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Sunday, 22 December 2024
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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 00-09-18Cyprus 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. 178/00 -- 16-17-18.9.00[A] NEWS ITEMS
[A] NEWS ITEMS[01] Cem: Confederation is the only solution According to Anatolia Agency (19:02 hours, 16.9.00), Turkish ForeignMinister Cem has said that the ``confederation is the only solution in Cyprus''.In his address at the 55th UN General Assembly Session, Cem said that ``if there is a sincere wish for a solution, it should be a confederation, which is made of two states and which is suitable to the realities in Cyprus''. Noting that ``no blood was shed on Cyprus during the past 26 years and that peace and security reigned'', Cem claimed that there were ``two independent states and functioning democracies in Cyprus''. Explaining that the United Nations envisages the solution to be agreed upon by the two sides to be submitted to respective referendums, Cem emphasized that the solution will become invalid if the referendums are rejected. Emphasizing that it is out of the question for an international organization to impose its own solution to the sides, Cem added: ``In this respect, Cyprus/ membership in the EU, which does not include Turkey, will be tantamount to an indirect `enosis/ and this is in violation of the London and Zurich agreements''. Cem continued: ``If there is a sincere wish to search for a solution, it should be a confederation, which is suitable to the realities in Cyprus and which encompasses the two states. The two sides in this formation will refer some of their responsibilities to the confederal structure. In this way, the realities stemming from diversity and wholeness will be maintained''. Cem said: ``A solution to the Cyprus issue can be secured by realistic assessments and not by romantic descriptions''. Explaining that remarks such as ``Cyprus is the last wall in Europe'' can seem fashionable, Cem stressed that such expressions run counter to the existing ``realities''. Cem continued: ``The Greek Cypriots should first change their views and mentality for the wall in Cyprus to be brought down''. Reiterating that Turkey extends full support to the confederal proposals submitted by Rauf Denktash during the Geneva talks, Cem added that these proposals are along the lines of a confederal structure. [02] Denktash says will not discuss territory issue before recognition of sovereigntyAccording to illegal Bayrak Radio 1 (5:00 hours, 16.9.00), commenting on President Glafcos Clerides remarks to the effect that they discussed the territorial issue on 15 September, Rauf Denktash said: ``I will not discuss the territorial issue before our sovereignty is recognized''.Denktash met at his hotel with Alvaro de Soto, the UN Secretary General/s special Cyprus representative, before the meeting held at the United Nations. Giving short answers to reporters/ questions after his meeting with de Soto, Denktash said that the special representative wanted to meet him and therefore came to his hotel. Diplomatic sources have said that during the tete-a-tete meeting, do Soto reassured Denktash that the UN Secretary General is loyal to the written statement he issued on 12 September and that he will not retract it. After that Denktash and de Soto proceeded to the UN building where they continued with the proximity talks with the delegations. Diplomatic sources indicate that at the meeting Denktash did not refer to the file on the territorial issue. In a statement to the press, Denktash said: ``We will not discuss the territorial issue unless our sovereignty is recognized''. [03] Cem on Annan/s statement Anatolia Agency (22:10 hours, 16.9.00) reports that Turkish Foreign MinisterIsmail Cem has said that the statement issued by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the beginning of the fourth round of proximity talks constitutes ``an important document that will show the way to the sides''.Cem, who participated in the 55th Session of the UN General Assembly, held a news conference at the Turkish House after his meeting with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou. Expressing his views on the Cyprus proximity talks, Cem said: ``We are taking Annan/s statement very seriously and are following the developments. Annan/s remarks will play an important role in the ensuing developments''. Explaining that //the Cyprus issue is not a bilateral issue between Turkey and Greece,'' Cem added that ``for this reason it was never officially placed on the agenda of the meetings with Papandreou''. [04] Ecevit on Annan/s statement Istanbul NTV (9:00 hours, 15.9.00) reports that Turkish Prime MinisterBulent Ecevit, commenting on the statement by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who said during the Cyprus proximity talks that the two sides are politically equal, said: ``This is an important development. We expected the Greek Cypriot side to react to Annan/s remarks and to become upset. However, if they assess the situation unemotionally, it will be easy to reach a solution that will satisfy both sides''.[05] Gurel insists on equality and sovereignty Anatolia Agency (20:51 hours, 14.9.00) reports that Turkish State MinisterSukru Sina Gurel held a press briefing at the Turkish Embassy in London on Thursday.Dwelling on the ongoing proximity talks in New York, Gurel claimed a solution can only take place if the ``TRNC/s'' political equality and sovereignty are recognized. ``We are now far from this point. However, the third parties started saying that there are two separate societies and states in Cyprus. This will help the Greek Cypriot side to get closer to the realities''. [06] Denktash says Cyprus nucleus of Turkish World/s geopolitical cause According to illegal Bayrak Radio 1 (10:30 hours, 16.9.00), Turkish Cypriotleader Rauf Denktash has said that Cyprus is the nucleus of the Turkish world/s geopolitical cause. He was speaking at a reception given in his honour at the Turkish House in New York by the Federation of Turkish American Associations (TADF).The reception was attended by Ismail Cem, Turkish foreign minister; Ambassador Umit Pamir, Turkey/s permanent representative at the United Nations; Aytug Plumer, the so-called representative of the pseudostate in New York; Dr. Ata Erim, chairman of the TADF; and numerous guests. Denktash said in his speech: ``Had Turkey not stood behind Turkish Cyprus we would not be here''. Denktash said that he believes in Turkish-Greek friendship and that Ismail Cem is making efforts to create this friendship. Denktash added: ``A requisite of friendship is the recognition of the Turkish Cypriots/ rights. If the Greek Cypriots, acknowledge the fact that they are not our government, the problem will be resolved.'' Concluding his speech, Denktash said: ``We do not covet Greek Cypriot land''. [07] Bill on Armenian genocide could hurt US-Turkey relations A report in Turkish Daily News (16.9.00), Internet version) says that as aUS bill which would recognize the Armenian genocide remains on the political agenda, diplomatic sources warned the US Congress that Turkish- American relations would be negatively affected if the bill were passed.Speaking to the Turkish Daily News, diplomatic sources said that Turkey has been continuing its efforts to prevent the bill from being passed in the US Congress. In recent days Armenian lobbying groups in the United States have intensified their campaign to get the bill passed by the US Congress. The bill would mandate that US diplomats and public officials be educated about the Armenian genocide. The debate on the bill recognizing the Armenian genocide started on Thursday, and the bill is expected to be voted on next Wednesday in the House International Relations Subcommittee on International Oerganizations and Human Rights. Prior to the debate, Turkey/s Ambassador in Washington Baki Ilkin told Turkish reporters that if the bill passes in the US Congress, Turkish- American relations would be damaged and efforts to work for peace between Turkey and Armenia would be steered towards almost certain failure. Meanwhile, the US administration, taking Turkey/s side, has been struggling to block the bill/s passage. Marc Grossman, former US Ambassador to Turkey and director-general of the Foreign Service, gave a speech to the subcommittee on the first day of the bill/s debate. Drawing attention that passage of the bill could harm important US interests in Turkey, Grossman said: ``President Clinton told Turkish President Sezer in their meetings in New York that he opposes the resolution because he believes it would be counterproductive. The administration believes that passage of House Resolution 398 (the bill/s official designation) would complicate our efforts to bring peace and stability to the Caucasus. Passage could harm important US interests in Turkey''. Stressing Turkey/s geostrategic importance for the United States, Grossman listed the reasons for Turkey/s importance as follows: ``Turkey has an important role to play in this process, and Turkey and Armenia are slowly working to normalize their relations - a goal the United States strongly supports. The adoption of H. Res. 338 would undermined our efforts to help put an end to the strife that has plagued this volatile region and to ensure its future stability and prosperity. We have a security relationship with Turkey which is good for America because it supports our interests in the region. Throughout the Cold War, the Turkish military was on the front lines of NATO/s confrontation with the Soviet Union and Turkey/s importance grew after the fall of the Berlin Wall. US and Turkish forces have worked together from Korea to Kosovo, including (during) Desert Storm. Turkey was at the forefront of NATO/s operations during the Kosovo crisis, and Turkey has now deployed over 2,000 troops to the Balkan region as a member of IFOR, SFOR and KFOR. Turkey has (provided) a base since 1991 to the US and British aircraft that patrol the no-fly zone over northern Iraq. . Turkey is a key to our efforts to encourage the parties in the Cyprus conflict to engage in the UN-sponsored proximity talks. In the Middle East, Turkey has relations with both Israel and the Palestinians, and has actively supported our mediation efforts both before and since Camp David. . Turkey is a critical partner in bringing Central Asian energy resources to the energy- hungry world''. [08] Turkish Cypriot journalists not allowed to attend press conference at Ledra PalaceAccording to YENIDUZEN (16.9.00) the so-called foreign affairs ministry of the pseudostate, irritated with the content of the Cyprus Report of the European Parliament, got angry with Turkish Cypriot journalists and did not allow them to attend the EU/s Chief negotiator for Cyprus Leopold Maurer/s press conference that was held yesterday at the Ledra Palace hotel. The press conference was initially scheduled to be held at the Hilton Hotel in Nicosia but was relocated and took place at the Ledra Palace Hotel after the occupation authorities said they would not allow the Turkish Cypriot journalists to cross.Furthermore, the so-called foreign affairs ministry did not allow Turkish Cypriots to participate at the ``Multiculture Cyprus'' event, organized by DESY party on Sunday. [09] International symposium According to KIBRIS (18.9.00) a so-called International Symposium is tostart today in the occupied area at the so-called East Mediterranean University.KIBRIS says that around 40 scientists from France, USA, Japan, Taiwan, Austria, Pakistan, Israel, Turkey and the occupied area will take part in the symposium which will end on 27 September. KIBRIS further reports that famous scientists and researchers like Paul Malliavan, D.W. Stroock, A. Bensoursan and M. Zakai will take part in the symposium. [10] NGO/s to send letter to Kofi Annan According to YENIDUZEN (18.9.00) the 41 NGO/s will send a letter to UNGeneral Secretary Kofi Annan expressing the wish that both sides will reach a solution this time at the on-going fourth round of indirect talks. They will hand over the letter on 19 September at 10.00 a.m. to the UN officials at the Ledra Palace check-point.Meanwhile, the ``This is our country'' signature-campaign will continue until the 22nd of September and on 25 September the results of the campaign will be announced to the press. 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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