Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 11-03-22

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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's statement: "Little progress in Cyprus talks, British bases in Cyprus are sovereign"

[02] Angolemli asks the breakaway regime's government to react regarding oil, Libya

[03] Letter to the EU by the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Trade

[04] Turkish Cypriot trade unions to hold activities and contacts in Brussels

[05] Chairman of KTAMS: "We are opposed to the construction of a nuclear power plant in Akkuyu"

[06] CTP: A federal solution with a single international identity, citizenship and sovereignty should be reached on the Cyprus problem

[07] Retired officers of the Turkish army comment on the Cyprus problem

[08] The cost of living allowance in occupied Cyprus has been temporarily frozen for a year

[09] Protest march against "Odyssey Dawn"

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[10] Erdogan: "Any NATO-led operation in Libya should not turn into an occupation"

[11] Poll predicts vote victory for Turkey's AKP

[12] Parliament ends term of hard work on legislation

[13] Highlights

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Eroglu's statement: "Little progress in Cyprus talks, British bases in Cyprus are sovereign"

He said that the Turkish Cypriot side's stance at the Cyprus talks was clear, complaining that the Greek Cypriot side was not putting forward the necessary effort.

Pointing out that little progress has been achieved in the talks so far, Eroglu said that the Greek Cypriot side is strongly opposing the Turkish Cypriot side's proposals to introduce deadlines or a timetable in the talks.

Noting that the Greek Cypriot side, as an EU member, does not care about the difficulties faced by the Turkish Cypriots as a result of the non-solution on the Cyprus problem, Eroglu said that there are steps could be taken to encourage the Greek Cypriot side towards a solution.

Explaining that both sides will need to make sacrifices if a solution is to be reached, Eroglu underlined the need for the Greek Cypriot side to acknowledge this in order to reach an agreement.

He also expressed the view that the Cyprus problem no longer occupies a top spot on the United Nation's agenda, particularly after the crisis in Libya.

On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news agency (21.03.11) reports that Eroglu, commenting on the British military bases in Cyprus, said that the British bases are considered sovereign in Cyprus under the 1960 Zurich and London Agreements.

"Therefore, there is no reason to intervene," Eroglu said commenting on the use of the British bases in Cyprus during the military operation against Libya and stressed: "TRNC wants the establishment of an administration in Libya by the will of the nation. Also "the bombardment should not harm any civilians in Libya".

[02] Angolemli asks the breakaway regime's government to react regarding oil, Libya

[03] Letter to the EU by the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Trade

KTTO pointed out in the letter that everybody is aware of the problems that might be caused if someone enters a military restricted zone and added that these kind of acts cause only damage to the ongoing negotiation process.

Regarding the closed city of Varosha, the letter points out that Maras is a part of the Cyprus problem and that it will be solved as part of comprehensive solution.

The letter reminds also of the fact that the Turkish Cypriots are not represented in the EP and underlines the need for the President and members of the EP to be fair towards this issue.

In the letter, KTTO expresses its support to the efforts exerted for a fair and viable solution to the Cyprus problem and underlines the need for these kinds of acts to be avoided since they only cause damage to the negotiation process and they affect the mutual confidence between the two sides.

According to information acquired by the Chamber, the letters was conveyed also to the UN and the Embassies of the EU countries in the island.

(AK)

[04] Turkish Cypriot trade unions to hold activities and contacts in Brussels

A delegation consisting of the "Civil" Servants' Trade Union (KTAMS), Primary School Teachers' Trade Union (KTOS), Secondary School Teachers' Trade Union (KTOEOS), "State" Employees' Trade Union (Cag-Sen), Doctors' Trade Union (Tip-Is), Customs Workers' Trade Union (Guc-Sen), DAU-BIR-SEN Trade Union, "Municipal" Workers' Trade Union (BES), Press Workers' Trade Union (Basin-Sen) and Cooperative Workers' Trade Union (Koop-Sen) is departing for Brussels today.

In a joint statement read out during a press conference yesterday by Ahmet Kaptan, chairman of KTAMS, it was announced that the delegation will hold an activity with banners and give a press conference in front of the European Parliament (EP). It will also meet with the President and the Vice-President of the EP, members of the political groups in the EP, EP's High Level Contact Group with the Turkish Cypriots, the President and members of the Commission and members of the Press.

The statement notes that the existence of the Turkish Cypriot community on the island is in danger and alleges that the Turkish Cypriot community has been put into a difficult situation because of "the policy of the Greek Cypriot side of not wanting to share the posts of the Republic of Cyprus which it occupies since 1963", and the policy followed by Turkey, which "interfered to restore the constitutional order of the Republic of Cyprus which was destroyed in 1974 and protect its territorial integrity". The statement argues that the accession of Cyprus as a whole into the EU in 2004 and the suspension of the acquis communautaire in the occupied northern part of the island was a negative development, which left the Turkish Cypriots outside of the Union and prevented their development in the social, economic and political fields.

The statement points out that because of this negative situation, the Turkish Cypriots cannot develop a "sound economic structure". It argues that "Cyprus is used as a hostage in the relations between Turkey and the EU" and describes as "unacceptable" Turkey's policy towards the occupied part of the island. The statement notes that the policy followed on issues such as the population, the environment, the education and the economy, and the mentality of ignoring the political will of the Turkish Cypriots makes living in the occupied area of the island more difficult every day.

The joint statement says that the main aim of the visit to Brussels is to remind the EU of its responsibilities.

Meanwhile, in statements during the press conference, Sener Elcil, general secretary of KTOS, said that the aim of their five-day visit to Brussels will be to make the EU understand better the political, social and economic developments in the occupied areas of Cyprus. He recalled that the ten trade unions had also visited Ankara on 17 December in order to explain the same things there.

(I/Ts.)

[05] Chairman of KTAMS: "We are opposed to the construction of a nuclear power plant in Akkuyu"

In the statement, Kaptan cites the example of Japan and underlines: "If someone thinks the important role of tourism for the island of Cyprus and the Turkish economy, even a small defect in the nuclear power plant which is to be constructed in the area will strike a blow on tourism". Kaptan then accused the AKP government for taking such a decision.

[06] CTP: A federal solution with a single international identity, citizenship and sovereignty should be reached on the Cyprus problem

Referring to the Cyprus problem, the declaration underlined the necessity of finding a bi-zonal, bi-communal solution with two founding states of equal status, a federal Cyprus with a single international identity, single sovereignty and single citizenship. Noting that according to the recent report of the UN Secretary-General, the Turkish Cypriot leader has also accepted these principles, the declaration argues that it is unacceptable for Eroglu to hide this from the Turkish Cypriot "people". The declaration claims that it is unacceptable to issue statements which are far from the principles stressed in the recent report of the UN Secretary-General and put the Turkish Cypriot side into the position of the side to be blamed for the non-solution of the Cyprus problem. The declaration argues that the Turkish Cypriot side should inevitably undertake initiatives for achieving a solution as soon as possible. It says that the CTP is determined to launch enlightenment campaigns inside and outside the country on this issue.

Referring to the relations with Turkey, the declaration argues that "Turkey's Aid Delegation" is not an effective formula and that it creates problems. It expresses the view that the new model of their relations with Turkey should be based on their historic and moral values on the one hand and their joint political and strategic interests on the other. This model should also include the aim of the Turkish Cypriots administrating themselves, says the declaration.

Referring to the issue of the population in the occupied area of Cyprus, the CTP reiterates the view that a population census should be held, the migration practices of the regime should be re-examined, the entrance of foreign workforce should be limited, the policy regarding granting the "citizenship" of the regime should be also re-examined and no one should be granted the "citizenship" unless he or she is married with a "TRNC citizen".

(I/Ts.)

[07] Retired officers of the Turkish army comment on the Cyprus problem

He also said that Christofias must accept and get over the fact that the Turkish Cypriots are a sovereign people and if he accepts a partnership based on two people and two sovereignties, there is a possibility for solution. In case these "realities" are not accepted, "TRNC" will continue on its own way as a "sovereign state" claimed Omurlu. In his statement, he warned anyone targeting "TRNC, motherland Turkey and the sovereign existence of the Turkish Cypriots" that will have to face the people.

[08] The cost of living allowance in occupied Cyprus has been temporarily frozen for a year

Speaking during the discussion in the so-called assembly, Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG) chairman Ferdi Sabit Soyer, inter alia, demanded for definite regulations to be set in the "draft law" in order to be clearly clarified. He also stated that the "government" should inform accordingly the public.

Reacting on the issue, Communal Democracy Party (TDP) leader Mehmet Cakici stated that "freezing the cost of living allowance" is as unjust as enforcing taxes to the pensioners. He also stated that other measures should be taken other than reducing the "purchasing power" of the public, noting that reforms in the "law", the "public sector" and the "tax system" should be realised, and a "population census" should he held. Cakici also made a call for early "elections" by amending the "elections law and system".

Speaking on behalf of the "government", the so-called prime minister Irsen Kucuk thanked everyone for their proposals. He, inter alia, said that they experience some difficulties regarding the "salary payments of the employees", adding that the "government" cannot get into a new debt anymore. Kucuk stated that they are ready to re-examine the "protocol" on the economy, noting that he is, once more, open to a dialogue with the unions.

[09] Protest march against "Odyssey Dawn"

A statement calling the people to participate has been issued which, inter alia, states that the sovereign British bases are being used again for the occupation of Libya and that they are trying to divide Libya like Cyprus. It concludes saying that they do not support the Qaddafi regime nor the imperialistic attacks, but the revolution of the Arab people.

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[10] Erdogan: "Any NATO-led operation in Libya should not turn into an occupation"

France, which helped lead the initial strikes on Libya, retaliated against Turkey's move by vetoing a NATO role in humanitarian assistance and weapons blockade, something Ankara had sought.

"It's not very likely that NATO will reach a consensus under these conditions," a senior Turkish diplomat told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Monday.

The Turkish and French permanent representatives to NATO, Haydar Berk and Philippe Errera, quarrelled seriously during Sunday's meeting over the role of the alliance in implementing the U.N. Security Council's Resolution No. 1973, the Daily News has learned.

Following its failure to produce an agreement Sunday due to the disagreement between Turkey and France, NATO convened again on Monday.

A key contributing factor to Sunday's rift was the French decision not to invite Turkey to a meeting on Libya where the details of the implementation of the Security Council Resolution were discussed. Turkey's anger was little soothed when French President Nicholas Sarkozy's foreign policy advisor Jean-David Levitte called the Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu to explain why Ankara was not invited to the meeting.

"It is not possible for us to understand why France is taking the lead in this operation. We're having difficulty understanding [acting like] it is the only executor of the U.N. Resolution," said Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul.

Diplomatic sources who spoke to the Daily News expressed concern about the way Paris is trying to take control of the situation on its own. "France is acting as if it were the gendarmerie of the region. This approach could lead to instability," one Turkish diplomat said.

"Prime Minister Erdogan explicitly said he opposed foreign intervention. Therefore, we only invited like-minded countries," a French diplomat told the Daily News.

In their phone conversation, Levitte assured Sinirlioglu that Turkey's participation in the coalition was most welcome if it would change its position, the paper has learned.

"If Turkey wants to participate in the coalition forces, it is more than welcome as we would be happy about an enlarged coalition," said the French diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous.

"NATO's involvement is being considered; if NATO is going to get involved, we have some conditions," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told an audience in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Monday.

The transatlantic alliance should get involved in order to ensure that Libya belongs to the people of Libya, not to distribute the country s natural resources to outside powers, Erdo
an said, describing the acceptable framework for a NATO-led operation.

Turkey's second condition is that "the operation should not turn into an occupation," the Prime Minister said, adding that a NATO operation should instead provide an opportunity for the Libyan people to make their own decisions.

Though Turkey has continued to strongly warn against creating any civilian casualties, it is also pressing for a limited no-fly zone over Libya so humanitarian aid can be distributed.

"We'll continue to stand by Libya," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters. "Any step should be taken within the framework of international legitimacy."

Turkey is meanwhile moving ahead with diplomatic contacts with the international community as it continues deliberations at home. After returning from Saudi Arabia late Monday, Erdogan was set to chair a summit about Libya that would also include the Chief of General Staff to discuss about Libya.

[11] Poll predicts vote victory for Turkey's AKP

If the June election was held today, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) would get 46.4% of the vote, while the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) would receive 25.8%, according to a recent survey conducted by pollsters Konsensus for daily Haberturk.

The survey anticipates that the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will increase its votes from 11.1% to 13.6%, passing the 10 percent electoral threshold to enter Parliament. The poll, which surveyed 1.500 people in 81 provinces between March 4 and 10, estimates support for the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) at 5.7%.

The poll indicates a 1% decrease for the CHP and a 3.2% decline for the AKP compared to last month.

Despite political observers' warnings about possible fluctuations ahead of the June 12 election, the CHP seems to have created the biggest difference among the parties with an increase of nearly 5% compared to the 2007 results.

Another poll, conducted by 0
Ksara from March 8 to 12 among 2.032 participants, likewise showed the CHP s family insurance project is supported by 57.2% of the housewives who backed the AKP in the poll company's February survey, daily Aksam reported Monday.

Political tension, the recent arrests of journalists and the CHP's projects on family insurance and paid exemption from military service have contributed to the boost for the main opposition, according to daily Milliyet columnist Asl1
Ayd1
ntasbas.

On the same issue, Turkish daily Today s Zaman (online, 22.03.11) under the title  Poll: Six parties could enter Parliament if threshold lowered , reports that a recent poll shows that if the election threshold to enter Parliament is lowered from 10% to 5%, six parties would be able to enter Parliament after the upcoming general elections, scheduled for June 12.

According to the poll carried out by Andy-Ar, a change in the election threshold will affect the national votes that the parties will get as well. If the threshold is lowered, the number of votes the Voice of the People Party (HAS Party) is expected to win would increase to 7.3%, the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party's (BDP) votes would increase to 6.4%, while the Grand Unity Party's (BBP) votes would reach 5.2%.

The poll, which included 4.436 respondents, shows that the votes the AKP would get would fall from 48.2%, with the 10% threshold, to 39.7%, with a 5% threshold. The lower threshold would also decrease the votes of the main opposition CHP from 26.8% to 20.3%, while also reducing the MHP votes from 11.2% to 8.6%.

In response to a question as which recently emerged leaders are favourites in the upcoming elections, 42.4% responded that Numan Kurtulmus of the HAS Party is most likely to succeed, while 15.6% said BBP leader Yalc1
n Topcu and 7.3% said Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Masum Turker.

[12] Parliament ends term of hard work on legislation

The current term will officially end after the general elections on June 12, 2011. Although the number of laws passed may seem insignificant compared to the two previous terms, the quality of the work matches, if not surpasses, the work done by the last two Parliaments. In its 23rd term, Parliament passed vital reforms, including the 26-article, the Constitutional amendment package that was approved through a public vote on Sept. 12, 2010.

[13] Highlights

Odyssey Dawn

"Are the missiles aimed at Al-Quadhafi only?" Yeni Safak columnist Abdulkadir Selvi calls on "our revolutionary brothers in Libya" not to be "too excited" about the Western military campaign against Al-Qadhafi, asserting that the case of Iraq testifies to the dangers involved in an Arab revolution taking place under the aegis of the West. He also claims that the West is trying to ride out its own economic crisis in attacking Libya because "just like Iraq, Libya has oil".

"How Obama turned into a hawk", Yeni Safak's Washington correspondent Ali Akel discusses what he describes as the "factors" that caused US President Barack Obama to come from expressing reservations about imposing a no-fly zone over Libya to involving the United States in an international military campaign against Al-Qadhafi.

Under the banner headline "All they care about is oil", Yeni Akit carries a front-page report which asserts that the US-British-French-Italian-Canadian coalition's military campaign against Libya has already started to take its toll on civilians. According to the report, the Western coalition is taking care not to harm Libya's oil facilities while conducting a "civilian massacre", a situation which discloses the "true aims" of the operation.

"Did they wait for the conditions to become ripe for an intervention?", Yeni Akit columnist Mustafa Ozcan argues that no matter what motives there might be behind it, the ongoing international intervention in Libya was inevitable, adding that while the Western campaign is "not good in itself", it is "the lesser of two evils" given the consequences if Al-Qadhafi had been allowed to continue his "brutal" crackdown. He also calls attention to a "lesson" from the operation, asserting that an "Islamic emergency intervention force" should definitely be established.

"Who is next?", Yeni Akit columnist Abdurrahman Dilipak asserts that the Western military campaign against Al-Qadhafi should lead Ankara to reconsider its objections to international sanctions against Libya. He asserts that the operation against Libya should not be allowed to turn this country into another Iraq or Afghanistan. He also predicts that the "waves of revolution" in the Arab world are expected to continue in Morocco and Algeria, adding that since the Arab unrest is not likely to die down any soon, an Islamic Peace Force should be set up under the leadership of the Arab League and the African Union "at least" in anticipation of the possibility of civil wars in the region.

"From dove to hawk: Obama's war on Libya", Zaman's Washington correspondent Ali H. Aslan argues that the "political and operational leader" of the international intervention in Libya is the United States "regardless of how President Obama was paying a visit to Brazil the day the military campaign started, how the French carried out the first strike, how the international coalition is being kept in the spotlight, and how Washington's PR apparatus is trying to deemphasize the role of the White House." Aslan comments on what he refers to the foreign and domestic factors behind the Obama administration's efforts to avoid appearing to be at the forefront of the operation against Libya. He also interprets US involvement in the intervention as meaning that the Obama administration has expressed very strong support for the "wave of reform" in North Africa as well as sending a warning to "other authoritarian regimes" in the region.

"So much similarity", Zaman columnist Fehmi Koru catalogues the "similarities" between the Iraq war and the "US-led" Western military campaign against Libya. He asserts that the countries taking part in the operation, "especially the United States", appear to have failed to learn from the mistake of "trying to bring about a regime change by raining bombs on a country". He also asserts that the US President Obama "seems to have forgotten about the speeches he delivered in Ankara and Istanbul and the promises he made in addressing the Islamic world in Cairo".

"Odyssey twilight", Today's Zaman columnist Yavuz Baydar warns that "Odyssey Dawn will not be limited to Libya", adding that it is likely to "echo throughout the tormented region and beyond - Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, etc - and introduce new doubts and questions on where, in principle, the West stands, regarding Arab peoples' self-determination and quest for democracy. More than the 'dawn' it promises, it may bring us all into another twilight."

"The right to stop dictators like Gaddafi", Today's Zaman columnist Ihsan Dagi asserts that the Western military operation against Al-Qadhafi has reminded the world "once more [of] the moral limits to territorial sovereignty and the old principle of non-intervention. No concept can serve to protect a state that engages in massive, widespread and systematic killings of its own citizens."

"Bahrain and Libya: A tale of Western double standards", Today's Zaman columnist Omer Taspinar accuses the West of double standards in "actively supporting the democratic rights of citizens for political self-determination" in countries like Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia yet dismissing the rights of citizens as "secondary to ... 'realpolitik' considerations" in countries like Bahrain "where the US has vast military and security interests at stake".

"They are always doing this", Milli Gazete columnist Ekrem Kiziltas finds it "remarkable" that while UN Security Council mechanisms work very slowly where "other countries" are in question, they work "with lightning speed" whenever military intervention in Muslim countries like Libya is required.

"We are on the side of the Libyan people", Milli Gazete columnist Abdullah Ozkan comments on the Libyan people's predicament, "caught between a dictator who is shooting them in order to remain in power and an imperialist coalition that is bombing them for the sake of oil". He claims that the UN's role in the intervention in Libya is only that of a "figurehead" and that the "real players" are "imperialist powers" that are implementing a "bloody and foul conspiracy" following their failure to carry out the Broader Middle East Project.

"Where the West has allied itself with Al-Qa'ida", Bugun columnist Gultekin Avci asserts that the international military intervention in Libya appears to have geopolitical and strategic rather than humanitarian objectives. He also asks why the United States, which "used the excuse of Al-Qaida to conduct a military campaign in Afghanistan", is now fighting on the same side as Al-Qa'ida militants, as Al-Qadhafi refers to the rebel forces in Libya. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

EG/

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