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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 13-06-06Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 106/13 6/6/13[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS
[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS[01] Ninth day of "Gezi Park protests"Turkish daily Hurriyet newspaper (06.06.13) reports that the ninth day of the Gezi Park protests saw more police violence in the center of Ankara in the afternoon, despite the government's repeated instructions to the security forces to exercise restraint. Police again used tear gas and water cannon to quell protesters, most of whom were members of unions who had called for a strike in solidarity with the Gezi Park demonstrations.The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (D0SK), the Public Workers Unions Confederation (KESK), the Turkish Doctors' Union (TTB) and the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) as well as members of left-wing political parties and members of civil society organizations were all present at the K1z1lay square. A greater police presence compared to the last two days was noted near the square. Tensions arose as a group unrelated with the unions tried to set up tents on K1z1lay Square, according to claims. Police chased protesters in the main arterial roads of the town such as Sakarya, Ziya G?kalp and Atat?rk Avenues. Some detentions have reportedly been made following the sudden crackdown. Police also fired tear gas and used water cannons against another group of demonstrators that gathered at Ku ulu Park. Two journalists working for the Ulusal Channel, Ankara bureau chief Mustafa Kaya and cameraman Serkan Bayraktar, were taken into custody, the private broadcaster reported. In addition, Turkish daily Hurriyet newspaper (06.06.13) reports that Ethem Sar1s?l?k, a Turkish activist who was wounded in the head during Taksim Gezi Park clashes in the capital city of Ankara, has succumbed to his injuries, a representative of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) said during a press meeting in Ankara. Sar1s?l?k, whose brain death was declared earlier, became the third person killed in protests, the representative said after a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister B?lent Ar1n?. Two other people have so far died in the protests. Abdullah C?mert, a
22-year-old youth branch member of the Republican People's Party (CHP),
was killed in Antakya on June 3 during the clashes, while 20-year-old
Mehmet Ayval1ta was hit and killed after a car driver ignored warnings
to stop for protesters in "?mraniye's 1 May1s" neighborhood on the
night of June 2.
Following the fourth statement from Washington since last week, most
recently on Tuesday from Vice President Joe Biden urging Turkey's
government to respect the rights of its political opponents, the Turkish
foreign minister had Tuesday called his U.S. counterpart by phone to
respond to criticisms over a violent crackdown against anti-government
protesters.
The minister told Kerry about the nationwide demonstrations in Turkey,
and said, "There is not a second class democracy in Turkey." "In
democracies, these protests may happen. There is a right to demonstrations
in Turkey. We respect peaceful demonstrators, but there are ones who
abuse," Davuto lu told Kerry, citing those harming public property,
according to the diplomat.
The minister recalled the protests on Wall Street in the U.S and said
similar incidents were regarded as ordinary, but the ones in Turkey were
considered extraordinary.
Meanwhile, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said that both
ministers had a very positive relationship; however the U.S. State of
Secretary could not remain indifferent when there were serious concerns.
Kerry did not attempt to categorize Turkey, Psaki said, adding that the
support of officials for the peaceful protests would help to appease
the situation.
In addition, Turkish daily Today's Zaman (06.06.13) reports that the
United States has issued a travel alert on Turkey, asking its citizens
to be vigilant as nationwide protests continue across the country.
An updated statement the US State Department released on Wednesday alerts
US citizens traveling to or residing in Turkey to the continuing public
demonstrations taking place throughout the country. It said there have
been numerous reports of violence, injuries, and at least two confirmed
deaths related to clashes between protestors and police.
As Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo an returns from a series
of official visits abroad it remains to be seen whether he will tend to
assume a milder tone concerning the ongoing unrest all over the country,
while Deputy Prime Minister B?lent Ar1n? had been in charge in a bid
to reduce the tension.
As had been announced on June 4, when he held a meeting with President
Abdullah G?l, Ar1n? hosted June 5 members of the Taksim Platform,
who had objected to the Taksim Square Pedestrianization Project from
the beginning.
The group conveyed their demands to Ar1n?:
Gezi Park should remain a park with no construction within, this decision
should be officially announced and the Atat?rk Culture Center should
not be demolished; law enforcement officers and bureaucrats who led
to rising violence that resulted in the killings of three citizens and
wounding of thousands should be investigated and removed from office ? in
particular the governors and police chiefs of Istanbul, Ankara and Hatay
? use of tear gas and similar materials should be banned; all protesters
in custody should be immediately and unconditionally released; it should
be announced that none of those protesters will be prosecuted; and all
de facto obstacles and bans against use of the freedom of assembly in
all squares and public zones of Turkey particularly Taksim Square and
K1z1lay Square, which are the venue for May 1 gatherings as well as
barriers to freedom of expression should be removed.
During the meeting, which took place upon the deputy prime minister's
invitation, Ar1n? maintained the stance he displayed during a press
conference on June 4, thus he once more affirmed that the initial protests
were righteous. Yet, he once again avoided offering a clear apology,
sources present at the meeting told the H?rriyet Daily News.
When Ar1n? suggested that it was now time to end the protests, the
platform members responded by saying that they were not authorized to make
such a call, the same sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Even if we say so, these protests will not end. We came here as their
spokesperson. We did not start the process, neither can we end it,"
they stated.
The platform has further voiced the need for "binding promises" from
the government for the protests to close. As an answer to that, Ar1n?
guaranteed that the government would discuss the matter.
"At the moment, the operation in Gezi Park has stopped. We will handle
the subject extensively at the Cabinet meeting upon Mr. Prime Minister's
return. We will discuss [it] as the government. We will re-evaluate
there at the Cabinet meeting. Like I said, at the moment, the operation
has stopped and we will discuss and debate the matter with our prime
minister, the mayor, all sides, and by running the process like this,
we will come to a conclusion," Ar1n? replied.
A statement read out by the Taksim Platform, following the meeting with
Ar1n?, made clear that the content of the rising reaction against the
government should not be limited to objections to plans to build a replica
of Ottoman-era barracks where Gezi Park is located. Particularly through
the third bridge over the Bosphorus plan, the third Istanbul airport
plan, the Canal Istanbul project, plans for the Atat?rk Forest Farm
(AO?) and hydroelectric power plants (HESs), the government has been
"attacking the people's ecological values," the platform said.
While assessing the unrest in the country, the government should
be well aware of "the stance against the war policy for our country
and the demands for peace, the sensitivity of our Alevi citizens, the
rightful demands of victims of urban transformation, the voices rising
against conservative male politicians controlling women's bodies, the
resistance against the requirements on universities, judiciary and
artists, the demands vis-?-vis seizure of rights of all the working
class including Turkish Airlines (THY) workers, the struggle against
all sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, and requests
for removal of obstacles to citizens' access to education and health
services," it said.
A catastrophic rampage was avoided after a tremendous escalation of the
tension over the course of two hours with the joint intervention of the
town's Mayor Halil Bak1rc1, deputy governor and police chief.
A group of 25 to 30 members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) were staging
a protest in support of the Taksim Gezi Park demonstrations when a
crowd gathered and began to respond to their slogans. Tension peaked as
members of the crowd started to violently attack the small group. After
the police's intervention, the small group took refuge inside a building
as the larger crowd blocked a central avenue and started to chant slogans.
The crowd attacked the TGB members again while they were being taken
out of the building by the security officers. Police resorted to tear
gas to prevent the protesters from attacking the group members. A woman
was also injured during the incidents, Anatolia news agency reported.
0zmir police detained 28 people on Tuesday and Wednesday for allegedly
spreading false information and provoking protests on social media.
The false statements included that the police were shooting at protesters
and that a police tank had crushed protesters. Teams from 0zmir's
Smuggling and Anti-Organized Crime Department held simultaneous operations
in 38 locations and detained 24 people on Tuesday evening. Four people
were apprehended on Wednesday morning, and police are searching for 10
others. The detained individuals are accused of "inciting the people to
enmity and hate."
The families of the detainees have rejected the accusations. The mother
of detainee E.?. said the family brought her daughter to the police
station after police asked for her. She stated that her daughter had only
re-tweeted a call for help in an 0zmir neighborhood during the protests.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) 0zmir branch head
Ali Engin was in front of the police station with the detainees'
families. Engin said the 0zmir Police Department owes an apology to
the people of 0zmir. "This is a menace. All the families are uneasy,"
he said.
Meanwhile, the Information Technology Reporters' Association (BMD),
issued a press statement regarding the protests in Gezi Park and
criticized negative comments about social media on Wednesday. The BMD
statement came after Erdo an expressed his dismay at social media over
the weekend because of misinformation circulating about the protests.
Four Americans, two British nationals, two Iranians, one Indian, one
French citizen and one Greek were among those detained overnight for
allegedly provoking protesters during the ongoing events. Officials have
not yet confirmed the detentions. Radikal said all the nationals possessed
diplomatic passports and that four were students who were residing in
Turkey as part of Erasmus, an exchange student program.
The Abant Platform expressed in the statement their worries over the
latest incidents in Turkey and especially over the disproportionate use
of violence by the police, the spreading out of the incidents and calls
the AKP government to give up from implementations which constitutes
interference and violation of the way of life of the people.
AK
The report is as follows:
"The survey conducted by Istanbul Bilgi University in 20 hours on
3,000 protesters revealed the following results: Some 70 percent of
the protesters do not feel any affiliation to any political party, in
contrary to what the prime minister had claimed. Another result of the
survey shows that the real issue that caused the Gezi Park manifestations
is Prime Minister Erdogan's authoritarianism? The protesters define
themselves mainly as "libertarians." Yet another result of the survey
is that "respect to freedoms" is the most important thing the protesters
expect to obtain at the end of their action.
The results of the first survey conducted on the people's uprising,
which has been going on since last Friday and is described by many as
one of the most important turning points in the history of the Republic,
have been published. According to the report of Habervesaire.com, the
results of the survey prepared by Istanbul Bilgi University lecturers Esra
Ercan Bilgic and Zehra Kafkasli, and answered online by 3,000 people in
a total of 20 hours, reveal clear clues as to the identity and demands
of the masses that rose against the government.
According to the first results that were published, the people who hit
the streets are not members or supporters of a particular political party,
contrary to what was claimed by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
Some 39.6 of the protesters are between the ages of 19 and 25, 24
percent are between 26 and 30, and 75.8 percent participated in the
demonstrations by going out on the streets. Some 53.7 percent have
never taken part in any mass action, and 70 percent do not feel any
affiliation to any political party. While 14.7 percent are undecided,
only 15.3 percent feel close to a political party.
The subjects were asked what reasons prompted them to support the protests
and to what extent. The subjects were instructed to tick up one option
for each reason, namely "strongly agree," "agree," "undecided," and
"disagree."
According to that, those who strongly agree that what prompted them to
support the protests was the prime minister's authoritarian attitude
ranked first with 92.4 percent.
The rate of those who strongly agreed that the trigger was the
disproportionate use of police force against the protesters stood at
91.3 percent. Some 91.1 percent strongly agreed that the violation of
their democratic rights caused them to support the protests. The rate
of those who strongly agreed that the media's silence was the decisive
factor was 84.2, and those who strongly agreed that the demolition of
trees made them support the protests stood at 56.2 percent.
The rate of those who said that they joined the protests with the
directive of the political movement they belonged to was a mere 7.7
percent.
The subjects were asked which of the characterizations they associated
with and to what extent. For every characterization, the subjects were
asked to tick one of the choices as in the previous question: "strongly
agree," "agree," "undecided," and "disagree."
According to that question, the protesters think that among all the
characterizations "libertarian" defined them best.
The rate of those who strongly agreed with the characterization
"libertarian" stood at 81.2 percent.
This was followed by 64.5 percent who strongly agreed with the premise
"I am secular."
The rate of those who disagreed with the premise "I am apolitical"
was 54.5.
Among those who supported the protests, the rate of subjects who disagreed
with the statement "I am an AKP [Justice and Development Party] voter
stood at 92.1 percent.
The rate of those who disagreed with the option "I am a conservative"
was 75.0 percent.
Subjects were asked what they wished to obtain as the result of their
protest by marking one of the options "strongly agree," "agree,"
"undecided," and "disagree." The rate of the answers the subjects
"strongly agreed" with were as follows:
- "Police violence must stop," 96.7 percent.
- "From now on freedoms must be respected," 96.1 percent.
- "A new political party should be established," 37 percent.
According to the results, the rate of those who are in favor of a
"military intervention" is very low. Those who strongly agree with
that idea is 6.6 percent, and those who agree is 2.3 percent. Those
who disagree with the idea of a coup make up a sweeping majority with
79.5 percent.
Hammami called on the Tunisian popular forces to gather for a massive
protest in front of the Turkish embassy to Tunisia. He said that the
message of the protest would be that "Erdogan is not wanted on Tunisian
land and to remind that he is the leader of an oppressive and reactionary
government".
Reacting against the Tunisian government, Hammami said that "the violent
oppression and interferences in Turkey are a proof of the failure of
the Islamists, whom the West is continuously presenting as 'democratic
Islam'". He then urged the free Tunisians to support the Turkish people.
(I/Ts.)
Hammami called on the Tunisian popular forces to gather for a massive
protest in front of the Turkish embassy to Tunisia. He said that the
message of the protest would be that "Erdogan is not wanted on Tunisian
land and to remind that he is the leader of an oppressive and reactionary
government".
Reacting against the Tunisian government, Hammami said that "the violent
oppression and interferences in Turkey are a proof of the failure of
the Islamists, whom the West is continuously presenting as 'democratic
Islam'". He then urged the free Tunisians to support the Turkish people.
(I/Ts.)
The commissioner went to 0stanbul to attend a conference titled
"Rethinking Global Challenges: Constructing a Common Future for Turkey
and the EU Conference" which was scheduled months ago but will definitely
be a good opportunity for the EU to convey its concerns on the recent
developments in Turkey, an EU source told Today's Zaman. A meeting
with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo an, who will also participate
in the international conference, is also on the cards but that has not
been confirmed yet, the EU official told Today's Zaman on the condition
of unanimity.
The European Commission and the European Parliament (EP) have harshly
criticized the heavy-handed reaction of the Turkish police against
protesters and have condemned the violence. Political groups in the
European Parliament agreed to debate the recent events both in the
Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) on Wednesday and also in a plenary
session that will be held in Strasbourg next week. The EP is expected to
discuss whether to have an "urgent resolution" on the situation in Turkey.
F?le will also be meeting with Turkish Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin
and EU Affairs Minister Egemen Ba 1 on the sidelines of the two-day
meeting.
If their meeting takes place, F?le is expected to discuss with Erdo an
the recent events in Turkey and share the concern of Brussels on
the preliminary reactions of the police against protestors. Turkey's
embattled EU accession process will also be one of the main topics and
F?le is expected, once again, to give his support to revitalize the
frozen accession talks.
After a three-year freeze, the EU is preparing to open another chapter
for Turkey towards the end of the Irish presidency. Chapter 22, "Regional
Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments," is due to be opened
on June 26 at an intergovernmental conference in Brussels.
The last chapter with Turkey was opened at the last day of the Spanish
presidency almost exactly three years ago on June 30, 2010. Since then,
not a single chapter has been opened due to French and Greek Cypriot
objections.
While Croatia, which started its accession talks on the same day as
Turkey on Oct. 3, 2005, will be the 28th member of the EU on July 1,
Ankara will only be able to open its 14th chapter out of 35. Turkey has
been able to close only one chapter so far, namely science and research
which occupies only a few pages in the 120,000-page EU acquis.
Under the title "The one-man show has ended", Emre Uslu wrote in Zaman
(06.06.13):
"[?] the [Justice and Development Party] AKP, particularly in recent
years, has adopted a strategy promoting him as the leader of the Muslim
world. Strategy has been put in place since Turkey's "one minute" crisis
with Israel emphasizing [Recep Tayyip] Erdo an's role as leader and his
appeal to the Arab street above all have generated excitement among his
followers about his leadership abilities.
It seems the reason the AKP has formulated its strategy around the
character of Erdo an is largely to capitalize on the vulnerability of
the opposition: its comparatively weaker leaders. Rather than putting
issues before the people, AKP strategists bring the charismatic prime
minister before them, highlighting the differences between Erdo an and
the opposition party leaders. This serves...to the easy manipulation of
political discourse to suit the ruling party.
"Turning politics into a one-man show necessitates playing with hot and
divisive issues that drive wedges into society. The abortion issue is
one such issue, dividing people sharply into two camps: liberals who
support abortion and the larger segment of society on the one hand,
making up around 70 percent of the population, and conservatives who
would join the AKP and Erdo an on the other. By enlivening such issues
and using Erdo an's charm to manipulate political discourse the AKP
strategists strive to forge a more conservative society and to galvanize
those conservative elements around Erdo an... It seems the AKP strategy
to build their future around the performance, the outlook, the vision
of Erdo an is in fact a fatal strategy, one that not only enhances
a perception of Turkey as a conservative nation but is a risk to its
wellbeing also. It is a strategy that turns politics into a one-man
show. [& ]
The protests in Gezi Park in 0stanbul are just an outcome of this one-man
show. The protesters are not particularly against the AKP government, they
are not against Abdullah G?l for instance, and there are AKP supporters
among them. What they are against is Erdo an and his bossy language
in politics.
The nature of the protests indicates that the AKP strategists failed
to sees the rising public anger toward Erdo an as they try to promote
Erdo an as the one and only true politician. While the AKP strategists
underlining there is no alternative to Erdo an, therefore, building
their strategy to remove all political alternatives from the scene
and keep the opposition weak, the Gezi protests mobilized peoples'
anti-Erdo an sentiments.
This is an absolute disaster for Erdo an and his team. They need to alter
their strategy. Either they need to carve out a friendlier and welcoming
leader who plays the role of Mother Teresa and expect Erdo an to play
such a role successfully, or they need to find a new legitimate target
for Erdo an to fight against to mobilize the AKP supporters around
him one more time. [& ] I think it would not be a mistake to predict:
the one-man show has ended."
Under the title "The Battle of Taksim and beyond", Burak Bekdil wrote
in Hurriyet (05.06.13):
"[& ] Once again, Mr. Erdo an looked amusingly unconvincing when
he tagged hundreds of thousands of protesters as "looters, marginal
and members of illegal organizations;" or when he blamed nationwide
protests on "foreign enemies who envy Turkey." But for the deaf,
useful and disposable idiots, Mr. Erdo an once again clarified his
understanding of democracy: Dissent is legal only when expressed at the
ballot box! (His words).
The past four days were no doubt "scary" for Mr. Erdo an and his men,
although one government MP shrugged off the protests, saying "they think
they can start a revolution with their drunken heads." Honorable members
of parliament; the drunken heads made the headlines all around the world
except Turkey where "top news channels" preferred to broadcast cooking
programs at the same moments their foreign colleagues were covering the
protests in every detail. Self-censorship could not have been exposed
better.
[?]
The Battle of Taksim was a psychological victory for the protesters. Now
they are more confident than before that in the next battle the police
will have to kill them, not just spray them with tear gas ? unless of
course the police launched a discreet witch-hunt in the days ahead and
arrested thousands of dissidents on charges of being members of various
unheard of terrorist organizations. We know from his own statements that
there is hardly a very thin line between what dissent and terrorism mean
to Mr Erdo an. [& ]
"On the other hand, one of Erdogan's supporters and assistant, Yalcin
Akdogan, who is writing under the pseudonym Yasin Dogan, wrote the
following in Yeni Safak (05.06.13) under the title "Opportunists and
Fallen Masks":
"Different circles seeking to take advantage of the incidents in Taksim
all have different agendas. Everybody wants something different?
On the one hand there are regular people enraged for such reasons as
"trees, shopping malls and police violence." [?] On the other hand there
is the CHP [Republican People's Party] and its supporters who failed
to cope with the government at the ballot box and who are now trying
to topple the government by gathering all the marginal elements in a
status quo bloc. Among them are illegal organizations known for their
actions that verge on terrorism, and for the law and order problems they
are creating.
Some are trying to bring down the government, harm it and weaken it.
Others are trying to teach the government a lesson or warn it. It can be
seen that those who are over-critical of the government, especially just
recently, have succumbed to the thrill of "let us slap them a few times
while we are at it."
What is really sad about this business is the way certain
liberal/left-wing/democrat persons who are criticizing the government
for shortcomings in democracy or style and manner, are acting in unison
with a bloc that fights against just these ideals and values, and they
are applauding them.
Those circles delivering an environmental message or criticizing the
government's style did indeed perform a function at one stage of this
process. The other stage of this process sees a different band that is
trying to bring down the elected government by engaging in political
schemes and provocation. They are opposed to the core to the 12 Sept
referendum, to the new constitution and to the [Kurd] solution process.
This bloc, which is neo-nationalist and to some degree fascist, would
drown our veteran democrats in two inches of water given half a chance.
While these veteran democrats are criticizing the government with
not being democratic enough and with not taking progressive steps,
these neo-nationalist are subjecting the government to flak calling
them traitors. It is nothing short of irony to see these two different
mindsets working side by side on diametrically opposed pretexts.
All of them are waging a fight at the center of which they have placed
Tayyip Erdogan. Some people cannot stand his political existence.
Some want to scratch his charisma and rattle him. Those people who
are tagging on to the status quo's coattails saying, "They have become
large in number, too" are reacting in such a way as to be setting a trap
for themselves.
Some of the statements made by Selahattin Demirtas warning his own people
plus the warnings made by Devlet Bahceli are the kind that will go down
in history. [..]
There are plenty of opportunists with personal interest or seeking to
gain political ground by benefiting from all the smoke. They will be
noted as a disgrace and a scream.
The CHP for its part is going to pay the price both legally and
politically for the damage, the provocation and the plot.
The games of those who want to organize politics by propagating fear
are plain for all to see. Let nobody assume that it is not known
or understood who is trying to do what, or what kind of underhanded
manipulation is being attempted. This affair has removed the masks so
that everybody's true face can better be seen."
Erdal Coskun, TPAO's exploration manager, said during a two-day Black
Sea Oil and Gas Conference that ended yesterday, the following: "TPAO's
operations in the Black Sea leave a great deal to be desired considering
Turkey has a 1,650-kilometer coast. But we're hopeful to obtain results
with the new deals with other oil explorer companies and thanks to
the better-than-expected performance of Turkey's new seismic vessel,
Barbaros Hayrettin Paa,' which began operations in the region a few
months ago", he added.
Turkey's exploration activities in the Black Sea basins date back to
the early 1970s, but the country, desperately searching for energy,
has fostered its operations there only in the last 10 years. TPAO had
established several joint venture projects with giant international
companies including Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Petrobras and BP but failed
to accomplish significant discoveries.
International actors' interest in the region has freshened with a
mouth-watering discovery by Romania in the Neptune block in the Black Sea,
Coskun told the Hurriyet Daily News on the sidelines of the conference.
TPAO and oil giant Royal Dutch Shell have already begun to explore jointly
for oil in the Black Sea with a deal reached in February. According to
the deal, Shell is bearing the cost of deep-sea operations while drilling
is jointly funded.
Coskun said that now two other partnerships in the region were in the
pipeline for TPAO.
"We're currently negotiating with two companies for two different
wells. One of them is entering the region for the first time, but we
had a partnership in the Black Sea with the other one," Coskun said,
without giving any further details about the names.
In his remarks Coskun also praised Barbaros Hayrettin Paa's performance
in the region and said the seismic vessel, which conducts two- and
three-dimensional seismic surveys, might serve in Shell's own operations
as well. After completing its duty in the Black Sea, the vessel will go to
off-shore fields of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea to explore for energy.
Erdal Coskun added further, that the companies TPAO will jointly apply
with for the rights to explore for oil and gas off the coast of Lebanon
have been determined and the consortium will place its bid in November.
Encouraged by Cyprus' and Israel's impressive oil and gas reserve
findings, Lebanon has decided to get its share from Mediterranean sources
and kicked off the bidding process for offshore oil and gas licenses.
A total of 52 companies from 25 countries submitted applications during
the pre-qualification round.
"The process is going smoothly for Turkey," TPAO vice president Yurdal
Oztas told the Hurriyet Daily News.
Neither manager specified the name of the firms Turkey has partnered
up with.
The Lebanese authorities will finalize their decision by next February,
Coskun said.
He noted: "The fundamental issue we put emphasis on is to make
an agreement having as starting point the existing realities in
Cyprus. Otherwise new areas of conflict will come up and what you call
agreement will be returned into a document which creates the ground
for conflict".
Replying to a question on the Annan Plan, Eroglu alleged: "The Annan
Plan belongs to the past. Of course, it is possible to be benefited
from all the documents prepared until today, from all the framework
agreements. However, as it is written in the Annan Plan itself, it
has ceased to exist because it was rejected by one of the sides in the
referendum. In spite of the fact that the current President of the Greek
Cypriot Administration Nikos Anastasiades had carried out a 'yes' campaign
during the referendum process for the Annan Plan in 2004, now he is in a
position of being the main opponent of the Annan Plan. The National Unity
Party under my leadership in 2004, had carried out a campaign for the
'no' vote. In my view, the Annan Plan is not a solution plan. On the
contrary, it was a plan that would create unrest".
Eroglu alleged that two "states" exist now in Cyprus, even though the
"TRNC", breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus, is recognized
only by Turkey and claimed: "No one can change this reality. Two states
are living side by side at the moment. We will see. I repeat: A solution
is possible having as starting point the existing realities in Cyprus".
Asked to comment on the proposal as regards the return of the occupied
fenced city of Varosha to its legal Greek Cypriot owners and the
opening of the occupied Famagusta port under the auspices of the EU,
Eroglu alleged:
"The issue of Varosha has come many times onto the agenda in the one
way or the other, but at the moment for us it is an issue that should be
included in the comprehensive solution. The view put forward by motherland
Turkey on the issue of the opening of the ports is the lifting of the
embargo imposed by the Greek Cypriots for a port in the TRNC in return for
the opening of a port in Turkey for the Greek Cypriot side. If they come
to this point, it will happen, if not, no conclusion could be reached".
(I/Ts.)
Particularly, the "council of minister" distributed plots of land to
the following companies and private person:
Firm's name of the meeting of the "ministerial council"
Adil Construction Occupied Kythrea 22.05.13
Kaya Touristic Installations Occupied Karakoumi 27.05.13
"TRNC School Driver's Union" Kermiya/Agios Dometios 27.05.13
Tufekci Ltd Occupied Gastria 29.05.13
Coskun Gungor Occupied Rizokarpaso 27.05.13
Cuvalcioglu and Sons Ltd Occupied Neapoli 27.05.13
Haluk Mut-Vural Mut Occupied Ortakoy-Mintzeli 27.05.13
"Keryeia American University" (GAU) Occupied Keryneia 29.05.13
Nephews Tourism Ltd Occupied Trikomo 29.05.13
ASOK LTD Occupied Mia Milia 22.05.13
AK
Self-styled prime minister Kucuk was expected to submit his resignation
today to the Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu, who after that should consult
with the political parties and assign a party leader or an "MP" with the
establishment of the "government", provided that Eroglu is convinced that
this party leader or "MP" will be able to secure a "vote of confidence'
by the "assembly".
After the "motion of census" was adopted, Hasan Bozer, self-styled speaker
of the "assembly" said that there was no time limit for Kucuk to submit
his resignation to Eroglu and added that the person assigned by Eroglu
with the duty of establishing a "government" should do this within 15
days. The names of the "ministers" should be approved by Eroglu and the
"assembly", he said adding that the program of the "government" should
be submitted to the "assembly" within seven days. The discussion and the
vote of confidence lasted for three days, he noted and expressed doubts
as to whether the 'government" and the "assembly" will be able to carry
out their duty in a sound manner until the "elections".
(I/Ts.)
Addressing the congress, the general secretary of the party, Bengu Sonya
said that are only 53 days away from coming to "power" and that they
will come out as the first party from the "elections" of 28 July.
The new logo of the party is similar to the old one. The only change is
that the expression "National Forces" is added under the torch and the
initials "DP", in the place of "DP" and "1992".
Addressing the congress, Ahmet Kasif, leader of the eight "MPs" who
resigned from the UBP, said that their party would come first in the
"elections" and argued that fear has ended now in the occupied area of
Cyprus, where the freedom of expression has started.
(I/Ts.)
The institute economists note that this is the first rise in exports
since the last quarter of 2011.
According to the figures, the main export industry is chemicals and
oil distillates, which made up about 75% of all exports to Turkey in
the first quarter. Total chemical and oil distillate exports recorded
a sharp increase of 67% from the first quarter last year, totaling some
420 million dollars.
YH/ http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio
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