Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 05-12-09

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The self-styled assembly decided the urgent discussion of the new draft law regarding the occupied Greek Cypriot properties

[02] UNFICYP call on the Turkish side to stop work at Ledra Street. Reaction by Soyer

[03] Statements by Gul on the issues discussed at the North Atlantic Council. Reference to Cyprus

[04] EU declaration on the regulations for the occupied areas were postponed after Gul called Rehn on the phone

[05] KIBRIS: Police Inspector arrested

[06] The European Handball Federation will examine the application of the Turkish Cypriot Handball Federation in St. Petersburg in May

[07] FBI director in Ankara

[08] Liquor Licensing Practices

[09] Opinion poll on the popularity of state institutions

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] Commentary in Cumhuriyet on the popularity of institutions poll

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The self-styled assembly decided the urgent discussion of the new draft law regarding the occupied Greek Cypriot properties

Addressing the assembly, the MP of UBP, Mr Huseyin Ozgurgun argued that there was no need for the urgent discussion of the draft-law, which is not in harmony with the constitution. The committee of the assembly, he said, has to study the draft-law from the point of view of its compatibility with the constitution. Mr Ozgurngun criticized the provision in the draft-law for return of properties, added that they could not support such a law and wondered why the public opinion was not informed before about a draft-law, which was so important that the postponement of the discussions of the budget was considered necessary so that it is discussed.

The leader of the Democratic Party (DP), Mr Serdar Denktas said that the law was urgent because it is an international necessity. He claimed that the government prepared the draft-law because it was necessary to show its good intentions and added that for this reason the Loizidou case was postponed for two months. He noted that they must show their good will before the end of the Aresti case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Mr Denktas said that the MPs have been briefed on this issue during a closed-door meeting at the so-called presidency and criticized the discussions which make people worry.

Mr Denktas pointed out that motherland Turkey needs help and added that either they will help Turkey or they will say we do not care; in any event the cases are not filed against us. He said that there are some mistakes in the draft-law, that these mistakes will be corrected, that he does not know whether or not they will be able to create local remedies, but they have to try to do this and that this will be a relief from the point of view of the ECHR and an important gain for the Turkish Cypriots as well.

Mr Denktas added that the Turkish Cypriots do not have a say on the (occupied Greek Cypriot) properties they posses today and that trying to find a method to change this is an important duty for them.

Mr Denktas said that his party approves the urgent discussion of the draft-law, but he could not say that they would have a positive vote in case changes are not made in the law.

Mr Denktas noted that Turkey will have to face much more financial compensations in case this draft-law is not approved and concluded saying that they have a debt of loyalty to Turkey.

Furthermore, the leader of the BDH, Mr Akinci said that they are working on this new draft-law and therefore they could not vote positively for the urgent discussion. He added, however, that they would evaluate the content of the draft-law according to the developments.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Mr Ferdi Sabit Soyer said that the return of occupied properties to their Greek Cypriot owners was decided at the ECHR and added that during the next two months they have to tour within the population living in the occupied part of the Republic of Cyprus in order to convince them about the draft-law.

Referring to the issue, Turkish Cypriot daily VOLKAN newspaper (09.12.05) argues that the MPs of DP, who have many times stated that the draft-law is contrary to the constitution changed their mind and approved the urgent discussion of the issue.

The paper claims that Mr Serdar Denktas reiterates the hesitant stance he showed during the referendum. It is alleged that during the voting for the draft-law he will let the DP MPs to vote whatever they wish. In that case, some of them will not participate in the voting and others will refrain from voting, notes VOLKAN which expresses the opinion that this means that the DP supports the draft-law and the stance of the CTP and Prime Minister Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Meanwhile, Mr Rauf Denktas, former Turkish Cypriot leader, stated that nobody can play games with the territory and that with the draft-law they made the country upside down.

[02] UNFICYP call on the Turkish side to stop work at Ledra Street. Reaction by Soyer

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus has issued a statement calling on the two sides in Cyprus to cooperate in good faith with each other and with the United Nations to open a crossing point at the Lokmac1 area in Lefkoa.

In the statement UNFICYP states that it is unable to support or facilitate the opening of the proposed crossing at Lokmac1 area in the absence of the consent of both parties.

Reaffirming that the construction undertaken by the Turkish Cypriot side is outside the buffer zone, UNFICYP says, however, that it is its view that the ongoing work should cease, and that both sides should resume efforts to find mutually acceptable arrangements for the opening of such a crossing point.

The statement was also critical of the Turkish Cypriot side for taking a preemptive stance to execute its project and persisting in acting unilaterally toward an objective that by definition must be bilateral.

Reacting to UNFICYP´S statement the self styled Prime Minister Mr Ferdi Sabit Soyer, said the United Nations should feel free to announce which of the two parties concerned has been dragging its feet on a matter on which there was already a convergence of views and preliminary consent, as well as initiatives to a certain degree.

This had exactly - been the case also in the opening of the Bostanc1 (occupied Zodia) Gate in the past he said, accusing both the United Nations and the European Union of not fulfilling their responsibilities on the issue.

Mr Soyer expressed the view that the side with good intentioned and peaceful policies aimed at achieving a solution to the Cyprus problem is continuously being dealt blows, while the side which keeps preventing the opening of the crossing point is being supported.

This he said, will definitely not help the UN efforts aimed at achieving a solution to the Cyprus Problem.

[03] Statements by Gul on the issues discussed at the North Atlantic Council. Reference to Cyprus

Gul said that among the topics discussed at the NAC meeting were Afghanistan, Kosovo, Middle East, peace process between Palestine and Israel and the Balkans. "We also discussed about the possible expansion of NATO," said Gul.

Mr Gul informed NATO leaders about this week's summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Answering a question on Cyprus, Gul stressed that the topic of Cyprus occasionally comes on the agenda of the EU. "However, a solution will come from the United Nations," expressed Gul.

In response to remarks made by French Premier Villepin today that the parliaments and politicians can not write history, Gul noted that indeed parliaments are not places of scientific research. "Every one knows this fact. At times, there are parliaments that make mistakes."

Moreover, on Mr Gul´s statements Turkish Cypriot Halkin Sesi newspaper (09/12/05) quotes him to have said: The EU should not contribute to the non solution, consciously or unconsciously. Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots are in wait. The EU must not loose its credibility. Mr Gul also met with the U.S. Secretary of State Ms Condoleezza Rice.

[04] EU declaration on the regulations for the occupied areas were postponed after Gul called Rehn on the phone

The paper reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Guls telephone conversation with Olli Rehn yesterday was effective in the Commissions changing of its stance.

[05] KIBRIS: Police Inspector arrested

The paper reports that the arrested people were involved in collecting 20 thousand sterling.

The paper publishes the names of the suspects as follows: Halil Falyali, Ali Falyali and so called Police inspector, responsible for Trikomo Region Police Station Veli Gurpinar.

KIBRIS reports that the suspects yesterday appeared before the so called Famagusta court which issued two days remand order.

The suspects are accused of being involved in robbery, committing crime, raceteering, forming secret affiliations with a view to coercing people into paying money, intimidation and blackmailing.

The paper reports that the fourth suspect Cemal Adak, is in the United Kingdom, and efforts are being made with the Scotland Yard to arrest Adak as well.

The investigation which lead to arrests of the three suspects opened when Serdar Sari living in Britain complained to the British police that his life is under threat, and gave the names of the suspects who were demanding 20 thousand sterling from him.

The so called police will continue the investigation.

[06] The European Handball Federation will examine the application of the Turkish Cypriot Handball Federation in St. Petersburg in May

The application will be discussed and evaluated during the meeting of the EHF which is going to take place at St. Petersburg in May 2006.

Commenting on the issue the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Handball Federation Mr Zafer Can, stated that he believes that it will be useful for them to be at St. Petersburg, at the time the issue of the membership will be discussed. He said at this meeting the future of the handball team will be determined and added that they try to find money in order to be able make this trip.

[07] FBI director in Ankara

Mueller, who arrived in the Turkish capital early Friday morning, is to meet with Gokhan Aydiner, director general of security and Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu.

He is also expected to have lunch with high-ranking Turkish security officials before departing to return to Washington. It is believed that the issue of al-Qaeda operations in Turkey and investigative co-operation would be discussed during the meetings.

The FBI director has been carrying out a round of visits to see the operations of equivalent agencies abroad.

[08] Liquor licensing an issue of discussion in Ankara

Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu has reacted to the "alcohol ban" debates. Aksu said: "We are not introducing any bans. On the contrary, it is now easier to obtain a liquor license; the bureaucracy has been cut back. With the directive, the gained rights are protected.

This topic is being used to undermine our party. The regulations for identifying liquor establishments came out 71 years ago. The provision in all the directives issued to date stating that a commission would rule on those places where liquor establishments were to be opened stays on in this directive, too. The directive states that the municipal assembly is to decide on the location of liquor establishments in accordance with the local authority's opinion if the establishment falls within the municipal limits, or by the provincial assembly if the establishment falls outside of municipal limits. In other words, it is simply a transfer of authority.

In fact, we have made it easier to obtain a license. We eliminated the bureaucracy. Tourist, historical or cultural locations will be identified as liquor locations. What we are doing is the exact opposite of what is being written and said. Gained rights are being protected. There is no request for a "red street" project; nor could any such request be made."

[09] Opinion poll on the popularity of state institutions

According to the results of the poll on the "Election System and Political Parties' Democratic Values" that was conducted by the Politics Center Association, 34% of the respondents described the army as "the most trustworthy" institution. AKP [Justice and Development Party] Afyonkarahisar Deputy Mahmut Kocak is the board chairman of this association. Some 72% of the respondents asserted that they are not pleased with the performance of the political government, and 73% noted that there is no intra-party democracy in the political parties.

Holding a press conference yesterday, Kocak and Assistant Prof Dr Idris Bal, director of the association, provided information on the study, in which 16 deputies from the AKP, the CHP [Republican People's Party], and ANAP [Motherland Party] took part. Kocak and Bal emphasized that the deputies did not give the poll much credit.

The Politics Center Association, whose board members also include deputies from the AKP, the CHP, and ANAP, was established in 2004. In the poll conducted by the association in question 25 questions were posed to 1,179 persons who were randomly selected. The deputies also participated in the poll. The results of the poll are as follows:

-- Some 72% of the respondents noted that they are not pleased with the performance of the political government, while 28% answered that they are pleased with its performance.

-- Some 68% of the respondents believe that the election system is not democratic. Some 62% of the 68% do not believe that the 10% election threshold stabilizes the administration.

-- The respondents were asked to name the institution that they find most trustworthy. Some 34% of the respondents answered "the army," 15% answered "the President's Office," nine percent answered "nongovernmental organizations," eight percent answered "the political parties," six percent answered "the TBMM [Turkish Grand National Assembly], three percent answered "the judicial system," and 0.4% replied "the press." Some 25 percent of the respondents answered "none."

-- The respondents were asked: "On which side of the political fan do you take place?" Some 39% answered "none of the sides," nine percent asserted that they are "socialists," 12% described themselves as "liberals," 21% noted that they are "conservatives," and 13% answered that they are "social democrats."

-- Some 68% of the respondents do not expect early elections to be held prior to 2007.

-- Some 73% of the respondents want the president to be elected by the people. This answer reportedly shows that the trust in the President's Office has eroded.

-- The respondents were asked: "Which party's structure and leader profile are more democratic?" Some 28% of the respondents answered the AKP, 12% answered ANAP, 10% answered the CHP, eight percent answered the DYP [True Path Party], and seven percent answered the MHP [Nationalist Action Party].

Some 72% of the respondents asserted that they are not pleased with the government's performance. This answer was analyzed as follows:

"The respondents' answers show that the public support for the government, which had come to power with approximately 34% of the votes, has dropped. Nevertheless ruling parties are usually worn out and therefore they lose votes. Given this fact, it is possible to say that the government still enjoys a seriously high popularity rate. As the people's education level decreases, the support for the government grows."

The fact that in answer to the question of "which institution they find most trustworthy," only three percent answered "the judicial system" and the fact that this rate placed the judicial system at the second place from the bottom constituted the most important surprise. This result was analyzed as follows: "Some 38% of the university students marked 'the army,' while 30% of those who finished primary and secondary school marked the 'none of the above.' The assumption that the judicial system is open to intervention (political intervention) and the fact that the manifestation of justice is delayed in most of the cases may be seen as the reasons for the deterioration of the confidence in the judicial system."

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] Commentary in Cumhuriyet on the popularity of institutions poll

He must have felt bored during his visit to New Zeland, because the prime minister reportedly shifted his visit to Australia one day ahead and, leaving the accompanying businessmen and journalists behind at the first stop, he flew to the "fifth continent."

Let us write a small scenario and let us assume that at the airport the Turkish ambassador gave Erdogan the notes regarding a rather unordinary poll that was conducted in his country.

You certainly wish to know the three striking issues that the respondents of this poll agreed upon. The poll entitled "The Election System and Political Parties' Democratic Values" was conducted in Ankara with the participation of 1,179 respondents who were selected randomly.

The residents of the country's capital listed the most trustworthy institutions as the army, the president, and the nongovernmental organizations respectively.

Three of every four persons -- in other words, 72% of the respondents -- noted that they are not pleased with the government.

The answer that appears in the third line also explains why the people did not include the political parties which should be considered "indispensable in a democratic order" among the most trustworthy institutions, that were mentioned in the first line. Many people agree that there is no intra-party democracy in most of the political parties.

If we continue with our small scenario, we may rightfully note that it was difficult for the prime minister to understand why he was given the note that included the [results of this] poll. And then, he was told that it was AKP Afyon Deputy Dr Mahmut Kocak who had this poll conducted.

A deputy of the ruling party checked the pulse of the people by posing questions to 1,179 citizens via the Politics Center Association that is headed by this deputy. And the pulse of the people showed that the two institutions that mostly irritate the AKP -- the army and the president's office -- top the list of the most trustworthy institutions!

How would you assess the situation if you were the AKP chairman? How would you assess the situation especially when you found out that 72% of the respondents are not pleased with the performance of the team, of which you were the captain?

The fact that yet another "Dr Parliamentarian" -- Balikesir Deputy Turhan Comez -- had the floor yesterday and cried out that "they are not lead soldiers' may also be viewed as the reflection of this 72% on the AKP group. Everyone knows that Comez has been distressed with the course of the developments for quite a while. Nonetheless, the AKP administrators did not believe that this distress would grow so much that it would have an impact on the speech Comez gave during yesterday's closed session.

Given the failures in his electoral district, Dr Comez ensured his observations regarding the entire country were recorded in the minutes of the AKP group meeting. Asking why [Turkey] kept silent regarding the mysterious CIA flights that caused huge controversy among the European public, Comez especially emphasized that "he has hundreds of issues, about which he wants to ask each and every minister questions." He also explained that he and his other deputy colleagues have the right to discuss such issues. He wanted to know why "the discussions on supra-identity-sub identity and the concept of constitutional citizenship that currently appear on Turkey's agenda are not discussed on the group's platform."

He said: "If we are not satisfied and if we do not maintain our hope, we will not be able to convey healthy messages to the people."

In short, AKP deputies who want to end their silence are coming to the fore one after the other. Some of them talk about the polls and the others talk about the cries that reach them from these polls. It is true that the poll conducted by Dr Mahmut Kocak shows that the AKP is still the most popular political party in Turkey, but contrary to what certain people have been happily claiming lately, the AKP's popularity rate has not reached 40%. In fact, it has dropped to 28%. Furthermore, the liberals who had supported the AKP during the 3 November 2002 elections and who had extended full support to Erdogan until recently are changing their way. On the other hand, the AKP has the support of approximately 47% of the conservative sector.

This way, it is easier to understand why the ruling party has recently turned into an eagle where the Islamic headgear and the alcohol prohibition issues are concerned. Furthermore, certain circles are trying to turn the hearing in Van that I mentioned in my article yesterday into a torment for Yucel Askin. Within the framework of the plot that is being staged, the petitions of 448 wronged persons who wish to seek their rights have been placed in the file and preparations are being made for enabling each and every one of these persons to pose questions to the defendant rector separately. These efforts also have a special meaning.

Briefly, it is understood that those who used to formerly adopt the National View line and who allegedly underwent change are currently getting bored with the new shirt that they have been wearing for a while and they are making preparations for announcing that they miss the clothes that they have in their cupboard.

For those who know that the boat is aimlessly sailing in dangerous waters where the economy is concerned and that it is no longer possible to conceal the disappointment that is felt regarding issues such as northern Iraq and Cyprus the answer to this question is certainly "why not" with the condition that it is spread over a long period of time.

/ES

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