Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 13-07-08

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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] AKP sent election campaign experts to help UBP campaign

[02] Serdar Denktas said that they want a Cyprus settlement based on the "realities" in the island

[03] Nami said there is no signing campaign for the representation of the Turkish Cypriots in the European Parliament

[04] Eroglu and Ertug reiterated their view that the opening of the fenced off town of Varosha is part of a comprehensive solution

[05] Around 445 thousand persons entered illegally the breakaway regime in the first five months of 2013

[06] Ankara in diplomacy to undo Egypt coup

[07] President Gul denies claims that he is establishing a new party

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] AKP sent election campaign experts to help UBP campaign

According to the paper, which sites statements by the chairman of the Democratic Party (DP) Serdar Denktas, AKP sent an experts' team which not only will work for UBP, but also will create speculations and political maneuvers in its favour. "As you can see we are entering a very dirty campaign period" Serdar Denktas stated.

Afrika comments on the issue noting that for one more time, Ankara is actively interfering in the "elections" of the breakaway regime and writes that these "elections" are not legitimate and these interventions are preventing the "electorate" from deciding to cast its "vote".

[02] Serdar Denktas said that they want a Cyprus settlement based on the "realities" in the island

Denktas said that they want an agreement on the Cyprus problem based on the "realities" in the island, adding that they want to believe that the new negotiation process planning to start soon will bring a solution. However, he said, the new process does not give them a lot of hope. He argues that the Cyprus problem has been drugged on for too long.

Furthermore, Serdar said that nobody has the right to behave unjustly to the Turkish Cypriots by saying that the solution process continues. He noted that the Turkish Cypriots are tired of the uncertainty and the lack of results from the negotiations.

Serdar also said that the most important issue that they should be careful in case of the resumption of the Cyprus talks, is the approach on the issues of cross-vote and sovereignty.

Commenting on the latest debates on who has the right to obtain a "citizenship" of the breakaway regime, Serdar said that the right of getting someone a "citizenship" will be agreed again accordingly to the "realities" in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus.

[03] Nami said there is no signing campaign for the representation of the Turkish Cypriots in the European Parliament

Speaking to the "BRT", Mr. Nami said: "The Turkish Cypriot representation issue will be taken up in October and not before".

He said that while he was in Strasburg, he gave a letter regarding Turkish Cypriot representation that was prepared by the 4 political parties represented within the "TRNC parliament" to the officials in Strasburg and nothing more.

[04] Eroglu and Ertug reiterated their view that the opening of the fenced off town of Varosha is part of a comprehensive solution

On the same issue, illegal Bayrak television (05.07.13) broadcast that Eroglu's special representative Osman Ertug, argued that the latest reports in the Greek Cypriot press concerning a package of proposals for the fenced off town of Varosha were an attempt to create an artificial agenda on the Cyprus problem.

Ertug, in a written statement issued on Saturday, said that the Greek Cypriot Administration, as he refers to the Cyprus government, must abandon its delaying tactics at a time when efforts were underway to restart the Cyprus negotiations process.

Claiming that the fenced off town of Varosha was widely accepted by the international community to be part of a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem, Ertu
said that the European Union was not a side at the Cyprus negotiations process and therefore such attempts by the Greek Cypriot side to drag it into such initiatives were meaningless.

Responding to the Greek Cypriot reports that the  package' of proposals was to be passed onto Ankara through the channels of the EU Commission; Ertu
said: "The negotiating table is the only place for such serious proposals to be made and the Turkish Cypriot side is the only correct address."

[05] Around 445 thousand persons entered illegally the breakaway regime in the first five months of 2013

According to the paper, 424.166 persons entered the breakaway regime in the first five months of 2012 while 444.160 entered the breakaway regime in the first five months of 2013.

The paper writes that 65.56% of those entered where citizens of the Republic of Turkey, 17.65% citizens of third countries and 16.78% "TRNC citizens".

Kibris also reports that in the same period 1.195.403 persons entered the breakaway regime from the crossing points while 1.194.403 departed from occupied Cyprus using the crossing points as well.

Referring to the same period, the paper writes that the majority of persons entering the breakaway regime came from Turkey, the UK (Turkish Cypriots who immigrated to the UK and visiting), Germany, Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan.

[06] Ankara in diplomacy to undo Egypt coup

Led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo
an and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto
lu, Ankara's diplomatic campaign includes the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and prominent Arab countries, such as Qatar.

"Our message is clear: Call this a coup," a senior Foreign Ministry official told the H?rriyet Daily News yesterday. "Military coups are unacceptable, in Egypt or elsewhere. Undoing the coup and re-instating the toppled government should be the priorities of countries with a democratic understanding."

For Turkey, establishing an interim government is meaningless and what should be done is to announce immediate elections with no restrictions on any political group, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

"Not underlining these points would be a very bad message to not only Egyptians but to those who are in search of democracy in other parts of the world," a senior Foreign Ministry official told the Daily News yesterday.

Erdo
an called Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the U.N. late on July 6, following Davuto
lu's intense phone diplomacy with his American and Qatari counterparts, John Kerry and Khalid al-Atiyya, respectively, as well as some other regional and European politicians over the weekend.

Turkey found itself alone in strongly condemning the Egyptian army's ouster of Morsi as a coup d'?tat and calling on the Egyptian military to restore the democratically elected government with full power; its allies in the Arab world and in the West, however, either congratulated the army or preferred to use a milder language against the plotters.

Turkey's deepest disappointment came from its prominent Arab allies, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which were the frontrunners in congratulating the new transitional leadership and the army that conducted the coup.

"There is a serious disappointment with regard to their approach. We have made clear to them that this process in Egypt will be an important test for the Arab Spring. We hope they will revise their position and will adopt a similar line with ours," the official said. Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been in close cooperation in efforts to topple the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria since mid-2011, in the latest chain of the Arab Spring movement. It remains unclear how developments in Egypt will affect ongoing international efforts to push a defiant al-Assad to agree to a political transition.

Diplomatic sources told the Daily News that Ban represented the world's most important institution and that his tone in condemning the coup was consequently very important.

According to the statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office, Erdo
an expressed his concerns over the suspension of the democratic process as a result of coup in Egypt and underlined the importance of immediately establishing civilian rule through elections.

Davuto
lu and Kerry have exchanged at least three phone conversations since July 3, the first one before and the last two after the coup. Although the language Washington would use in condemning the coup in Egypt is very important, for Ankara, its influence over the Egyptian army is very vital in both preventing the street demonstrations from producing bloodshed and in starting a normalization process in the country. The arbitrary detentions of opponents or opening fire on civilians could cause unwanted scenes in the country, Ankara said.

Although Turkey, the U.S. and other prominent countries agree on the need to hand power back to civilian rule immediately, questions on how it will take place is also crucial for the Turkish government.

[07] President Gul denies claims that he is establishing a new party

In a similar reaction, Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman R1
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lu also denied rumors that he will be the interim president of the new party until President Gul allegedly takes over. Hisarc1
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lu said on Saturday, via a written statement in which he condemned the "scenario," that he has already denied the baseless news that he is establishing a political party with President Gul.

He said that TOBB's only aim is to do its part as a member of the private sector in helping Turkey reaches its 2023 goals. "We are not focusing on anything else," Hisarc1
kl1
o
lu added, stating that such rumors are intentionally trying to create factions among people in Turkey. "Turkey is being blocked [from further progress] by means of such false reporting and anti-democratic methods," Hisarc1
kl1
o
lu reacted to the report.

Ruling out the possibility of TOBB establishing a party, Hisarc1
kl1
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lu said that TOBB's biggest focus is to make Turkey one of the top 10 economies in the world. "As the chairman of TOBB I have said several times since 2001 that I will not get involved in any political activity" he reiterated.

Rumors that President Gul is planning to establish a party as an alternative to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) appear in the Turkish media from time to time.

[08] Opinion poll shows AKP being the first party despite Gezi Park incidents

According to the results of the survey, which was conducted through personal interviews with 2,294 respondents, 63.4 percent of Turkey's population did not support the Gezi Park protests.

According to the poll, which was conducted between 20 June and 3 July 2013 across Turkey, only 19.2 percent of the general population participated [as published, presumably supported] the demonstrations. While answers to the question "For which party would you vote if elections were held today?" varied for local and general elections, the poll resuts show that the AKP would win more than 50 percent of the vote in both elections.

In response to the question on "the type of action" the Gezi Park incidents represented, 53.4 percent of the respondents agreed that "the actions were organized by illegal organizations." In addition, 31.8 percent agreed that the protests were a "quest for democratic rights," and 14.8 percent agreed that these were "protests by civilian environmentalist." Some of the most dramatic results of the poll can be found in the answers given to questions on behind-the-scenes factors in the Gezi Park incidents. For example, 61.7 percent of the responded agreed that the incidents were not as they seemed and that "there was something else behind the scenes." Similarly, 64.2 percent of the responded agreed that the Gezi Park incidents had an international aspect that targeted the government and Turkey.

The poll also sought answers to the question of which party supported the Gezi Park incidents and to what extent. Specifically, 90 percent of CHP voters supported the Gezi Park protests. Similarly, 48.1 percent of BDP [Peace and Democracy Party] voters, 46.2 percent of MHP [Nationalist Action Party] voters, and 5.7 percent of AKP voters said that they support the protests.

Another issue examined by the poll was the narrative that the Gezi Park incidents were an expression of "anger against the AKP and Erdogan." When asked whether they are "angry at Erdogan," 68.7 percent of the respondents answered "no, I am not." At the same time, 55.3 percent of the respondents said "I trust Erdogan" and 57.3 percent said "I would like Erdogan to remain prime minister until the end of his term." In contrast, only 26 percent of the respondents expressed support for the election of [CHP General Chairman Kemal] Kilicdaroglu as prime minister.

The respondents were also asked: "For which party would you vote if elections were held today?" The respondents' answers echo differences for municipal [local] and general elections. Nonetheless, the share of the AKP's vote did not drop below 50 percent for either election. In addition, 56 percent of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the actions of the AKP government. If local elections were held today, the AKP would win 50.8 percent of the vote; the CHP would win 27.1 percent, the MHP 12.8 percent, and the BDP 6.5 percent. Conversely, if general elections were held today, the AKP would win 50.2 percent of the vote; the CHP would win 27 percent, the MHP 13.2 percent, and the BDP 6.5 percent.

The poll participants were also asked about the solution process, which has fallen to the lower ranks of the public agenda in recent days. According to the poll results, 72.1 percent of the respondents expressed support for the process. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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