Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-10-25

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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] Akinci explains why the Turkish Cypriots insist on Turkey's guarantees

[02] Sinirlioglu: "A new game may come into the agenda if there is no solution"

[03] Turkish Cypriot daily argues that there is "big crisis" regarding the meeting in Switzerland

[04] Kibris paper: "A gold balance on the five federal bodies has been obtained"

[05] Akinci met with the Swedish and Finnish Ambassadors

[06] The "KTSO" expressed support to the "energy deal" with Turkey

[07] Ataoglu represented the occupation regime at Antalya EXPO 2016 fair; He announced the launching of flights to Konya

[08] AKSA's CEO in the occupied area of Cyprus expressed interest for the Eastern Mediterranean's gas reserves

[09] Cavusoglu held a joint press conference with his French counterpart; They clashed over the state of emergencies in Turkey and France

[10] AKP signals presidential system with single Parliament

[11] Kilicdaroglu: "Accusing the CHP of allying with FETO is a comedy"

[12] Turkey's conservative Felicity Party to change leader

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Akinci explains why the Turkish Cypriots insist on Turkey's guarantees

Akinci said that the effective participation of the sides at the federal structure is important, adding that the decisions cannot be passed with a simple majority. He noted that during the meeting, the two sides submitted their views on the five topics that they had already worked before at the negotiations, but it was not an intensive work.

Stressing that he tried to explain in one of the previous meetings how important and what does the "effective participation to decision-making processes" means, Akinci explained that this does not mean only the participation in a certain committee or the representation in a certain administration council. He added: "Let's assume that there is a 6 to 3 ratio?then one out of three persons will have to vote in favour of that decision. This is an issue which makes up the very essence of a federation and we have yet to reach agreement on this issue. From this point, the topic has serious difficulties". Akinci further said that it is out of the question for even a simple decision to be passed with simple majority as things are in a unitary state, adding that the Turkish Cypriot side is very sensitive on this issue.

Referring on the issue of security and guarantees, Akinci argued: "The Greek Cypriot side is out rightly rejecting the Turkish Cypriot side's demands on the issue of guarantees and security. Their categorical objection on this issue is wrong. A number of the Turkish Cypriot peoples' demands stem from past experiences. They are stating that future experiences too can lead to different developments". He further said: "What I mean is that our past experiences show us how much the status in the future needs to be protected. Because more than once, this status was demolished. We lived this in 1960's and on the coup in 1974. The issue in all these was the elimination of the status of the Turkish Cypriots stemming from the 1960 Constitution. This was the aim. For this reason, I want to stress how much a deterrent element is needed on these issues, because those experiences showed us that the rejection front in the Greek Cypriot side is objecting the bicommunal federal concept as a principle".

Akinci further said: "We have seen how much the status in the future needs to be protected which is why the Turkish Cypriot people are insisting so much on Turkey's guarantees. This could be reassessed when the place and time comes but that will be determined by what will be experienced in the future."

(DPs)

[02] Sinirlioglu: "A new game may come into the agenda if there is no solution"

Sinirlioglu, who was speaking to Hurriyet newspaper, stated that this is a milestone as regards the Cyprus problem. "As our President stated in 2004 [?] we will continue to be a step ahead on the solution of the Cyprus problem. However, this is not a no-ending procedure", he said adding that everyone knows that if by the end of this year a solution that will safeguard the establishment of a partnership state based on the equality of two founding states is not reached at the negotiations who are taking place under the UN auspices, then this game will come to an end.

He went on and alleged that both the UN Secretary General and the President of the EU Commission stated that this game came to an end and claimed that the Greek Cypriots reacted against these "realistic statements", as he said. "However, (the Greek Cypriots) know that if a solution is not reached by the end of this year in the framework of the February 2014 statement and other parameters, then a new game will begin", he said and claimed that in this stage only a solution between two "states" will be able to be negotiated.

"However, I believe that a solution based on the political equality of two founding states is close , that a solution will be reached before the end of the year and a partnership state will be established", he said.

(CS)

[03] Turkish Cypriot daily argues that there is "big crisis" regarding the meeting in Switzerland

The paper notes that Akinci did not announce the date and the name of the city in Switzerland that the negotiations will take place and also said that an agreement was not reached on the issue of the participation in decision making. "This is a very big problem", he stated.

"This is a very hard statement by Akinci, which on the one hand shows that the negotiations have not reached the desired point on the issues of co-governing and power sharing. On the other hand it was an indication that the Greek Cypriot side is far away from the rotating presidency which Akinci said is a sine qua non.

The paper also reports that Akinci indirectly complained that the demand of the Turkish Cypriots on the issue of the guarantees which is based on the experience of the past was not taken into consideration.

The paper further reports that the expectations raised after the statements of the Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides who said that the two leaders would have announced yesterday the name of the city that the Switzerland meeting would take place. However, the fact that the two leaders refrained from announcing the name of the city or the dates that the meeting will take place shows that there was an "unexpected tension" at the negotiation table, the paper claims.

According to the paper, the recent statements of Archbishop Chrysostomos that a campaign in favor of "no" will be conducted in case less than 25% of soil will be returned to the Greek Cypriot side in case a solution is reached was one of the reasons that led to tension at the negotiations.

The paper also writes that efforts will be exerted so that details as regards the Switzerland meeting to be arranged in tomorrow's meeting between the two Cypriot leaders. In addition, the paper notes that the Turkish Cypriot side complains that the Greek Cypriot side has not realized yet what "federation based on political equality" really means.

(CS)

[04] Kibris paper: "A gold balance on the five federal bodies has been obtained"

Journalist Emine Davut Yitmen, citing information, writes that the sides have reached an agreement on the "effective participation on the decisions" at the following five federal bodies, which will be independent from the Federal State that will be established in Cyprus: Federal Office of the Chief Prosecutor, Federal Central Bank, Federal Supreme Court, Federal Ombudsman and Federal Audit Office. Thereby, "political equality on the top five bodies of the federal state" has been safeguarded.

According to the paper, the term of office of the five federal bodies will be in rotation and their presidencies will be carried out in equal time between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The presidency at the Federal Supreme Court has been safeguarded that it will be in equal time and rotation between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots. While the Federal Office of the Chief Prosecutor will produce decisions on the financial, legal, executive and judicial mechanisms, the Federal Audit Office will be responsible for the financial audit. The Federal Office of the Chief Prosecutor will provide opinions in order the bodies in the state to act justifiable. While the Federal Ombudsman will supervise the administration of all bodies in the federal state, the Federal Central Bank will administer the functions of the monetary policy and the system of the banks. It will also administer the financial instruments related to the macroeconomic mechanism of the federal state.

The paper concludes by writing that it was stressed that the consensus reached on these institutions was in conformity with the principle of the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on the effective participation.

(DPs)

[05] Akinci met with the Swedish and Finnish Ambassadors

The meeting took place at the so-called presidential palace and the three discussed the latest developments on the Cyprus problem.

The so-called presidential spokesman Baris Burcu and the "president's political and historical adviser" Meltem Onurkan Samami were also present at the meeting.

No statement was issued before or after the meeting.

[06] The "KTSO" expressed support to the "energy deal" with Turkey

A statement issued by the "chamber" called for the deal to be implemented as soon as possible.

"The Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Industry supports the cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy, bringing electricity to the TRNC from Turkey via cable and access to various economic and efficient energy sources by becoming part of a wider interconnecting system" the statement read.

The "chamber" also stated that it would support and contribute to all efforts and projects that will provide cheap, affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. "The chamber would like to actively take part in any such work", the statement added.

Stressing that electricity constitutes an important part of input costs for industrialists, the statement said that a sustainable structure that will provide affordable and reliable electricity will not create a monopoly. "To the contrary it will provide quality and uninterrupted energy as well as increase the use of renewable energy", the statement argues.

[07] Ataoglu represented the occupation regime at Antalya EXPO 2016 fair; He announced the launching of flights to Konya

The occupation regime is represented in the fair with its own stand writes the paper and adds that is amongst the 56 countries taking part in the fair.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ataoglu expressed the "Turkish Cypriot peoples' gratitude to motherland Turkey's timely intervention on the island in 1974".

Pointing out that the "TRNC" is attending international events among other international actors, Ataoglu referred to the importance of their participation to Antalya EXPO 2016 with regard to the promotion of the "TRNC".

Pointing out that "tourism and education" are the "TRNC economy's two locomotive sectors", Ataoglu argued that tourism is continuing to develop and grow in the "country". He added that their expectations are very high towards the development of the "tourism sector" and announced that they will soon launch promotion campaigns in 10 different cities of Turkey and 5 more countries.

Ataoglu also said that the tourism from Turkey constitute the 9% of the occupation regime's tourism and added that their goal is for this number to reach to 20%.

(AK)

[08] AKSA's CEO in the occupied area of Cyprus expressed interest for the Eastern Mediterranean's gas reserves

Referring to the Eastern Mediterranean gas, Uygun said that they consider it as a right and strategic investment not only for the company but also for the "country". "It is for this reason that we are interested in the projects related with the Easter Mediterranean gas and we attend all meetings. We are holding talks with both sides, Turkey and Israel. There are two points in this effort worthy for us. The first one is that there is a big possibility that there are discussions for the gas to pass through Cyprus. We have a power plant in Cyprus and we produce and cover the 60% of the energy needs of the TRNC. The works concerning the transformation of this power plant to a gas station could be launched rapidly. The second point is that it is very possible the gas to come to be extracted from the Cukurova region, which is considered for us an area that we distribute natural gas. (?) Therefore, it is a worthy investment for us and it is for those reasons that we are interested in", Uygun said, referring also to the possibility of taking joint action with other Turkish firms.

(?)

(AK)

[09] Cavusoglu held a joint press conference with his French counterpart; They clashed over the state of emergencies in Turkey and France

"Turkey has the right to defend itself against terror. It also has the right to extend the state of emergency. But the state of emergencies in Turkey and France are not based on the same legal grounds," Ayrault said on October 24, speaking at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

"In the state of emergency practices in France, the judiciary and the executive are separate, and the judiciary is still independent", Ayrault added, noting that Paris had simply extended police authorization.

In his turn, Cavusoglu criticized Ayrault's remarks, saying that the aim of both countries is the same. "There is no difference regarding the state of emergencies in Turkey and France. Their context and objectives are the same. They both target terrorist organizations," Cavusoglu said.

Meanwhile, Turkish daily Sabah (24.10.16-online in English) reported that Cavusoglu has voiced concern over the French Senate's recent adoption of an amendment that bans the denial of the Armenian genocide, arguing that the recent ban was limiting the freedom of expression.

"The voting shows us that our concern is shared by many French lawmakers and Senators as it was adopted by a little difference in votes," Cavusoglu said.

"The core values of the European Council such as the freedom of expression and the superiority of law are binding for all European countries. We hope that the French Constitutional Council overturns the law," added Cavusoglu. (?)

[10] AKP signals presidential system with single Parliament

"The most important thing is to preserve [Turkey's] unitary structure... There is a federal [system] in the United States; this has nothing to do with the Presidency, but there are those who claim this. This is impossible. In Germany, there is a federal [system] but there is also a parliamentary system. There is a parliamentary system in Turkey ? I think that these [systems] are not connected. What we propose is a unitary presidential system. In the United States there are dual Parliaments; our suggestion is a single Parliament," said Sentop during an event at Trakya University in the northwestern province of Edirne.

The AKP has finalized preparations for the draft of a Constitutional amendment, which will change the country's parliamentary system to an executive Presidency, Prime Minister Binali Y?ld?r?m said Oct. 23.

"We have finalized our work on both the new Constitution and on the presidential [system]. We have made sufficient discussions both in Parliament and by the public. We'll bring our proposal to Parliament as soon as possible," Y?ld?r?m said in an address to Deputies in his closing speech at a three-day AKP camp in the western province of Afyon.

(?)

[11] Kilicdaroglu: "Accusing the CHP of allying with FETO is a comedy"

"I can't stop laughing when I read all these [accusations]". "Our entire political life has been spent against [religious] communities that tried to seize control of the state. The AKP, however, is the one that supported these communities. We have never defended coup plotters or Gulenists. We have only defended the rule of law," Kilicdaroglu said.

Kilicdaroglu was responding to criticisms voiced by some leading AKP personalities who have been trying to associate the CHP with the Gulenist movement, claiming that the social democrat failed to remove members of the community who had infiltrated the party.

Noting that some prominent civil servants and members of the military who had served in the years when the Gulen movement was able to increase its influence within the state had information to a parliamentary panel investigating the July 15 coup, Kilicdaroglu stated the following: "They informed the panel about their actions when they were in office. One of them who had access to the state secrets told the panel that they had expressed their concerns to the government at that time. If you look at the newspapers' archives, you will openly see the government's support to this community."

The government cooperated with the Gulen movement in paving the way for the dismissal of a slew of high-ranking military personnel, including generals, so that they could be replaced by Gulenists, K?l?cdaroglu said. "I make a call from here: MIT [National Intelligence Organization] submits intelligence reports about all terror organizations at MGK [National Security Council] meetings. They should reveal their reports on FETO as well. There is nothing to hide now."

He further accused the AKP government of passing laws and appointing civil servants upon the Gulenists' call, saying: "And in return, the [Gulen] community helped the AKP get control of the state. They became two parallel structures. The fight began through the Dec. 17 and 25 [2013] operations. A conflict between these two parallel structures began at that time. They should now account for it. Was it us who appointed these Generals? They were the ones in the power. In fact, the real government was FETO?"

On the government's efforts to go to a referendum to change the Constitution and adopt the presidential system, Kilicdaroglu criticized such a political campaign at a moment when the country has so many problems.

"He [President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] is violating the Constitution. The principle on the [President's] neutrality has been breached. What is the shortcoming of the parliamentary system? Why is the President intervening into parliamentary affairs?" he asked.

Expressing his belief that common sense would prevail in Parliament and that lawmakers would not vote in favor or going to a referendum for such a change, K?l?cdaroglu said: "I don't know how Mr. Bahceli will act. But granting all the power to one man will drag the country into chaos. I hope common sense will prevail in Parliament."

K?l?cdaroglu referred to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli's conditional support to the government's plan to introduce a draft constitutional amendment with a presidential system.

[12] Turkey's conservative Felicity Party to change leaderTurkish daily Sabah (24.10.16-online in English) reported that the chairman of Turkey's Felicity Party (SP) announced on Monday that he will leave his post with a new decision taken at the party's high advisory board meeting.

There will be no other candidates running for the seat of the small ultra-conservative party.

The Felicity Party has not been particularly successful electorally, winning only 2.5% of the votes in average. It has repeatedly condemned the government's strategy to join the European Union, its relations with Israel and the United States, while defending a foreign policy approach towards Muslim countries. It gathered criticism in recent years for having warm ties with the Syrian regime. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(AK/AM)

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