Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 12-11-08

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu congratulated Obama for his re-election

[02] Davutoglu on the Cyprus problem

[03] Letter of complaint from the so-called representative of the occupation regime to Ban

[04] More about tonight's match between AEL- Fenerbahce

[05] KTOS criticized ruling AKP in Turkey

[06] Cost of living in the occupied area of Cyprus for October has reached to 0.93%

[07] Davutoglu: "NATO ready to deploy Patriot missiles in Turkey"; Erdogan refuted Davutoglu

[08] Turkey intercepted a Syria-bound Armenian plane suspected of carrying arms

[09] European officials warn Turkey on the hunger strike issue

[10] Iraq expels TPAO from energy deal

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu congratulated Obama for his re-election

According to the paper, Eroglu in his message reminded President Obama about the Cyprus problem and said that the American President must take more brave decision for the establishment of peace in the world and in Cyprus.

He went on and wished Obama to have a successful term of presidency, and he also said that he hopes under Obamas' leadership US government will influence the Greek Cypriot site for the solution of the Cyprus problem. He also said that he hopes Obama will do everything possible for the lifting for the "embargoes and the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots" for which, according to Eroglu, responsible is the Greek Cypriot side.

[02] Davutoglu on the Cyprus problem

Speaking during the meeting of the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Davutoglu said that Cyprus naturally has geopolitical and geo-economical connections with the Anatolian Peninsula and added that everyone in the region would benefit from a solution being found to the Cyprus problem.

He said all necessary measures were taken to protect the benefits of Turkey as well as the rights of the Turkish Cypriots during the Cyprus talks.

Davutoglu also reminded that the "TRNC" under the name of "Cyprus Turkish State" gained observer status at the summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization last month and that the number of the "representative offices" of the "TRNC" in foreign countries had increased to 19.

[03] Letter of complaint from the so-called representative of the occupation regime to Ban

In a letter dated 22nd of October, the "TRNC's New York Representative2 Hilmi Akil complained of the uncompromising stance of the Greek Cypriot side regarding the creation of a committee to oversee the issue of natural gas.

Pointing out that the Greek Cypriot side's one-sided and illegal actions are heightening tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, Akil reminded that the Turkish Cypriot side, as an equal partner on the island, had equal rights over the administration and distribution of any natural resources to be discovered off the coast of Cyprus.

He said that the Greek Cypriot side should accept Eroglu's proposal and added this will not only be beneficial to both sides on the island but will also defuse tensions in the region, creating an atmosphere of cooperation.

[04] More about tonight's match between AEL- Fenerbahce

Replying to questions of reporters last night about tonight's match, the technical director of Fenerbahce Aykut Kocaman and the player Dirk Kurt stressed the need to show the same hospitality to the Greek Cypriot team, since, as they said, they received the better hospitality during the first matched played in Cyprus.

(AK)

[05] KTOS criticized ruling AKP in Turkey

According to the paper, KTOS who accused AKP of closing down in prison people of Kurdish origin and intellectuals said that the party has transformed into a totalitarian regime.

KTOS also stated that AKP acts in the occupied Cyprus the way it acts in Turkey and that contributes towards the building of mosques and the launching of Quran lessons at schools.

[06] Cost of living in the occupied area of Cyprus for October has reached to 0.93%

The "undersecretary" of the State Planning Organization Ali Korhan announced that compared to last month, the highest increase has been in clothing and shoes, 17.76%.

According to figures released by the "State Planning Organization", the inflation rate in October has been put at 0.93%.

Compared to last December, there has been a 3.52% increase in inflation and compared to the year before last a 6.14% increase.

Meanwhile the Undersecretary for "State Planning Organization" Ali Korhan has said that the highest consumer price index has been seen in clothing and shoes with a 17.76% increase in costs.

[07] Davutoglu: "NATO ready to deploy Patriot missiles in Turkey"; Erdogan refuted Davutoglu

His remarks in Brussels follow statements by Turkish officials earlier in the day, who said Turkey is in talks with the US and NATO over the deployment of Patriot missiles along its border with Syria.

"This issue is also coming up on the agenda within the framework of deliberations, preparations and contingency planning on the security of Turkey and NATO territories," a diplomatic source told Today's Zaman, without elaborating.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking during a visit to Indonesia, said that Turkey has not made any request to NATO for missile deployment. "There has been no such request," he told reporters.

Earlier, the Reuters news agency, quoting a senior Foreign Ministry official, said that Ankara was to make an "imminent request" to NATO for the deployment of Patriot missiles, while the private NTV television reported that the request would be made in the coming days.

In Brussels, a NATO spokeswoman said the alliance has not received a request from Turkey yet, reiterating Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen's remarks earlier in the week that NATO will consider such a request when it is made by an ally. "As the secretary-general said on Monday, the allies will consider any request that is brought to the North Atlantic Council," the spokeswoman was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Erdogan said also that any initiative for the purchase of such missiles should go through him and not the Foreign Ministry. NATO offers such assistance to allies when their security is threatened, but it does not sell weaponry to member states.

NATO deployed Patriot missile defines systems in Turkey twice in the past, responding to Turkish requests for protection in the course of the Iraqi war.

Erdogan also said that Turkey expected NATO member US to take "different" steps regarding Syria, adding that he will have "top-level discussions" on this issue.

Turkish officials have said Ankara, which seeks the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, expects the US administration to get involved more actively in efforts to end the crisis in Syria once the presidential elections are over. "We want to immediately discuss this issue. This is a very important issue that we cannot leave unattended because it negatively affects us in a very direct way," Erdogan said.

Earlier in the day, a Turkish official said that Turkey and its allies, including the US, have discussed the possibility of using Patriot missiles to protect a safe zone inside war-torn Syria, the Associated Press reported. Quoting a Foreign Ministry official, the report said the missiles are one of a number of scenarios being considered as a way to stop regime attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians.

The planning was put on hold pending the US election, but the issue is likely to be taken up now that President Barack Obama has won a second term, according to the report.

Turkey has already requested NATO consultations under Article 4 of the alliance's charter, when five civilians were killed last month by a mortar bomb that was fired from Syria. Ankara, however, has fallen short of invoking Article 5, the collective defines clause.

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[08] Turkey intercepted a Syria-bound Armenian plane suspected of carrying arms

The plane, which was declared to be carrying humanitarian aid to Syria, was forced to land in eastern Turkish province of Erzurum. An Antonov AN 12 cargo plane landed in Erzurum airport at 06.12 local time.

Turkish security forces are currently investigating the plane for any arms.

Last month, Turkey gave the all clear for an Armenian plane to continue on its journey to the Syrian city of Aleppo after ordering it to land in eastern Turkey so its cargo of humanitarian aid could be searched.

Ankara has stepped up efforts to prevent its air space being used to supply the Syrian military and forced down a Syrian airliner travelling from Moscow last month, saying it was carrying Russian munitions destined for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military.

[09] European officials warn Turkey on the hunger strike issue

"We believe that recognition of the justified Kurdish demands by the Turkish authorities could be constructive in efforts to calm the situation. It could also help open democratic dialogue to end the violence, isolate the terrorists of the [Kurdistan Workers' Party] PKK and to find political solutions to the Kurdish problem," Hannes Swoboda, President of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament said in a written statement released yesterday.

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"The Turkish authorities' indifference to this ongoing suffering, seems inhumane to us and to European opinion in general, and could create problems for EU-Turkish relations," Swoboda said.

Referring to a report from the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), Swoboda said the health of the strikers is seriously deteriorating day by day. "We invite the Turkish Prime Minister to show more sensibility on this human issue, especially for those who have demonstrated their political opposition in a peaceful way," he said.

Health Minister Recep Akdag, meanwhile said that no hunger striker was in critical medical condition as of November 7.

Also, according to Turkish daily Today's Zaman (07.11.12), Stephan Fule, the Commissioner for Enlargement, said via his Twitter account that he discussed the issue with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is in Brussels as part of an official visit to carry out contacts with EU officials.

Fule also said he replied to a letter from Leyla Zana, a well-known Turkish-Kurdish Deputy who wrote several letters to European leaders urging them to take part in ending the hunger strike in Turkish prisons.

[10] Iraq expels TPAO from energy deal

Agence France Presse reported yesterday that the exploration deal was for a tract of land in the oil-rich Basra province and had been awarded in May to Kuwait Energy, TPAO and Dragon Oil of the United Arab Emirates.

"For reasons to do with non-technical issues and outside the responsibility of my office and me personally, the Turkish company TPAO was excluded from the consortium," said Abdul Mehdi al-Amidi, head of the oil ministry's contracting and licensing department. Amidi did not comment on why TPAO was expelled, but the decision comes amid icy ties between Iraq and Turkey.

The Iraqi Prime Minister is opposing use of its airspace by the Turkish military in its fight against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the KRG's direct oil exports to Turkey. In addition, Baghdad protested against August's visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Kirkuk, a disputed city in northern Iraq, without the central government being informed in advance.

Iraq has also publicly urged Turkey to hand over fugitive Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who has been sentenced to death in Baghdad on charges of running a death squad.

"This decision is final, there is no approval to sign the contract for Block 9," he said, referring to the exploration block in southern Iraq. "The decision (to expel TPAO) is from the cabinet." Amidi said the contract included provisions allowing companies' shares to be sold to others and raised the possibility that Kuwait Energy would take over TPAO's stake, increasing its share to 70% in the consortium, with Dragon Oil retaining the remaining 30%.

The three-member consortium originally won the oil exploration contract for the block in a May 30-31 public auction in which they agreed to be paid a service fee of $6.24 per barrel equivalent extracted.

Turkey will continue with its Iraqi projects, Energy Minister Taner Y1
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z said, while responding to journalists during a wind energy meeting in Istanbul yesterday. "We meet the decision with respect," Reuters quoted him as saying.

"We will continue supporting normalization in Iraq's north, south, east and west. If they have any demand from us, I would like to mention once again that we will not remain deaf to that", he added.

Y1
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z said Turkey has joint projects in Iraq with Russia, South Korea and Kuwait. "This was one of those projects. We will continue with our way."

Turkey and Iraq signed a $350 million contract with Iraq on November 1 for 40 drills in the south.

Amidi's statement came as Iraqi officials signed a deal yesterday with Russia's Lukoil and Japan's Inpex to explore a 5,500-square-kilometer tract of land believed to contain oil in southern Iraq. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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