Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 99-09-15

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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

No. 167/99 -- 15.9.99

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Denktash back from US.

[02] Cem: Not a change in basic parametres concerning Cyprus.

[03] Ertugruloglu in Turkey.

[04] Lowest monthly salary at 115 million TL.

[05] Gurel: Simitis speech on Turkey, EU, Cyprus `unfortunate´ .

[06] Denktash blamed for creating crisis.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[07] Progress in Cyprus said hinging on `carrot´ for Turkey.

[09] Sener Levent: Denktash and Eroglu have same political views.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Denktash back from US

``The US authorities said they were thinking of other formulas. We will consider it if it is a formula that would protect our rights,'' he added.

The recent warming between Turkish and Greek nations raised hopes, he stated. ``However, Turkey is still expected to make concessions. It is difficult to understand why this is so. It is Greece who wants to annex Cyprus, not Turkey,'' he claimed.

Denktash noted that Turkey did hot go one step further in the last 26 years in Cyprus. ``We will not make a concession. We did not go one step further, we are staying where we were,'' Denktash concluded.

[02] Cem: Not a change in basic parameters concerning Cyprus

Noting that he has concerns about the positive developments in the relations between the two countries, Cem said that he is in favour of committee meetings, that were held lastly in Athens and would continue in Ankara on Wednesday, to be carried out silently and calmly and in a manner which would not create more expectations that were all appropriate to his own style.

Pointing out that great expectations come out in both societies following the devastating earthquake in Turkey, Cem said, ``as the Foreign Minister, I lost the opportunity to control this. I wanted it to occur silently and calmly but there is a boom in sympathy and expectations both in the two sides.''

When reminded of the news claiming that the US prepared some plans concerning the Cyprus question, Cem said they have not received a plan that was prepared at official or unofficial platform.

``We have never adopted an understanding that we don´t want a solution. However, we never accept the developments that may lead to a minority status for the Turkish Cypriots. As the guarantor country, we protect our rights and use them till the end'', he said.

Pointing out that they support a basis which will provide a solution on Cyprus, Cem said, ``however, we never welcome solution proposals that are forced on us. We never do anything that will make such a thing easier''.

``Our basic parameters concerning the Cyprus question are still in existence. There was not a change, and there won´t be. The side for solution on the island is the TRNC, but as the guarantor country, we always interest in the Cyprus question and support the TRNC. There is not any lack of accord between Turkey and the TRNC'', he said.

[03] Ertugruloglu in Turkey

(DP)

[04] Lowest monthly salary at 115 million TL

(DP)

[05] Gurel: Simitis speech on Turkey, EU, Cyprus `unfortunate´

``Question: Greek Prime Minister Simitis and Greek Cypriot leader Clerides made a joint statement in Athens today. Simitis said that for Turkey to join the EU, there must first be progress in Cyprus, and for that, Turkey must agree to hold negotiations without preconditions and must come to the negotiations with constructive proposals. How do you assess Simitis´ proposal which can be summarized as European support on condition of Cyprus? How will Turkey respond?''

Gurel: The best would be to act as if we did not hear the honourable Greek prime minister, just as our honourable prime minister did. We had started to believe that Greece was changing its attitude to Turkey within the framework of the EU relations and that it was adopting a constructive stand. The creation of an opposite impression by means of the statement issued today will surely be unfortunate at this stage, especially in terms of the development of Turkish-Greek relations and the advancement of the Turkish-EU relations. Therefore, I do not want to go into a detailed assessment. I would only like to recall, however, that Turkey too does not want preconditions regarding the Cyprus issue. The TRNC too does not want preconditions. It is the Greek Cypriot side that is positing preconditions. Their precondition is that their side be recognized as a state, and that TRNC President Denktash sit at the negotiating table representing nothing. This is contrary to the realities of Cyprus. It is contrary to the law. From his statements, it is understood that ever since his last meeting with Mr. Denktash, the UN Secretary General wants to start a negotiation process that will be in line with the realities on the island and that he aims at maturing this process to eventually lead to direct negotiations.

Consequently, new statements which show that old attitudes have not changed will not help the developments regarding Cyprus.

Question: Mr. Ismail Cem said today that there is currently a better mutual understanding with the EU. Do you think the EU will share Athens´ attitude or will it have a different attitude? If things reach the point of either Cyprus or Europe, what will Turkey´s stand be?

Gurel: As you point out, a positive tendency has been observed in the relations between Turkey and the EU lately. Even though we do not raise our hopes too much, we hope that in the future we will be able to base our relations on the legal foundations foreseen in the 1963 agreement. We have repeatedly said that we do not consider it appropriate to have Turkey face preconditions involving political issues that are outside its relations with the EU, such as the Cyprus issue, particularly during the candidacy period. Lately, we strongly believed that this approach was gaining acceptance. We hope that the EU too will consider its relations with the EU only in terms of the political and economic issues that directly concern these relations. We hope that it will not make the mistake of imposing on us a precondition involving the Cyprus question, a national issue of vital importance for Turkey.

Question: At the moment, the United States is suggesting that Cyprus negotiations should begin without preconditions. These suggestions were made to TRNC President Denktash during his recent visit to the United States. The G-8 countries and the United Nations support the idea of negotiations without preconditions. Once the two sides sit at the negotiating table, who will bring what to the table is still unclear. Various scenarios are being mentioned as possible solutions in Cyprus. What kind of a Cyprus policy will the Turkish side pursue in the coming days in order to eliminate this international pressure and to put its own approach into force in Cyprus?.

Gurel: The principles of our Cyprus policy are known to all. The Cyprus issue heads the list of the most important foreign policy issues in our government program. It also exceeds our government; if you remember, the Turkish Grand National Assembly held a special session a few months ago and determined a national policy regarding Cyprus. Given the existence of this political framework which guides our government, surely nobody can expect the Turkish Republican Government to act otherwise regarding this national issue of vital importance. Furthermore, our relations with the others, with the EU and the United States, involve dimensions that far exceed the Cyprus problem. We are convinced that both the United States and the EU will pursue their policies toward Turkey by being aware of this fact.''

[06] Denktash blamed for creating crisis

It is said that during his visit in the States, Denktash tried to speak on behalf of Ankara and that Turkish diplomatic circles reacted to this initiative. (DP)

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[07] Progress in Cyprus said hinging on `carrot´ for Turkey

``Still, Annan cannot withdraw completely from a task assigned to him by the Security Council. A Western diplomat who had a direct influence in shaping the Secretary General´s views on Cyprus said: `In the end whatever the Security Council said will be done. The Council is not about to recognise the existence of a Turkish state in northern Cyprus and therefore acknowledge the breaching of its own resolutions. It is unthinkable to abandon the idea of negotiations on Cyprus just because this cannot be done´.

Now the hope of the Turkish side is that Annan will turn to the Security Council and ask it to prepare the conditions for an invitation `whose acceptance is possible´. However, as Western diplomats at the UN point out, because it is impossible `to recognize the TRNC as a state´ at this stage, most predictions are that it will not be possible to resume `direct negotiations´ in Cyprus and that the blame for that will largely `fall on the Turkish Cypriot side´.

So what will happen then? The international community obviously does not endorse the backbone of the Turkish position, which is: `There is no problem to solved. The Cyprus problem was solved in 1974´. Consequently, `efforts for a settlement´ will continue.

Contrary to numerous reports that have appeared in the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot press, the Clinton administration does not have a comprehensive plan for Cyprus. The Clinton administration, whose only plan at this time is to bring the two sides together, will once again harness its creative energies to `do the impossible´.

US officials associated with the Cyprus problem had a chance to hold extensive discussions with Denktash during this visit. The message they sent was: `The only way to attain your goals of equality, recognition, and even a confederation is negotiation. We are prepared to support the establishment of a new entity in Cyprus with the equal contribution of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot sides without embracing any predetermined criterion fanatically. The current international circumstances offer new opportunities. Not negotiating would mean throwing away this opportunity´.

US officials also said: `The principal cause of the bottleneck is not the dispute over a federation or a confederation. Both options can be discussed. Moreover, the ultimate goal of the negotiations is to find a formula which will end the recognition of the Greek Cypriot administration as the only sovereign government of Cyprus and which can build a foundation for the international legitimacy of the Turkish Cypriot political will on the island´.

However, none of these arguments have been able to sway the Turkish Cypriot side. Denktash is willing to consider only `indirect talks´. Moreover, he says that these talks must be `held on the island´ and that their purpose `must be the recognition of the existence of two states in Cyprus´.

Meanwhile, the United States, though committed to the idea of `direct talks´ stipulated by the G-8, is working on the parameters of an alternative shuttle diplomacy. However, the prevailing view in Washington is that `any movement in Cyprus is impossible in the absence of an intent in Turkey´. Generating such intent through pressure on Turkey is out of the question. Everyone knows that the Cyprus problem cannot be solved by force. However, is there a `carrot´ on offer?.

This is the essence of the problem. US references to `the improvement of the economic conditions of the Turkish Cypriots´ and `lasting stability in the region´ are not sufficiently attractive incentives for Ankara. As one Turkish diplomat pointed out, the Turkish side has no reason to change its position `as long as Turkish Cypriots do not rebel against the status quo or the EU refuses to open its gates fully to Turkey´. Since both of these are remote possibilities, we can expect moves in Cyprus to continue on the pattern of ` one step forward, one step backward´''.

[80] Sener Levent: Denktash and Eroglu have same political views

``Rauf Denktash says,

- We will only talk with the Greek Cypriots as state to state.

Dervis Eroglu says,

- We will ony talk with the Greek Cypriots as state to state.

Denktash says,

- If it wasn´t for Turkey, we wouldn´t be able to live in Cyprus.

Eroglu says,

- If it wasn´t for Turkey we wouldn´t be able to live in Cyprus.

Denktash says,

- We will open Varosha.

Eroglu says,

- We will open Varosha''.

Sener Levent wonders:

``I wonder, why is Eroglu a candidate?

Denktash is known.

He will accuse Eroglu on the domestic policy… As if he himself is not in this game… And Eroglu? For what will he blame Denktash?''.

(DP)

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