Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 11-11-30

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

[01] Ihsanoglu argues that the negotiations in Cyprus have come to the end

[02] Chairman of Izmir's Chamber of Commerce says Cyprus could become Singapore

[03] Bagis' comments on Turkey's EU membership

[04] KTOS will not recognize the results of the population census

[05] Turkish Cypriot daily points out to the unfair treatment of the Greek Cypriot refugees by the "Property Compensation Commission"

[06] MUSIAD to open a branch in the occupied area of Cyprus

[07] Turkish Cypriot Businessmen and Professionals Association (KIBISAD) was established in Turkey

[08] British-registered "North Cyprus Airlines" will start flights in April

[09] Davutoglu accused Cyprus of reportedly blocking an invitation to Turkey

[10] Columnist criticizes Davutoglu's policy for regional peace

[11] Luxembourg FM says EU needs Turkey to become global actor

[12] "Turkey imposes economic sanctions on Syrian administration"

[13] Turkish Parliament approves bill on military service exemption

[14] SETA surveys finds only 15% have confidence in Turkish media TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu's allegation that the Cyprus talks have come to an end, more statements by Egemen Bagis on Cyprus, the population census which will be held on Sunday, opening of MUSIAD's office in the occupied area of Cyprus, Eroglu's visit to Izmir to give a lecture on the Cyprus problem, and other internal matters are the main topics covered by the Turkish Cypriot press today. The papers refer also to the unfair process for the Greek Cypriot refugees at the so-called "Property Compensation Commission" in the occupied area of Cyprus, and to the establishment of an airline under the title "North Cyprus Airlines" in London. A new legislation that passed from Turkey's National Assembly regarding compulsory military service, protests against the UK embassy in Tehran, Erdogan's statements answering to criticism on the anti-KCK campaign, MIT Counterterrorism Unit head Mehmet Eymur's detention over suspected links to several extrajudicial murders committed in the early 1990s, the 25th anniversary of the daily Zaman and other domestic subjects are covered in today's Turkish press.

[01] Ihsanoglu argues that the negotiations in Cyprus have come to the end

In statements yesterday to illegal Bayrak television, Ihsanoglu said that they support the good will offices of the UN Secretary-General, but the negotiations cannot last forever. He added: "If they do not end, it means that these negotiations will have no result. Then other things will need to be considered. I think that now the end of this has come and after the end comes, the Turkish Cypriot people will take its place under the sun in the world and will not remain alone".

He noted that the OIC, except for the support it offers to the breakaway regime against the economic "isolation" and in the fields of tourism and the universities, will support its food industry based on agriculture.

He argued that the solidarity with the Turkish Cypriots was the Moslem world's duty, because injustices have allegedly been made against the Turkish Cypriots since the 1950's. "We consider as our duty this solidarity here, just like we do with the problems in Palestine, Kosovo, Asia and Africa", he added.

Ihsanoglu said that since he came on duty they worked for turning this solidarity into concrete projects and added that they carried out very good projects in cooperation with the "government" of the breakaway regime. He added that the representation of the "TRNC", breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, as "Cyprus Turkish State" in the OIC is an important indication against the political "isolation". He further recalled that the breakaway regime has opened "representation offices" in Islamic countries.

Ihsanoglu said that they have set three targets for the lifting of the economic "isolations". The first was tourism, he noted, adding that they held many meetings on this issue. As a result, tourists from Islamic countries started visiting the occupied area of Cyprus, he said. He said that they will continue their cooperation on the issue of the promotion of the breakaway regime. He noted that they also exerted efforts regarding the illegal universities in the occupied area of Cyprus and within this framework they organized a forum on education recently during which almost 60 guests were "happy to discover the potential of the TRNC". He noted that after this meeting, flow of students will start. He said that their latest target concerns the industry based on agriculture.

"We have talked with the Director of the Islamic Development Bank. The issue of the industry based on agriculture will be discussed in a meeting which will be held here in April", he announced.

Referring to the Arab Spring, Ihsanoglu expressed the view that this would be in favour of the "Cyprus cause", because solidarity and spiritual ties among peoples are greater than among politicians. "Because it takes its roots from a history of 14 centuries and a common faith", he argued.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Chairman of Izmir's Chamber of Commerce says Cyprus could become Singapore

Eroglu reiterated that their wish is a viable agreement that will end the ongoing negotiations and alleged that the other side [Greek Cypriot] must also be willing. He claimed that although they sit at the negotiations table with sincerity, they try to "read" the other side, because they do not know what they have in mind.

Additionally, Demirtas speaking exclusively to Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (30.11.11) said that Cyprus could become like Singapore. "If peace comes to the island, a prosperity island can be created," he said and added that after a solution, Cyprus could turn into a free trade zone in the Mediterranean and take advantage of its geographical position and the 9 trillion euro market that exists.

Demirtas, referring to the Christofias-Talat period, said: "When I went to South Cyprus and had meetings, Christofias [the President of the Republic of Cyprus] was a leader that really affected me. At that period, Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat was also showing effective leadership. I felt that Cyprus was very close to peace, but time was not enough. Today, looking from the Turkish side I see an atmosphere a little bit more distant from solution, I do not know about the south."

[03] Bagis' comments on Turkey's EU membership

Answering a question why Turkey does not open its ports to EU member state Cyprus, Bagis used a Turkish proverb saying "If you give your finger, they will want your arm" and continued saying that Turkey is ready to open its ports as long as the EU fulfils the promises that it gave to "TRNC" [the breakaway regime] about lifting the "isolations."

He also said that if he was Cypriot he would work more than what he does now for Turkey's accession, because according to Bagis "Turkey's EU membership is the cheapest insurance for Cypriots." He also said that Turkey's accession is not a matter of whether it will become a member but when and reiterated that EU needs Turkey more than Turkey needs the EU. He also said that the issue of lifting visa requirements will be solved through Turkey's economic growth and increase of per capita income.

[04] KTOS will not recognize the results of the population census

Sener Elcil, general secretary of KTOS, stated yesterday that the population census will be held in order to prevent the pressure of the community and the international pressure. He noted that the census was an effort to "hide the population structure which will change and to deceive the international community".

"The governments of Turkey, which since 1974 have systematically set as their target to change the population structure in the north of our island, are preparing to add another initiative to their efforts to deceive the world", argues Elcil.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (30.11.11) reports that Ali Korhan, undersecretary" at the so-called State Planning Organization issued a statement yesterday noting that no one should stay unregistered during the census. He noted that those who would have to exit their residences on Sunday, for any reason, should first acquire permit from the regional population census offices. He noted that in the villages, this permit could be acquired from the "police" station. He said that the persons whose houses are not visited by the officers, who will be carrying out the census, may call to the population census offices in their area, which will take care of the issue of registering these persons.

(I/Ts.)

[05] Turkish Cypriot daily points out to the unfair treatment of the Greek Cypriot refugees by the "Property Compensation Commission"

"Very well, how the properties in the same area allocated to inhabitants of the North who possess allotted Greek Cypriot property are appraised", wonders Afrika and replies to this question noting that these properties are appraised for 250 pounds sterling per donum.

The paper recalls information which it published recently regarding Greek Cypriot property in that area which had been allotted to Sakir Ilkay, former president of the so-called high court of the breakaway regime. Noting that this property was next to Cratos Hotel, Afrika writes that when this hotel was built, the boundary of Ilkay's Greek Cypriot property had been violated and the property suffered damage. The paper adds, inter alia, the following:

"Mr Ilkay filed lawsuit against the owners of the hotel. He asked compensation. The views of our property experts were asked during this case in order to establish the value of the land there. Esat Fellahoglu is considered to be the number one expert on these issues. Many properties passed from his hand. Is there anyone who knows better than him how much properties are worthy in every area? Mr Esat came to the court and gave a deposition as an expert. He said the following: The value of the property which Mr Sakir possesses is 250 thousand pounds sterling per donum. In this case, which ended this year in the High Court, the judges accepted as basis the deposition of Esat Fellahoglu. And appraising the Greek Cypriot property for 250 thousand pounds sterling, they calculated the damages over this number?"

Pointing out that the "Commission" offered to Greek Cypriots property owners, who possess the real title deed of the property in the same area, a price more than ten times lower than the actual price of the property, Afrika argues that it was wrong for the European Court of Human Rights to transfer the Greek Cypriot refugees' lawsuits to the above-mentioned "Commission". "Was it difficult to foresee that this would not be a fair process", wonders the paper.

(I/Ts.)

[06] MUSIAD to open a branch in the occupied area of Cyprus

The paper, citing information by MUSIAD's headquarters in Istanbul, writes that the branch will start operating in a few days.

MUSIAD was established on 5 may 1990 in Istanbul and is a non-governmental, non-profit, and voluntary-based, businessmen's association. MUSIAD has 3.150 senior members and contribute 17 billion US Dollars to Turkey's export revenue.

According to the paper, MUSIAD has close relations with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey.

[07] Turkish Cypriot Businessmen and Professionals Association (KIBISAD) was established in Turkey

According to the paper, the aim of KIBISAD is to provide support for the development of the breakaway regime.

Information about the vision and the aims of the association were given during a press conference organized by the administrative council of the Association at Merit Hotel in occupied Lefkosia. The chairman of the administrative council Sertac Ozinal, stated that the Association will provide information about the situation in Cyprus to those who would like to invest in the island and added that KIBISAD wants to help towards increasing the investments in the occupied areas.

KIBISAD, which was established by 34 Turkish Cypriot businessmen, has more than 60 members today.

[08] British-registered "North Cyprus Airlines" will start flights in April

The paper writes that the director of the British firm is in the occupied areas now and is working towards getting through all the necessary works.

Speaking to Yeni Duzen, the lawyer of the "North Cyprus Airlines", Eylem Serifoglu, who represents the firm in the UK and in Turkey, stated that as of April 2012, the firm will conduct charted flights from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus and from occupied Cyprus to various destinations in Turkey. He also said that the firm will start flights to the European Union and third countries.

Serifoglu also said that the firm will buy five airplanes.

[09] Davutoglu accused Cyprus of reportedly blocking an invitation to Turkey

"Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has condemned Greek Cyprus [editor's note: Republic of Cyprus] for reportedly blocking an invitation to Turkey to attend tomorrow's meeting of EU foreign ministers on Syria.

'They can impose a veto bureaucratically but they cannot veto Turkey's historic role in the region. It's up to the EU to decide,' Davutoglu said on the Kanal 24 channel yesterday.

The European Union wants to include Turkey in the key meeting.

Turkey is ready to respond to any calls for consultations, he said.

Noting that his French counterpart invited Turkey to the foreign ministers' meeting on the ongoing unrest in Syria, Davutoglu said the discussions in the EU on Turkey's participation were still ongoing.

'It is obvious that countries that have a strategic vision want to move positively forward in their relations with Turkey', he said. (?)"

[10] Columnist criticizes Davutoglu's policy for regional peace

"If this is what Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu meant by regional peace, he was right. Well, at least partly.

His policies seem to be yielding the much-desired goal: peace and cooperation in our region. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, the famous inventor of 'low-table diplomacy', has declared Greece a strategically important country and spoke of 'making Greece and [President Abdullah Gul's 'half-state'] Cyprus distribution centres for Israeli natural gas in [President Gul's 'miserable'] Europe'.

Some Greek Cypriots have suggested a security alliance with Israel. Recently, Israeli fighter pilots trained over Cypriot skies, and Jerusalem has stepped up naval patrols around the largest hydrocarbon fields, Leviathan and Tamar, off Cyprus, where the U.S. Company Noble Energy is preparing to drill. Perhaps the Cypriot-Israeli security alliance is already a fact, not just a suggestion.

Meanwhile, Lebanon, which is technically at war with Israel (and where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a hero for the folk but much less so for the Hezbollah), is in talks with Cyprus to pave the way for the ratification of a 2007 agreement freeing their offshore territories. In addition, Lebanon and Cyprus plan to construct a high-capacity submarine cable system between their territories. The network will provide connectivity to European destinations, forming a telecom bridge between the Middle East and Europe. All so nice, extremely cooperative, and regionally peaceful. Thank you, Professor Davutoglu.

But there is a minor problem about Mr. Davutoglu's ambitions for regional peace. A couple of years previously ? when Turkey's relations with its Muslim neighbours were 'oh-so-friendly-and-brotherly' and everyone loved to talk about zero problems with our neighbours, ? I advised in this column for everyone 'to turn around and run away when Ankara talks about peace'. Mr. Davutoglu's policy-making in the last two years may have built peace and enhanced cooperation between the Hellenic countries and Lebanon and Israel in a geostrategic realignment. But the minor problem is that that policy-making had intended to build peace and enhance cooperation between Turkey and its neighbours, not between Turkey's adversaries and one-time allies.

The Iranian press (i.e., the Iranian government) has claimed that Syrian SCUD missiles are now targeting Turkish territory. And a senior Iranian commander has warned that Iran would bomb Turkey if the United States or Israel destroyed its nuclear installations.

In 2009, 'zero problems with our neighbours' was a fancy, five-word line. Today it means punishing Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attacks from northern Iraq and Turkish air raids in retaliation; Syrian SCUDs targeting Turkey; and an Iranian threat to bomb Turkish soil. It also means a Turkish threat to guard every flotilla bound for Gaza with warships and fighter jets (a threat that was wisely not acted upon when two such ships sailed for Gaza at the beginning of November); and a Turkish threat to use force to prevent any Israeli and Cypriot exploration for oil or gas in the eastern Mediterranean. The neo-Ottomans in Ankara insist that no exploration can proceed.

Ironically, Turkey has joined the Arab League's 22 members for sanctions against Bashar al-Assad's Syria where the regime oppresses its own people. It must be the joke of the century that a club of emirates and kingdoms and shariah states, where oppression is not even 'news', where their own people get lashes, stoning and all kinds of stone-age cruelty as legal punishment (and including Sudan, whose president has an international arrest warrant for crimes against humanity), plus Turkey, where dissent is a dangerous game, will teach the despot of Damascus to nicely behave to his own people.

And to teach the Greeks and Greek Cypriots a lesson, Turkey's state energy company will explore for hydrocarbons in the (full state!) Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Good luck, gentlemen. I insist that my humble advice remains in place: When Ankara talks about peace, just turn around and run away."

[11] Luxembourg FM says EU needs Turkey to become global actor

"Luxembourg's Foreign Minister voiced support on Tuesday for Turkey's European Union membership bid, saying the 27-member bloc needs Ankara's membership in the union if it wants to become a global player.

'Europe is now a regional player, but we need Turkey if we want a global role. Europe could become a global player together with Turkey', Jean Asselborn, who is also Luxembourg's deputy prime minister, told a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, following their bilateral talks in Ankara on Tuesday.

Asselborn said most EU member states favour the continuation of Turkey's accession negotiations, adding that Europe needs Turkey's membership not only for political reasons but also for economic concerns.

Asselborn's remarks come at a time when the future of Turkey's EU membership remained uncertain and accession talks stalled. No single chapter has been opened in the past 12 months which caused further decreases in Turkey's already declining appetite for membership in the 27-nation bloc. (?)

'Europe is not a fortress, and we need countries around us. Blocking Turkey's membership would be huge mistake for future generations both in Turkey and in Europe', he noted.

Davutoglu told reporters that he discussed with his counterpart bilateral relations during their talks and both countries stressed their cooperation in fight against terrorism and work toward boosting trade volume.

Noting that Luxembourg is a financial centre in Europe, Davutoglu said they discussed further advancing relations between Luxembourg and Istanbul, a financial centre in Eurasia.

Davutoglu underlined that Luxembourg has always supported Turkey's EU membership, adding that the EU is going through a critical process and that Turkey's membership will contribute to the strengthening of the 27-member club."

[12] "Turkey imposes economic sanctions on Syrian administration"

Davutoglu said at a news conference that Turkey, once a close friend of Damascus, would block the delivery of all weapons and military equipment to Damascus as part of measures aimed at persuading Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to end a violent crackdown against pro-democracy protesters. Davutoglu also said a cooperation agreement with Syria was being suspended until there was a new government in place.

"Until a legitimate government which is at peace with its people is in charge in Syria, the mechanism of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council has been suspended," Davutoglu said, adding Assad's government had come "to the end of the road."

Among other measures Davutoglu announced were freezing Syrian government assets in Turkey, imposing a travel ban on top Syrian government officials and freezing relations with the Central Bank of Syria. Davutoglu also said the Syrian regime has reached its end by ignoring calls from the international community to stop its bloody crackdown on protesters.

"Every bullet fired, every bombed mosque has eliminated the legitimacy of the Syrian leadership and has widened the gap between us," Davutoglu said. "Syria has squandered the last chance that it was given."

Davutoglu added that Syria "has entered a vicious circle of violence," despite warnings from Turkey. "Syria must immediately cease using force against the people and [military] forces must immediately withdraw from cities," Davutoglu said.

[13] Turkish Parliament approves bill on military service exemption

The new date for the activation will allow everyone born in 1982 to be included in the new bill as well. Those incapable of fulfilling the requirements for military service will also be able to pay for their exemption without following any age restrictions.

The opposition's several proposals such as lowering the age restriction and the price were not accepted, neither was the conscientious objection proposal made by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).

The option to serve for a shortened period of 21 days will still be available without age restrictions to anyone who has worked abroad for three years.

[14] SETA surveys finds only 15% have confidence in Turkish media

The survey from the Culture and Tourism Ministry's film and TV authority and SETA Corporation examined the effect of media on culture policies by polling 2,227 people.

The research explored what Turkish society thinks about television programs and series. A total of 39.2% of those polled watched television two hours per day and 26.5% watched more than four hours each day.

While 33.1% think television programs reflect the cultural heritage of Turkey, 54% think TV programs do not do enough to reflect the richness of cultural heritage. The research revealed role models in TV series drive society to more violent acts.

A total of 50.2% of the participants were women and 49.8% were men. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EG

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