Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 13-12-03

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu: the Turkish side wants the "founding states" to be sovereign

[02] "Positive messages" after a meeting between Denktas and Sertoglu

[03] Elcil warns Bagis that mules-like Cypriots are able to kick as well

[04] Turkish Cypriot businessman says no embargo is implemented on the breakaway regime

[05] Talat commented on Papadopoulos's election to DIKO leadership: If he is like his dad, it is going to be a disaster

[06] Turkey did not include occupied Cyprus for geographical indication for raki

[07] CTP election congress to be held on Sunday

[08] Turkish government profiling went on until 2013, report claims

[09] Arinc: 'Transformation' of Turkey's private tutoring centers likely to be completed by 2015

[10] CHP Washington Office was opened in the USA

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu: the Turkish side wants the "founding states" to be sovereign

Eroglu argued that President Anastasiades demands single sovereignty, single international identity and single citizenship as well as the continuation of the Republic of Cyprus. Eroglu went on and said that the Turkish side wants an agreement in which the "founding states" will be sovereign, a new state which could give citizenship is established, and Turkey's active and effective guarantees and bi-zonality will continue. He claimed, inter alia, the following: "?Mr Anastasiades is very far from a solution, which the Turkish Cypriot people could accept. As the esteemed Cemil Cicek, Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) said on Wednesday, 'there could be no marriage by force'. Either a new bi-zonal federal state, which will be based on political equality and the founding states will be coming together, will be established, or new evaluations and new solution formulas will come up".

Referring to the agreement signed in Zurich between the Cyprus Football Association (CFA), the Turkish Cypriot so-called football association (TCFA), FIFA and UEFA, Eroglu said he wants the Turkish Cypriot football players to have contacts abroad and this "injustice" to end, but "the Greek Cypriot side is not sincere". He alleged that the only goal of the Greek Cypriots is to dominate over the Turkish Cypriots and to use this in politics as well.

Eroglu argued that the "coalition partners" in the so-called government should be sensitive on this issue and agree on a "common point" after discussing the issue between them. "Yes, the federations are autonomous, but it is the government's, the state's duty to get into action on issues that concern the government and the state", he claimed.

(I/Ts.)

[02] "Positive messages" after a meeting between Denktas and Sertoglu

Addressing the "assembly", Denktas argued that he had only said some realities and warned regarding the process. He noted that he is a politician who attaches importance to political equality and added this does not happen only in their relations with the Greek Cypriots.

He went on and argued: "Whomever I meet I try to make him feel that I am politically equal. If, as a person elected, I meet with someone who is appointed, I try to make this difference understood. I may not be loved because of this. I do not care at all. If I am a representative elected with the will of this country, whoever I talk with as politician who believes in this state, I want my interlocutor to know the representation power given to me by my people and respect this representation power".

Denktas noted that the decision as regards the Turkish Cypriot football belongs to the clubs and the general assembly of the "federation", but added that it is his duty to warn them when he sees that they take some wrong steps. He said that during the meetings he had held with the clubs, he underlined the points on which they are "sensitive". He argued that he would be happy if the "deficiencies" in the text of the agreement are overcome and a text that takes into consideration their "equality" is approved by the general assembly of the "federation".

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (03.12.13) reports that Serdar Denktas, who has exhibited negative stance against the provisional agreement signed in Zurich between the CFA, "TCFA", FIFA and UEFA, met yesterday with the chairman of the "TCFA", Hasan Sertoglu. According to the paper, "positive and constructive statements" were made after the meeting.

The paper writes that before the meeting Sertoglu thanked Denktas for his address at the "assembly" during which he had expressed his respect to the decision of the football clubs, describing as "warning" the "concerns" he had expressed. Sertoglu gave the message that from now on they will be noting Denktas' warnings and try to cooperate with him, writes Kibris.

He said, inter alia, the following: "We have passed into a very different stage of the process now. We have completed the first stage and passed into the second one. We will consult with everyone in the second part as well. We have informed the esteemed minister about this. We came to convey to him in detail what we have done at the briefing of the clubs. We came to find out esteem minister's views?"

He went on and argued that asking for someone's views is not the same as taking instructions from him.

In his statements, Denktas said that what had been experienced during the process remained in the past, that they respect the decision of the clubs and that they will help so that everyone does his bit in order for taking positive steps for the future of the young people.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Elcil warns Bagis that mules-like Cypriots are able to kick as well

Elcil said that the statements made by Turkish officials are without any concern for appropriateness and stated that mules can also kick.

Elcil went on and said the following: "They keep Varosha closed, they transfer population in the island usurping our political rights, and they are looting the Greek Cypriot properties. They changed the names of the places by force, they have created a puppet regime which is connected to them, and police is bind to them. The [Turkish] ambassador is interfering in any of our jobs, the Turkish Cypriot community is subject to culture assimilation due to the Quran lessons the mosques and the complex of buildings adjacent to mosques", Elcil said and noted: It seems Bagis who says that wants solution conveniently forgets all these.

[04] Turkish Cypriot businessman says no embargo is implemented on the breakaway regime

He went on and pointed out: "On the one side we say that embargo is implemented and on the other that we carry out exports to 40-50 countries. This is a big contradiction".

Eruklu noted that his company is now trying to strengthen its presence in ten countries and added that they export ice, which is included among the products that are very difficult to be exported. "In spite of this, we are carrying out exports to many countries. Consequently, even our exporting net is an indication that there is no embargo on the TRNC".

He said that his company is active as of 2007 and that in 2013 it carried out exports of ice to Turkey, Iraq and the EU. He noted that they are working on adding Australia in their market and their target afterwards is America and Japan.

He said, inter alia, the following: "We continuously say that there is embargo on the TRNC, lift the embargo. However, there is no embargo on the TRNC. We shout and make calls for the lifting of the embargo. When someone asks us which embargo we should lift, we cannot reply to him. Absolutely no TIR of mine was forced to wait at the port or to return back?"

(I/Ts.)

[05] Talat commented on Papadopoulos's election to DIKO leadership: If he is like his dad, it is going to be a disaster

He went on and said that the Nicolas Papadopoulos approach as regards the Cyprus problem and the Turkish Cypriot side does not leave room for hopes. "But we have to wait and see", Talat stated.

Commenting on the common declaration between the two sides in Cyprus, Talat stated that he was accused of making contradictory statements on the issue. "I said that in the past there was no need for a common declaration [?] hoverer now is a necessity", Talat stated adding that now UN and EU are putting pressure over it. "We turn an inessential issue into something important", he stated.

[06] Turkey did not include occupied Cyprus for geographical indication for raki

According to Cirali, Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry asked for occupied Cyprus inclusion but the Izmir Chamber of Trade was against it. As a result, raki that is produced in occupied Cyprus cannot use that name anymore.

[Tr. Note: Raki is an alcoholic liqueur flavored with anise, made in Turkey and the Balkans.]

[07] CTP election congress to be held on Sunday

The candidates for the position of the CTP leadership, are the current chairman and self-styled prime minister Ozkan Yorgnacioglu and CTP's general secretary Asim Akansoy.

According to the paper 1.117 commissioners will have the right to vote.

The paper writes that if Yorgancioglu loses, he will resign from the "prime ministry".

[08] Turkish government profiling went on until 2013, report claims

According to the report, the profiling of individuals did not end in 2010 as previously claimed, but it continued between 2011 and 2013. Those mainly profiled are reportedly followers of Hizmet, a faith-based movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen. The daily also claimed that other religious groups that voiced criticism or disapproval of the government's activities were also profiled, mainly civil servants or those who planned or hoped to be employed in a state post.

Monday's report is part of a series of leaks the Taraf daily has published in the past few days revealing a National Security Council (MGK) document that asks the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to curtail the activities of Gulen, both in Turkey and abroad. The document, endorsed in 2004, was signed by a number of officials, including Erdogan, then-Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and then-Justice Minister Cemil Cicek.

Shortly after the leaks, senior AK Party member Omer Dincer, who served as Prime Ministry undersecretary in 2004, said the MGK decision was not implemented and that the document Taraf published was a remnant of the previous government, which was determined to fight against "reactionary religious activities." The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) formed its first government in 2002.

The Taraf report, however, claimed that the government set up a new department at the Prime Ministry in lieu of the BUTKK and that that department blacklisted people between 2011 and 2013.

According to the Taraf report, many individuals were blacklisted for various reasons, such as making Eid al-Adha donations, reading Risale-i Nur, a multiple-volume commentary on the Quran, staying at dormitories owned by religious groups or just on the suspicion that those individuals may be linked to religious groups.

Among profiled individuals are civil servants, academics at universities, businessmen, lawyers and district governors. Those blacklisted also include individuals who attended private educational institutions, including both regular schools and prep schools, who are "suspected of having links to reactionary activities," as well as residents of private university dorms owned and run by those institutions.

On Monday, Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz spoke to reporters and denied Taraf's claims. He said individuals and institutions were not blacklisted or monitored as the government has never taken any action in line with the 2004 MGK document. "Many regulations and laws have been adopted [in Turkey's history], and many of them have not been implemented. Thus, we should not pay heed to some claims," the minister stated, in reference to blacklisting claims put forward by Taraf.

Erdogan has yet to make any remark on the document, which also bears his signature.

[09] Arinc: 'Transformation' of Turkey's private tutoring centers likely to be completed by 2015

Following Monday's cabinet meeting, Arinc told a press conference that dershanes were not needed anymore.

"What is needed now is to open new schools and ensure that students will get prepared for university entrance exams with full knowledge they obtain in these schools," Arinc said. "This can only be done by encouraging the owners of dershanes, not by putting pressure." He reiterated that dershanes will not be closed but transformed into private schools.

Arinc expressed hope that the transformation of dershanes will be completed by September 2015.

Dershanes have played a huge part in Turkey, acting as supplementary educators for students who desire a better education chance by entering elite high schools and more prestigious universities. Many parents send their children to dershane programs in which students receive intense curriculum coverage and excel in multiple choice tests in a bid to offer them a better education opportunity in the future.

[10] CHP Washington Office was opened in the USA

A delegation on CHP, headed by its chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu is visiting USA with a delegation of 11 deputies for four days and is expected to meet with a number of US officials from the White House, the Department of State, the Pentagon and Congress. In statements during the ceremony, Kilicdaroglu said that his party wants to have a stronger presence in the US.

According to CHP officials, Kilicdaroglu is the first CHP leader to visit Washington in 37 years. Kilicdaroglu said that it looks like the CHP was not previously successful in informing Americans about the party and the changes it has been through and he stressed that more CHP members will come to Washington in the coming days to talk about the party's thoughts and expectations on Turkey and foreign policy. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/X.CHR.

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article