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Friday, 19 April 2024
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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 98-08-27Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIANo. 156/98 -- 27.8.98[A] NEWS ITEMS
[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS
[A] NEWS ITEMS[01] Seven Syrian fishermen ``sentenced'' to one monthAccording to illegal Bayrak radio (15:30 hours, 25.8.98) seven Syrian citizens who were fishing 2.5 miles off of the coast south of occupied Rizokarpasso village, were ``sentenced'' to one month imprisonment each by the so-called Famagusta district court last Tuesday.They were arrested for ``violating the waters of the TRNC and for fishing illegally''. The seven accepted the charges and apologized. ``Judge'' Ahmet Kalkan pointed out that recently quite a number of Syrian fishing boats have been ``violating the TRNC´s waters'', as he put it, and that they continue to do so despite the ``sentences''. [02] MIT involved in scandalAccording to Turkish Daily News (26.8.98) attention for the past few days has been focused on Alaattin Cakici and the varying claims concerning him and his relations with Turkey´s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), ministers, politicians and businessmen. At present Cakici, who has been considered Turkey´s leading godfather, is languishing in a French prison awaiting possible repatriation to Turkey on a number of charges, including some which carry the death penalty.The number of people who have been accused of some sort of connection with Cakici or who have been caught up in the web of claims are busy trying to deny they were engaged in any wrongdoing. Most prominent of those under fire is State Minister Eyup Asik who Tuesday protested that his meeting with Cakici had taken place two years ago and was basically one-sided. Asik claimed that no one could even insinuate that he had aided any criminal gang activity in the government. Asik chose not to answer any questions about how often he had actually met with Cakici, reported the Anatolia news agency. True Path Party (DYP) Deputy Chairman Hayri Kozakcioglu speaking Tuesday in Izmir called on the government to get to the heart of the dirty relations which were being uncovered. He noted that two ministers had been accused of having contact with Cakici although only Asik had been named and wondered how it was that the two ministers could still sit in Council of Ministers´ meetings in which the topic of Cakici was being raised. The latest claims raised concerning Cakici, who has been accused of murder, drug running, extortion and forgery to mention just a few of his supposed activities, is that he is a member of MIT. Moreover, it was members of MIT who were supposed to have arranged for him to have a diplomatic red passport issued in the Turkish Embassy in Beijing. The traffic accident at Susurluk in which a police chief and a wanted murderer died while a member of parliament survived nearly two years ago may also have had a connection with Cakici. If it had not been for the accident, it is unlikely that the criminal gangs operating with seeming impunity within the structure of the state would have been uncovered. By Tuesday commentators on the ongoing revelations seemed to think that Susurluk was only a minor issue; what was important was the unraveling of the whole skein of relations - who talked with whom, when and what did they do for each other. [03] Dentkash criticizes NAM resolution on CyprusAccording to KIBRIS (27.8.98) Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, in a letter to the Non-aligned Movement´s (NAM) term President Ernesto Sampere, repeated his known views on the Cyprus problem.He criticized the decision on Cyprus adopted at the NAM´s Ministerial Conference held in Colombia between 19-20 May 1998. He alleged that the resolution adopted by NAM was one-sided and did not ``reflect the realities on the island''. He alleged that the NAM has no right to criticize the presence of the Turkish occupation troops in Cyprus. (MY) [04] Turkish Ministry on firing incident against Greek Cypriot fishermenAccording to KIBRIS (27.8.98) Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman ambassador Necati Utkan, when asked to comment on the incident caused by the Turkish occupation troops near Paralimni, when they opened fire on five Greek Cypriot fishermen, alleged that the fishermen did not heed the verbal warnings of the occupation troops and consequently the soldiers were forced to fire warning shots into the air.Ambassador Uktan did not say anything about the bullet holes on the fishing boats. He claimed that the Turkish troops acted, as he put it, in accordance with international law. (MY) [B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS[05] Turkish military undergoes new trendRifat Dedeoglu, in an article in TEMPO magazine (6-12.8.98) under the title ``New Trend in Army; `Civilianization´'', deals with the mission of the Turkish army to enter the 2000s and says that the army has been preparing for this mission for nearly 15 years. ``The Turkish army is progressing rapidly though quietly along the path of becoming one of the most powerful armies in the world'', he says and adds: ``In addition, with the changes that were introduced in the military schools five years ago, it is planned to train officers who will fit the human structure of the Turkish army in the 2000s and who will pay attention to human relations and individualism. It is said that this process gained impetus in the last two years.Gen. Huseyin Kivrikoglu, currently Commander of the Land Forces, will become Chief of the General Staff on August 30. General Kivrikoglu was trained and served overseas for many years. He is a commander who reads and renews himself continuously. Recently he had an English-language book translated and published. Then he distributed the translated copy to his commanders together with a letter. The book, written by former US Deputy Secretary of State George Ball, is entitled `Discipline of Power´. Ball is a political figure who opposed then President Richard Nixon sharply for his policy of continuing the Vietnam War. In the letter accompanying the book, Kivrikoglu stresses the principles of decisionmaking and administration. General Kivrikoglu describes the book in his letter as follows: `The author of the book analyzes, based on his experience and knowledge, the political, economic, military, and social actions of states and societies in the century that is drawing to a close, and questions their consequences in all fields.´ In other words, General Kivrikoglu´s tenure marks the beginning of a period that emphasizes human concepts in the army. It would be wrong to say that General Kivrikoglu started this change on his own. In the army everything is planned years in advance and put into practice slowly. The task of the commanders is to implement these plans. The changes that will occur in the armed forces during Kivrikoglu´s tenure are the result of such plans. However this civilianization must not be seen as an attempt to keep pace with civilians. In the 2000s soldiers will remain soldiers in terms of discipline, institutions, and principles. However they will remember that there is a human behind every uniform and that every problem has a human dimension. Every officer will be asked to improve himself in every respect and will be expected to surpass civilians in knowledge, culture, and social activity. Our army is about to enter the 2000s with a brand new mentality. This formation of this mentality has paralleled developments around the world. Gen. Kivrikoglu and his circles realize the importance of these developments very well. The former Welfare Party and now the Virtue Party, which remains quiet these days, must follow this change very closely. The new approach of our army requires it not to oppose a Muslim party that is committed to democratic principles. In other words, a party that upholds Islam, a democratic Islam, without engaging in dissimulation will never find the army opposing it. However, organizations with foreign ties that approach Islam with the mentality of a gang must beware. The army´s `human´ or `civilian´ approaches, which will begin with Kivrikoglu´s tenure, will make no concessions on threats against the state''. EF/SK From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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