Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 98-08-28

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Demirel: ``132 islets or small islands in the Aegean belong to Turkey through heritage''

[02] Turkey assesses S-300s´ issue

[03] Turkish Cypriot party leader supports federation

[04] Eroglu claims S-300 to negatively affect entire Middle East

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Demirel: ``132 islets or small islands in the Aegean belong to Turkey through heritage''

Asked to comment on a statement by Gen. Ismail Hakki Karadayi, Chief of the General Staff who pointed a few days ago to the danger of Greece deciding to risk a limited war, Demirel replied, inter alia: ``It must be realized that waging a limited war after the fighting starts is impossible. President Johnson made a very interesting statement during the Vietnam War. The United States involved itself in the war and lost. He said: ´A country may easily decide to fight a war. But moving itself out of that situation is beyond its control...´.

Faits accomplis are very important. Gen. Ismet Inonu made a very interesting statement in the past. He said: ´Wars are not caused by serious developments´. In order words, the striking of a match may cause war. A basis must not be created for war. Serious tension may be a reason. A fait accompli can be created, such as the one that caused the Imia crisis. Some 132 islets or small islands exist in the Aegean. We refer to them as ´gray areas´. Agreements have not been made to define their status. We have said: ´They do not belong to you (Greece). They belong to us through heritage´''.

[02] Turkey assesses S-300s´ issue

High ranking Foreign Ministry officials also participated in the meeting. According to information obtained by Milliyet the main topic of the meeting consisted of Cyprus Government´s effort following international pressure to find a solution to the S-300 missiles it purchased from Russia. The commanders and Foreign Ministry officials assessed during the meeting the effects of the results of the meeting Greek Prime Minister Simitis and President Glafcos Clerides were expected to hold in Athens on the S-300 missiles issue. Turkey´s views regarding the S-300 missiles was reexamined. Moreover, the likely policies Turkey may follow in light of the resutls of the Athens meeting was taken up during the meeting.

[03] Turkish Cypriot party leader supports federation

CTP leader Mehmet Ali Talat issued a statement stressing that ``an international anti-federation campaign has been launched in the north and south of Cyprus that could only lead the island to confrontation, war, and lasting division''. Talat called on all who favor peace, cooperation, and a just an honorable solution to work effectively for a ``federal'' solution.

Talat blamed the Cyprus Government for rendering the Cyprus problem ``more intractable with the S-300 missiles'', and Rauf Denktash for dragging the ``struggle of years into failure'' by announcing that the ``federation is dead''. Talat said the following in his press statement: ``We are now at a stage of being dragged into an impasse before the international community because of the Greek Cypriot administration´s moves on the S-300 missiles and armaments. It was at such a juncture that President Denktash announced that the ´federation has died´.. While the Clerides administration tries to make progress on the EU membership and resort to other tactics to get rid of the Ghali Set of Ideas, Denktash, in his turn, makes one mistake after another. As could be seen from the counter-statements issued by the Clerides administration and its Foreign Minister Kasoulides, the Greek Cypriot side bases all its tactics directly on its adherence to the parameters accepted by the UN and the international community. Now, at this point to raise as preconditions the issue of property exchange and the rights and duties of the two federated states, issues that have to be resolved in the course of a solution of the Cyprus problem, is to present the Clerides administration with an opportunity it could never have found. Just at the stage when the Ghali Set of Ideas, which provides comprehensive solutions to all these problems, should have been fully embraced for Denktash to say the ´the UN parameters have died´ is tantamount to presenting Clerides with an opportunity he could never have found.

Such an approach and statements, which weaken and undemine before the international community the purport behind Turkey´s military intervention in 1974, arising from the 1960 Guarantee and Alliance Agreements and aiming to restore the disrupted constitutional order, only help those who try to portray Turkey as ´occupationist´.

The thesis that the ´federation has died´ is tantamount to complete surrender and to declaring that the struggle waged for so many years has failed. It is extremely wrong to hold such a view, a view that means killing a solution in Cyprus and further isolated Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community from the world. As the CTP, we call on Denktash to refrain from helping the Clerides administration, which has revealed its real intentions with its misstep over the S-300 missiles, with his statement that ´the dederation has died´.

The interests of the Turkish Cypriot people and Turkey lie on a mutually acceptable and just solution. And, the federal solution is the only way to achieve it. The intentional ´anti-federation´ propaganda launched in the north and south of Cyprus could only lead the island to confrontation war, and lasting division. We again call on all who favor peace, cooperation, and a just and honorable solution to work effectively for a ´federal´ solution.''

[04] Eroglu claims S-300 to negatively affect entire Middle East

Eroglu stated ``the relations between Turkey and the TRNC will be made deeper in order to abolish all the impediments that stand in front of the TRNC in social, economic, security and foreign policy issues, unless the TRNC gets the status she deserves in the international arena''.

On the issue of the S-300 missiles, Eroglu claimed: ``The S-300 missiles will not only negatively affect Turkey but also all the Middle East including Israel with their range and radars. Britain which has bases in the region and the US and Israel which use these bases are also concerned about the deployment of the missiles on the island. Russian soldiers and technicians, who will come to the island together with the missiles are also a matter of concern''.

Noting that the Mediterranean needs stability as the stability in the region will provide for the control and safe distribution of oil and natural gas, regulation of cultural activities, Eroglu alleged that the Greek Cypriot side causes problems in the region, threatening that ``the peace in the region which is protected by the Turkish Armed Forces since the Peace Operation can be sacrificed for a new Greek - Greek Cypriot madness any time''. Eroglu described the opening of an airbase in Paphos and spending two million US dollars a day for armament as ``signs of madness''.

``We see today that the Greek Cypriots want the missiles to be an issue of bargaining, this is complete blackmail applied to the world and a kind of Byzantine trick. The Greek Cypriot administration talks about declaration of Cyprus as a no-fly zone for military aircraft. We can´t accept this kind of bargaining. We see that the Greek Cypriots are preparing to make a show at the UN General Assembly and say that they will be postponing the arrival of missiles on the island for an indefinite period of time,'' said Eroglu.

From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/

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