Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 06-07-24

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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 Erdogan during his departure from occupied Cyprus.

[02] Matt Bryza calls on the international community to act on ideas put forward towards finding a solution to the Cyprus problem.

[03] The British High Courts hearings into the Orams case has ended.

[04] Turkeys Prime Minister's Office issues statement on Bush-Erdogan telephone conversation; NATO discusses Turkeys potential invasion to Northern Iraq.

[05] KIBRIS claims that a Greek Cypriot ring is selling Turkish Cypriot property in the government-controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by Erdogan during his departure from occupied Cyprus

Speaking during a press conference at Ercan (occupied Tymbou) Airport before leaving occupied Cyprus Mr Erdogan reaffirmed Turkeys support to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and added that he wants to see Cyprus as the island of peace.

Stating that the Cyprus problem is Turkeys national cause, the Turkish Premier said that he had held meetings with the technical committees that have been set up to help ease the daily experiences of the two peoples of the island and reiterated Turkeys support on the issue.

Pointing to the need for Mr Talat and President Tassos Papadopoulos to reach an agreement on a solution, both in political and technical terms, Mr Erdogan noted that the United Nations also supported these efforts.

Explaining that the 2004 referendum on the Annan Plan in Cyprus had confirmed many things on the island, he said that Turkey continues to endorse the UN efforts on this issue.

Also speaking here, the self-styled Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer stated that Mr Erdogans official visit to the TRNC with his delegation was not only a source of morale for the people but also a big support.

This visit is also an important message to the world he added, noting that co-operation between Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will continue.

(Tr. Note: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is the illegal regime set by the Turkish Republic in the properties of the evicted Greek Cypriots in the territories of Cyprus occupied by 40.000 Turkish troops).

[02] Matt Bryza calls on the international community to act on ideas put forward towards finding a solution to the Cyprus problem

Speaking during a press conference he gave in Washington, Mr Bryza answered questions put to him by both Turkish and Greek journalists.

Upon being asked what situation the Annan Plan was at currently, Mr Bryza said that the plan shouldnt be thrown out the window, but we must accept the fact that the Greek Cypriot people democratically rejected the Annan Plan.

Referring to his recent visit to the Island, Mr Bryza noted that there were a couple of different views that were being discussed on the table regarding the Cyprus problem, but pointed to the need to renegotiate the areas of the Annan Plan that were not agreed on by the two sides.

Overall the Annan plan was a very good document and the areas that have been agreed on shouldnt be changed, he added.

[03] The British High Courts hearings into the Orams case has ended

The British couple was taken to court by Meletis Apostolides for having built a house on a plot of land owned by him in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus.

The hearings were normally expected to be completed yesterday but had had to be extended for another day when lawyers from the two sides asked for more time to complete their addresses of the court.

The propertys displaced owner originally filed the case with the Greek Cypriot court in Cyprus which had ordered the demolition of the house, the return of the land, and for compensation to be paid to the displaced owner.

The lawyers for the Greek Cypriot displaced owner Meletis Apostolides claimed in their defense yesterday that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was not an internationally recognized entity and that the Republic of Cyprus was the sole official government on the island.

Defense lawyers for the Orams, led by Cherie Blair the wife of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, had asked the judge to take the realities on the island into consideration - including the fact that the problems between the two communities are political, and date back to 1960ies and not 1974 as presented by the Greek Cypriot side.

The defense lawyers also pointed to the fact that the Republic of Cyprus has no authority over the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and that therefore, it has no jurisdiction over North Cyprus.

The court is expected to announce its verdict in September or October.

[04] Turkeys Prime Minister's Office issues statement on Bush-Erdogan telephone conversation; NATO discusses Turkey´s potential invasion to Northern Iraq

It was reported that the US President George W. Bush had emphasized during a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that they would act together with Turkey in its fight against terrorism.

According to a statement issued by the Press Center of the Prime Minister's Office, Bush called Erdogan in the afternoon today and exchanged information about the recent developments.

It said that Bush said during the conversation that he had given serious consideration to his latest telephone conversation with Erdogan, which focused on the terrorist organization's presence and activities in northern Iraq. It quoted Bush as saying: "We are aware of the urgency and gravity of the situation."

Pointing out that he had issued necessary instructions to related units, Bush stressed that they would act together with Turkey in her fight against terrorism, adding that the same message had also been conveyed strongly to the Iraqi government.

After briefing Erdogan about the forthcoming visit to be paid by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region, Bush was quoted as saying that Rice would call Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul today in order to exchange opinions.

The statement also noted that the latest developments that took place in Lebanon were also discussed in the telephone conversation between the two leaders. It noted: "The Prime Ministers reiterated once again that the government was determined to maintain its fight against terrorism. He stressed the importance of waging a common struggle against terrorism and thanked Bush for the steps he had taken in that field. The Prime Minister also said during the telephone conversation that he was pleased to hear that the military authorities of the two countries had started discussing concrete steps to be taken in the fight against terrorism within and outside the framework of the tripartite mechanism. The Prime Minister said that efforts to evacuate foreigners in Lebanon, including American citizens through Mersin port in Turkey were under way. He added that Turkey would send more humanitarian aid such as food, medication, medical materials, tents, and similar relief materials to the region."

Moreover, Yasemin Congar in her column in the Turkish daily MILLIYET newspaper (24.07.06) reports that on 20 July, 2006, there was a meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan during which Turkeys possible cross-border invasion to northern Iraq was discussed by NATO and US officials. She writes: On 20 July, an exceptional summit was held. NATOs General Secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, USA European Forces Commander General James Jones, and USA Central Forces Commander General John Abizaid met in Kabul, during which they did not only discuss Afghanistan, they also discussed about us. The main issue on their agenda was: Is Turkey serious in its threat to invade northern Iraq? How could we prevent this?

A high level NATO official who arrived in from Brussels after the meeting said: Such an operation will not finish off the PKK, (Kurdistan Workers Party) and it will create multiple problems. You should be rest assured that like the USA, our other NATO allies do not look into this matter warmly.

Finally MILLIYET reports that Turkey has been invited to take part in the Middle East conference to be held in Rome, Italy on Wednesday 26 July, 2006

The paper adds that the main issues on the meetings agenda are:

To determine the ceasefire conditions in the Middle East

To create an humanitarian corridor for humanitarian help

To deploy an international force along the Lebanese- Israeli border.

The paper reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will most probably attend the meeting. Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said that Turkeys invitation to take part in the meeting is the result of its active diplomacy in the Middle East.

The countries which will take part in the meeting are: Italy, the USA, France, Germany, Britain, Spain, and Russia and as EU term president Finland and from Arab countries Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well as representatives from the UN and the World Bank.

[05] KIBRIS claims that a Greek Cypriot ring is selling Turkish Cypriot property in the government-controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus

According to the paper, the existence of the ring was revealed when they attempted to sell 133 donums of land valued at one million pounds CYP, which belongs to Turkish Cypriots Omer Nizam and Huseyin Omer Nizam at the village of Klavdia, in Larnaca.

The paper reports that according to the laws of the Republic of Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot properties in the government-controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus can be sold only by their owners if they were living abroad before the 1974 Turkish invasion. For this reason, the ring had forged Belgian passports for Hasan Omer Nizam and Huseyin Omer Nizam to show that both were living in Belgium between 1965 and 1985.

The paper reports the following:

On 17 February, 2002, a power of attorney document was given to the Limassol-based Greek Cypriot real estate agency Sotiris Sotiriou, enabling it to sell immovable property totalling 133 donums near the coast of Softades in Larnaca (10th km north of Larnacas airport) which belongs to Turkish Cypriots Hasan Omer Nizan (83) and Huseyin Omer Nizam (87) from the village of Klavdia.

In the five-paragraph power of attorney, it was mentioned that the official lowest price for the land is two million, six hundred sixty thousand Cyprus pounds and it was clear in the last paragraph that the owner of the property will sign the bill of sale, not the office of Sotiris Sotiriou which had only been authorized to find a client.

In this situation, Hasan Omer Nizam and Huseyin Omer Nizam and their children were certain that a client would be found.

However, they gave detailed personal information in the power of attorney document that the Greek Cypriots were previously unaware of.

(DPs)

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