Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 12-12-31

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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] Avci, Gokmen and Ertugruloglu return to UBP; Ankara has reportedly asked this

[02] Kucuk is visiting Istanbul today

[03] Erdogan refers to the electricity and water that Turkey plans to carry to the occupied area of Cyprus

[04] Gokturk-2 satellite is reportedly a message to Israel and the Greek Cypriots; Obnoxious Bagis getting obsessed!!

[05] Eroglu met with an Azerbaijani delegation

[06] Turkey prepares its own progress report; Bagis believes that it takes one to tango!

[07] "Is there hope for Cyprus?"

[08] Davutoglu: "Israel's participation in NATO not related to Patriots"

[09] Study presents Turks to be pessimistic over the economic welfare of the country

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Avci, Gokmen and Ertugruloglu return to UBP; Ankara has reportedly asked this

According to the paper, eleven members of the 13-member committee participated in the meeting, which was held without the participation of "foreign minister" Huseyin Ozgurgun and the "interior minister" Nazim Cavusoglu. Furthermore, the self-styled minister of economy and energy Sunat Atun, who participated in the meeting, voted against the return of the three former UBP members to their party. In statements justifying his negative vote, Atun argued that the members of the party were against this return.

Kibris writes that the local administration of the UBP in occupied Famagusta represented by its chairwoman Afet Ozcafer opposed to the return of the three, while the chairman of local administration of the party in occupied Lefkosia, Faiz Sucuoglu did not participate in the meeting on the ground that he had not been invited.

According to the paper, the three "deputies" are expected to join UBP today at a ceremony with the participation of the self-styled prime minister Irsen Kucuk, who right after the ceremony is expected to go to Turkey and meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he will brief on the developments.

The general secretary of the UBP, Fuat Namsoy, who had held the first contact with Avci and Ertugruloglu, stated that the DGP's founding committee has decided to dissolve the party and join the UBP, while the ORP is also expected to take the same decision within the next few days during an extraordinary congress. Late last night Ramazan Ozcelik, general secretary of the ORP, issued a statement noting that the central administrative committee of the ORP convened extraordinarily last night and decided the unification of the party with the UBP.

Meanwhile, UBP's "deputy" in occupied Morfou area, Turkay Tokel and lawyer Savas Atakan said that the return of Avci, Gokmen and Ertugruloglu to the party was not "legal" and pointed out that Irsen Kucuk participated in the meeting last night in spite of the fact that a "court" decision had forbidden him to exercise the duties of the UBP chairman (until the final decision for the "lawsuit" filed by Ahmet Kasif after the congress of the party is taken).

Moreover, Kibris reports also that Ahmet Kasif, who had been a candidate for the presidency of the UBP during the party's recent congress and filed a "lawsuit" against the decision of the council that declared Kucuk chairman after the first round of the election, reacted against the return of the three to the UBP and argued that the initiative undertaken by the general secretary of the UBP was against the regulations of the party.

Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli newspaper (31.12.12) covers the issue on its front page under the title "Ankara wanted so and happened!" The paper reports that Kucuk will visit Turkey today. According to information broadcast in last night's news bulletins and to the political backstage, writes Kibrisli, Ankara asked from Kucuk to take the decision for the return of the three to the UBP and then visit Turkey.

Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (31.12.12) refers to a "tensed meeting" in the UBP and a "thunderbolt" prior to Kucuk's visit to Turkey and his meeting with Erdogan.

Other newspapers cover the issue under the following titles:

Havadis: "He [Kucuk] goes to Erdogan with 'full hands'"

Halkin Sesi: "Return home"

Volkan: "The UBP's regulations are violated"

Vatan: "Extraordinary situation in the UBP!"

Star Kibris: "Unity in the right wing"

Finally, according to Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (30.12.12), it seems very likely for Irsen Kucuk to lose the "case" regarding the holding of second round elections for the post of the UBP chairman and this is why Avci, Gokmen and Ertugruloglu were brought back to UBP to reinforce him. The paper noted that Avci and Ertugruloglu are considered as the "favorites of the AKP in Cyprus" and "it is understood that AKP officials were very influential" in their return to the UBP. The paper argued that in case of second round for the presidency of the UBP, Kucuk had no chance against Kasif, but now this balance could change.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Kucuk is visiting Istanbul today

(I/Ts.)

[03] Erdogan refers to the electricity and water that Turkey plans to carry to the occupied area of Cyprus

According to the paper, Erdogan addressed the nation through Turkish TV stations and said that the project of carrying water to the occupied area of Cyprus is also continuing with determination. He reiterated that the water project is expected to be completed on 7 March 2014 and 75 million cubic meters of water will be transferred from Anamur to the occupied area of Cyprus.

Erdogan noted, also, that Turkey will complete the construction of two nuclear power plants in order to decrease to a great extent its dependency for electricity on other countries.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Gokturk-2 satellite is reportedly a message to Israel and the Greek Cypriots; Obnoxious Bagis getting obsessed!!

Hurriyet's columnist, Umit Cetin writes that diplomatic sources said that this statement was a message to Israel, which was exerting pressure on France so that Goktur-1 satellite not to watch Israeli lands. According to the sources, with this statement Erdogan has sent a message to Israel saying "with Gokturk-2 we are dominant over Eastern Mediterranean, we watch you as well".

Noting that these statements were also a message to the Greek Cypriots, the sources told Cetin that the images of the Turkish flags which are on the occupied Pentadaktylos Mountains "symbolize the victory against the Greek Cypriots". "With this statement, the Prime Minister sent the message to the Greek Cypriots that 'we are in space with the satellite we have made, we are dominant over the skies as well as we are over the land and the sea", the sources argued.

Cetin reports that the Turkish EU Minister and Chief Negotiator, Egemen Bagis has also said they were proud of seeing the two flags among the first images sent by this satellite. He alleged, inter alia, the following:

"?The fact that the first images of Gokturk-2 are the Turkish and the TRNC flags on Pentadaktylos Mountains is both meaningful and a very clear message. The common fate between motherland Turkey and the TRNC has now been scraped in every part of the universe like a seal?Everyone now should realize the following: Turkey has entered into a rout that has no return. The end of this rout is to reach the level of the contemporary civilizations... As long as the Republic of Turkey rises and strengthens, the TRNC will also be strengthened. Those in Europe, who still do not realize this reality, should take their head out of the sand and look at the sky, at the universe. There they will see Turkey's and TRNC's mark, their rising power. Those without measure, who compare Turkey's accession into the EU to a dream of a summer night in the middle of winter, should understand now that what they say is empty, very empty. Let the Greek Cypriots first be saved from the avalanche under which they remained, and then they could share the dream they see. In every process in which they undermine the solution and they exploit the non-solution on the island, Turkey is their nightmare".

(I/Ts.)

[05] Eroglu met with an Azerbaijani delegation

Speaking during the meeting, the Azerbaijani poet and writer Ahmet Sahidov said that their goal is to serve to the further development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the "TRNC" via scientific, educational and cultural initiatives.

Eroglu for his part underlined the importance of developing bilateral relations and said that the Azerbaijani students studying at the "universities" in the "TRNC" have a significant role to play in the further development of these relations.

He noted that the cooperation with Azerbaijan will contribute to the Turkish Cypriot "people's" efforts on international promotion.

Touching upon the Cyprus issue, Eroglu said that the Cyprus problem remains unresolved as a result of the Greek Cypriot side's intransigence.

He said that the Cyprus Turkish side expects the international community, particularly the United Nations and the European Union, to start watching the developments in Cyprus with an objective perspective.

[06] Turkey prepares its own progress report; Bagis believes that it takes one to tango!

Turkey's own progress report, prepared for the first time, will be published on Monday on the web site of the Turkish EU Ministry.

Turkish Minister of EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis, on his Twitter account, said that they prepared Turkey's own progress report after seeing irregularities in EU's progress report on Turkey.

[07] "Is there hope for Cyprus?"

"A new round of negotiations regarding Cyprus is expected to begin in 2013. The hitherto negligible progress on the Cyprus issue makes it a brilliant example of failed negotiations. The first negotiations opened in Beirut in 1968. However, so far, no major settlement has been reached. So, after 50 years of failed negotiations, is there hope in the upcoming round?

The answer is simply 'no'. A long list of reasons can be set out for this pessimistic outlook. For instance, EU membership killed the raison d'etre of negotiations concerning the Greek Cypriots. With the entire island in their hands, why should the Greek Cypriot side be interested in a deal with Turkey? Even if the Turkish side were to accept a purely Greek Cypriot proposal without reservation, the deal would still be against the Greek Cypriots, as they would then be sharing with the Turks their globally recognized status. Nothing that the Turks have, like land, is more precious than the status the Greek Cypriots have, like EU membership. Nothing that can be gained from Turkey could compensate for any obligation on the part of the Greek Cypriots to share their globally recognized status.

Therefore, there must be a major power to persuade the Greek Cypriots to conduct effective negotiations. It could be the US, the EU or the UK. However, there is no reason for the UK to be a devoted peace broker, as the status quo on the island favors British military interests. The EU has virtually lost its leverage by extending membership to the Greek Cypriots. The US perspective has yet to be clarified.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) is a failed state. It lacks the basic qualifications and functions of simple statehood. Intentionally or unintentionally, Turkey has so far prevented the blossoming of the KKTC. Turkish strategy should now promote serious public reform on the island. During those reforms, the Turkish Embassy there should be less visible. With a monopolistic embassy, it is hardly possible to consolidate the statehood of the KKTC.

On the other hand, Turkey should develop a more realistic Cyprus paradigm. The links of the late Rauf Denktas, founding president of the KKTC, with the Kemalist status quo in Turkey were a major obstacle to any peaceful agreement on the island. Denktas, aligned with the Kemalist status quo in Ankara, prevented any initiative, but did succeed in creating a naive reading of the Cyprus problem: Many in Turkey came to the conclusion that the purge of Denktas would guarantee the solution of the Cyprus problem. That was wrong. The Cyprus problem has its own intrinsic obstacles, and some of them originate on the Greek side. The solution is not easy to identify, even with an ultra-liberal regime in the KKTC. One should not forget that Cyprus is not a field of ideological competition, but the competing field of Turkish and Greek nationalism.

Turkey should insist on a new round of negotiations in 2013. Even if the new round fails, Turkey should keep the door of negotiations open. The perfect solution model is an EU model. However, after almost 50 years of failed negotiations, it is time for Turkey to deploy alternative strategies. While keeping the door of negotiations open, Turkey should try for the easing of the isolation of the Turkish community. (By the way, it should be noted that it is the EU that is responsible for this unfair isolation of people, including women and children.) Observing the unwillingness of the EU to rectify this, Turkey is morally correct to be looking for alternative solutions to the Cyprus problem. Things could change in the region: The new regime in Syria might espouse a different Cyprus policy. Similar developments could be expected also in Egypt and Pakistan. I am not suggesting here that Turkey should seek the recognition of the KKTC. Turkey's priority should be the easing of the negative impact of isolation on the island's Turkish community".

[08] Davutoglu: "Israel's participation in NATO not related to Patriots"

"This is absolutely not related to the Patriots," Ahmet Davutoglu said in a televised interview on Friday. "Those claiming so, don't know how NATO works," he added.

Davutoglu criticized the reports for being misleading, claiming that they intend to cast a shadow over Turkey's diplomatic success.

Last week, Israeli and Turkish media reported that Israel would be excluded from NATO's major military activities, including joint exercises, for the year 2013 but had been given limited authorization to attend some NATO activities.

Officials of both countries celebrated the decision as a victory against the other.

Relations soured between Turkey and Israel after eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish American were killed when the Israeli navy attacked an international humanitarian aid flotilla, of which the Turkish Mavi Marmara was a part, attempting to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza in May 2010. Following the attack, Turkey vowed to pursue every opportunity from within international platforms to put pressure on Israel diplomatically.

The Israeli media claimed earlier this week that Turkey's consent for Israel's participation in a limited number of programs under a NATO partnership was the result of a compromise from an earlier position. "At the last minute -- and I think it was dependent on the Patriots -- it was approved," an anonymous Israeli source was quoted as saying in one daily, claiming that the compromise came after Turkey and NATO agreed to the deployment of Patriot air defense missiles, which will be used in the case of a missile attack on NATO-member Turkey's territory from conflict-torn Syria.

Davutoglu dismissed the reports and said that the Israeli media had "conducted an operation" by claiming that Turkey had eased conditions within NATO on the alliance's cooperation with Israel. He also complained about some news reports in the Turkish media which he said relied more on Israeli media reports than on statements by Turkish officials.

(?)

[09] Study presents Turks to be pessimistic over the economic welfare of the country

The welfare pessimism among Turks increased this year, with 43% of the citizens thinking that things will become harder next year, according to a press release by Barem Research, which undertook the Turkish leg of the survey.

Only 30% of Turkish participants think the economic welfare in the country will improve this year.

Some 25% sees no change. The net economic hope, which stood at -1 in last year's survey, dropped to -13 points. The most pessimistic countries are E.U. members, with Portugal and France topping the black side of the list.

The most hopeful people live in Georgia and Azerbaijan, said the survey.

Barem said it interviewed 1,028 people for the Turkish leg of the study. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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