Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-02-17

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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] The water issue determines the fate of the "coalition government" by Friday

[02] Ozersay calls on for early "elections"

[03] Eroglu: No concessions can be made on the issue of Turkish guarantees

[04] The remains of three missing persons were found in the occupied area of Cyprus

[05] Kilicdaroglu: "We wrote our nationalism on Pentadaktylos Mountains"

[06] Slovakia wants to organize an activity in cooperation with the "Turkish municipality of Nicosia" during its EU term presidency

[07] Cavusoglu: Unrealistic for Turkey, Saudi, Qatar to conduct ground ops in Syria alone

[08] CHP head again accuses Turkish gov't of sending arms to jihadists

[09] HDP vows to stop Erdogan becoming Turkey's "chief commander"

[10] MHP leader urges gov't not to repeat 'Iraq mistake'

[11] Constitution Conciliation Committee dissolves as CHP leaves table

[12] Curfew declared in south-eastern town, residents flee

[13] CHP member sentenced to 21 months in jail for 'insulting' Erdogan

[14] Pro-gov't daily claims 500 rebels crossed into Syria through Turkey to fight against YPG

[15] Interior Minister acknowledges 'ethnic group code' given to Turkey's minorities

[16] Survey: 30% of Turks would prefer to hold citizenship of another country

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] The water issue determines the fate of the "coalition government" by Friday

Noting that the "water crisis has almost brought the government to an endpoint", the paper writes that CTP's chairman, Mehmet Ali Talat said yesterday that their party and "government" are continuously working for developing formulas which will secure the administration and operation of the water in the most correct and effective manner. Talat noted that they will continue their efforts under every condition and added that the CTP does not have to be in the "government" in order to exist and offer services to the "people".

Meanwhile, self-styled minister of agriculture, Erkut Sahali, who comes from the CTP, said yesterday that he was considering of resigning due to the water crisis, but he is not avoiding responsibility during such a difficult period and remains in his post. In statements during a television program, Sahali noted that if it is thought that his resignation would be a solution for the existing problems, he prefers to be removed from his duties. Sahali argued that if the "government" is unable to carry out its duties, the "prime minister" who is heading the "coalition" is the one that should resign.

Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (17.02.16) reports that the UBP is annoyed by the CTP's stance on the administration of the water from Turkey. During the meeting of the "council of ministers" today, the "ministers" of the UBP will ask from the self-styled prime minister Omer Kalyoncu to sign the text which had been agreed in Turkey last week. The UBP's general secretary, Dursun Oguz alleged Kalyoncu's stance harms the "government and the country" and prevents the reforms. He argued that Kalyoncu rejects now something which he had accepted in the past on the water issue. "The zigzags of the prime minister put his own ministers into a difficult position", he claimed.

In addition, Turkish Cypriot daily Diyalog newspaper (17.02.16) reports that after a three and half hour meeting of the UBP's "parliamentary group" yesterday, the party's chairman, Huseyin Ozgurgun said that they expect the signing of the agreement reached in Ankara during today's meeting of the "council of ministers" and added that Kalyoncu should resign if he does not do this. According to Diyalog, the majority of the UBP "deputies" who spoke during the meeting yesterday expressed the view that the "government" has stopped being serious and its resignation is inevitable.

Finally, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (17.02.16) reports that Serdar Denktas, chairman of the Democratic Party ? National Forces (DP-UG) said yesterday that the CTP-UBP "government" has ended. Both Denktas and DP-UG's general secretary, Hasan Tacoy noted that they are positive to a "coalition" between the DP-UG and the UBP. "Our door is open. If a proposal comes, we will evaluate it", stated Denktas.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Ozersay calls on for early "elections"

Ozersay was evaluating the latest developments in the breakaway regime and the political crisis which occurred in the "coalition government" of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and the National Unity Party (UBP) on the administration of the water transferred from Turkey.

Ozersay said that the "coalition government" which as he said, lost its reputation, does not bring reforms but only trouble to the "people" and added that the only way for solutions to be found to the problems is to go to early "elections" so that a new "government" able to solve the issues and to negotiate is formed.

(CS)

[03] Eroglu: No concessions can be made on the issue of Turkish guarantees

Eroglu stated that the Turkish guarantees is a necessity for the Turkish Cypriots and claimed that when taking into consideration the intentions of the Greek Cypriot side as well as the developments around the world, it becomes clear how important the guarantees are: "We must not make concessions", he stated.

Asked about the water crisis, Eroglu stated that the "government" did not handle the issue in a successful way. "If it were me, I would have not let the situation to come to this point and I would have found a solution during the stage of the preparation of the project", he stated, adding that on the one hand the "prime minister" gives orders and the "ministers" go to Turkey and reach an agreement and on the other hand the Turkish Republican Party's assembly rejects the agreement. "Governments come and go both in Turkey and here but what is important is the people. Our greatest supporter is Turkey and I am concerned that we are losing our public support in Turkey because of the water crisis", he stated. Eroglu added: "It is as though someone wants the strong relationship between the TRNC and Turkey to be destroyed and this is a cause of concern".

Finally, he referred to the property issue on the Cyprus negotiations and stated that the statements made by Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci that priority will be given to the owners of the properties before 1974 and that the position of current occupiers of disputed properties will be evaluated, is wrong. "Akinci's statements just show what kind of problems will be experienced by the Turkish Cypriots on the property issue", he stated.

(CS)

[04] The remains of three missing persons were found in the occupied area of Cyprus

According to the officials, in the framework of the excavations, the remains of two Greek Cypriots were found in occupied Keumurju village and of one Greek Cypriot in the occupied village of Agios Georgios Keryneias. The officials said that excavation works continue in these areas and in other areas as well such as the occupied villages of Vouno, Epicho and Livadia.

They added that in the excavations taking place in a military zone in occupied Agios Georgios no remains were found yet.

The officials called everyone who has any information about missing persons, to contact them in order to help in the Committee's mission and work.

(AK)

[05] Kilicdaroglu: "We wrote our nationalism on Pentadaktylos Mountains"

(AK)

[06] Slovakia wants to organize an activity in cooperation with the "Turkish municipality of Nicosia" during its EU term presidency

According to the statement, Ambassador Tomova recalled that Slovakia has been carrying out meetings for many years in order to secure the rapprochement of the two communities in Cyprus. Tomova briefed Harmanci on the bi-communal meetings organized by her Embassy between political parties and civilian organizations, adding that these meetings contribute to the development of the relations between the two communities.

Expressing her appreciation about Harmanci's work and especially his positive personality that contributes in the realization of bi-communal activities, Tomova said that Slovakia will undertake EU's term presidency as of 1 July 2016 and within this framework they want to organize an activity in cooperation with the "LTB".

Harmanci thanked Tomova for Slovakia's contribution to the peace process in Cyprus and its efforts for the rapprochement of the two communities.

(I/Ts.)

[07] Cavusoglu: Unrealistic for Turkey, Saudi, Qatar to conduct ground ops in Syria alone

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and some European allies want a ground operation in Syria but there is no consensus in the coalition and a strategy for such an incursion has not been seriously debated, the Foreign Minister told Reuters.

"Some countries like us, Saudi Arabia and some other Western European countries have said that a ground operation is necessary ... But to expect this only from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar is neither right nor realistic," Cavusoglu said in an interview in Ankara. "If such an operation is to take place, it has to be carried out jointly, like the (coalition) air strikes," he said.

Cavusoglu said that Turkey had repeatedly made the case for a more comprehensive strategy in Syria beyond air strikes but it had not been discussed seriously by the U.S.-led coalition.

"Of course, there would be air strikes but a cleansing on the ground is also needed. I stated in every meeting ... that Daesh could not be destroyed or stopped by air strikes," he said,

Cavusoglu said that Turkey supported the resumption of negotiations for a political solution in Syria but that they would go nowhere if Syrian government forces did not first halt their bombardments.

"One needs to be realistic. While bombs are falling from the sky and people are being massacred under the pressure of the regime or are being starved, the talks cannot be very fruitful," Cavusoglu said.

[08] CHP head again accuses Turkish gov't of sending arms to jihadists

"Turkey should not lend armed support to jihadist groups in Syria such as [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] ISIL," Kilicdaroglu said during his Feb. 16 address to the CHP's parliamentary group.

They built a training camp in Turkey. Tombs and mosques have been bombed. They said: 'Blood can pour in Syria but [Syrian President Bashar al] Assad should go.' But their real problem is not al-Assad," he added.

"You are disgracing Turkey," Kilicdaroglu added, stating that it was well-known that many jihadist groups have leaked into Syria via Turkey.

He also responded to fresh criticism from the Prime Minister earlier in the day, when Ahmet Davutoglu called for the CHP to be a "national opposition". Kilicdaroglu said that the government's foreign policy was "not national", claiming that the AKP "wants to bring Wahhabism to 21st-century Turkey."

On the same issue, Turkish daily Today's Zaman (online, 16.02.16) reports that Kilicdaroglu has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for having signed a deal with the EU allowing it to return Syrian refugees to Turkey. "Yes, you are a fool for signing the readmission agreement with the EU," CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said in reference to Erdogan's recent remark that Turkey is not so foolish as to carry the burden of the refugees alone. "How in the world can you sign such a deal when there are already 2.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey?" Kilicdaroglu added.

The CHP leader suggested that Turkey would have to tackle the issue of Syrian refugees alone as it is required, according to the deal, to stem the flow to the EU.

Kilicdaroglu called on the government to completely revise its Syrian policy, which he said has totally failed.

[09] HDP vows to stop Erdogan becoming Turkey's "chief commander"

"There is uninterrupted artillery fire against PYD [Democratic Union Party] positions in Syria," she said at her Kurdish-problem focused HDP's parliamentary group meeting on Feb. 16, disputing military statements that Turkish artillery has "returned fire" into Syria "in retaliation" for a fourth straight day.

"The government has such enmity against Kurds. It accepts being a neighbour with [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] ISIL and al-Nusra, but it cannot accept being a neighbour with Kurds," Yuksekdag said, adding that Turkey said it has operated "rules of engagement" against the PYD even though the latter has not launched any attacks against Turkey.

"They are opening the door to a very big war and chaos in the region. If a big war emerges, it will be easier for him [Erdogan] to become an executive President by becoming Chief Commander through a declaration of mobilization and martial law. As he could not become President through the democratic will of people, he wants to become President through war. He is chasing his ambition of becoming President by becoming the chief commander," Yuksekdag claimed.

Yuksekdag also stated that security operations against militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are continuing in the town of Cizre in Sirnak province, contradicting Interior Minister Efkan Ala's earlier statements that security forces had completed their operations against militants in Cizre after weeks of fighting.

[10] MHP leader urges gov't not to repeat 'Iraq mistake'

"In our opinion, a wrong look from the opposite side of history during the March 1 motion has led to opportunities going by," Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), said on Feb. 16, referring to a motion introduced by the AKP in 2003 to allow the deployment of U.S. troops in Turkey and the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq as part of Washington's military campaign against the Saddam Hussein regime.

The motion was turned down in Parliament despite the AKP majority, with around 100 AKP lawmakers voting against it despite AKP officials' efforts. "Now, in north of Syria, the PKK/PYD terror is after creating a new Kandil and opening a corridor to so-called Kurdistan. I should immediately say that this should definitely not be allowed. The goal is making a fait accompli and bringing terrorists in a state with support from the U.S. and Russia," Bahceli said, addressing a meeting of his party's parliamentary group.

[11] Constitution Conciliation Committee dissolves as CHP leaves table

CHP commission member Deputies claimed that the commission was "a plan of the presidential system" after they left the table amid discussions with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) commission member deputies over the presidential system.

CHP Deputy Head Bulent Tercan said at a press conference that the commission was a part of the presidential system plan and the Parliament Speaker [IIsmail Kahraman] declared that the commission would not work. "There is an unreal and insincere approach. We disapproved such working of the commission that would act as a subsidiary of this campaign," Tercan said, adding that they could not reach a consensus over the founding principles.

Meanwhile, AKP spokesman Omer Celik said that the Parliament was capable of writing a new constitution, while criticizing the unwillingness of the main opposition over writing the new charter. "The process of new constitution is a process managed in the name of the nation. It has been sabotaged by the CHP once again", Celik said.

[12] Curfew declared in south-eastern town, residents flee

After the statement by the governor's office, thousands of locals fled their homes on Tuesday in the district that has already seen mass departures since Interior Minister Efkan Ala's statement last week.

According to media reports, the population of the district has decreased from 30,000 to 3,000 since Ala's statement. The violence has forced thousands of local residents in the Southeast to flee, while an unknown number of civilians have also been killed. Ala signalled on Feb. 9 that further large-scale operations would be launched in Idil and the Nusaybin district of Mardin province.

[13] CHP member sentenced to 21 months in jail for 'insulting' Erdogan

According to media reports on Tuesday, Kadigil was found guilty of insulting Erdogan by the Istanbul 44th Criminal Court of First Instance. Kad?gil announced the sentence on her Twitter account on Tuesday, saying, "The Erdogan insult case, which was filed against me for defending the CHP in a trial, is over! I was sentenced to a year and nine months in prison! How great is your justice!"

She also spoke to the press in front of the Istanbul Courthouse, emphasizing it was time to prevent cases of insulting Erdogan from being filed.

"They are filing criminal complaints against everyone -- including journalists and high school and university students -- for insulting Erdogan. Nothing comes out of these cases. We, the defendants, also have to pay compensation to either the Turkish judiciary or the European Court of Human Rights [ECHR]. Erdogan is not the one who pays them. They are punishing us over baseless claims using our taxes. That is why it is high time we prevent these insult cases from being filed," Kad?gil said.

CHP Deputy Erdem said on social media that Kad?gil had been sentenced for using the expression "the Erdogan regime, which is getting more and more authoritarian," while defending the CHP during a trial. "She received the sentence for defending [the CHP]. Where is the defence immunity?" Erdem questioned.

According to Article 128 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), "No punishment is imposed if the written or verbal declarations before the courts or administrative authorities contain concrete accusations or negative evaluations about the persons within the scope of plea/defences."

Cases of insulting Erdogan are based on Article 299 of the TCK that states anyone convicted of insulting the President will serve a prison term of between one and four years. Article 125 of the TCK also mandates that anyone who acts with the intention to harm the honour, reputation or dignity of another person through concrete performance or giving impression of intent can be sentenced to a period of between three months and two years in prison or be given a fine.

[14] Pro-gov't daily claims 500 rebels crossed into Syria through Turkey to fight against YPG

According to a report published in Yeni Safak on Tuesday, a large number of anti-Syrian government fighters were dispatched to Syria through Turkey on Feb. 13 after Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) exploited an offensive by the Syrian army, supported by Russian bombing and Iranian-backed Shiite militias, and seized ground from Syrian rebels to extend their presence along the border.

The Faylaq al-Sham group, also known as the Sham Legion and previously affiliated with the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, sent 500 fighters situated in the Syrian northwestern city of Idlib to Azaz via Turkey on Feb. 13 to secure a route to Aleppo and prevent the YPG forces reaching Azaz.

The daily said the crossing of anti-Syrian government rebels was conducted with the approval and under the supervision of the Turkish government. Fighters from Faylaq al-Sham reportedly set off from Idlib, entered Turkey through the Cilvegozu border gate in the southeastern province of Hatay and travelled to the Oncup?nar border gate in Kilis to reach Azaz. The arms and ammunition of the fighters were also sent to Azaz under high security measures.

[15] Interior Minister acknowledges 'ethnic group code' given to Turkey's minorities

During a discussion at Parliament's Planning and Budget Commission on Sunday, Garo Paylan from the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) took the floor and asked Ala whether the country's minority groups have been categorized by number as they are given codes such as 1, 2 and so no. In response to Paylan's question, Ala responded by saying: "Every [minority group in Turkey] has a numeric code. For instance, the numeric code of the Armenians is 2. Not just minority groups but the whole of the population is categorized by number".

Later Paylan, who is an ethnic Armenian, asked for the reason why Armenians are categorized as number 2. Ala took the floor again but failed to provide any further details on the issue, instead reiterating that every citizen in the country is categorized by a code in the state documents.

However, the issue first came to the fore in 2014 when then main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Huseyin Aygun submitted a parliamentary question to Ala over whether the claims that the Greeks in Turkey were numbered as 1, the Armenians 2, the Jews 3, the Assyrians 4 and all others as 5 are true.

In addition, Aygun asked since when such a categorization of minority groups was put in place and who category 5 refers to. He also asked Ala whether such codes have an impact on the process of the employment of minority members in the ranks of the state and further questioned whether the rest of society that is not defined as a minority was given any numeric code.

Ala gave a one-sentence response to Aygun's question and confirmed that the coding of minority groups is true.

Laki Vingas, the elected representative of non-Muslim foundations at the Council of the General Assembly of the Directorate General for Foundations (VGM), told Today's Zaman on Monday on the topic of the debate that the issue of categorizing minority groups by number was exposed after the Agos daily published the correspondence of institutions within the state several years ago, showing that minority groups were mentioned using numbers.

"By then, whether such a numeric code implementation is true or not was not clear. But after the Agos report, it became obvious that it exists. If the whole of society was given such a code as Ala said they had been, then the matter needs more clarification that will explain the details of the specifications for such categorizing. If the implementation of giving codes is only particular to minority groups then this situation points to the violation of the equal citizenship principle and is discrimination. State officials should clearly explain the reasons behind such a coding. Moreover, if such categorization does not run contrary to the principle of equal citizenship, then the motivation behind such code-giving should be made clear to society," Vingas noted.

CHP deputy Selina Dogan, who spoke with Today's Zaman on the matter, said the implementation of the code system dates back to the beginning of MERNIS as some previous incidents have indicated the presence of this system.

"The Minister's admission just confirmed such coding. Even if the whole of society is categorized [by number], as Ala said, it would still mark a severe situation for it indicates that the state has blacklisted all of its citizens. Such a situation suggests that the principle of equal citizenship is damaged when we are born. Ala's confession proved that we are not equal even on paper. This damages general trust of the law. All individuals of society are presented as if they are usual suspects," Dogan added.

Speaking with Today's Zaman regarding the discussion, Deputy Paylan said the numbering of minority groups was inherited from the Ottoman State but in this modern world, such a coding cannot be tolerated. "When I told this to Deputy Ala, he said he would deal with the issue and that he also finds the practice nonsensical," Paylan said.

Paylan continued to say that whatever the motivation is behind the practice, it is particular to oppressive regimes, adding, "We are small minority groups and know each other. So we don't need to be categorized in this way by the state. In order to feel comfortable in knowing that minorities will not face repressive treatment, such as in the past, this coding practice should be eliminated."

[16] Survey: 30% of Turks would prefer to hold citizenship of another country

The research also showed that trust in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is the highest among other state institutions, standing at 55%. The survey found that more than half of those polled have the greatest trust in the TSK, while Parliament comes second at 43%. A total of 33% of participants have the greatest trust in the government.

The research, titled "Basis of Perception of Foreign Policy in Turkey," was conducted by Assistant Professor Osman Sabri Kiratli from Bogazici University with 1,596 participants across 16 provinces in November 2015.

Surprisingly, despite Turkey being a Muslim country, trust in European countries among Turks was 31% of those polled, higher than their trust in Muslim countries, which stood at about 28%. Trust in the Turkish press was among the lowest of all local institutions at 24%, while political parties came in last at 23%.

When asked about their satisfaction with the current economic situation, 39% of respondents said it is neither satisfying nor dissatisfying, while 27% stated that they are unhappy with current economic conditions.

In terms of how the economic policies pursued by the government in the past year have affected the country's economic situation, only 9% of respondents believe there were positive results and they will develop further in the coming years. However, around 39% of those polled believe not much has changed in the last year and predict that the country's economic performance will further deteriorate. The rate of those who are very pessimistic about the current course of the economy and its future stands at around 13%.

When asked about the importance of religion in their daily lives, 73.6% of respondents stated that religion occupies a key role in their life, while 18% say it does not play a vital role and 6.7% do not attribute any importance to religion.

When it comes to the role of religion in the political administration and whether religious figures and leaders should have any influence over the decisions taken by the government, 62% of respondents objected to religious figures having an influence on the political decision-making mechanism. Around 32% favoured the idea of religious figures playing a role in the decision-making process inside the government.

On the discussion regarding the country's priorities in the next decade, 30.1% of participants said the government should recognize people's demands to have more say in the process of decision-making. According to nearly 16% of respondents, the protection of freedom of expression and freedom of thought should take precedence, while more than 28% believe the fight against inflation should be the top political priority in the next decade.

The second part of the study focuses on people's foreign policy perception, where more than 47% of respondents feel the government has failed in foreign policy matters in the last three years. Only 15% find the government's foreign policy moves to be successful.

In relation to a question on Turkey's possible membership in the European Union, 37.5% felt it would be good for the country, while 35.6% believed it would be neither beneficial nor detrimental. The percentage of those who believe Turkey's EU membership would be harmful is slightly over 15%.

In a question on the level of ethnocentrism among participants, 67% agreed with the assertion that Turkey is better than other countries, while only 12% disagreed.

Another question aimed at determining support for an isolated Turkey after pursuing a self-contained foreign policy showed that 49% of respondents agreed with the statement that Turkey should not get involved in foreign matters for its own good. Around 35% of respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement, while only 16% disagreed.

Regarding Turkey's assumed role in the fight against extraterritorial terrorism, 47% stated they are against the country undertaking such a role, while 35% were undecided. Only 18% were in favour of Turkey playing a role in fighting against terrorism outside its borders.

The study also examined the level of support for using Turkish military power while determining foreign policy. According to the study, 43% felt Turkey should make the first move in engaging in military action against its enemies instead of waiting for them to attack Turkey.

According to the study, which also sought the reasons behind poverty in Turkey, nearly 58% felt social injustice was the primary factor, while 21% believed people do not work hard enough and lack the required will to take action in terms of overcoming poverty.

In addition, 73% of participants agreed that there is a huge income gap in society, while 73% expressed the sentiment that it is the state's responsibility to eliminate income inequality. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(DPs/AM)

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