03] Ankara and the breakaway regime declared 2011 as "Year of Northern Cyprus" in Turkey

[04] Avci evaluates year 2010 and expresses his party's expectations for 2011

[05] So-called finance minister on the latest economic developments

[06] The regime is allegedly terminating the contract of six employees of the Committee on the Missing Persons

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[07] Bagis on the Cyprus problem and Turkey's EU bid

[08] "The TRNC universities in a difficult position"

[09] Papandreou to address Turkish ambassadors' meeting in Turkey

[10] Davutoglu and Erdogan to travel to Iraq

[11] Nabucco project to be completed within 2015

[12] "Turkey seeks to encompass the compass"

[13] Highlights

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Eroglu returned to the occupied areas of Cyprus

"I will return to my duties after resting for 3-5 days and with your support I will continue to search for a viable agreement to our cause with honour and pride", he added.

The Turkish "ambassador" to the occupied part of Lefkosia, Kaya Turkmen, the self-styled assembly speaker, Hasan Bozer, "ministers", "mayors" and other "officials" were among those who received Eroglu at the illegal airport.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Davutoglu: The agreement between Cyprus and Israel is invalid; Kucuk: The Turkish Foreign Ministry will contribute to the Geneva meeting

In statements yesterday in Ankara after a meeting with the self-styled prime minister Irsen Kucuk and the self-styled foreign minister Huseyin Ozgurgun, Davutoglu noted that all agreements before the Cyprus problem is solved are considered invalid for Turkey. "Not only for us, but for international law as well", he alleged.

Davutoglu alleged that the Turkish Cypriots have rights over the whole of Cyprus and added that until the process in Cyprus is concluded, the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey will continue to pursue their rights on the island.

"Eastern Mediterranean is one of Turkey's most natural sea areas. Within this framework, we expect all countries of the region to respect the norms of the law," he alleged and added: "In order for such agreements to be made and Cyprus to be able to be a party to such agreements, the Cyprus problem should be solved first. If the Greek Cypriot Administration wants to take a step, it should first take a step in the direction of the solution. If it takes a step towards the solution, then we could secure that the entire Eastern Mediterranean is turned into a basin of peace, a basin of financial prosperity."

He claimed that the "Greek Cypriot administration", as he described the government of the Republic of Cyprus, does not have the competence to sign agreements on behalf of the whole of Cyprus while the "isolation' of the Turkish Cypriots continues and added that they expect from the UN, the EU and the countries of the region to "show the necessary sensitivity".

Responding to a question, Davutoglu said the Cyprus problem was discussed extensively with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York and added that Ban Ki-moon noted that the meeting in Geneva is the most important point of the long-lasting negotiations.

Pointing out that he thanked Ban Ki-moon for his "objective evaluations in his report", Davutoglu said: "We expressed the view that it is not right for these negotiations to continue forever without having a result and therefore we expect a lasting step to be taken in Geneva. We will continue our contacts with the UN officials on this issue in that meeting. Ban Ki-moon emphasized the determination of the UN to pass to a more advanced point in the Geneva meeting."

Davutoglu said the negotiations are carried out in order to achieve a result and added that either a result will be achieved or it will be said that the target was not achieved due to the lack of will of one of the sides.

Davutoglu noted that the negotiations are going through a critical process and alleged that Turkey is providing its support for a solution to be reached in Cyprus. He claimed that they are sincere on the issue of the solution and support a solution within the framework of the UN parameters. He said whatever the result of this process is, Turkey will continue to support the Turkish Cypriots. He said they attach importance to the "strengthening of the TRNC politically, culturally and economically".

For his part, Irsen Kucuk it was a very useful meeting on the ongoing negotiating process. He noted that they continue to support Eroglu's policy and pointed out to the contribution of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the ongoing negotiating process.

Noting that the meeting in Geneva will be held with the contribution of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Kucuk alleged that the Turkish Cypriot side will continue its stance in favour of reaching a solution. He said if the Greek Cypriots show the same understanding, there could be hope in the negotiations. Kucuk alleged that the climate is negatively influenced by the "racist attacks" against Turks in the government-controlled areas of the island.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Ankara and the breakaway regime declared 2011 as "Year of Northern Cyprus" in Turkey

In his statements, Gunay said Turkey aims at becoming one of the ten biggest economies of the world in 2023 and added that in the fields of tourism and building construction sector this target has already been achieved. Noting that Turkey is one of the most stable countries of the world in the field of tourism, Gunay said the number of tourists who visited Turkey increased to 28-30 millions in 2010 from two millions in 2002. "We want to share this growth with Northern Cyprus," he added.

Gunay noted that the number of tourists from Turkey who visit the occupied part of Cyprus is increasing and pointed out that they will continue to promote the tourism of the occupied part of Cyprus in international tourism fairs, in parallel to tourism of Turkey. He said a "good will document" was signed and soon they will meet again to prepare a detailed programme. Afterwards, he added, "serious promoting programs" will be organized everywhere in Turkey.

In his statements, Kemal Durust said the signing of the protocol was the best indication that Turkey supports the "TRNC". He noted that they are ready to receive their brothers from Turkey in the occupied areas of Cyprus.

Moreover, self-styled prime minister Kucuk said they aim at doing everything they can to turn the occupied part of Cyprus into an "island of tourism". "An environment appropriate for tourism has been created in Northern Cyprus. This was realized with the great contribution of investors from Turkey and our Motherland", he added.

Referring to the Cyprus talks, Kucuk said that all possibilities have to be considered and pointed out that, therefore, investors are needed from Turkey, because it seems difficult for the Turkish Cypriots to compete alone (with the Greek Cypriots) in case of an agreement.

Kucuk also said that the number of aviation companies flying to the occupied areas of Cyprus will reach seven to eight in 2011, after the establishment of the new company by the breakaway regime and the flight permit to be given to three more companies.

The paper writes that during his visit to Ankara, Kucuk also met with General Isik Kosaner, Chief of the Turkish General Staff. The meeting was closed to the press.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Avci evaluates year 2010 and expresses his party's expectations for 2011

Explaining that they will continue to support the negotiations process in the New Year as well, Avci said "the year 2011 is the last opportunity to find a solution to the Cyprus problem and the Greek Cypriot administration must understand this". He added that "otherwise the Cyprus Turkish people will, with support from motherland Turkey, continue on their own path".

[05] So-called finance minister on the latest economic developments

Reminding that the UBP has taken over the government from the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and Freedom and Reform Party (ORP) coalition government with a 500 million Turkish Liras (TL) budget deficit, Tatar said that this figure has been reduced to 150 million TL. Denying claims that the "country" is on the edge of impoverishment, Tatar said that the country's economy grew by over 4% in 2010 and the same growth is expected for 2011.

He also pointed to the importance of improvements in tourism and higher education which are the pioneer sectors in the "country" and said that the declaration of 2011 as "the year of TRNC tourism in Turkey" will be beneficial for the "TRNC".

[06] The regime is allegedly terminating the contract of six employees of the Committee on the Missing Persons

According to the paper, it is believed that the work of the Committee will become more difficult after the termination of the duties of these persons who had been recruited during former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat's term of office.

The Turkish Cypriot member of the Committee on the Missing Persons, Gulden Plumer Kucuk was asked to comment on the issue. She said this was an internal matter and she did not want to make a statement to the press.

(I/Ts.)

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[07] Bagis on the Cyprus problem and Turkey's EU bid

Referring Turkey's negotiating process, Bagis referred to the chapters that have opened and those which have not due to political obstacles and said that it is the EU which is responsible for the deceleration of the talks and not Turkey. He then said that when Turkey said to the EU, "We will open the ports and you must consider the opening of Ercan airport for international traffic", the EU said, "Unfortunately the Greek Cypriot side will not implement such a decision even if there is such a Council decision".

Referring to the Cyprus problem, Egemen Bagis said the following: "Greek Cypriots, that is to say the spoilt child of the EU, keeps the process locked. Eroglu and Christofias will meet in Geneva in January; let's see what the result will be. We, as always, have demonstrated that we are in favour of a solution in Cyprus. And we have done this without withdrawing even one soldier from Cyprus, without giving back an inch of land and without changing our image in the international scene. We are the side which is accused the least."

(AK)

[08] "The TRNC universities in a difficult position"

The paper reports on statements by Prof. Dr. Tahir Celik, former president of Higher Education Control and Accreditation Establishment (YODAK) who said, inter alia, that there is also a decrease in the number of students from Iran, adding that this is due to a campaign launched by the Greek side in several countries. The drop in the number of students is also due to the increasing number of universities in Turkey.

In his statements on the issue, Mustafa Erbil, representative of the Turkish Cypriot Education Teachers Trade Union said that due to the financial crisis some departments in the "universities" were closed down such as the departments of history and archaeology, the department of geology, music and others.

(AK)

[09] Papandreou to address Turkish ambassadors' meeting in Turkey

Turkish Foreign Ministry's annual conference of ambassadors will take place in Ankara and the eastern province of Erzurum, a winter vacation spot. More than 150 Turkish ambassadors from around the world will first meet in Ankara between January 3 and 6 and then in Erzurum from January 6 to 9, ministry officials said.

Greek Premier Papandreou, as well as Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rassoul and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mahmood Qureshi are confirmed speakers of this year's conference. Papandreou, to be accompanied by his foreign minister Demetris Droutsas, is expected to fly directly to Erzurum without any visits to Istanbul or Ankara, diplomats said. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also attend the conference to listen to his Greek counterpart, diplomats added.

This year's annual conference of ambassadors is the third of a series. Last year it was held in the southeastern province of Mardin. The conference is a venue where Turkish foreign policy is discussed and Turkish diplomats review the past year. Its goal is to create an atmosphere for exchange of views in free discussion sessions and achieve coordination between Ankara and missions more effective.

[10] Davutoglu and Erdogan to travel to Iraq

"I will send my foreign minister to Iraq for a very short time span and right after him I will be going to Iraq with a large delegation," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a meeting with the Turkish Constructors' Union (TMB). Davutoglu is expected to be in Iraq on January 10 and 11 to prepare the prime ministerial visit.

Erdogan said he also planned to travel to Qatar and Kuwait in January. His trip to the Gulf countries is expected to take place between 9 and 12 January.

There are still risks for visitors to Iraq, the Turkish prime minister said adding: "But the economy is based on risks. Entrepreneurship is a risk. But if we take these risks all together and take steps accordingly, the future will be a lot different."

Speaking at the meeting, Erdogan, inter alia said: "We see those who still do not understand our foreign policy and approaches to regional and global issues. There are those who do not want to see our commitment to joining the European Union, those who do not want to comprehend our cooperation with the EU in different geographies, especially in the Middle East."

According to HDN, as the Turkish prime minister announced his plans to visit neighbouring Iraq, government offices in Ramadi were targeted by two suicide bombers on Monday in an attack that killed seven people and wounded dozens, news agencies reported. Police said a car bomb exploded near provincial headquarters in the heart of Ramadi, 100 kilometres west of Baghdad, followed 15 minutes later by a suicide bombing witnesses said occurred amid ambulances and rescue workers attending to the victims of the first blast. Among the dead were four police, while at least 51 people were wounded, including women and children, Agence France-Presse reported, citing officials.

[11] Nabucco project to be completed within 2015

Speaking at a briefing about the project in the southeastern province of Mardin, Tuzunoglu said that the project has been continuing eight years, and it is pursued jointly by six countries: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. The project gained a serious momentum when an intergovernmental agreement was signed in Ankara in July, 2009, said Tuzunoglu, adding that Nabucco Turkey company was established in 2010, which pursues pre-engineering activities, and works on feasibility and environmental effects.

He said that Nabucco line, which is 4,000 km, would be installed in five countries, adding that the longest part of the pipeline was in Turkey, 2,730km long. He added that the construction phase of the pipeline would begin in the second half of 2012, and would last three years. Tuzunoglu said that the budget of the whole project is 7.9 billion Euro.

[12] "Turkey seeks to encompass the compass"

According to Davutoglu, a country cannot carry weight in the international arena unless it voices the problems of the South, a position Turkey will seek to carry out as it leads the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries for the next 10 years.

As part of Turkey's efforts to make the problems of underdeveloped countries heard by developed ones, the government will host two summits in Istanbul in May. Though the 4th LDC conference and the foreign ministerial meeting of the Council of Europe, which Turkey is presiding over until the end of 2011, will be held separately, Ankara will arrange for a one-day joint meeting of both groups. This will be the biggest gathering in the world after the UN General Assembly meetings in September bringing together heads of state and foreign ministers. There are 50 countries in the LDC and 47 in the Council of Europe.

With this initiative, Turkey will try to end economic tensions and continue to play the role of the conscience of the international system, Davutoglu said.

Turkey's performance as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council seems to testify to Ankara's increasing interest in global issues. While Turkey has presided over UN committees on Korea, Somalia and Congo, it is also preparing to form an "international mediation group" in the framework of a mediation initiative it started with Finland. Within this framework, Davutoglu reiterated his desire to make Istanbul a centre for mediation and preventive diplomacy, and added that Turkey has also undertaken a new initiative on nuclear disarmament along with Austria and Japan.

Illustrating Turkey's increasing role in international relations, Davutoglu noted that several Turkish officials have taken up high-level posts in multilateral platforms,. In addition to Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and Ahmet Uzumcu, the general director of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, more than a half dozen Turkish officials have been appointed to international posts, including Selim Kuneralp, who is presiding over the Conference on Energy Charter. Turkey's ambassador to India has recently been appointed director of the political and mediation unit at the UN's political affairs department.

Turkey is determined to increase its level of representation, Davutoglu said, adding that the Turkish ambassador to Brazil is a candidate for the post of secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Turkish officials in international posts include:

? Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference

? Ahmet Uzumcu, general director of Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

? Mevlut Cavusoglu, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

? Selim Kuneralp, chairman of the Energy Charter Conference

? Huseyin Dirioz, assistant secretary-general of NATO

? Yigit Alpogan, deputy secretary-general of the Union for the Mediterranean

? Engin Soysal, special envoy of the U.N. secretary-general for assistance to Pakistan

? Kadir Topbas, president of United Cities and Local Governments

? Halil Akinci, secretary-general of the Turkic-speaking Countries Cooperation Council

[13] Highlights

a) Kurdish issue/Democratic Autonomy Project

Milliyet columnist Kadri Gursel argues that autonomy is a valid solution that rules out separatism which being implemented in certain regions in the world where ethnic problems are rife, adding that, therefore, one should not panic. Warning against reactions that a demand for autonomy will be followed by a desire to establish Great Kurdistan, Gursel maintains that the status quo cannot be consolidated by rejecting or delaying a discussion involving the perspective of autonomy. Stressing the necessity of political maturity and diplomatic savvy in the success of the attempts of the Kurdish political movement to open the concept of autonomy to discussion, Gursel underlines that the style used in expressing the desired solution is as important as the solution itself. Detailing the speeches delivered at the recent Democratic Autonomy Workshop held in Diyarbakir, Gursel points out their Stalinist, oppressive, and totalitarian content.

Writing in Hurriyet, Fatih Cekirge draws attention to the changing conditions in the Kurdish issue over the last 10 years: There is a Kurdish problem in Turkey and the period of military solutions has ended. The issue is no longer the Kurdish problem but that of Turkey's democracy. The Peace and Democracy Party, BDP, is the only institution that has submitted a solution project. The TRT has begun broadcasting in Kurdish. The BDP has established a parliamentary faction upon the instructions of Ocalan. The state has acknowledged Ocalan as an interlocutor and has begun to hold negotiations with him. US involvement in Iraq has had a direct effect on these developments and the United States wants Turkey to maintain good relations with Talabani and Barzani. It is clear that the United States wants the Kurdish problem to be solved through democratic means and Ocalan to be considered an interlocutor.

Columnist Yusuf Kanli in Hurriyet Daily News questions whether the BDP represents the Kurdish people and at the same time wonders why the prime minister has chosen to remain silent regarding the democratic autonomy demand.

In an interview to Star's Fadime Ozkan, Cevat Ones, former deputy undersecretary of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), assesses the ""Democratic Autonomous Kurdistan" project and notes that it is a PKK effort to participate in the democratic process. Ones notes that the PKK is not supported by a majority of the Kurds, arguing that if the PKK does not disarm itself, it will cause its own liquidation. Noting that the closure of the BDP is an obstacle to the solution of the Kurdish problem, Ones argues that the insufficiency of Turkish democracy has created the PKK terror and views Ocalan as an interlocutor in the disarmament of the PKK, Ones further assesses the role of President Abdullah Gul and of the Nationalist Action party, MHP, in the Kurdish issue.

Mustafa Akyol in Star argues that the 'autonomy' draft submitted to the 'Democratic Society Congress' in Diyarbakir "is a project that has the tag 'democratic' but that it is outright totalitarian", with traces of 'Stalinist' utopia." Akyol believes that this project aims at establishing the PKK as the only authority in the Kurdish region against Kurds who are opposed to the PKK.

Yeni Safak carries a front-page report which highlights Prime Minister Erdogan's remarks in Parliament (26.12.10) referring to the "democratic autonomy project", discussed at a recent meeting in Diyarbakir held by pro-Kurdish groups, as a "conspiracy" against Turkey's unity. Erdogan also "closed the door on bilingualism" by announcing that Turkey's only official language is Turkish, the report says.

Today's Zaman columnist Yavuz Baydar criticizes the autonomy proposal discussed by Kurdish groups at the recent meeting in Diyarbakir as one that is intended to "establish a model based on Leninist-Stalinist control of political and social life ... It has been designed in defiance of civilized democratic models as seen in Spain, Canada, Bosnia, etc, and instead gives full power to those who have fought in the name of the PKK to impose their will on the locals."

b) A difficult year in Turkish-American relations"

Today's Zaman columnist Omer Taspinar discusses how Turkish-US relations have been influenced in 2010 by disagreements over Iran, Israel, and Armenia. Explaining why it is not "all ... gloom and doom" in bilateral relations, he asserts that problems between Ankara and Washington will be solved readily "if the post-election Erdogan government takes quick steps to ratify the protocols with Armenia and finds a face-saving way to normalize relations with Israel. ... a new Turkish strategy to help Washington contain Iran would be the icing on the cake."

c) "What makes Israel untouchable"

In an article in Milli Gazete with the above headline, columnist Abdulkadir Ozkan cites a global "Zionist" network as the force behind what he describes as Israel's ability to "get away with its defiance of the world, or more properly the Islamic world." He also cites the UN's response to WikiLeaks' disclosure of the circumstances of an Israeli attack on Syrian nuclear facilities as evidence of how this organization has turned into a defender of the United States and Israel's "imperialist" interests.

d) Supreme Military Administrative Court 'scandalous' ruling

Yeni Akit columnist Ali Ihsan Karahasanoglu criticizes the Supreme Military Administrative Court for rendering a "bizarre" and "scandalous" ruling in favour of an appeal by three senior members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) against their suspension by the Government on the grounds that they became part of a plot to overthrow the ruling AKP. Karahasanoglu claims that one of the military officials in question, Major General Gurbuz Kaya, attempted to conceal the TSK's responsibility for the killing of some six soldiers in a landmine blast in the Cukurca district of Hakkari in May, 2009. He also asks the military court to disclose how exactly it assessed Kaya's role in the landmine incident in question so as to conclude that he deserves to be promoted although he tried to suppress the facts about the blast. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EG

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