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Tuesday, 31 December 2024
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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 00-09-14Cyprus 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. 176/00 -- 14.9.00[A] NEWS ITEMS
[A] NEWS ITEMS[01] Soysal: Turkish Cypriots to participate at Cyprus talks Istanbul NTV (17:30 hours, 13.9.00) aired a live interview with MumtazSoysal, adviser to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, by Ahmet Yesiltepe in New York. Following is the full text of the interview:``Yesiltepe: The latest situation in the Cyprus talks is that the Greek Cypriot National Council meeting ended. According to initial reports, the Greek Cypriot side will not participate at the meetings and the Clerides will not meet Alvaro De Soto. We are going to ask Mumtaz Soysal for the details. What are the latest developments? Soysal: The latest developments is that we are going to participate in the Cyprus talks. The meeting is expected to take place at 1500 and we will participate at 1530. The announcement pleased us. The Greek Cypriot side has always claimed that the Turkish Cypriot side insisted on equality and sovereignty during all the meetings. The Greek Cypriot side said that this equality may be secured at the end and that the Turkish Cypriots should not insist on confederation. The statement issued by the UN Secretary General said that the equality on the table will be included in the result. This is what displeased the Greek Cypriot side because equality on the table was already existent. Yesiltepe: Can this be considered a search for solution by Kofi Annan, or is this a concrete progress? Can we say that from now on the Turkish Cypriots have political equality on the island similar to the equality they have on the table? Soysal: This is not very clear. It was only stated that this equality will be inserted in the concluding statement. This will upset the Greek Cypriots/ position in Europe. However, whether all this will lead to the results we seek depends on whether our sovereignty will be officially recorded. In other words, it has to be recorded that we are also sovereign, and not only that we are on equal status with the other side. This shows that there is a lot of work to be done. Yesiltepe: What if the Greek Cypriots cut short their visit and return to the island? Soysal: I do not think that they will return to the island because such things happen during talks. The meaning of all this is that a good deed was done to the Turkish Cypriots and that it is now the Turkish Cypriot side that has to do a good deed in return. What they (Greek Cypriots) are saying is that the Turkish Cypriots should, to a certain limit, accept their demands. For this reason, they (Greek Cypriots) will try to make us pay. Not only the Greek Cypriots, but those who supported us on this issue will ask us to pay the price. However, our position is clear: we seek both equality and sovereignty. Yesiltepe: There are reports that the Turkish Cypriot side won the first stage of the fourth round of Cyprus talks. What do you think? Soysal: The fourth round of meetings have not ended yet. The first stage of the fourth round was concluded. It is too early yet to shout victory.'' [02] Cem stresses Turkey/s importance, notes full support for Denktash According to illegal Bayrak Radio 1 (5:00 hours, 14.9.00) Turkish ForeignMinister Ismail Cem has reiterated that Turkey fully supports Rauf Denktash. Cem said: ``I never allowed pressure to be exerted on Turkey and I will not allow it in the future''.Following the 55th round of UN General Assembly meetings held at the ministerial level, Ismail Cem spoke to reporters about the latest developments in Cyprus at the Turkish House in New York. He said: ``There is definitely no truth to the reports that pressure is being exerted on Turkey to take steps in Cyprus or to solve the Aegean problem. I never allowed pressure to be exerted on Turkey and I will not allow it in the future. That is the struggle I have been waging for the past three years. Turkey is a respectable country. Everyone is aware of that and treats it accordingly''. Cem emphasized that the main factor that has made this possible is that Turkey has started to realize its own power and to put it to good use without exaggerating. The Turkish Foreign Minister stressed: ``Turkey is a very important country. Things will go even better as long as we are aware of that''. Cem pointed out that he clearly displayed this attitude during his meetings with Alvaro de Soto, the UN Secretary General/s special Cyprus representative; and with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In reply to a question on the proximity talks, Cem said: ``It is not the duty of the United Nations to take the Greek and Greek Cypriot position and to make the Turkish side accept it. It is its duty to reconcile the two differing positions. Until today, it was being said that Denktash should accept the Greek Cypriot position. We opposed that''. Cem asserted that Turkey fully supports Rauf Denktash. [03] Ecevit on Annan/s statement Anatolia Agency (10:06 hours, 13.9.00) reports that Turkish Prime MinisterBulent Ecevit, when asked what he thought of the statements of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that the sides on Cyprus are politically equal and that the ``TRNC'' and the Greek Cypriot side represent their sides, Ecevit defined it as a positive step. He said: ``So far, we have been stressing the principle that there are two separate and equal states on Cyprus. This fact gradually began to be accepted''.[04] Denktash says Greek Cypriots bargaining to dilute, change Annan/s statementTRT Radio 1 (4:30 hours, 14.9.00) reports that Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, before his meeting with Alvaro De Soto, the UN Secretary General/s special Cyprus representative, spoke to TRT about the Greek Cypriot attitude toward Kofi Annan/s statement. Denktash claimed that the Greek Cypriots are using this as a subject for bargaining. He said: ``They are trying to bargain in order to dilute and change this statement which they consider to be in our favour. They will come. We are continuing with the talks. If they come, the come. If they do not come, it is their own affair''.''[05] Eroglu says Annan statement about equality `important development/ Anatolia Agency (18:15 hours, 13.9.00) reports that so-called prime ministerDervis Eroglu said on Wednesday that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan/s statement about the equality of both sides in Cyprus is an important development.Eroglu added they started to receive good messages about the ``TRNC reality'' which couldn/t be accepted till today. ``A solution on Cyprus is not possible without accepting the realities on the island'', said Eroglu. [06] DP says Annan remarks `hopeful/ Anatolia Agency (17:08 hours 13.9.00) says the main Turkish Cypriotopposition party, the Democratic Party (DP), said on Wednesday that the statement of the UN Secretary General Kofi who said that ``the sides on Cyprus are politically equal'' is hopeful for the proximity talks.Issuing a written statement, DP said that this is a very important development. ``The continuation of the talks by the Greek Cypriot side in the light of this reality has strengthened the possibility of finding a just solution in Cyprus'', DP said. [07] Corantis links Cyprus to Greek-Turkish relations According to Anatolia Agency (14:43 hours, 13.9.00) Ioannis Corantis, theGreek Ambassador to Ankara, said on Wednesday that the Cyprus question was ``an open wound'' and noted that questions which are in suspense will poison the Greek-Turkish bilateral relations.Addressing a news conference which he staged in the Trabzon Journalists Association, Corantis said most of the people in Greece supported the course of the relations between the two countries. Corantis said the Cyprus question between the two countries was an open wound, and that the UN has a series of decisions. He said the proposal which has been presented was a federation. Corantis said the existing situation on Cyprus was unacceptable, and that this open wound will make the normalization of Turkish-Greek relations difficult. Pointing out that Turkish Cypriots should benefit from the input of the EU like the Greek Cypriots, he added that the framework of it was definite. Corantis said what was targeted was only one republic, not two separate Cyprus, and added that these are the views of all international community, not only the views of Greece. [08] Eroglu says Guzelyurtlu/s extradition will be requested if he goes to UK Anatolia Agency (18:02 hours, 13.9.00) reports that so-called prime ministerDervis Eroglu said that if Elmas Guzelyurtlu goes to Britain, his extradition will be requested. Elmas Guzelyurtlu is the owner of Everest Bank, who fled to the free areas of Cyprus.The owners of accounts in the bank protested the escape of Guzelyurtlu. [09] Guzelyurtlu/s wife arrested The front page article of KIBRIS (14.9.00) says that the wife of ElmasGuzelyurtlu, the Turkish Cypriot businessman who fled to the free areas in a bid to go abroad to find the means to save his bank in the occupied area, has been arrested.Zerrin Guzelyurtlu was arrested and accused of helping Elmas Guzelyurtlu to flee from the pseudostate. [10] Akbulut ``justifies'' Turkey/s 1974 invasion According to HALKIN SESI (14.9.00) Turkey/s Parliament Speaker YildirimAkbulut has claimed that Turkey, based on the agreements, intervened in 1974 ``in order to prevent the Turkish Cypriot massacre by the Greek Cypriots.'' Akbulut replied to Acting Cyprus Parliament Speaker Avraam Antoniou/s statement who said that Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, during a speech he made at the South-East Europe Stability Pact Parliamentary Summit. Akbulut claimed that Turkey/s intervention in Cyprus is similar to NATO/s intervention in Bosnia-Herzegovina .Akbulut claimed it would be a mistake to assess in any other way Turkey/s intervention in Cyprus. He added that in Cyprus ``there are two different nations and it is not possible to reach a lasting solution if this fact is overlooked''. Akbulut stressed that it is impossible to return to the pre 1974 era. 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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