Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 11-01-27

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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] Turkish Cypriot media coverage of the Geneva meeting

[02] Cakici says a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with a single sovereignty and single citizenship is among TDP's targets

[03] Kucuk comments on tomorrow's rally

[04] "Revolt for [our] existence"

[05] Kucuk calls for investments to attract tourists

[06] Tourism revenue in the occupied areas reached $368.6 million

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[07] Turkish diplomatic sources define Geneva meeting as "positive"

[08] Bagis says Turkey succeeded in changing international balances regarding Cyprus

[09] Turkish foreign trade minister due to Germany and Switzerland

[10] Turkish Transportation Minister visits Georgia

[11] "Celik: Recent poll shows AK Party votes close to 50%"

[12] Highlights

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Turkish Cypriot media coverage of the Geneva meeting

Citing information from "reliable sources", Kibris reports that the Turkish Cypriot side submitted comprehensive proposals at the negotiating table. The proposals included all six chapters of the negotiations, writes Kibris, adding that alternative views were proposed on the issues of security and guarantees.

According to the paper, contrary to what it is alleged, the Turkish Cypriot side suggested another 3-4 meetings to be held under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General within the next couple of months, as well as a meeting with the participation of the guarantor powers at the end of March, by which time the sides should reach a solution. The paper writes that the Greek Cypriot side strongly opposed this approach, while Ban Ki-moon emphasized that he had no such broad authority by the UN Security Council.

Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes (27.01.11) refers to the meeting under the title "The Turkish side is at ease" and reports that the Turkish side submitted "constructive proposals" to take the process forward, but "the Greek Cypriot side rejected these proposals as always".

Under the title "Patience", Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (27.01.11) reports that the UN Secretary-General suggested that the sides be patient and noted that the leaders clearly showed their commitment to the reunification of Cyprus.

Turkish Cypriot daily Bakis (27.01.11) refers to the issue under the title "The UN is ready to intervene!" The paper reports that intensification of the negotiations was decided during the meeting, while "the demand of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help on the solution by 'appointing experts' showed that the UN intends to intervene in the process".

Under the title "'Our eyes are on you'", Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar (27.01.11) reports that the UN Secretary-General told the leaders that he would closely follow the negotiations and that if they continue the constructive stance they showed in Geneva, he could submit a positive report to the Security Council at the end of February.

Haberdar writes that "two identification badges crises" were caused during the meeting in Geneva. The first was caused when an identification badge was given to Eroglu, even though heads of state or leaders do not carry identification badges, notes the paper. The second crisis was caused by the Greek Cypriot delegation, reports the paper, because the members of the Turkish Cypriot delegation and the Turkish Cypriot journalists were given identification badges with "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" written on them.

Turkish Cypriot daily Ortam (27.01.11) refers to the meeting under the title "Pressure through the report" and writes that this time Ban Ki-moon encouraged the sides, but he put pressure on them, in view of the report on Cyprus he is to submit to the Security Council.

Under the title "The serious differences of opinion continue", Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan (27.01.11) reports that the UN Secretary-General identified serious differences of opinion between the sides. The leaders decided to hold discussions in order to prepare a "practical plan", notes Vatan.

Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis (27.01.11) refers to the meeting under the title "The UN is puzzled". Citing information from "reliable sources", the paper argues that the Greek Cypriots did not submit any proposals and that President Christofias' stance "puzzled UN circles". The paper alleges that President Christofias rejected the discussion of the Turkish proposals and prevented Ban Ki-moon from determining a new date for a tripartite meeting.

Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Volkan (27.01.11) covers the issue under the title "Ban referred to a 'Cyprus people'".

Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli (27.01.11) refers to the meeting under the title "The Geneva meeting was concluded".

Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi (27.01.11) covers the issue under the title "Serious differences exist".

Under the title "Another Karagoz show [Tr. Note: A puppet show]" Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika (27.01.11) reports that the meeting was held under the shadow of the strikes and the rally in the occupied areas of Cyprus.

Under the title "The meeting was an excuse, the lunch was wonderful", Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris (27.01.11) gives emphasis to the "expensive lunch" attended by the leaders during the meeting in Geneva.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Cakici says a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with a single sovereignty and single citizenship is among TDP's targets

Addressing the congress, TDP's chairman Mehmet Cakici said the targets of the party are to reach an early federal solution to the Cyprus problem with a single sovereignty and single citizenship based on two zones, two communities and political equality, and to create a system enabling steps towards democratization, transferring the power (from the military) to the politicians and establishing an economy which will be able to administer itself and stand on its own feet.

Cakici noted that the TDP will continue to oppose decisions and practices which lead the community to annihilation. He added that today the Turkish Cypriots are facing not only economic pressure but political, social and cultural pressure as well. He said his party opposes all kinds of pressure, regardless of its source.

Cakici noted that the Turkish Cypriots are faced with a struggle for their existence and pointed out that the TDP will secure a massive participation in the rally to be held tomorrow. He called on all TDP supporters and the entire people to participate in the rally.

Furthermore, Cakici said the TDP opposes the package of measures imposed by Turkey and added that in 2009 his party started preparing a project with measures in fields such as economy, politics, education, health, tourism etc. He noted that the package was prepared with the participation of academics and representatives of civil organizations. He added that details of the project will be announced today at a press conference.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Kucuk comments on tomorrow's rally

Kucuk criticized trade unions for choosing the specific 'honourable' day for the rally [Tr. note: the Turkish Cypriots claim that there was an uprising by the Turkish Cypriot community on 27-28 January 1958, against the British colonial rule]. When you need to talk there is no need to shout in order to be heard, Kucuk said arguing that those who blame Turkey, "the only country which recognizes our new state," and call for action, are not really interested in the economic measures. Kucuk also urged the people to be more reasonable and evaluate the behaviour of political parties which fight in order to benefit from the demonstrations.

[04] "Revolt for [our] existence"

KTAMS, KAMU-SEN, DEV-IS and other trade unions, members of the Platform, called on their members, friends and sympathizers to participate in tomorrow's rally. Also, the Turkish Cypriots State Workers Trade Union, the Movement for the superiority of the Law and Thought, KAMU-IS (public workers), HAVA-SEN (workers in the civil aviation), EL-SEN (workers in the electricity authority) and TEL-SEN (workers in the telecommunication department), said they will participate in the rally.

[05] Kucuk calls for investments to attract tourists

He said that the target is to receive annually 1.1 million tourists in the next 5 years and 2 million visitors by the year 2023, adding that Turkey, Egypt and the breakaway regime have become the rising stars in the tourism sector after the recent economic crisis in Europe. He also said: "In a very short period of time, we have increased the number of arrivals in our country by 13% and the number of tourists by 7%".

Kucuk also said that this year the occupied airport of Tymvou will be privatized, adding that the airport of Lefkoniko will be improved parallel with the investments in the occupied area of Vokolida. He said that if there is need, Lefkoniko airport can be opened for chartered flights. He also announced that work has begun at the occupied port of Famagusta to improve port facilities in order to accommodate cruise liners.

Speaking at the gathering, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay said that Turkey has worked hard to become one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of number of visitors and income from tourism.

Noting that global tourism was in decline in 2009 due to the overall downturn in the world, Gunay said: "Turkey is the only country that has taken positive steps in this period". He added that "Turkey is ready to share its experience in the tourism sector with the TRNC". "There is a great investment potential in the TRNC and Turkish investors can make remarkable contributions to the island," he concluded.

[06] Tourism revenue in the occupied areas reached $368.6 million

He also said that during the period January-October 2010, 620,745 passengers came from Turkey and 144,347 from foreign countries.

Muhtaroglu said that at the moment there are 127 tourist facilities in the occupied areas with 16,947-bed capacity.

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[07] Turkish diplomatic sources define Geneva meeting as "positive"

Diplomatic sources at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) told the AA that the Turkish side displayed a constructive attitude during Wednesday's talks in Geneva. "The Turkish Cypriot side made constructive proposals and offered a road map. The United Nations appreciated the positive attitude of the Turkish Cypriot side," diplomatic officials told the AA. "Demetris Christofias seemed to be playing for time," said diplomatic sources.

In addition, as AA reported, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had a phone conversation with Eroglu on Wednesday.

In the meantime, AA reported that speaking during a press conference in Ankara prior to the Geneva meeting, Selcuk Unal, spokesperson for Turkey's Foreign Ministry, said Turkey hoped that the trilateral Cyprus meeting in Geneva, would be a milestone in the Cyprus issue. "Turkey has always supported the process, and will continue to do so, and Turkey also backs initiatives of the secretary general," Unal told. He added that Turkey hoped the Geneva talks would help the parties concerned to make progress.

[08] Bagis says Turkey succeeded in changing international balances regarding Cyprus

In a televised interview with the state-run TRT News Channel, Bagis said: "We succeeded in changing international balances without withdrawing a single soldier from Cyprus. In the past, it was Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) which were accused of causing troubles in the island. As a result of our determined stance, the world has finally realized that it is the Greek Cypriot party which obstructed the solution, and that it is the Turkish party which tried its utmost to find a solution."

"Turkey has been working hard to raise its standards to those in the EU instead of trying to open new chapter headings which were not opened because of political obstacles. Actually, EU's need for Turkey has been increasing day by day while Turkey's need for EU has been decreasing," he added.

[09] Turkish foreign trade minister due to Germany and Switzerland

On the first stop of his four-day trip, Caglayan will meet in Berlin representatives of Turkish civil society organizations, Turkish-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Association of Turkish-German Businesspeople as well as Germany's Trade and Investment Union.

On Friday, Caglayan will meet with German President Christian Wulff. He is expected to convey to the German President Turkey's determination in its EU bid as well as the concern in the Turkish public opinion regarding attitude and remarks against Turkey's EU membership.

The Turkish minister is also expected to bring up German visa requirements by Turkish nationals and businesspeople, and he will ask the German President's support to ease visa procedures.

On Saturday, Caglayan will travel to Davos to participate in the meeting of the World Trade Organization trade ministers. The meeting is expected to discuss negotiations under Doha Development Agenda. Caglayan is also scheduled to meet with the Swiss Economy Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann.

On his return, Caglayan will make a stopover at Cologne, where he will inaugurate, along with German Economy and Technology Minister Rainer Bruder, an international fair.

[10] Turkish Transportation Minister visits Georgia

[11] "Celik: Recent poll shows AK Party votes close to 50%"

The opinion poll was carried out by polling company PollMark using a sample of 5,369 people. "According to the poll, AKP is likely to sweep close to 50% of the votes in the elections, while the Republican People's Party (CHP) is expected to receive slightly over 23%. In addition, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is fighting to pass the 10% election threshold," Celik stated.

TZ recalls that in the July 2007 elections, AKP secured around 47% of the national vote, while the CHP received nearly 21% and the MHP 14%.

Celik also said the poll has shown that the public support for the CHP is deliberately exaggerated by "some circles." There were some opinion polls that made their way to the Turkish media recently that suggested that the main opposition party is likely to receive around 30% of the national vote in the next elections.

As TZ reported, the PollMark survey also showed that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the most-liked politician in Turkey. "The survey also shows that 66% of the participants approve of the AKP government's policies on the economy," Celik added. He also refuted the opposition's claims --again based on the same survey-- that the AKP fails to receive support from educated voters. He also said citizens older than 50 prefer to vote for the CHP due to the impacts of the single-party era.

[12] Highlights

a) President Gul's messages on Constitution

Milliyet columnist Hasan Cemal relates the messages conveyed by President Abdullah Gul on his way to Strasbourg with a group of journalists and asserts that Gul's "cautious" remarks on Turkey's possible transition to the presidential system gave the impression that "he is not in favour of that system." He says that Gul believes the new constitution should be a brief and long-term text that supports freedoms, adding that the president says "the new constitution should be drafted by the new parliament" after the general elections and it should be adopted with a "large consensus" in the National Assembly.

b) Judiciary criticized in connection with unsolved murders

Star columnist Samil Tayyar refer to a discussion he had on the unsolved murders issue with Prime Minister Erdogan on the way to Ukraine. Noting that the prime minister criticized the judiciary for failing to find out the forces behind Hrant Dink's assassin, who was "captured 36 hours after the incident" by the police, Tayyar adds: "The security forces fulfilled their responsibility, but the judiciary failed to show similar determination in finding the shadowy links behind the triggerman." Recalling that the mystery behind the assassination of [journalist] Ugur Mumcu and [police chief] Gaffar Okkan has not been solved yet, he asserts that "the General Staff's recent statement on the Sledgehammer [coup] plot and the Republican People's Party's [CHP] effort to have the Ergenekon suspects elected as deputies", show how difficult it is to expose the facts about the assassinations. He claims that the real figures in the "control centre" cannot be found unless the judicial system gets rid of the "spirit of Ergenekon."

c) Structural changes in High Courts

Milliyet columnist Fikret Bila asserts that the proposal the Justice and Development Party [AKP] government submitted to the parliament to change the structure of the Supreme Court of Appeals and the Council of State has created uneasiness in the higher judiciary because it conflicts with an initiative made by the ruling party in 2008. Recalling that the government wanted to reduce the number of the Supreme Court members at the time despite the objection of the judiciary, Bila says that both the government and the courts seem to have changed their positions since 2008. The columnist argues that there are "serious doubts" about the recent proposal in the parliament because it is seen as a government attempt "to place the Supreme Court of Appeals and the Council of State under its control." Criticizing the government for failing to consult the higher courts while drafting the structural changes, he expresses the hope that "the government will remove the doubts" during the debates at the National Assembly.

d) Inspection of military spending

Taraf columnist Lale Kemal expresses concern over a regulation that bans the announcement of the inspection reports on military spending. Pointing to the need for the inspection of the 18 military firms, Kemal censures the abolition of a regulation that calls for the inspection of the military institutions' productivity, efficiency, and economy, but says that at least the inspectors have the right to evaluate the performance of those institutions.

e) AKP's foreign policy

Milliyet columnist Semih Idiz describes as inconsistent the foreign policy pursued by the AKP government. Idiz agrees with other writers who are worried that "the government, which always talks about 'human rights,' 'justice,' and 'democracy' in Turkey, ignores these 'noble' values when it comes to foreign policy and supports dictators and murderers for the sake of 'stability'." The columnist criticizes the AKP for failing to question the reliability of the elections in Azerbaijan, Iran, and Egypt and for remaining silent in the face of the "inhuman" policies in Sudan. On the other hand, he adds, Prime Minister Erdogan has always refused to regard HAMAS as a terrorist organization and emphasized that it is a "democratically-elected" political party. Idiz concludes that Erdogan, who created "populist enthusiasm" in the streets of the Middle East with his remarks against Israel, has "always supported the anti-democratic and oppressive administrations in the region."

An article in Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review by Cuneyt Ulsever makes a "cost-benefit analysis of current Turkish foreign policy." He welcomes the visa exemption agreements signed with some countries and the improvement of economic relations with certain African states, but also notes the negative consequences of the crisis with Israel and failure of the normalization efforts with Armenia. According to the columnist, the position taken by the government on Iran and Lebanon also ruined Turkey's image throughout the world. Ulsever argues that "the result of government initiatives in the region to create a commonwealth of nations is zero."

f) PM Said using Israel as tool for domestic politics

Yusuf Kanli of Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, accuses the AKP of creating an "empire of fear" in Turkey and claims that "this country has been undergoing a radical and systematic transformation." Commenting on the crisis with Israel, Kanli says: "The Israel-bashing, which has become a fundamental tool of the 'domestic politics' of the ruling AKP, is not of course without a reason. Nor is the nationalist tone, with which the prime minister has replaced his most controversial Kurdish opening rhetoric, without a reason. The prime minister wants his party re-elected in June with over 50% of the vote and with more than enough seats to write on his own a new constitution for the presidential Turkey he hopes to usher Turkey in once the term of Abdullah Gul at the presidency is completed." TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EG

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