Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 12-01-24

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

[01] The tripartite meeting in New York started; Eroglu: "Continuation of the negotiations after 1 July would be meaningless"

[02] Ozersay argues that the Turkish Cypriot side does not want an imposed solution in Cyprus

[03] The strike in the "telecommunication authority" is prohibited with decision by the "council of ministers"

[04] A delegation of the "assembly" to participate in the 7th OIC Parliamentary Union conference in Indonesia

[05] Turkey's reactions to French decision to pass Armenian genocide bill

[06] Turkey talks with Saudi Arabia over Iran oil

[07] First Turkish unmanned plane likely to be ready this summer TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS The beginning of the tripartite summit on the Cyprus problem in New York with the participation of the UN Secretary- General, President Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu, statements by Eroglu and Ozersay before the meeting, continuation of the strike at the "electricity authority" in the occupied area, self-styled government's decision to prohibit the strike at the "telecommunication authority", and other internal issues are the main topics covered by the Turkish Cypriot press today. The papers refer also to the beginning of the trial of Asil Nadir in London and the decision of the French Senate regarding the Armenian genocide. The adoption of the bill that criminalizes the denial of Armenian genocide in 1915, as well as the reaction to the bill, are the main issues in today's Turkish dailies. There are almost no reports on the 2nd Greentree summit between Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu and President Demetris Christofias.

[01] The tripartite meeting in New York started; Eroglu: "Continuation of the negotiations after 1 July would be meaningless"

In statements to illegal TAK news agency before the meeting, Eroglu described the summit as "turning point" and argued: "If nothing comes out from this summit, I could not say that there will be something in the negotiations which we will hold afterwards".

Eroglu said he estimated that the UN Secretary-General would try "to step in more" during this meeting and would insist on the Greek Cypriot side showing some flexibility on the suggestions that have been put forward.

Noting that in his letter of 6 January 2012, the UN Secretary-General asked from the Turkish Cypriot side to give detailed information on the property and the citizenship, Eroglu said that the Turkish Cypriot side has conveyed numbers on the property and the citizenship to the UN.

Eroglu added that except for the guarantees all the issues would be discussed during the summit in New York and especially the property and the election of the president. Eroglu reiterated that the map and the numbers on the territory issue will be discussed at the very end, that the UN Secretary-General has been committed on this in a report he submitted to the Security Council and that they will discuss this issue only after a date for a multilateral conference is determined. Eroglu said that they would ask from the UN Secretary-General to determine a date for a multilateral conference.

Referring to the issue of the cross-voting, Eroglu said that they had told the Greek Cypriot side during the first summit at Green Tree that the cross-voting could have no relation with the rotating presidency.

Eroglu noted that from the very beginning President Christofias has been coming to the negotiations putting some conditions and asking for the return of Morfou or Karpass in order to negotiate.

Eroglu reiterated his view that the interlocutor of President Christofias is not Ankara and argued that they will be understanding each other more easily when President Christofias realizes that his interlocutor are the Turkish Cypriots.

Recalling that the Republic of Cyprus will overtake the EU term presidency on 1 July 2012, Eroglu alleged: "Continuation of the negotiations after 1 July would be meaningless. On this date the Greek Cypriots will become term president [of the EU] and afterwards the preparations for the 2013 presidential elections will start. Therefore, continuation of the negotiations in such environment has no meaning".

Eroglu noted that if no solution is reached by 1 July, the UN Secretary-General will announce to the Security Council whether a solution could be found to the Cyprus problem with his good offices mission. He claimed: "The sides are obliged now to put all their capital on the table and end this issue at this summit. The process will work until 1 July, but the UN Secretary-General had said that negotiations after 1 July would be meaningless. The Secretary-General could give another chance to the Greek Cypriots until 1 July, but if nothing comes out from the summit, I cannot say that something will happen in the meetings which we will have afterwards. We can say that this summit has the character of a turning point? The negotiations continue for 43 years. There is no meaning in extending negotiations that lasted so long. No aspect of the Cyprus problem remained without being discussed. What is left is only the will. If in this summit Christofias exhibits the same stance as in the past, the patience of the UN Secretary-General will be exhausted and I think he might say that this is not a problem which will be solved within the framework of his good offices mission".

(I/Ts.)

[02] Ozersay argues that the Turkish Cypriot side does not want an imposed solution in Cyprus

He added: "?The Turkish Cypriot side as well does not want an imposed solution. This should be clearly known, but the following should also be known: if we do not complete all the elements of this last stage and we delay the solution of the Cyprus problem, the long time which passes will impose another solution on us. When you run away from what you call imposed solution, you impose on yourself another solution, because of the time. Because life does not stop, life goes on, life goes on from the point of view of the property, economy, immovable property, the citizenship. Generations change. The Greek Cypriot side must understand this?"

Responding to a question on the reason of his arrival one day earlier in New York, Ozersay said that he had meetings with the UN Secretary-General's deputy for political affairs and his advisors, and with permanent representatives of the countries that are permanent members of the UN Security Council. He noted that these were preparatory meetings aiming at sounding the ground before the tripartite summit, understanding what the intention of the UN was, putting forward the "determination of the Turkish Cypriot side regarding the solution of the Cyprus problem" and sharing some views.

"We saw that the UN is determined. I hope that these will turn into some concrete steps, that real negotiations will be held at the Green Tree and that these will give concrete results", he added.

(I/Ts.)

[03] The strike in the "telecommunication authority" is prohibited with decision by the "council of ministers"

Meanwhile, the members of El-Sen, trade union of the employees of the so-called electricity authority (KIB-TEK), continue their strike despite the decision of the "council of ministers" to prohibit strikes. "KIB-TEK", in an effort to put an end to the problems that started with El-Sen's strike, at the first stage gave a "service contract" to a crew of 12 persons from AKSA Energy Company who started working at Teknecik Electricity power plant.

Moreover, the paper reports that the "council of ministers" decided yesterday to prohibit the strike for an indefinite period of time in the "telecommunication authority", which had started last Thursday. Tamay Soysan - chairperson of Tel-Sen, the trade union of the employees of the so-called "telecommunication authority" ? announced that they postponed their strike.

[04] A delegation of the "assembly" to participate in the 7th OIC Parliamentary Union conference in Indonesia

The delegation consists of "MP" with the National Unity Party (UBP) Ertugrul Hasipoglu, "MP" with UBP Mutlu Atasayan and "MP" with the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Omer Kalyoncu.

According to the paper, the occupation regime is participating in the meeting upon an invitation by the PUIC chairman Marzuki Alie.

[05] Turkey's reactions to French decision to pass Armenian genocide bill Turkish daily Today's Zaman (24.01.12) reports about Turkey's reactions to the decision of the French Senate to vote yesterday a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide in 1915. Turkey issued warnings that adoption of the legislation would lead to new sanctions.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned hours before the French Senate debate on the denial bill that runs a high risk of wrecking Turkish-French ties that the bill could provoke reactions from "hundreds of thousands" if it passes through the senate, pledging Turkey would reciprocate a senate approval in its own determined fashion.

"We see tens of thousands of our brothers, our kin, gathered in Paris, which proves how strong a reaction the bill will receive [in the event it passes as law]," Erdogan told reporters earlier on Monday, referencing demonstrations in France over the weekend against the bill.

"This decision is very wrong," Tahsin Burcuoglu, Turkey's ambassador to France, said minutes after the vote. "We are not responsible for this. We did what we could," he added, referring to impending damage to Turkish-French ties.

Turkey already suspended military, economic and political ties when the lower house of French parliament passed the bill last month.

Erdogan announced on Monday that Turkey had "decisions to make in response to the decision the French Senate is going to make today," signalling Turkey is readying to counter the French move with unspecified measures.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also had warned France that Turkey is ready to take new measures against Paris, in a last-ditch push to fend off the bill.

Turkey briefly recalled its ambassador to Paris and suspended military, economic and political ties when the bill was passed in France's lower house last month. Forty-thousand Turks from all over Europe gathered in Paris on Saturday to raise their voice against the Senate debate, hoping the Senate might drop the bill off the agenda or vote against it.

"The steps we will take in case the bill passes as law have already been determined," Davutoglu was quoted as saying by Anatolia, but he did not elaborate on what those steps might include.

"Turkey will continue to implement sanctions as long as this bill remains on the table," Davutoglu stated. "We hope, however, this won't be necessary, and common sense will reign in the French Senate."

"European values are under threat," Davutoglu said. "If each parliament takes decisions containing its own views of history and implements them, a new era of Inquisition will be opened in Europe."

"Those who voice views that exclude this view of history will be jailed," he said. "It would, unfortunately, be a great shame for France to revive this."

Similarly, AK Party Deputy Chairman Omer Celik said on Monday measures against France would be permanent, not temporary, if the bill passes. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag also stated, "It is clear relations between Turkey and France will not be the same," Anatolia reported.

The measure now needs to be signed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose party proposed it, to become a law, something seen by many a mere formality.

Contrary to the French argument, Turkey has been fighting the bill, saying that such a move would mean blocking freedom of expression in France and take away Turks' right to defend their ancestors against the alleged crime of genocide, a claim Turkey takes as an insult to its identity.

"The issue they [the French Senate] are debating now is foremost in denial of freedoms France has laid a claim on up until today," Erdogan was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as telling reporters, as he suggested the bill would also be contradictory to human rights and could spark demonstrations from "hundreds of thousands of people," who would react to the French move.

In response to reporters' questions, Erdogan raised the possibility on Monday that his future visits to France might fall under question due to the approval of the bill. A day prior to Erdogan's remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc speculated the French bill could jeopardize visits from senior Turkish officials to France. Arinc rhetorically asked what French officials would do if Erdogan said, "1915 is not genocide," during a visit to France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy noted in a recent letter he sent to Erdogan that the law would only affect French citizens and be applicable in France, to dismiss speculations senior Turkish officials might fall victim to the controversial bill during their visits to France.

[06] Turkey talks with Saudi Arabia over Iran oil

"Turkey could not resist the pressure from U.S. for a long time," Necdet Pamir, board member at World Energy Council Turkish National Committee, told the Hurriyet Daily News in a phone interview.

Pamir's statements followed the European Union's decision to slap an oil embargo against Iran's oil exports. Turkish officials are currently in talk with the Saudi Arabia to compensate Turkey's 30 percent crude oil import from Iran, Pamir said. "Saudi Arabia remains the only country that could increase its oil production capacity by 3.5 million barrels per day," said Pamir, adding that currently total crude oil export of Iran remains nearly 2.4 million barrels.

Turkey imports nearly 30.6 percent of its crude oil from Iran which rose to 217,000 barrels per day in last year. However, if all the countries rush for Saudi oil at the same time, Turkey might face some sourcing problems, he said. "A one dollar jump in price-per-barrel adds $170 million to Turkey's bill," said Pamir. "If Iran closes Strait of Hormuz as it threatens, the prices per barrel might reach $180," said Hasan Selim Ozerden, Eurasian expert from International Strategic Research Organization (USAK). He said Turkey, which recently accepted an early warning radar system deployed at a military base near Malatya in eastern Turkey, might be exempted from joining western alliance sanctions on Iran.

[07] First Turkish unmanned plane likely to be ready this summer

"'Five unmanned Anka aircraft will be in use by this summer, says Murad Bayar, the undersecretary of the Turkish Defence Ministry. The share of domestic production in arms will boost', he also says Turkey's first unmanned ANKA aircraft, which is currently under the testing phase, will be ready for deployment by summer, according to Murat Bayar, undersecretary of the Defence Ministry.

'Five ANKA planes will be in use by this summer,' he told the Anatolia news agency during a recent interview.

'The United States and Israel are the only other countries capable of making unmanned aerial vehicles', he said.

Turkey has increased its share of domestic production in its defence industry to more than 50 percent over the last five years, 'The share of domestic production in Turkey's defence industry has risen from 20 percent to 52 percent in the last five years,' adding that the country aimed to reach 70-80 percent in the next few years.

The industry used to meet national demand by manufacturing foreign licensed products, but this has recently changed. 'Now we are concentrating on developing our own designs,' said Bayar, adding that Turkey's total export target was now close to $1 billion. 'We reached a total volume of $800 million in defence industry exports last year and I believe we could reach $1 billion this year [?] 2012 will be a year of mass production in national defence sector projects.'

Turkey will start to use national warships, national tanks, national infantry rifles, national helicopters and unmanned aircraft in 2012.

Bayar also said a national low-altitude and high-altitude defence system would go into mass production in 2012 and emphasized the importance of sustainability in national defence projects. 'We aim to develop the infrastructure base of national tanks, aircraft and weapons.'

Referring to the national rifle, Bayar said the testing phase was still continuing but added that the rifle was expected to go into mass production this year. 'It is not an easy task to develop a rifle. We are working with all the contributors to the projects and are hopeful that we will decide on mass production [?] We want the rifles in the hands of our soldiers to be made locally,' he said.

He also said the country's first national tank, the 'Altay, was in the testing phase. The prototype production of Altay is expected to start this year and be used later in the testing process. 'We are currently making simulations on the computer and know what type of tank it will be.'

As for the national helicopter project, the 'Atak,' Bayar said licenses originally belonging to Italy had been bought by Turkey in order to become the sole producer of the helicopter globally.

'We have made some modifications in line with our desires,' he said, adding that all the electronics to be used in the helicopter would be produced in Turkey. 'We aim to deliver one helicopter this year and 51 more next year.'" TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EG

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