Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 00-06-01

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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. 103/00 -- 1.6.00

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Gurel arrives in occupied area.

[02] CMC faces "lawsuit".

[03] Bulgarian "immigrants" complain about their problems.

[04] More on claims about Turkish Cypriots/ money being deposited in banks in free areas.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[05] EU awaits action from Turkey on Cyprus and Copenhagen criteria.

[07] Party leader in Turkey against disbanding Aegean army.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Gurel arrives in occupied area

Gurel and the accompanying delegation will join the Third Meeting of the Solidarity Board of the Turkish Citizens Living Abroad.

Gurel told reporters upon his arrival that the first two meetings of the board were held in Turkey and that they wanted to stage the third meeting in "TRNC".

He will hold contacts with the "state and governmental officials", and have the opportunity to discuss all issues, including economy, during his visit, Gurel said.

[02] CMC faces "lawsuit"

The chairman of the association Teoman Oktay in a written statement said that they will file a lawsuit against the company tomorrow and if need be they will recourse to the European Human Rights Court. Oktay further said that on June 5, the World Environment Day, they will hold a protest march and a meeting during which they will send a petition through the UN Peace Force in Cyprus to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and to US Ambassador to Cyprus, Donald Bandler.

[03] Bulgarian "immigrants" complain about their problems

Kursat Dunki said that they have a series of problems such as housing, "citizenship", "naturalization", divided families, visas and personal allowances etc., and despite the efforts they have made towards the settlement of these problems nothing has been done by the so-called "government".

Serdar Denktash criticized the "government" for not finding solutions for their brethren who came from Bulgaria and "settled" in the occupied area.

[04] More on claims about Turkish Cypriots/ money being deposited in banks in free areas.

According to information reaching HURRIYET KIBRIS, says the paper, a lot of Turkish Cypriots have started asking for credits from banks operating in the free areas of Cyprus.

The paper alleges that the banks in the free areas give low-interest credits to "TRNC citizens" if they provide two guarantors.

HURRIYET KIBRIS further reports that the issue of Turkish Cypriots/ money being deposited in the banks operating in the free areas was on the occupation regime/s agenda.

The issue was discussed with Turkish State Minister Responsible for Cyprus Affairs, Sukru Sina Gurel. The paper quotes an unnamed Turkish Cypriot who reportedly said " I too deposited my money in the Greek Cypriot bank, what else could have I done?"

The Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce as well dealt with the issue and expressed concern over this development.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[05] EU awaits action from Turkey on Cyprus and Copenhagen criteria

"These two documents will clearly state Turkey/s `pledges/ and serve as a road map indicating how soon Turkey would be able to adjust itself to the EU/s Copenhagen criteria and acquis communautaire.

For the very important accession partnership document, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Guenter Verheugen, will arrive in Ankara in mid-July. He will discuss the main elements of the document with Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. Work on the draft must be completed by October if the draft is to be approved by the EU Council in early November and the clock is to start ticking.

However, uncertainties and confusion in Ankara on this issue still prevail. A commission source who has carried out the first informal `pulse-taking/ on this issue, says that meeting the October deadline is looking harder with each passing day".

There are two reasons for this potential failure, Birand says, and the first difficulty stems from the difference between the Turkish laws and the acquis, the sum total of the decisions taken by the EU so far.

The second problem is in the field of adjusting to the Copenhagen criteria, especially in matters regarding Cyprus. "EU officials stress that the accession partnership document must contain a `solution-oriented/ clause about Cyprus. An EU official says: `If we cannot find a satisfactory formula for the Cyprus issue the Greeks will feel compelled to obstruct the adoption of the draft. The reason they have agreed to leave the Cyprus issue out of the bilateral talks until now is that they expect this issue to be tackled in the accession partnership document. If they see no reference to Cyprus in the accession partnership document, the Greek opposition will be up in arms/. The EU official in question is amazed that Ankara is unaware of or is reluctant to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. To sum up, we may be faced with a crisis unless a formula for a Cyprus solution - other hand the confederation thesis - is put forward during the next few months.

The DPT work on adjusting to the rest of the Copenhagen criteria is rapidly being carried out. However, in that area too, there are a few thorny issues, including the controversial Aticle 312 of the Turkish Penal Code.

And there is a lingering suspicion that the bureaucrats making the preparations may slow down their work until after summer because `it all needs political decisions/.

Preparation of the accession partnership document is crucial because of the document cannot be prepared on time the beginning of the accession talks will automatically be postponed," Birand concludes.

[60] Party leader in Turkey against disbanding Aegean army

Perincek said that "the disbanding of the Aegean Army is a part of the plan to undermine the national State and convert the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) into a police force that will serve the Pentagon". He went on:

"Disbanding the Aegean Army will force Turkey to yield to the United States and the EU in the Aegean, Cyprus, and Northern Iraq. Three factors threaten Turkey/s national security. The first is the possibility of the EU placing the Aegean/s continental shelf under its control through Greece, the second is the possibility of the Western countries placing Cyprus under their control, and the third is the possibility of the establishment of a puppet state in northern Iraq.

The proposal for the disbanding of the Aegean Army to persuade Greece not to `extend its territorial waters to 12 miles/ is a requirement of the condition that Turkey has to make concessions on Cyprus and the Aegean if it wants to join the EU. The Aegean Army is the only military unit which is not under the NATO command. Significant pressure has been put on Turkey to force it to disband the Aegean Army ever since it was established. However, Turkey has been able to safeguard its interests in the Aegean and Cyprus because it resisted. The tactic of the United States and the EU is to create a difficult situation for Turkey in the West in order to force it to yield in the East. Concessions on Cyprus and the Aegean will force Turkey to agree to the establishment of a puppet state in northern Iraq. Ever since the Gulf War ended, the United States has tried to threaten Turkey with the establishment of a puppet state in northern Iraq with a view to force the TSK to agree to act as a subcontractor.

The defense lines of the national State is in northern Iraq, Cyprus, and the Aegean. The Western countries plan to undermine the national State and the national army by attacking their defense lines. The United States has completed the preparations it made for the establishment of a puppet state in northern Iraq. It has now stepped up its initiatives to declare the establishment of such a state. Washington/s effort to step up the legalization of the puppet state in northern Iraq is worsening the disagreement on the developments.

The disbanding of the Aegean Army will place the removal of the National Security Council, the establishment of a professional army, and the transfer of the General Staff from Ankara to Konya on Turkey/s agenda. In other words, pressure will be put on Ankara to force it to convert the TSK into a military force subordinate to the Pentagon. All that is a package which has been drawn up in Washington and Brussels and imposed on Turkey.

The plan to render the TSK ineffective has been stepped up. The proposal by Ret. Adm. Guven Erkaya for the disbanding of the Aegean Army, which the newspapers reported in their headlines, indicates that significant progress has been made to that effect. The press has been actively used against the TSK since the OCSE summit (in Istanbul). No liquidation is described as a move to destroy an institution. The effort made to render the TSK ineffective is publicized as an initiative to promote Turkey/s interests.

The effort that is made to liquidate the TSK is the most critical part of the plan drawn up to undermine the national State and facilitate the establishment of the second republic. It is common knowledge that the architects of the plan cannot place Turkey under their control before the TSK is converted into a military force subordinate to the Pentagon. The claims that the Aegean Army is merely a symbolic military unit cannot be used as an excuse. The ground is being prepared to force Turkey to make concessions on Cyprus and the Aegean, concessions which will be described as `gestures/. Prime Minister Ecevit/s disclosure that he does not want to comment on the matter conflicts with the serious nature of the situation. The Government must quickly disclose that Erkaya/s proposal is unacceptable".

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

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