Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-03-09

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by the Turkish Cypriot leader after the 11th day of talks for a solution to the problems created by the Turkish invasion and occupation.

[02] Conditional assurance for EU negotiations.

[03] Turkish sources on the contacts of the EU Troika in Turkey.

[04] A report to be discussed at the European Parliament puts a settlement on Cyprus as a political test for Turkey's EU aspirations.

[05] EU Commissioner says Turkey should be kept out.

[06] Arinc says the TGNA will decide on the last step of the Cyprus problem.

[07] Agar stated that an agreement of the Cyprus problem which is against Turkey's interest cannot pass from the Turkish parliament.

[08] Provisional Iraqi constitution not to the liking of Turkey.

[09] Arson attack against the headquarters of the Patriotic Unity Movement.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] Ankara has sent a "position paper" on Cyprus to Washington shorter and more realistic than Denktasī positions in the talks.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by the Turkish Cypriot leader after the 11th day of talks for a solution to the problems created by the Turkish invasion and occupation

"The main item on the agenda was related to security today. We submitted our document on security at the beginning of the process. The Greek Cypriot side submitted a document made up of nearly 40 pages late last night. We conveyed our initial views to them, regardless of the fact that we were unable to study them in detail. This is what we observed throughout the process: We submitted the main lines of our proposals to them in three or four pages on the first day. However, they conveyed their documents to us in succession. They are made up of 110 pages.

The Swiss model was envisaged for the status and equality of the two sides. However, the Greek Cypriots rejected it. We took the Belgian model, which is based on two separate languages, for the relations the new partnership will establish with the EU. They rejected that as well.

Regarding bizonality, which the Annan Plan weakened by calling for the settlement of many Greek Cypriots among us, the Greek Cypriot side continues to call for the return of all the Greek Cypriots to their former homes.

The Greek Cypriots rejected all the agreements we reached with Turkey. They want to significantly shorten the transitional period because of the delays in the work that has to be carried out. They want to achieve that to force us to blindly accept everything. That is their approach.

Instead of working for a partnership and agreeing to full equality between the two partners, they are doing everything they can to impose majority rule. They claim that the central government will be responsible for matters related to our coastline, airspace, and other similar issues, which are of vital importance for us. As such, they do not want to leave anything to our "founding" state, which, as I said many times in the past, does not seem to have a right to accomplish anything.

The Greek Cypriots want Turkey to quickly promise to support the agreement to be reached without even being able to read it.

In short, they rejected everything we have asked for to convert the Annan Plan into a viable document. However, they have not left a single provision of the plan unchanged.

Regarding our proposal that the derogations we have asked for should be included among the EU primary laws, they said: This can neither be realized nor accepted.

Unfortunately, the information we have received from the EU on the matter has not been satisfactory. The EU officials said in the past that they would try to accommodate us through establishing harmony. However, when we urged them to reply to our question as to whether or not they would agree to include the derogations we called for among their primary laws, they responded by saying that the matter cannot be lasting. They said that our request might apply to various issues for a temporary period and moved to explain the problems they might have to solve. I believe that EU Commissioner Gunther Verheugen will visit Ankara during the next few days. The Turkish Government will hold face-to-face talks with him on the matter, which is a vital issue for us and which tops the list of our essential requirements.

The Greek Cypriot side went as far as to say in some of its documents that Turkey committed an international crime by transferring people to settle in Cyprus, as if Turkey held them by their ears and dragged them to the island. Regarding security, the Greek Cypriots claimed that they fear the people whom they describe as settlers. They claimed that many of them had military training in the past and, as such, they might be summoned to serve in the military forces. They claimed that they might become a serious threat if arms are ferried to them by air.

I am saying all this to help you realize the Greek Cypriot side's approach. As you know, 80,000 Greek Cypriot reserves can be called up on the Greek Cypriot side. They are used as militia units. They are allowed to keep their arms at home. And, we are informed from time to time that some of their arms are stolen.

So, we will respond to the Greek Cypriot documents, which are made up of nearly 40 pages and which significantly change the main parts of the Annan plan, tomorrow.

According to the plan, the referendum was to be held on 21 April. However, the day is a holiday on the Greek Cypriot side. It is the anniversary of the coup in Greece. That shows the approach of those who complain against our close relations with Turkey. They asked that the referendum be held on 20 April.

Alvaro de Soto asked the sides to submit the constitution of the "founding" states to him by 12 March. That is required by the Annan Plan. I have been informed by Mr Mehmet Ali Talat that our "Republican Assembly" is working on the matter. And, naturally, we will be informed on the work.

They want the exchange of documents to end tomorrow. I want to reiterate that we have conveyed our documents and that we are now responding to those the Greek Cypriots conveyed to us.

Question: A state exists in north Cyprus. It has a very capable president. These are the realities. However, I have not seen the head of the government in north Cyprus. I have observed lack of control.

Answer: Why do you say that? The head of the government cooperates with us.

Question: You must have read the reports. The head of the Bayrak Radio and Television Network [BRT] claimed that the Turkish and Greek Cypriots are brothers. Meanwhile, I am particularly interested in the situation of the property the Turkish Cypriots own in south Cyprus. I am also interested in the situation of the religious foundation's property in south Cyprus. Reports said that the new executive committee of the religious foundation has opposed initiatives for an investigation, arguing that the Turkish and Greek Cypriots will become brothers again in the near future.

Answer: We do not take action in accordance with rumours. As far as I know, an investigation has been launched in connection with the BRT. That is not due to the press reports. The BRT is the voice of the Turkish Cypriot fighters. It is a national establishment. The person appointed as its director cannot have his own policy. He must not be able to do so. We regret to say that complaints have been made. However, we are looking into the matter.

Regarding the property owned by the religious foundations, I must note that the 1960 Agreements protected them in accordance with the Law on Religious Foundations. That is a fact. The Ottoman Empire protected the property of the religious foundations when it transferred the island to the British Empire. So, the property has a special status. We have to protect this special status in our constitution. We will concentrate on that when the draft constitution is submitted to us. As far as the constitution is concerned, the main problem is whether or not we can convey it to the Greek Cypriots before the "Republican Assembly" approves it. Another issue is whether or not it should be submitted to the "Republican Assembly". We are discussing all that among us. The draft constitution will change the structure of the `TRNCī. It will also significantly change the `TRNC Constitutionī. How will all that be realized? We have to look into all that. A state is established with great difficulty. Quickly removing an established state is equally difficult. The structure of our state can be changed to a certain extent for the establishment of a new partnership. However, the guarantees and security our state provides must be protected. Our colleagues are working on all that.

Question: Can you comment on the outcome of the elections in Greece?

Answer: A significant change will not take place. I followed the Greek and Greek Cypriot radio reports today. It seems that a significant change will not take place on the Cyprus problem.

Question: Some of the Turkish newspapers reported during the weekend that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul strongly criticized you during the talks you had with them in Ankara. Can you comment?

Answer: The reports you mentioned are completely unfounded. We openly discussed everything in a very sincere atmosphere. The reports are completely unfounded. I read another unfounded report, which said that I refused to attend a dinner in my honor, saying that I would miss my flight. All that is unfounded. We flew to Ankara in a private plane. We returned to north Cyprus in a similar way. All that is done on purpose. Some of the media organs try to humiliate me. The others try to anger the Turkish Government. A significant effort is made in Turkey to realize a design on Cyprus. However, I said after I met with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan that I was satisfied with my talks. Nevertheless, the newspapers published differing reports. Democracy will weaken if the press loses the confidence it enjoys. We regret to say that the situation of the press is very strange.

Question: Reports said that Ankara has given a guarantee to Alvaro de Soto. Can you comment?

Answer: Ignore the reports. He held talks for six hours in Ankara. As far as I have been informed, everything was very clearly explained to him. He was fully informed on our essential points. So, conclusions must not be drawn from press reports.

Question: Has Alvaro de Soto commented on the written document that was conveyed to him in Ankara? Has he discussed it with you?

Answer: No, we did not discuss that today. He would not bring up the matter in the presence of the Greek Cypriot representatives."

[02] Conditional assurance for EU negotiations

The meeting between Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and the EU Troika came amid Ankara's intensified efforts to fulfill the membership conditions of the EU and to find a solution in Cyprus. Both processes are facing a tight deadline; in December, the EU leaders will decide whether or not to open accession talks with EU hopeful Turkey and as for Cyprus, time ticks down to May 1, when the island is set to join the EU.

After a 4.5-hour discussion in the historical Ankara Palas, Gul and his Irish and Dutch counterparts, as well as the EU's enlargement and common foreign and security policy commissioners, all making up the Troika, talked to a press audience who came to hear what the EU had to say on Turkish membership and the Cyprus talks.

Two main questions were whether the EU Commission was still determined to give Turkey a fair and objective assessment on its progress toward meeting the Copenhagen criteria in its annual progress report to be released in the autumn and what formula the EU had to "accommodate" the terms of a Cyprus agreement in its laws in the form of derogations.

The main conclusions from Monday's Troika talks are as follows:

Firmness: Talks will start, if Turkey meets criteria

EU foreign ministers and commissioners spoke in clear terms that Turkey would get the go-ahead to start accession talks in December 2004 summit provided that it fulfills all the membership criteria.

That assurance came against a background of remarks by Frits Bolkestein, one of the 20 members of the EU Commission from the Netherlands, that Turkey should be kept out of the EU as a buffer protecting the EU from Syria, Iran and Iraq.

Declining to comment on Bolkestein's controversial remarks, Verheugen said the Commission's assessment on Turkey's efforts would be a "fair" one based on "facts."

Turkey, a candidate since 1999, has remained the sole candidate country that has not yet opened accession talks with the EU. Turkish leaders have warned that the country may think of alternative policies if the December summit fails to give the go-ahead for talks.

Uncertainty: Derogations

In response to persistent questions from the press, both Gul and the EU Troika members came up with vague statements as to what formula would be adopted to successfully accommodate terms of an agreement between two Cypriot sides into the EU norms and regulations, in other words, the issue of "derogations."

The Turkish side insists that the terms of the deal reached between Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides which are not in-line with existing EU norms should be included in the EU's primary laws as derogations. In this way, these terms will not be challenged through court actions in the future.

But for this to happen, all these derogations should be ratified in national Parliaments of the EU countries. As the search for an acceptable formula is still underway, Turkish and EU officials did not say how the issue would be sorted out given the tight time schedule of the island's accession into the EU.

The EU side tried to ease Turkey's concerns, saying that the Turkish side's requirments were being taken into consideration and that a technical solution was possible. Whether Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen's prediction that there will be few derogations is welcomed in Ankara is another uncertainty.

Pause: KONGRA-GEL's status

The Troika officials simply paused when they were asked whether the EU was to include the KONGRA-GEL, the newest offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in its list of terrorist organizations. The EU is set to revise its list in the coming months. Irish and Dutch ministers said perhaps Common Foreign and Security Policy High Representative Javier Solana should respond to the question. But Solana joined them in declining to comment.

[03] Turkish sources on the contacts of the EU Troika in Turkey

Sources said that Erdogan's meeting with Foreign Minister Brian Cowen of EU Term President Ireland, Foreign Minister Bernard Bot of the Netherlands, which will undertake the EU Presidency in July, EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana at the Prime Ministry was held in a positive and sincere atmosphere.

Erdogan thanked his guests who came to Ankara under Turkey's EU process while the EU Troika delegation said they followed with appreciation the reform process that Turkey had been maintaining for one year, sources said.

Meanwhile, Erdogan called on the EU to deploy a more clear and determined attitude in the Cyprus negotiation process otherwise it might be difficult to get a result from the negotiations. Erdogan stressed that within this framework, the EU should exert more active efforts, sources said.

Meanwhile, Verheugen said the EU would do its best to contribute to the process and made a new proposal to Ankara. Verheugen's proposal envisages jurists' convening in meetings to carry out joint studies and develop methods to be more active in the process, and Erdogan welcomed Verheugen's proposal, sources added.

Turkish diplomatic sources are further quoted by Ankara Anatolia as saying that the European officials did not lay down a satisfactory formula about the issue of derogations taken up in the Cyprus talks process in Turkey-European Union (EU) Troika meeting held in Ankara on Monday.

Diplomatic sources quoted the Turkish side as saying in the meeting that ratification of a possible agreement to be reached in Cyprus by the EU Council was not sufficient and said that the Turkish side expressed its view that a possible agreement should be presented to the parliaments of EU member countries.

As a response, European officials only said that they could understand Turkey's concerns and they continued their work on the issue. The European officials did not propose a solution about turning the derogations into the EU's main law, which would satisfy the Turkish side.

The sources said that the EU and the United Nations (U.N.) officials held meetings on the issue in Cyprus but this issue was an internal matter of the EU and EU jurists should undertake the real role.

The Turkish side reiterated its views that the "TRNC" should be recognized and embargoes on "TRNC" should be lifted if the result "no" was to come out of the referendum in the Greek Cypriot side, and underlined that the Turkish Cypriots should feel relieved after that.

The Turkish side gave the message that "the above mentioned views should be taken into consideration in such a case."

The European officials brought onto the agenda honor killings and some cases filed about human rights in the meeting in which steps to be taken by Turkey in order to meet the Copenhagen criteria were discussed.

The European officials also stressed issues which Turkey had committed to fulfil such as the turning of the State Security Courts (DGMs) into specialized courts, and structural changes in the Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) and the Higher Education Board (YOK). The EU representatives showed Guldunya Toren, a woman who was killed by her elder brothers in a hospital in Istanbul where she was treated, as an example of especially honor killings and asked Turkey to make more comprehensive arrangements in the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) about honor killings.

In the meeting, EU officials also brought onto the agenda the case of doctor Alp Ayan, a member of Turkish Human Rights Foundation who is tried on charges of "humiliating the Justice Ministry and the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF)."

The Case of Leyla Zana, a former member of the closed Democracy Party (DEP), and her friends and the right to broadcast in mother tongue were other issues put forward by European representatives in the meeting.

The EU officials said that there were still some negative reports about torture in Turkey.

The "Greater Middle East Initiative" of the United States was also taken up in the meeting, the sources stated.

The sources added that the European officials explained their own project which was also named "Greater Middle East" project but which had a few differences when compared with that of the United States.

[04] A report to be discussed at the European Parliament puts a settlement on Cyprus as a political test for Turkey's EU aspirations

The European Parliament will discuss the report prepared by Elmar Brok, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defense Policy in the European Parliament on situations of ten countries to join the European Union in May.

In the Cyprus section of the report, it is noted that Turkey's EU membership is closely related with achieving a solution in Cyprus, though it is not a political criterion.

"A no-solution to the Cyprus dispute could constitute a serious obstacle before Turkey's EU aspirations...Though Cyprus is not a condition for Turkey's EU membership, it has become a political test for Turkey's desire to become European."

The EU, prior to resumption of Cyprus talks in February has continuously noted that a solution in Cyprus was not a political criterion as the Copenhagen criteria to enter the bloc, but strictly stressed that achieving a solution was a fact of life.

The report said some circles in Turkey have begun criticizing the attitude of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas being in efforts for a solution in Cyprus. However, the majority of Turkish Cypriots did not share these criticisms and they favored a reunited Cyprus becoming a part of the EU, noted the report.

"Turkey has to use this chance and display all its efforts for a solution in Cyprus prior to its EU membership."

The report also emphasizes that if a solution is to be reached in Cyprus, the EU will lead an international conference to provide financial aid to the island and it will give additional financial support of more than Euro300 million to a re-united Cyprus.

[05] EU Commissioner says Turkey should be kept out

"Turkey should be kept outside the European Union as a "buffer" to protect the Union from Syria, Iran and Iraq, EU Commissioner Frits Bolkestein was quoted as saying on Monday.

"In the east, there is a geo-political need for a buffer zone between the EU and Russia, which might be formed by the countries that do not belong to either bloc," Bolkestein, the EU Commissioner for single market, wrote in his new book, called "The Limits of Europe," according to the Financial Times.

He was referring to the former Soviet republics of Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine.

A similar buffer would also be advantageous "in order to cushion the Union against Syria, Iran and Iraq," Bolkestein went on to say in his book. The Financial Times said officials had confirmed that he was referring to Turkey.

The Dutch liberal is one of the most vocal skeptics of Turkish membership among the 20 EU commissioners who must recommend in October whether to start accession talks with Ankara. The Commission's recommendation will have substantial impact on a decision of the EU leaders in December whether or not to open accession talks with EU hopeful Turkey.

The Netherlands will be holding the EU's rotating presidency in the second half of 2004, when the critical December summit will take place.

In his book, Bolkestein argued that a geographically overstretched Europe would become "little more than a glorified customs union."

Turkey's EU membership has become one of the most contentious issues ahead of elections for European Parliament in June. The Christian Democrat opposition in Germany has been campaigning against Turkish membership, saying Turkey should be offered a special partnership that falls short of full membership.

Bolkestein said in his book that once Turkey was a member, it would be hard to deny membership to a country such as Ukraine. "The Ukraine is more European than Turkey," he told the Financial Times.

Bolkestein, who hopes to have his mandate renewed when the Commission stands down in October, qualified the remarks in his book, saying that Turkish membership with the EU could "export stability."

He said that the extension of the EU to the east would limit further integration, although the Union's key economic competencies - the single market, trade policy and competition policy - could continue.

Bolkestein said the EU needed to concentrate on its core tasks to reconnect with its citizens, including bolstering economic growth."

[06] Arinc says the TGNA will decide on the last step of the Cyprus problem

Responding to questions in the city of Manisa, Mr Arinc noted the following:

"The article 90 of our Constitution says: 'If the Government of the Republic of Turkey signs an international agreement, the parliament must find this agreement' appropriate.

Therefore, first there will be inter-communal talks, afterwards the guarantor powers, the referendum and the signatures and at the end the parliament will issue a law with which it finds appropriate the agreement that will be reached. I believe that our parliament will take the most appropriate decision on this important issue".

Mr Arinc said that at the TGNA they have launched an attack on the foreign policy issues and added that within 2003 they received more than ten Heads of State, about twenty Prime Ministers and more than seventy foreign delegations. This year, he added, they are planning twelve mutual official visits. As a result of these efforts, he concluded, some countries, which had been against Turkey's accession to the EU, have changed their mind.

[07] Agar stated that an agreement of the Cyprus problem which is against Turkey's interest cannot pass from the Turkish parliament

Mr Agar, who stressed that "Cyprus is an example of the unsuccessful foreign policy of Turkey", said that even if a party has 368 deputies in the TGNA, as the ruling Justice and Development Party has, or even if a party has 550 deputies, which is the number of all the deputies in the TGNA, such a decision cannot pass. "No one can take such a decision disregarding the nation. The True Path Party is in Turkey in the name of the national conscience and the national future", he said.

[08] Provisional Iraqi constitution not to the liking of Turkey

With regards to foreign policy issues, Cicek said that the elections in Greece were discussed. In reply to a question, Cicek stressed that the provisional Iraqi constitution did not satisfy Turkey, adding that concerns on the issue were conveyed to the pertinent countries.

[09] Arson attack against the headquarters of the Patriotic Unity Movement

Commenting on the issue, the executive committee of the PUM stated that the Party cannot expect that the so-called police will arrest the person who committed the arson against the Party's offices, since even the persons responsible for the bomb attack against Mr Mehmet Ali Talat's house were not found. The executive committee of the PUM also stated that the attack was committed by the dark forces that are against peace.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] Ankara has sent a "position paper" on Cyprus to Washington shorter and more realistic than Denktasī positions in the talks

The commentary is as follows:

"Ankara is intensively preparing for the four-party meeting on Cyprus, which will start on 22 March. The sources at the UN and in Washington, D.C. think that the Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos is continuing his "protestor" role by saying "no" to every reconciliation in the negotiations and that Rauf Denktas, although he is agreeable, sets forth requests, which could be considered to be "maximalist", based on the principle of "two states". Frankly, a real agreement is not expected from the negotiations between the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots: The real objective of this exercise from the aspect of the UN is to weigh the "red lines" of both sides and to see where they are flexible and where they are rigid. It is obvious that the foundations of the agreement on the island will be laid at the four-party meeting, which will start with Turkey and Greece also sitting at the negotiation table on 22 March. For this reason, the "shortened" list of requests, which Ankara conveyed to Washington, D.C. this week, is very important. Actually, it is necessary to call this a "position paper". Ankara lists the things it wants in the final solution within the framework of "strengthening the two-section status".

Subtitle: Ankara's text is rational

The text is different from the papers, which Mr Rauf Denktas presented on the island, but according to many observers, both in Ankara and in Washington, D.C., it is more "realistic". For example, there are articles, such as spreading over a longer period of time the number of Greek Cypriot refugees, who will return to the Turkish Cypriot side and in the same manner, to index to a longer-term timetable the withdrawal of the Turkish troops from the island. But there are no articles, which contain difficulties from the aspect of international law, such as the "recognition of two nations", on which Mr Denktas is insisting. Ankara's text is pure and "rational" according to the sources that read it. It appears that for "yes" to come out in the Cyprus referendums is dependent on the week when Turkey and Greece become involved. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will represent Ankara in the meetings. The Foreign Ministry bureaucracy is planning to prepare for the negotiations "by entering into camp" one week in advance together with the minister. The same week, the visit to Washington, D.C., which will be made by the Second Chief of General Staff Gen Ilker Basbug, is also critical to the same extent. The military, even if it would be willing to accept an agreement on the basis of the Annan Plan, has the opinion that some developments are too complicated or "unsustainable" from the aspect of the "security architecture" of the island. For example, the structure of the units on the island, their locations and the communication mechanisms among them are subjects, which can only be solved among the military authorities.

Subtitle: The policy of taking offense

The Annan Plan envisages that six thousand Turkish soldiers would remain on the island after the solution. On this point, Ankara does not have an objection to this number. In contrast to this, there are question marks on the subject of transferring the more than 30 thousand Turkish soldiers and officers presently on Cyprus to the mainland and on the subject of their function on the island. These are sensitive strategic bargainings requiring planning and expenditures. For the Pentagon to be outside of the Cyprus traffic, which is being carried out by the US Department of State and the White House in Washington, D.C., is perhaps a subject, which makes the job of the Turkish General Staff more difficult in the practical sense. No doubt, Ankara will want the United States to exert its influence for implementing its red lines on Cyprus at the final negotiation stage at the end of March. Perhaps it is necessary to interpret in this manner the "wait and see" policy, which appeared in recent weeks on the subject of Iraq and almost gives the appearance of a "lack of interest". Perhaps it is not the time to mention this. Three Turkoman leaders were murdered in northern Iraq in recent weeks when everyone was concentrating on Cyprus, the offices of the Turkoman Front were raided, an incredible constitutional struggle was experienced in Baghdad and articles, which can be considered to be extremely unpleasant, both from the aspect of the Turkomans and from the aspect of Iraq's territorial integrity, were accepted in the transition period constitution. According to the news in the newspapers, the only thing Ankara did was to call someone from the US Embassy on Friday [5 March] and to complain by saying, "We told you so". We hope that the "policy of taking offense", which has spread fear in the hearts of everyone, would be somewhat revived after solving Cyprus!"

/SK

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