Turkish Cypriot Press (95-11-02)

Foreign newspapers Directory

From: Giorgos Zacharia <lysi@MIT.EDU>

205/95 2.11.95

A. NEWS ITEMS

1. RTP submits list of new "ministers". 2. Atun comments on Ozgur resignation. 3. Adaoglu denies Ozgur's claims on illegal citizenship. 4. UNFICYP Spokesman on hunting in the buffer zone. 5. More "complaints" regarding Erkan Egmez. 6. Pseudostate to spend 81.512.000,000 TL for propaganda this year. 7. Ankara reports bidding for rifle contract for the Turkish army.

No.205/95 2.11.95

A. NEWS ITEMS

1. RTP submits list of new "ministers"

According to illegal Bayrak radio (11:30 hours, 1.11.95) the "ministerial" changes introduced by the Republican Turkish Party (RTP) wing of the "coalition government" have been announced. Omer Kalyoncu replaces Mehmet Ali Talat as "national education and culture minister", Ahmet Derya replaces Sabit Soyer as "energy minister" and Huseyin Celal replaces Ergin Abdullah Iltac as "health minister". Ozkan Murat, "labour and social security minister", remains in his current post.

After a one-hour meeting yesterday, during which the RTP central administrative Council determined its new "ministers", in a statement to reporters Ozgur, pointing out that he will do his utmost to assist the "ministers" in their new task, said the party is not planning any changes in the departments attached to the "ministries" for the time being.

In a short statement after the meeting, Mehmet Ali Talat, who was appointed "state minister and deputy prime minister" declared that efforts will be made to solve the Cyprus problem by means of a mutually acceptable agreement and promised that the RTP will do its utmost to join the EU following a comprehensive solution.

2. Atun comments on Ozgur resignation

According to illegal Bayrak Radio (16:30 hours, 31.10.95) Hakki Atun, Democratic Party (DP) leader and "prime minister" has said that following the Republican Turkish Party RTP decision to remain in the "coalition", the "government" will continue to carry out its duties exactly as it did in the past.

Atun was talking to illegal BRT and TAK (Turkish Cypriot News Agency) correspondents and said that it is impossible for the DP to agree with the reasons for the resignation of Ozker Ozgur.

He added that he was "surprised and saddened to see that Ozgur attacked President Denktash while ignoring the Greek Cypriot Administration's arms build-up and its policy of shunning the negotiations and of defending enosis indirectly by trying to join the EU before a solution is reached to the Cyprus problem". He said that at all the meetings he attended with Denktash, Ozgur defended the view that membership in the EU should come only after a solution.

Atun alleged that Ozgur made mistakes and exaggerations in his allegations about "citizenship". He claimed that nobody was granted "citizenship" without the information of the "Council of Ministers", or illegally.

Atun said that the DP believes that Ozgur's remarks are a result of intraparty problems and that the latest developments are an internal problem of the RTP.

3. Adaoglu denies Ozgur's claims on illegal citizenship

According to illegal Bayrak radio (16:30 hours, 31.10.95), "Interior Minister" Mustafa Adaolgu has denied allegations by Republican Turkish Party (RTP) leader Ozgur that more than 7,500 persons were granted "citizenship" by the pseudostate without the approval of the "Council of Ministers". Ozgur had listed this issue as a reason for his resignation.

Adaoglu said that 4,768 persons were granted "citizenship" by the Democratic Party-CTP "coalitions", in line with the "Citizenship Law", until September 1995. He stressed that according to the "law", the so-called citizenship is not granted only by a "Council of Ministers" decision. Persons of Turkish Cypriot origin or former "citizens" of the pseudostate can become "citizens" by the decision of the so-called director of the

Immigration Department, while those who have resided in the pseudostate for five years can be granted "citizenship" by the approval of the "Interior Ministry".

Adaoglu alleged that the majority of those who were granted "citizenship" by a "Council of Ministers" decision in 1994 and 1995 had had their "citizenship" approved by the "Council of Ministers" before the so-called coalition. He stated that the "Council of Ministers" approved the "citizenship" of 1,199 persons only in the last quarter of 1993.

According to Adaoglu, of the 4,768 persons who were granted "citizenship" during the "coalitions", 1,173 were granted "citizenship" with the approval of the "Council of Ministers", 1,179 with the approval of the "Interior Ministry", 464 because they were former so-called citizens of the pseudostate, 722 as Turks from third countries, including Bulgaria, and 1,130 because they were of Turkish Cypriot origin.

4. UNFICYP Spokesman on hunting in the buffer zone

According to KIBRIS (2.11.95), the Spokesman of the UN Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus, Charles Goulkin, in a statement has warned hunters not to enter into the buffer zone. He said that last week hunters had violated the buffer zone.

Goulkin said that hunters had also open fire against UN personnel and their vehicles.

The statement reads: "Carrying weapons in the buffer zone, which is under UN control is prohibited. The UN Peace-keeping Force has for years prohibited hunting in the buffer zone. The UN Peace-keeping Force believes that all interested parties will cooperate with the UN in enforcing the hunting ban in the buffer zone". (MY)

5. More "complaints" regarding Erkan Egmez

According to KIBRIS (2.11.95), the so-called "TRNC representative" in Washington Namik Korhan has launched a complaint to the US Congress regarding the Turkish Cypriot narcotics smuggler Erkan Egmez from occupied Louroudjina.

He has sent letters to Congressmen Christopher Smith, Alfons D'Amato, John Porter, Tom Lantos and Christopher Panco, containing allegations for human rights violations.

KIBRIS also reports that Egmez's relativies in London will today organize a protest gathering in front of Cyprus' High Commission offices in London. (MY)

6. Pseudostate to spend 81.512.000,000 TL for propaganda this year

According to KIBRIS (2.11.95), the Denktash regime has allocated 81.512.000,000 TL for propaganda purposes this year.

The paper says that for the first eight months of this year 15.400.000,000 TL have been spent.

(Tr. note: 1 Cyprus pound equals approximately 100,000 TL) (MY)

7. Ankara reports bidding for rifle contract for the Turkish army

According to HURRIYET (27.10.95), the bidding for the contracts for the long-barrel rifles that the Turkish military forces will use in the 21st century is in its final stages. Four firms have won the first round of the bidding. They are expected to make their final offers to the Defense Industry

Undersecretariat for the project. The project will cost $10 million. The Defense Industry Executive Committee, which is made up of the prime minister, the chief of the General Staff, and the minister of national defense, will study the bids and announce the firm that will be awarded the contract.

According to the project, the firm that wins the project will transfer the required technology to Turkey. The 7.62-mm G-3 rifles that are used by the Turkish military will be replaced by the 5.56mm rifles, which will probably be manufactured by Machine and Chemical Industry Establishment (MKE). MKE will manufacture 50,000 rifles and 2 million rounds of ammunition during the initial stage of the project.

The 5.56-mm cartridges are small and light. Thus, they are logistically less expensive than the ammunition used by G-3 rifles. The 5-56-mm rifles were first used in Vietnam by the US military. They were very successful, so much so that changes had to be made in infantry war tactics. Compared with the old ammunition, the 5.56-mm cartridges are lighter and can be controlled more easily. The objective behind using this type of ammunition is to wound enemy troops rather than kill them. Experts believe that two soldiers will be required to carry a wounded colleague; three soldiers will thus be removed from the front line with a single bullet. It is easier to fire a lighter cartridge. The 5.56-mm cartridge enables the troops to fire faster and more accurately. If the troops fire to kill, then the performance of their new rifles will be much better than that of their old their old G-3's.

NATO has adopted the 5.56-mm rifles as its new standard.

The French firm FAMAS, the German Heckler-Koch Company, Galil Company in Israel, the Belgian FN Company, Colt Company in the United States and ST firm in Singapore bid for the contracts. Colt and ST lost in the first round.