TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA (Cyprus PIO review) 95-12-15

From: Panayiotis Zaphiris <pzaphiri@Glue.umd.edu>

Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Directory

TURKISH PRESS

AND OTHER MEDIA

No. 236/95 15/12/95

CONTENTS

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkey's Nationalist Action Party Leader Comments on Cyprus

According to illegal Bayrak Radio (1630 hours, 14/12/95) Turkey's Nationalist Action Party leader Alpasian Turkes has stated that Turkey should tell the EU, which will begin to hold discussions on the Greek Cypriot side becoming a full member of the EU this coming June, to at the same time hold talks on Customs Union with the pseudostate.

In his written statement, Turkes said that Turkey should request that the pseudostate should also participate in the talks to be held with the Greek Cypriot side.

Explaining that Turkey is affected by the EU not recognizing the pseudostate and by the embargo imposed on it, Turkes added that it seems impossible that a Cyprus solution can be achieved by June when discussions on the Greek Cypriot side's full membership in the EU will begin. Turkes stated that Turkey, which will have assumed the status of a country which deploys units in a EU member country at the time the Greek Cypriot side becomes a full member of the EU, will lose its capacity to negotiate and added: "Turkey will be faced with a second EU country, which has integrated with Greece."

[02] Mesut Yilmaz: Customs Union not cause for celebration

According to TRT Television Network (1800 hours, 13/12/95) Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz has said that as far as Turkey is concerned, the Customs Union (CU) is not a cause for celebration, but a brave and risky step that should be taken.

In a statement in Istanbul, Yilmaz pointed out that joining the CU is the natural outcome of agreements signed earlier. He charged that the coalition government is making Turkey join the CU under very bad conditions, adding that when ANAP comes to power it will renegotiate the CU in order to compensate for the damages.

Yilmaz said that Turkey's aim should be to become a full member of the EU. He promised that his party will make Turkey a full EU member by the year 2000.

The ANAP leader charged that the current leaders are not telling the nation the truth about the CU. He went on to say that the government discusses the advantages of becoming a full EU member as if they were the advantages of the CU.

Yilmaz alleged that Turkey is being pushed into an impasse in connection with the Cyprus problem and that the path has been opened for the Cyprus Government's full membership.

[03] Erbakan pledges not to recognize CU

According to TRT Television Network (1800 hours, 13/12/95) Welfare Party (WP) leader Necmettin Erbakan has said that the Customs Union (CU) means slavery.

Addressing a party rally, Erbakan said that the WO will come to power after the 24 December elections.

"We have only 11 days left. God willing, we will live through the greatest events of our history in 11 days. Not only will the government change, not only will the system change, not only will Turkey change, not only will the world islamic union be established, but a new world will be established", he said:

TRT correspondent Gokhan Guven reported that Erbakan said that when it comes to power, his party will not recognize the CU. He said: "We have already said that it is against the Constitution. The nation was not consulted; the assembly was not consulted; nobody was consulted."

[04] Denktash comments on CU, effect on Turkish Cypriots

According to illegal Bayrak Radio (1630 hours, 13/12/95) Rauf Denktash has said that the effect on the pseudostate of the ratification of Turkey;s Customs Union (CU) with Europe will be seen in time, and not through the analyses being made now.

Assessing the CU, Denktash pointed out that Turkey has wanted this for a long time and said: "May it be auspicious."

Denktash said that the Turkish Cypriots believe the promises and guarantees made by Turkey and said that they will continue to wage their struggle, with the belief that their rights will be protected.

Asked to comment on the mutual accusations being made by Turkish party leaders in connection with the Cyprus problem, Denktash said: "I am not disturbed by them, because I know the Turkish nation. I know how important the Cyprus problem is for the Turkish nation. Furthermore, certain promises were made to us. There are promises that I cannot divulge. We were told that if the Greek Cypriots are admitted to the EU on their own, we would integrate with Turkey. What greater guarantee can we want? This is a wrod of honor given to us by the Turkish nation. That is how we view the issue."

[05] Turkish Foreign Ministry official terms EP resolutions unacceptable

According to TRT Television Network (1800 hours, 13/12/95) Turkish Foreign Ministry Under Secretary Onur Oymen has said that, from now on, Turkey will try to achieve the goal of full membership in the EU as envisaged in the association agreements.

At a meeting he organized at the Foreign Ministry following the ratification of the Customs Union (CU), Oymen congratulated the ministry officials for their suceess and replied to reporters' questions.

"When the issue of full membership comes to the agenda, you will see that Turkey will be very successful there too", he said.

Asked to comment on the resolutions adopted by the European Parliament (EP) following the vote on the CU, Oymen said that "following intensive diplomatic activities, certain disturbing statements in the text of the resolutions were eliminated. Even so, the resolutions are still unacceptable", he said.

[06] Denktash - Boucher meeting

According to KIBRIS (15/12/95), Rauf Denktash yesterday met with the U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, Richard Boucher. During the meeting, an evaluation of made of the latest developments in Cypurs. According to the paper, Boucher said that Denktash said he is not going to submit a third document with proposals but that he will continue the contacts with the interested parties.

In reply to a question, the US Ambassador that the United States now wants the basis to be found so that talks between the two sides will resume.

Denktash yesterday also had a meeting with the Canadian High Commissioner to Cyprus, Norman Spencer, during which they exchanged views on the Cyprus problem.

[07] Apostolides to reappear before "military court"

According to KIBRIS (15/12/95), Ioannis Apostolides, who on 16/11/95 drove into the occupied area, will appear before a so- called military court on 19/12/95.

[08] Cyprus a key issue in a TV debate among turkish part leaders

According to Turkish Daily News (14/12/95) as Turkey fast approaches the Dec. 24 election, leaders of the country's four political parties continued debating on a TV Tuesday night, in an attempt to woo undecided voters.

For Prime Minister Tansu Ciller and main opposition Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz, the Dec. 24 polls will be a matter of suvival, as the nation anticipates unification under one umbrella of whichever party emerges stronger than the other. Thus, the TV debates of political party leaders during the past few days have become a duel of words between Ciller and Yilmaz. Cyprus has become one of the key issues in this duel of words, with Yilmaz charging that the Ciller-led coalition government sold out Cyprus in exhange for establishing the customs union with Turkey, and Ciller vowing to "add" Northern Cyprus to Turkey if Greek Cypriots were allowed to enter the European Union unilaterally as the sole legitimate government of the island."

Yilmaz repeated throughout the debate that the Ciller government sold out Cyprus for the sake of achieving the customs union and Ciller kept on denying it. Toward the end of the debate, at the height of tension, when Yilmaz reiterated that Ciller had accepted a customs union-EU membership of Greek Cypriots as the sole-legitimate government of Cyprus at a Feb. 24 dinner with European leaders, the prime minister dclared that if Greek Cypriots were admitted in the European Union as a full member, Turkey will "add Northern Cyprus" to its territory. This was the first such declaring by a Turkish political leader. Although Ciller did not clarify whether she was referring to an integrtion or a full union of the pseudostate with Trukey, Baykal warned the prime minister that if she had such an intention she had better do it before the year end, as after the customs union goes into force, Turkey will have to ask permission from Europe before taking such a step. Ciller maintained that the customs union will be realised after a 32-year process and stressed that all past governments have a share "in this victory." She charged that anti-customs union circles have been campaigning against it and Yilmaz has become the spokesman of these lobbies.

Yilmaz immediately countered, saying he was not against the customs union, he was against the terms that the government agreed to for its realization and that his aim is to achieve full integration of Turkey into the EU.