Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 05-01-04

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Row over the dismissal of the Mayor of Istanbul´s Sisli district leads RPP to extraordinary convention.

[02] The Turkish Minister of Justice on the paragraph in the EU Commission Report regarding the 10% electoral threshold.

[03] Gul is asking for more rewards from the Americans for Turkey's crimes against Cyprus.

[04] Mr Talat delivered a lecture evaluating aspects of the Cyprus problem.

[05] Alexander Von Stahl was appointed as representative of the pseudostate in Berlin.

[06] The occupied Famagusta port had an income of two trillion Turkish lira in the year 2003.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[07] AFRIKA columnist: "Turkey does not want a solution in Cyprus".

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Row over the dismissal of the Mayor of Istanbul´s Sisli district leads RPP to extraordinary convention

After the RPP Higher Disciplinary Board rejected the request for dismissing Mustafa Sarigul, Mayor of Istanbul's Sisli district, from the party, who was accused of receiving bribes, Baykal released a written statement.

In this written statement, Baykal said that he decided to call for an extraordinary convention of his party within January of 2005 in order to elect the new leader, party assembly and members of Disciplinary Board. The RPP leader Baykal, considers Sarigul as his main rival for the party´s leadership, and for this reason he wants to neutrilize him, but it seems that Sarigul a very successful mayor of Sisli District, gathered enough support to challenge Baykal´s leadership.

[02] The Turkish Minister of Justice on the paragraph in the EU Commission Report regarding the 10% electoral threshold

Noting that Turkey would enter a very important and difficult period as of October 3rd, 2005, Cicek said: ''Turkey will start entry talks process with the EU. The process is expected to last for 10 years. Actually, this period depends on stability in Turkey. We can hold discussions about parliamentary or presidential systems, but we have to preserve stability. If we target to rule the country with parliamentary system, the electoral threshold should be preserved, and even different regulations should be made. Another formula can be found for representation of political parties, which could not have seats at the parliament. But, if we want lasting stability, we should adopt presidential system.''

[03] Gul is asking for more rewards from the Americans for Turkey's crimes against Cyprus

In statements prior to his departure Mr Gul referred to his meeting with the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Mr Richard Armitage, and said that the positive steps which were taken by the United States after the simultaneous referenda in Cyprus were insufficient.

Mr Gul told reporters that he discussed steps taken so far regarding the Cyprus issue with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage earlier today.

Mr Gul said: "There are some positive things the United States have done regarding Turkish Cypriots after the referenda. We have stated that we appreciate these steps, but they are not sufficient."

More steps should be taken to enable "the Greek Cypriot administration" to assume a compromising attitude, he alleged.

Answering a question, Mr Gul said that he frankly expressed Turkey's sensitivities about Iraq's future during his meeting with Armitage. Meanwhile, under the title "Warning to the USA on Kirkuk", Turkish daily MILLIYET (04.01.05) reports that Mr Gul conveyed to Mr Armitage "the concern of Turkey regarding the change of the demographic structure in Kirkuk in favour of the Kurds". The paper writes that Mr Gul asked from the American official the beginning of direct flights to the illegal airports of the occupied areas of Cyprus.

According to MILLIYET, Mr Gul alleged that the Turkish side wanted a solution in Cyprus and said the following to Mr Armitage: "However, the Greek Cypriot side does not seem willing to make any step. If they do not see a reaction from the big states, and mainly from the USA, they will not make this step. Therefore, we are expecting you to make as soon as possible steps towards the lifting of the isolations of the Turkish Cypriots and firstly to begin direct flights to Ercan Airport".

[04] Mr Talat delivered a lecture evaluating aspects of the Cyprus problem

During the lecture that lasted two hours, Mr Talat said that there is no other way for the Cyprus settlement than lifting the "isolations".

Mr Talat, who indicated the importance of lifting the "isolation" for the solution, said that the Greek Cypriot side doesn't want to lift the isolation in order to punish them and added: "We want to lift the isolations. The Turkish Cypriot doesn't deserve this isolation. To lift the isolation or to take steps towards that, it would be an important development to motivate the Greek Cypriot side for a solution or it would be a tool to exert pressure for a solution".

Noting that they prefer to solve the Cyprus problem before the 3 October in order that Turkey will be able to move more easily to the negotiation process with the EU, Mr Talat said that if this does not happen then international actors will accelerate the procedure of taking steps on the issues of lifting the isolation, the direct flights and the direct trade.

Moreover, replying to a question regarding the possibility that Russia will veto the lifting of the isolation, Mr Talat said that Russia vetoed a part of the Annan plan at the Security Council of the UN before the referendums, but now Russia has started to follow a different stance regarding the Cyprus policy. Noting that Russia used its veto right then, because everything was decided by the USA and the UK and it was not asked about her views, Mr Talat added: "They (Russians) exhibit the stance; 'If you had had contacts with us, if we had prepared it together, we would have confirmed it together'."

Mr Talat continued: "If the UN Security Council makes a call upon lifting the isolations, then if Britain wants, it can say 'I allowed the flights free'. If we get the political support of the world; if this support obtains the change of the policies then with this way we can go for a solution".

Replying to a question on whether if the (Turkish) army can be withdrawn as a good will gesture, Mr Talat said that the withdrawal of the army at this stage is a very important and dangerous issue. He went on: "The issue of the withdrawal of the army will create a demagogy at the Greek Cypriot side, with them saying, 'we resisted and Turkey started to withdraw the army'. This issue could create a trust by the world, but there are too many risks and there is the worry that if the Greek Cypriot side exploits this issue it can use it as maneuver tool."

In another question regarding the opening or the return to the Greek Cypriots of the closed area of Varosha, Mr Talat said: "This issue can be considered. It can be done as an exchange such as the power sharing in the state and the partnership. What will we receive in exchange of Varosha, there is not any concrete exchange. We must be very careful as we evaluate these situations."

Commenting on the opening of the barricade of Zhodia and Ledra Street, as well as the cleaning of the landmines, Mr Talat said that none of these is related to the solution. Mr Talat also said that they must determine first the status of the trade before the opening of the Ledra Street barricade, accusing the Greek Cypriot side of applyling prohibitions on the "TRNC" products.

On the issue of cleaning the landmines, Mr Talat said that the Greek Cypriot side is the only side that signed the Ottawa Treaty and started to clean the landmines, because their intention was to put Turkey, which had also signed the Treaty, in a difficult situation to clean the landmines it planted in the occupied part of Cyprus and is still there as an invasion force. Mr Talat also added that they promote this issue outside of the framework of the Ottawa Treaty, but the Greek Cypriot side does not want to cooperate with the occupation army.

[05] Alexander Von Stahl was appointed as representative of the pseudostate in Berlin

The decision of Mr Stahl's appointment was taken by the so-called council of ministers of the occupation regime and it was published in the "official gazette" of the pseudostate.

[06] The occupied Famagusta port had an income of two trillion Turkish lira in the year 2003

According to the statistics the occupied port, which as KIBRIS writes is "the most important trade centre" of the pseudostate, during the year 2003 the following vehicles and passengers entered and departed from the Famagusta port: 3.806 ships, 197.167 passengers, 19.808 vehicles entered the port and one million, 122.180 tons cargo was unloaded to the occupied port. In addition, 3.780 ships, 190.679 passengers and 19.291 vehicles departed from the port while 304.314 tons were loaded from the occupied port.

Moreover during the year 2003, 130.773 tons of cargo were exported while 506.604 tons of cargo were imported. Among the imported goods were beers, chemical products, cars, charcoal, plastic boxes, cigarettes, vegetable oil, iron for building, pipes, fruits and vegetables. Additionally, among the exported goods were empty bottles, beer boxes, scrap iron, carobs, cigarettes, fruits and vegetables.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[07] AFRIKA columnist: "Turkey does not want a solution in Cyprus"

"'Those who follow my articles know that there is something which I have been writing for years. What is this? Let me tell you. Let me repeat. In my opinion Turkey does not want a solution in Cyprus, because everything called 'a solution', all models of solution brought into the market are against Turkey.

Since 1957 Turkey followed the getting back policy and in 1974 it got back the half of it. The fact that Turkey considers itself as the owner of Cyprus must be due to its rule in the period between 1571 and 1878. 'This is the existing logic and approach of all the administrators in Turkey. Cyprus is our right.

Any kind of an agreement is considered and estimated as 'a concession' by all the great scholars, the diplomats and the columnists in Turkey.

Yesterday Sener Levent gave a very impressive example on this issue. He explained in a very clear manner what I have been trying to write for years. The form of the solution that Sener Levent suggested is the following: 'Let us say that the Greek Cypriot side came before us with a solution package and says: Let all the Turkish troops withdraw, the treaty of guarantee be annulled, all the settlers, except those who have been born and married in the island, return back, the Morphou and Varosha be returned and the issue of the properties to be solved according to under which administration the refugees want to live. Let the property of those who wish to come back be returned to them, those who do not want to return, to be compensated, those who want to exchange their property, to exchange it, those who want to sell it, to sell it and those who want to agree between them let them agree. If you accept these conditions, I agree to the division and to the approval of the two states'.

Will Turkey accept this proposal? I think that it will not. Does a solution, federal or confederal, or providing for unitary state or not, suit Turkey's interests if the Turkish troops will be withdrawn and the Turkish settlers will return back? If it does, then does this not mean that a very serious revolution has taken place in Turkey and that we could not see this revolution?

What does Turkey want? Turkey wants the continuation of the current situation without any problems, that is, it wants the continuation of the disgrace we call the status quo. The military superiority will be in its hands. It will hold the command of the balance element in the region with this military superiority. It will not give back a single span of territory, even if this belongs to the Greek Cypriots. It could have in northern Cyprus as much gambling houses and population from Turkey as it likes. And no one will say or be able to say anything about this! Puppet governments will be elected. Those who can raise their voice a little bit against Turkey will be given this right, but they will not be given the right of getting votes! '

Turkey has one and single right on the island of Cyprus deriving from international legal agreements, treaties or laws. And this is (the right of) being a 'guarantor'. However, Turkey has misused its right of 'being a guarantor'. Instead of protecting the constitution it had guaranteed, it has approved the establishment of a separate pseudostate with two constitutions, it has supported it and keeps it under its control in court decisions.

Very well! How could the solution be achieved? It could be of two kinds. Either force will be used against Turkey or bribe will be given to Turkey! Using arms against Turkey is not sensible and it will mean the destruction of the island of Cyprus. It means that Cypriots will die again and they will even be annihilated.

However, bribing Turkey is not difficult. What will the bribe be? Will for example this issue be solved with the EU accession and not with bribe? Giving Turkey the accession to the EU from normal ways is not a bribe. However, if the accession to the EU is given to Turkey from shortcuts and in panic, then this will be turned into a bribe.

Turkey is dealing with planning how to take the accession to the EU without a solution in Cyprus, because the internal balances in Turkey are forcing the administrators to this. Because everybody has in his head as a taboo the belief that they are the owners of the half of Cyprus, solution means a concession (for them). Therefore, if any Turkish government does what is right and acceptable in Cyprus, that is, if its name is erased from Cyprus, it will be a historical concession and the Turkish nationalism cannot digest this!

In brief, it is not easy to get Turkey out of the island with the power of the arms or with bribe! 'The Turkish diplomacy is now dealing with making the world to accept the 'getting back' imperialism which exists in their heads in the northern part of Cyprus. One leg of this diplomacy is the 'yes' result in the referendum.

Are the interests of Turkey in parallel with the interests of the Turkish Cypriots? No they are not! From time to time they could be in very opposite directions! Do we have a leadership which in case this happens has the will and is able to go against Turkey? This must be our struggle! Unfortunately from 1957 until today we did not have such a leadership! We have not been able from 1957 until 31 December 2004 to have a leadership which is not surrendered to Turkey and rise against Turkey defending the interests of Cyprus and the Cypriots! What is our hope? Our hope is 2005!"

/SK

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