Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 17-02-21

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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 will inform "mayors" and women's organizations on the latest developments of the Cyprus problem

[02] Burcu insists that President Anastasiades should take steps for overcoming the "enosis crisis"

[03] Cavusoglu will carry out contacts in the occupied area of Cyprus

[04] A survey reveals that the Turkish Cypriots trust Akinci

[05] Rauf Denktas' grandson was beaten up; The Turkish "embassy" in the occupied part of Nicosia issued a statement on the incident

[06] Dagli on the restoration works in occupied Famagusta area

[07] US Senator McCain met with Turkish leaders

[08] Turkish Foreign Ministry slams Iranian envoy's remarks

[09] Turkey's election board not to fine publishing referendum polls

[10] Survey shows how the Kurds in Turkey will vote on the referendum constitutional amendment

[11] 277 judges and prosecutors dismissed over Gulen links

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Akinci will inform "mayors" and women's organizations on the latest developments of the Cyprus problem

The meetings are scheduled to take place on 22, 24 and 25 of February.

(CS)

[02] Burcu insists that President Anastasiades should take steps for overcoming the "enosis crisis"

Burcu said that the negotiations were not interrupted, but the process was seriously harmed by the decision taken by the House of Representatives at this stage. "This thing called enosis is the source of almost all problems in Cyprus", he argued and expressed the view that in case President Anastasiades "shows a positive stance" he will not be giving concessions to the Turkish Cypriots and his "value will be increased".

Alleging that during the meeting between the leaders last Thursday President Anastasiades had exhibited aggressive and rude stance, Burcu claimed that the President of the Republic had not shown the same stance as Akinci and Eide, who had been constructive and explaining the sensitivities of the Turkish Cypriots. He argued:

"Our only goal is an agreement, but this agreement will not happen unilaterally. Moreover, an agreement has minimum pre-conditions. At the moment we are face to face with an event which harms these minimum pre-conditions. We should abolish the soonest this harmful event and save the agreement. Hope is the last that dies, we will keep trying".

Noting that trust is one of the three elements of a modern state, Burcu alleged that the above-mentioned decision of the House of Representatives was not the only thing that has shaken trust, but it was also the fact that the Greek Cypriots had allegedly not shown a correct reaction "in the right time and basis" and had not made the correct moves. He claimed the following: "For example, the government spokesman of the Greek administration of south Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides used expressions such as 'Anastasiades asked for a break, [?] Akinci and his team left the room, but no one knows why'. He committed to very great mistakes. He tried to drag the issue to a basis of debate different than the substance of the issue. Secondly, all he said is wrong".

Referring to the illegal visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to the occupied area of Cyprus, Burcu said that this visit had been planned before and has no relation with the "enosis crisis", as he called the recent events. He added, however, that this issue will also be discussed within the framework of the discussions regarding the negotiating process.

Commenting on the map submitted by the Turkish Cypriot side on the territory issue, Burcu described as "not real" the statements saying that this map had caused tension between Turkey and Akinci and added that 'everybody both in Turkey and here knew everything".

(I/Ts.)

[03] Cavusoglu will carry out contacts in the occupied area of Cyprus

Commenting on Cavusoglu's visit in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, the paper reports that "Cavusoglu came to the TRNC with the aim to evaluate with TRNC officials, including Akinci the stalemate at the negotiating table after the Greek Cypriot side's decision to commemorate 1950 Enosis plebiscite". In these meetings, the fate of the Akinci-Anastasiades meeting will be drawn, reports the paper.

(DPs)

[04] A survey reveals that the Turkish Cypriots trust Akinci

According to the survey's results, the voter turnout of the participants in the survey will only be 62,8%, while the voter turnout in case of referendum on Cyprus will be 89,2%.

Asked what would vote in case of a referendum in Cyprus, the 46,8% said "yes", the 27,2% said "no" and the 26% were undecided.

According to the survey's results, the political parties with the highest vote of "yes" will be TDP (Social Democracy Party) and CTP (Republican Turkish Party), while the political parties with the highest vote of "no" will be HP (People's Party) and UBP (National Unity Party).

Asked to state whether they trust Akinci, the 64,2% replied that they trust Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, the 20,2% said that they do not trust him and the 15,6% did not reply.

According to the participants the political parties which are closer to the views of the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are the following:

? Social Democratic Party (TDP) 28,5%

? Republican Turkish Party (CTP) 27,2%

? Peoples' Party (HP) 10,2%

? National Unity Party (UBP) 8,1%

? Democracy Party (CP) 6,5%

? Communal Liberation Party ?New Forces (TKPYP)

? United Cyprus Party (BKP) 0,9%

? I don't know/ I don't reply 14,4%

Asked to state which is the most important problem that affects their lives, the 22,2% said the unemployment, the 19,5% said the economy, the 13,1% said the health problems and the 11,2% replied the Cyprus problem.

The paper reports that the results of the survey on how the Turkish Cypriot "people" view the guarantee system and which institutions trust more will be published tomorrow.

(DPs)

[05] Rauf Denktas' grandson was beaten up; The Turkish "embassy" in the occupied part of Nicosia issued a statement on the incident

Noting that the attackers are holders of Turkey's citizenship as well, the "embassy" said that this incident should not give an opportunity for a certain part of people to be targeted in the "TRNC" society". The "embassy" expresses also its readiness to cooperate with the "TRNC's authorities" for the development of the within the walls area of occupied Nicosia.

The paper notes that this is the first time that the Turkish "embassy" issued a statement regarding a beating up incident in the occupied area of Cyprus.

Commenting on the issue, columnist Sener Levent writes in Afrika that if Rauf Denktas' grandson had been beaten up in the government-controlled area of the Republic, no one knows what would have happened. "Certainly a war would come up", he notes adding that those who argue that the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots cannot live together would have found an opportunity to loudly shout their views. If this attack had taken place in the government-controlled area, he said, everyone would have referred to the necessity for security and Turkey's guarantees.

Recalling of Rauf Denktas' statement on the illegal Turkish settlers that "Turk goes, Turk comes", Levent writes that those who attacked Denktas' grandson were "Turks who came" to the occupied area of Cyprus, that is settlers. "If there was not for the Turkish army you would not feel secure gentlemen, is that so?", he asks wondering who will save them from the actions of the Turks coming from Turkey.

Furthermore, Levent also points out that no one said anything about the incident because the perpetrators were not Greek Cypriots. He notes: "No one says that we cannot live with them [the settlers from Turkey]. No one says that we want guarantees against them. Behold, the Turkish army is here. It is an army of forty thousands. However, you do not feel secure, is it not? [?]"

(I/Ts.)

[06] Dagli on the restoration works in occupied Famagusta area

Dagli explained that the number of historical stones which are 700 years old and were used for the restoration works of the building has been remarkably reduced. Dagli supported that the problem should be solved and stressed the need for a stone quarry which is near the "free zone port" to start producing stones.

(AK)

[07] US Senator McCain met with Turkish leaders

In a statement released following his meeting with Erdogan on Monday, McCain stated that the U.S.-Turkey alliance is more important than ever to confront global threats.

McCain said that he had a "warm and constructive meeting" with President Erdogan, noting that partnership between the two countries is "more vital than ever" amid growing disorder in Europe and the Middle East.

"Most of our discussion focused on the situation in Syria. The change of administration in the United States presents an important opportunity to review and reassess current policy in Syria" McCain said, in reference to the new administration led by President Donald Trump, as relations between the two countries hit rock-bottom during the Obama administration due to a number of reasons.

The senior Republican Senator also said that the U.S. must cooperate with Turkey to defeat Daesh and build a balance of power in the war-torn region.

He referred to President Erdogan's proposal to establish terror-free zones in Syria and retake Raqqa from Daesh terrorists, which he said should receive serious consideration by the U.S.

McCain highlighted that cooperation between Turkey and the U.S. to improve the situation in Syria and the region will serve the national security interests of both countries, and that he is looking forward to working with both parties in this regard.

In addition, Sabah (22.02.17) also reports that Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday that recent meetings between senior Turkish and U.S. officials are good signs for both countries, especially to overcome differences in their Syria policies as well as the issue of extradition of Fetullah Gulen, the leader of the Gulenist Terror Group (FETO).

Commenting on John McCain's visit to Turkey, Kurtulmus said the meetings are signaling new steps that can resolve the problems between the two NATO allies.

[08] Turkish Foreign Ministry slams Iranian envoy's remarks

"It is neither acceptable nor comprehensible for a country [Iran] -- which does not even hesitate to push to the battlefield the refugees seeking shelter from crises -- to accuse others of being responsible for regional tensions and instability," Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu told reporters in Ankara on Monday.

Muftuoglu said Iran should "take constructive steps and go over its regional policies instead of putting the blame on countries which criticize it."

His remarks came after Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Turkey should not "test Iran's patience".

[09] Turkey's election board not to fine publishing referendum polls

A recently introduced state of emergency decree has ruled that the YSK will no longer be able to fine political parties campaigning to promote either the "yes" or "no" votes for the referendum on constitutional amendments, if they violate a set of rules on pre-election surveys.

For broadcast violations, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) will now be the sole authority to penalize the parties, although YSK will still be able to set out the rules. The YSK will still receive reports from RTUK concerning the violation of its rules, but the parties will be able to get away with paying the penalty fee to RTUK for their broadcast violations.

Speaking about the decree law, the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) representative of YSK, Mehmet Hadimi Yakupoglu, said "the era of 'pay its money and do whatever broadcasting you want, publish whatever survey you want' has started."

Its current rule is that parties cannot publish or distribute any survey results 10 days prior to the referendum date. The surveys that are carried out more than 10 days in advance, political parties are required to give explanation to the YSK over the details of the work, such as the name of the surveying company, its financial resource and sample numbers used in the survey.

The YSK still holds the power to penalize parties that violate political advertisement regulations.

[10] Survey shows how the Kurds in Turkey will vote on the referendum constitutional amendment

According to the poll result, 57.4 % of the people will say ''no'' while only 25.1 % will say ''yes'' to the constitutional amendment.

The poll was conducted by the Political and Social Studies Center (SAMER) based in Diyarbakir Province.

The results of the study, which was carried out between 7-12 January in 16 city centers in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia with 1,112 respondents in face-to-face interviews held in their homes based on random sampling technique, also shed light on how the Kurdish people would vote in a likely general election.

In the public survey conducted in the cities including Diyarbakir, Urfa, Kars, Igdir, Adiyaman, Bingol, and Van, the respondents were asked, ''How would you vote if there was a referendum this Sunday?'' some 57.4 % of the respondents said they would vote ''no'' while 25.1 % said they would vote ''yes.'' The %age of those who said they were undecided remained at 7.6 % contrary to the view held by the public. While 4.4 % of the people stated that they would not go to the ballot box, 5.5 % declined to answer the question.

According to SAMER, when the results are processed, the %age of those who stated that they would not go to the ballot box is merely 5.5 %, contrary to the view held by the public.

The survey also gave a breakdown of those who would not go to the ballot box in terms of their political party affiliations. In the survey conducted, of those who voted on 1 November general elections, 8.8 % of the CHP [Republican People's Party] electorate, 8.0 % of the MHP [Nationalist Movement Party] electorate, and 3.5 % of the HDP [Peoples' Democratic Party] electorate stated that they would not go to the ballot box.

The SAMER survey also provided data about the scale of information the people in the region have regarding the content of the constitutional amendment. According to this, while 42.2 % of the people said they had no information at all, 13.7 % said they were informed. Some 22.4 % of the population said, ''I know a bit about the content.'' Some 21.8 % said they knew enough about the content to make a comment.

When asked in the survey, ''Will the constitutional amendment solve Turkey's problems?'' 61.2 % of the respondents said, ''it will not'' while 21.9 % said, ''it will.'' Similarly, 52.3 % of the respondents did not agree with the view that the ''parliamentarian system should change'' and 61.2 % stated that there was no need for ''a partisan presidential system.''

Another significant result that came out of the SAMER survey was that, apart from the CHP and HDP electorate who answered the relevant questions, the electorate who voted for the MHP gave answers similar to those given by the ''no'' bloc. For instance, while 39.7 % of the AKP [Justice and Development Party] electorate stated that ''they did not approve the idea of holding a referendum under OHAL [state of emergency], 81.4 % of the CHP electorate, 90.4 % of the HDP electorate, and 64 % of the MHP electorate said they did not approve the idea of holding a referendum under OHAL circumstances. The political affiliations of those who said they would vote no in the referendum are as follows: Those who said they would vote for the HDP is 89.7 %. Those who said they voted for the CHP is 75.7 %. Those who said they voted for the MHP is 68 %.

The fundamental reason given by the overwhelming majority of those who said they would vote no in the referendum, which makes up 40.1 % of the total number, is ''their opposition to a one-man government!'' Some 43.5 % of those who said they were undecided and would not go to the ballot box gave the following as their reason. ''They did not have information about the model!''

Another significant result that came out of the SAMER survey has to do with the answer given to the question, ''If elections were held this Sunday, what would your choice be?'' In reply to this question, 41.7 % of the respondents said the HDP. Some 24.9 % said the AKP while 7.9 % said the CHP with 1.9 % opting for the MHP. Among the survey's interesting results was the finding that the HDP is in the first place among the political parties for which the 18-24 age group, who will be casting their vote for the first time, will be voting.

[11] 277 judges and prosecutors dismissed over Gulen links

The Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) Deputy Chairman Mehmet Yilmaz said 3,886 judges and prosecutors have been dismissed so far since the July 15 coup attempt.

Yilmaz said 200 judges and prosecutors, who were previously dismissed from office, would be reinstated. He noted that there were many others who remained under investigation. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

http://www.pio.gov.cy

(CS / AM)

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