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Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 01-04-02Cyprus 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.62/01 31.3 01-2.4.01[A] NEWS ITEMS
[A] NEWS ITEMS[01] Cem/s news conference after meeting with US officials Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem (30.3.01) during a press briefing in theTurkish Embassy in Washington after his meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell, referred to Cyprus as well:To a question on the Cyprus issue, Cem said that the US didn/t make a demand from Rauf Denktash regarding his participation in the proximity talks. Stressing that the US attributes importance to the good will mission of the UN, Cem said that ``we told them that we also attribute importance to the UN mission and explained that no result has been reached so far and noted that new parameters have to be formed for Cyprus/, I didn/t explain the Cyprus issue in detail again. We had discussed this issue in detail in Brussels. I had explained there the difficulties that will be created by supporting southern Cyprus/s joining the EU''. Cem said that he thanked State Secretary Colin Powell who wrote a letter to the US parliamentarians against the efforts to make the genocide on Armenians be recognized in Maryland, adding that he stressed the importance of this against similar initiatives, in his contacts. Recounting that the former US administration extended support to Turkey about this issue, Cem said that ``we conveyed our sensitivity about this nonsense claims''. He said that Turkey started a good page in the relations with the new US government. [02] Turkey/s Cakmakoglu supports a peaceful solution of Cyprus problem According to Ankara Anatolia (31.3.01) Turkish National Defense MinisterSabahattin Cakmakolgu, speaking on the second day of the 11th Antalya International Security and Cooperation Conference in Belek, referred to the Greco-Turkish relations and the Cyprus problem and said there were certain problems between Turkey and Greece which were not resolved. He said Turkey wanted to continue its relations with Greece on the status-quo established by the Lausanne Treaty and other agreements.On the Cyprus issue, he said Turkey supported a peaceful solution on the island. He said guaranteeing political equality and sovereignty for the Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus was a prerequisite for a long lasting solution on the island. [03] Clerides-Denktash interviews in ``Turkish Daily News'' In its Sunday edition (1.4.01) the Turkish Daily News publishes two pageswith interviews with President Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to journalist Yusuf Kanli.Introducing the interviews Yusuf Kanli writes that sharp differences of opinion continue to dominate the approaches of the two Cypriot sides on the 37-year-old problem of the island. In separate exclusive interviews with the Turkish Daily News Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and President Glafcos Clerides appeared as apart as ever on almost all issues, he said. The paper says that while President Clerides was stating that a bizonal and bi-communal federation was the maximum the Greek Cypriot side could offer the Turkish Cypriots, Denktash was accusing the Greek Cypriot leadership of paying lip service for decades to the idea of a federal settlement and trying to revive it only after he came up with a confederal settlement proposal. Clerides said the Greek Cypriot leadership wanted the establishment of a federation to the extent that although the Turkish Cypriot people comprised only 18 percent of the population of the island, they have accepted the principle of political equality. Denktash though claimed that in past decades the Greek Cypriots have been involved in a tactic of pretending to accept whatever is rejected by Turkish Cypriots. He said that all the past Greek Cypriot leaders were on record declaring that they never wanted a federal settlement and a recent public opinion poll in ``southern Cyprus'' has shown that over 72 percent of Greek Cypriots oppose federation. Denktash said Greek Cypriots want a settlement on the island that would make the Turkish Cypriots their perks, a minority under protection. Clerides was underlining his readiness for the resumption of the proximity talks process, while Denktash was insisting that as long as UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan did not rescind his statement defining the target of talks as ``building a common future in the European Union'' he would not sit at talks with Greek Cypriots under any conditions. The EU bid appeared to be the most thorny area in relations between the two leaders. Clerides maintained the idea that firstly, the EU bid was filed knowing that by the time of accession there would be a Cyprus settlement and secondly if he had waited to make an application until after a settlement was reached, Cyprus could have missed the EU train as the EU might have completed its enlargement process. Denktash, on the other hand, defended the view that the EU application by the Greek Cypriot leadership, although not binding on Turkish Cypriots, was an attempt to achieve enosis - union with Greece - through the back door. [04] Rumours of pending coup in Turkey denied Turkey/s military-dominated National Security Council (MGK) said on Friday(30.3.01) that speculation the government could fall to make way for an ``interim regime'' was damaging to the EU-candidate country. According to Reuters, the MGK said it had discussed public speculation about an ``interim regime'' at a meeting on Friday morning. Such an administration, under models discussed in the media and diplomatic and political circles, would consist of technocrats after the failure of the present government to win support. This would require at least the tacit approval of the military of the MGK. The council issued a statement saying: ``We regret this improper (public) discussion and see it damaging Turkey/s image abroad, as the country has more than 50 years/ experience of democracy and is at the stage of entering the European Union (.) Agreement was reached that parliamentary and governmental work will be successful in restoring stability and in overcoming difficulties''.The main opposition and Islamist party, the Virtue Party (FP), changed its tune over the economic program and said on Thursday it would now support government efforts to push the economic reform laws through parliament, in order to save the country from ``interim rule'', meaning another military intervention. There have been three ``interim regimes'' or military interventions in Turkey: in 1960, 1971 and 1980. The one in 1971 took the form of a letter signed by the military and sent to the government. Suleyman Demirel/s government resigned that same day. The FP and others insist the MGK decisions taken on February 28, 1997 was in fact a ``post-modernist'' military coup, or a subtler version of the 1971 coup, as it led shortly afterwards to the downfall of the coalition government. [05] Turkish Cypriot protest over UN Human Rights report The office of Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash has condemned the outcryof the Greek Cypriot government regarding the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan/s human rights report.According to Anatolia a written statement said: ``We assess the changes the Secretary General made to the report after having succumbed to this outcry as indulging ``the Greek Cypriot administration'' acknowledging that it is right, and, consequently, encouraging the defenders of the title of the Cyprus government, a title that has been blocking the solution of the Cyprus issue for the last 38 years.'' The statement continued: ``The problem of the Greek Cypriots was to transform the partnership republic established through the 1960 agreement to a Greek Cypriot republic. Denktash/s statement claimed that three is no single state, government, people, and democracy on the island but two peoples, two former partners, two separate democracies, two separate administrations, and two separate states. Meanwhile, Mr. Denktash held a meeting with the UN Secretary General/s deputy special envoy to Cyprus. No statement was issued but it is reported, that Denktash informed the UN official of the Turkish Cypriot views regarding the human rights report. [06] 7 organisations call for measures to overcome crisis KIBRIS (31.3.01) daily published a report on the news conference which washeld by seven organisations announcing their proposals in the economic field.According to the report, ``the representatives of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry, the Chamber of Tradesmen and Artisans, the Union of Banks, the Association of Businessmen, the Association of Young Businessmen, and the Union of Hoteliers called on the ``government''to freeze the taxes and extend the payment dates of fines and debt interest rates''(.) The seven organisations called on the so-called government to take the measures necessary as soon as possible in order to overcome the crisis. Along the lines of the report jointly prepared by the seven organisations, it was said that certain short, medium, and long-term measures can be taken to surmount the crisis''. Rauf Denktash, explaining that the work carried out by the organisations is a very positive initiative, added that more effective implementations are needed in order to overcome the economic problems, urging the ``government'' to cooperate with the organisations''. [07] Denktash meets European People/s Party Delegation KIBRIS (31.3.01) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash met(30.3.01) with the president of the European People/s Party group Pat Cox and his delegation.Prior to the meeting, Denktash stated his known allegations. Pat Cox said that the aim of their visit was to be informed first-hand on the Cyprus problem and to find out at which point the problem is. Stressing that it is important to begin his visit from Cyprus which is the centre of the problem, Cox said that after his departure from Cyprus he will meet with officials of the US State Department in Washington and then he will go to New York, Athens and Ankara. [08] Price rises on basic goods In the occupied areas, electricity, fuel oil, and bottled gas prices havebeen increased. The so-called Council of Ministers has raised the price of certain products in a bid to solve their economic problems. In an extraordinary session under Dervis Eroglu (31.3.01), which lasted about two hours, the prices of imported goods linked to foreign currency were increased and subsidies on milk, dairy products, and grain products were increased in order to prevent price increases. Salih Miroglu, so-called government spokesman and ``public works and transportation minister'', made a statement to the media after the meeting saying that the recent economic developments and the inevitable measures were discussed. Miroglu said that in addition to the negative developments being experienced in the financial sector for some time, the severe banking crisis, the domestic structural problems, and the recent move to allow the foreign currency rates to float have further exacerbated the existing problems.He said that work is continuing on the decisions to be made to enable the release of the first slice of the loan agreement signed with Turkey. Miroglu added that the search is continuing for additional funds to compensate for the losses in the ``budget''. Miroglu stressed that the prices of fodder, milk, and dairy products were not increased in a bid to protect consumers and live stock breeders. 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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