Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 08-11-25

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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 ambassador of Turkey on the office of the breakaway regime in Doha: Our small republic will achieve many more successes

[02] Ercakica accuses President Christofias and alleges that there are two peoples in Cyprus

[03] Turkish Foreign Ministry over the oil exploration by the Republic of Cyprus

[04] Sener Elcil criticized the fact that the teachers in the occupied areas are forced to celebrate a day which is not celebrated even by trade unions in Turkey

[05] Turkish businessman accuses the Turks of trying to annihilate the 2000 old Greeks left in Turkey

[06] Akinci noted that instead of the building of the Merit Otel casino in the occupied part of Nicosia to be constructed in conformity with the rules, the rules have been conformed to this building

[07] Erdogan to India: Forget Russian oil alternative, use BTC

[08] Gul to meet with the Presidents of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan over an informal weekend

[09] Report reveals horrors of violence against Turkish women

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] From the Turkish Press of 24 November 08

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The ambassador of Turkey on the office of the breakaway regime in Doha: Our small republic will achieve many more successes

Star Kibris reports that Kuwait and Oman are the next countries where the breakaway regime will be opening representations. The Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ertugrul Gunay, who attended the opening ceremony in Doha, pointed out to the importance of the office and expressed the belief that it could carry out very useful activities in the direction of the recognition of the TRNC parallel to the field of culture and education. He argued that the TRNC is very rightful in its cause and it is the side that wants a solution. With that courage we demand the recognition of Northern Cyprus and the conclusion of the search for a solution in a positive manner, he added.

The ambassador of Turkey to Doha, Mithat Rende, who also attended the ceremony, said that this was a big step for the strengthening of the relations of the Turkish Cypriots with the world, carrying out their international relations in a healthier manner, the recognition of the Turkish Cypriot side and the breaking of the unjust embargoes. He noted that the breakaway regime should be represented in all the Gulf countries. The necessary steps have been taken on this issue and we shall see the results very soon. We shall open many more offices. Our small republic will achieve many more successes, he said.

Furthermore, the representative of the embassy of Kuwait to Doha, Zeiad Al-Banaie, who attended the ceremony, said that the office was important from the point of view of the development of the relations of northern Cyprus with the Gulf countries and added that they are waiting for the opening of a representation in Kuwait as well.

Finally, the ambassador of Azerbaijan to Doha, Eldar Salimev, who attended the ceremony, expressed the belief that the office will help in the development of the relations between Qatar and the breakaway regime in the field of economy and tourism. The representative of the breakaway regime in Qatar is Arif Altay. The paper reports that representatives from the embassies of Iran, Sudan and Kuwait as well as businessmen from Qatar and Kuwait attended also the ceremony.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Ercakica accuses President Christofias and alleges that there are two peoples in Cyprus

In a written statement issued yesterday, Mr Ercakica said that the parameters of the solution in Cyprus are determined in the joint statements of the two leaders. He claimed that the new partnership state which we are going to establish will not be created by turning the unitary structure of the Republic of Cyprus into a federal structure.

This state will be a new partnership which will be formed with an agreement that the two peoples will approve in separate referendums, he added.

Mr Ercakica alleged that the Greek Cypriot side is trying to convince the world that there is one people in Cyprus, but this does not reflect the truth. He added: The basic factor that turns groups of human beings into one people is the psychological unity. We could not describe as single people communities, which are not together in pride and worry. There is no one single people in Cyprus. Basically, there are the Greek Cypriot people and the Turkish Cypriot people.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Turkish Foreign Ministry over the oil exploration by the Republic of Cyprus

A spokesman with the Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized Greek Cypriot exploration of oil off-coast of Northern Cyprus as adventurous amid ongoing talks to find a substantial settlement to the Cyprus issue.

We see such action as adventurous especially at a time when negotiations continued to find a lasting settlement on the island, Burak Ozugergin told the A.A in response to a question.

Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias complained to the UN Secretary-General over an alleged interception by a Turkish warship to a foreign-flagged ship which was exploring oil on what he said was the exclusive economic zone of the Greek Cypriot administration.

We have taken necessary diplomatic action after finding out that the oil exploration ship was operating within Turkeys continental shelf, Ozugergin said.

With reference to the Turkish harassment of oil and gas exploration vessels Turkish daily Today Zaman newspaper (25.11.08) reports the following:

Greek Cyprus has complained to the United Nations, saying a Turkish warship harassed two oil and gas exploration vessels earlier this month, documents showed on Monday.

´The two ships were forced, by the Turkish warship, to cease their operations and withdraw within the territorial waters of the Republic of Cyprus, under fear for the lives of their crews and the integrity of the ships´, Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released on Monday.

The foreign-flagged exploration ships were carrying out surveys on November 13 on behalf of the Greek Cypriot government when the incident occurred, Greek Cyprus said in its formal protest. Last year Greek Cypriot moves to tap potential deepwater reserves in the Mediterranean angered Turkey, with Ankara declaring that oil and gas exploration could upset negotiating efforts.

´The gravity of the incident cannot be overstated, taking into account the crucial time in relation to the efforts for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, said Christofias in the November 14 letter. I can only convey the dismay of my government over what transpired, he added.

Greek Cypriot authorities had not disclosed the incident previously. Greek Cypriots have defined 11 offshore blocks south and southeast of the island for hydrocarbon exploration, with large areas still uncharted. A senior Greek Cypriot energy official told Reuters on November 21 that authorities were close to awarding an exploration contract to a US-based firm for one of the blocks and that negotiations were ongoing with two more companies for a further two blocks. Greek Cyprus planned to hold a second licensing round, a process where companies express an interest in exploration, in June next year, he said.

Christofias said the vessels were 27 miles off the south coast of the island when the incident occurred. They were within, he said, Greek Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Turkish warship had said they were in Turkey's zone. An EEZ defines a maritime boundary, normally 200 nautical miles from the shore, within which a country maintains exploitation rights.

[04] Sener Elcil criticized the fact that the teachers in the occupied areas are forced to celebrate a day which is not celebrated even by trade unions in Turkey

Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Volkan newspaper (25.11.08) refers to Mr Elcils statement under the title Ill-mannered and reports that he described those who celebrate the 24th of November as puppets. The paper notes that Mr Elcil has a luxury villa in the Trikomo area.

(I/Ts.)

[05] Turkish businessman accuses the Turks of trying to annihilate the 2000 old Greeks left in Turkey

He noted that Ecumenical patriarch is his friend and added: My reaction to the injustice against the Greek community in Turkey is a totally different issue. Injustice is made against the Greeks in Turkey. In any case, only 2000 old Greeks have been left. We are trying to annihilate them as well.

(I/Ts.)

[06] Akinci noted that instead of the building of the Merit Otel casino in the occupied part of Nicosia to be constructed in conformity with the rules, the rules have been conformed to this building

Speaking at the assembly, Mr Akinci noted that instead of this building to be constructed in conformity with the rules, the rules have been conformed to this building. He noted that the hotel has no parking place and added that the inhabitants of the area are complaining of the sound pollution caused by the air-conditioning installation on the roof of the building.

(I/Ts.)

[07] Erdogan to India: Forget Russian oil alternative, use BTC

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has encouraged India to use the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline to transport the oil that India now imports from Russia via ships in the Black Sea.

This would decrease the number of days it takes the oil to reach India from 29 days to 16 days, he said.

Erdogan said his official visit was a belated one but that it was successful. A number of common projects were discussed with Indian authorities, Erdogan added, singling out new oil transport projects as an opportunity to bring the two nations closer together. I think not a single vigilant administration, would push this decrease in freight costs with the back of his hand, he said.

Speaking during a dinner hosted by the Federation of Indian Commerce and Industry Chamber (FICCI) on Monday, Erdogan said the energy ministers of Turkey, Israel and India would gather in the coming weeks to discuss a possible joint project. He also said he hoped his visit will be a starting point for a new era with India, with which he said Turkey has no political problems. He also underlined that there are broad areas of possible cooperation between the two countries, noting that their target is to increase the current trade volume from $3 billion to $6 billion by 2010. He called on businessmen in both countries to focus more on reciprocal relations. You know the needs and skills of both nations better than us, he said to the businessmen.

Erdogan also said he believed Turkish construction companies would play an important role in infrastructure projects in India, noting that representatives of Turkish construction companies accompanying them held bilateral talks during his visit. India has allocated nearly $500 billion for projects on energy, highways, railways, airports, irrigation and tap water, Erdogan said, and he asked businessmen to be swift in benefiting from these opportunities.

The governments of both nations would do their best to remove obstacles facing businessmen from both nations as they do business, he explained. There are only 60 Indian businessmen investing in Turkey, Erdogan said, insisting that this number was lower than it could be. Energy Minister Hilmi Guler also asserted yesterday that the visit to India would be a turning point for the two countries and would trigger further cooperation. Here are the issues agreed upon between Turkey and India: The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and the Indian Oil Corporation will do oil research in other countries in addition to Libya. Turkey and India will do joint studies on liquefied natural gas. India to help Turkey in nuclear energy development studies. Turkey and India will cooperate on renewable energy. A free trade agreement will be signed between the two countries. Trade volume between India and Turkey will be increased to $6 billion by 2010. The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUB0TAK) and its Indian counterpart will carry out joint projects.

Meanwhile, during his flight back to Turkey from Bangalore, Erdogan commented on the controversial issue of a prospective stand-by deal with the IMF. Avoiding confirmation of any rumours about the discussions over a new agreement and the quantity of loans to be obtained, the prime minister said he would announce the final word on the matter after he returned to Turkey. Newspapers had claimed yesterday that the IMF had agreed to lend Turkey only $19 billion, though $30 billion had been requested.

Subtitle: Turkey to discuss Ceyhan-Red Sea oil project with Israel, India

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler has said he will meet with his Israeli and Indian counterparts in the coming days to discuss the Ceyhan-Red Sea oil project.

Guler, who is currently accompanying Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on an official visit to India, told reporters: "The limit on cargo allowed to pass through the Turkish Straits is set at 130,000 tons, while ships carrying 400,000 tons of cargo can use the Port of Ceyhan in southern Turkey. Furthermore, it takes 39 days for a ship to arrive in the Red Sea after passing through the Turkish Straits, but just 16 days from Ceyhan to India. These are significant advantages for India."

The Ceyhan-Red Sea oil project aims at transporting oil from Ceyhan to India with the combined use of sea transport and Israel's Ashkelon-Eilat oil pipeline. Guler added that the Indian Oil Corporation has been cooperating with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in Libya and said similar cooperation should be pursued in other countries. On his current trip Guler will visit renewable energy facilities in Bangalore.

Erdogan had said on Friday that the oil project would be implemented soon with India's participation.

[08] Gul to meet with the Presidents of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan over an informal weekend

(EA)

[09] Report reveals horrors of violence against Turkish women

As part of its activities to mark todays International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Konya-based Compassion Association (Sefkat-Der) has prepared a report titled Excuses for Domestic Violence in Turkey and Recommendations from Women Victims on How to Avoid Violence.

The report is the result of the associations findings after speaking with the 9,000 women and girls who have fallen victim to domestic violence and sought shelter with Sefkat-Der, which runs womens and refugees shelters and works on behalf of oppressed peoples, since 1995.

Subtitle: The reasons Turkish men abuse women

The report details the excuses Turkish men use for beating their wives: The womans not wanting to engage in sexual activity, the womans gaining weight, her inability to bear children or her not bearing a male child, the food shes cooked being too salty, burnt, cold or not according to the mans tastes, not doing a good job ironing his clothing, being late in answering the door when hes come home and knocked, the womans getting ill or not getting better after getting ill, leaving the home without permission, a couples child being unsuccessful, the homes heater not being turned on, a child not looking like its father, the womans wanting a divorce, the womans interference in the mans relationship with another woman, the working womans not giving her husband her entire salary, the refusal of berdel [a type of arranged marriage], the womans wanting to work, the mans being unemployed, family financial difficulty, the mans soccer team losing a match, being warned by his wife about his alcoholism or gambling addiction, an argument between men about machismo.

The report also lists some of the disturbing forms of domestic violence men employed against these women, including the striking of the face, eyes, head, chest, back and knees by punching, kicking, caning or using a belt. Some further extremes include slinging caustic liquids such as acid at womens faces and eyes, pouring boiling-hot water, tea or coffee on her, extinguishing cigarettes directly on womens exposed skin and wounding women using knives and guns.

Subtitle: Forms of violence that aggrieve women the most

Sefkat-Ders report says the women -most of whom experience violence through no fault of their own- were most upset by violence that took place in front of their children, guests or relatives at home or strangers in the street. Visible marks left by the violence they were subject to also increased the degree to which women were upset over the incidents.

The women themselves gave recommendations for the prevention of violence, which are also included in the reports text. Some of them recommended that women in abusive situations reciprocate the type of abuse they are receiving, dealing the same treatment out to the man that he deals her. Others recommend tougher prosecution of domestic offenders and for the men who beat women to be forced to undergo mental or psychological therapy, in addition to anti-violence ads being posted on television, the Internet, newspapers and municipal billboards. A number of the women recommend a system be implemented that allows for identity change, aesthetic surgery and 24-hour protection for women victims of violence.

Subtitle: Womens violence in Turkey

In a statement yesterday, Turkish Psychiatry Association President Seref Ozer drew attention to the fact that 88 percent of the nearly 20 percent of unemployed Turks are women, saying that for many of them the home is a place of unspoken, hidden abuse at the hands of relatives, fathers, husbands and boyfriends. He recalled that killings, torture, forced suicide and violence in the name of honour or morality still occur frequently in Turkey. In the Violence against Women in Turkey report prepared this year by academics Ayse Gul Altinay and Yesim Arat, it was revealed that a shocking one out of every three women in Turkey are subject to physical violence, Ozer noted.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[10] From the Turkish Press of 24 November 08

Kurdish Issue:

An unattributed article in Hurriyet Daily News welcomes the Justice and Development Party, AKP, decision to end the isolation of Ocalan in Imrali and urges the EU to do the same for the Turkish Cypriots who have been "effectively imprisoned on their patch of the island by the fecklessness and ineptitude of European institutions."

Writing in the same newspaper, Yusuf Kanli says in his article that transferring more inmates to the Imrali prison might "invalidate" the speculation over Ocalan's mistreatment. He also highlights the rumour that "notorious mafia leader Alaattin Cakici, al-Qaeda islamist terror network hitman, Louia Sakka, Islamist fundamentalist Metin Kaplan, Abdi Ipekci's murderer, Mahmet Ali Agca, DHKP-C terror gang chieftain, Ercan Kartal, and Islamist IBDA-C terrorist gang chieftain, Salih Izzet Erdis, could well be the 'prison compatriots' of Ocalan."

A report by Namik Durukan of Milliyet quotes Abdullah Ocalan's brother Osman Ocalan as saying that the decision to transfer five or six more inmates to the Imrali prison is a "concession" made by the Turkish government following the strong reaction to Ocalan's alleged mistreatment in prison. According to the report, Osman Ocalan claimed that the Turkish government has taken action to implement a three-stage plan to release Ocalan from prison in the long run.

A report by Saygi Ozturk of Hurriyet says that the government has taken action "to turn the Imrali prison into an F-type prison." The report notes that Ocalan will be allowed to watch TV and come together with the other inmates for 10 hours in a week.

Yeni Ozgur Politika carries a story by Cengiz Korkmaz who reports that the Prime Minister's Office Crisis Centre, BKM, is really a NATO organization. This means, Korkmaz states, that it was NATO that created the status of Imrali prison where "Abdullah Ocalan is being subjected to physical attacks." The reporter bases his story on the revelations by Yucel Sayman, former head of the Istanbul Bar Association.

Taraf carries an interview with the Kurdish politician Nurettin Yilmaz by Nese Duzel on the motives behind the establishment of the PKK, deceased President Turgut Ozal's policy on the Kurds, and the Democratic Society Party, DTP, role in the solution of the Kurdish issue. Describing the DTP as the "spokesman" of Imrali [Ocalan], Yilmaz asserts that the military should negotiate the Kurdish issue with Ocalan in order to be able to find a peaceful formula. However, he says, the "deep state" in Turkey does not want the problem to be solved through peaceful means. According to Yilmaz, Kurdish voters will not support the ruling party in the elections because "they regard the AKP as a party that cooperated with the General Staff." He goes on to note that former President Ozal planned to form a Kurdish federation in northern Iraq but "he had to back-pedal on his initiative" because of the strong reaction voiced by the military and the media at the time.

A Taraf article by Onder Aytac and Emre Uslu welcomes the Turkish government's dialogue with the Regional Kurdish Administration, saying that Ankara conveyed a "significant symbolic message" both to "its own Kurds and to the international community." It says that Turkish officials' meeting with the Iraqi Kurds is a move that prevents the PKK from acting like the representative of the Kurds. The dialogue between Ankara and the Kurdish Administration in northern Iraq might "facilitate and expedite" the implementation of the anti-PKK measures, the article notes. It concludes by stressing that to solve the Kurdish issue, the Turkish government has to concentrate only on the establishment of security and allow the adoption of a democratic system in the region.

In a column in Vatan, Rusen Cakir opposes Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek's proposal that Prime Minister Erdogan and the main opposition leader Deniz Baykal should visit Diyarbakir together in an effort to contribute to the solution of the Kurdish problem. He says that considering the Erdogan Administration's recent "strategy of discrimination" against the Kurds, such a visit will worsen the situation rather than bring peace to the region. He urges the prime minister to visit Diyarbakir with DTP leader Ahmet Turk as the leaders of the two strong parties in the Southeast. Cakir says that Cicek is a "statesman" who believes that national problems must be solved through compromise and cooperation. However, he adds, the deputy prime minister continues to act with "typical reservations" about the Kurdish issue and fails to see the DTP as part of the solution process.

In an article entitled "Some Amazing Comments", Yeni Safak columnist Yasin Aktay comments on reactions to a recent article in which he criticized "PKK tutelage over Kurdish politics." After relating how some readers "try to justify the PKK's influence over Kurdish politics and particularly the DTP [Democratic Society Party]" by claiming that "it would not be possible to even pronounce the word 'Kurdish' today were it not for the PKK," he highlights the "problem" signified by this approach: "Seeing it as the most natural right of 'those in the mountains' [PKK members] to exercise complete control over the political medium in the Kurdish issue that has started to emerge now that the psychological obstacles facing efforts to solve this problem have been eliminated." Aktay argues that this attitude on the part of the DTP is serving to misrepresent PKK militants as heroes who can never be recompensed enough, adding that the "rhetoric of sanctity" that is associated with this approach is increasingly holding Kurdish politics hostage and carrying the issue from the political domain to a symbolic and emotional level.

Under the headline, "Colonel Ozden Assassination Included in Ergenekon Dossier," Zaman carries a front-page report which asserts that the prosecutors who are conducting the Ergenekon probe are examining the personal journals of Colonel Ridvan Ozden in search of a possible link between his killing in August 1995 and the Ergenekon network. According to "official accounts," Ozden was killed in a clash with the PKK, the report says.

In a commentary entitled "Barack Obama and the PKK" Today's Zaman writers Emre Uslu and Onder Aytac assert that "anti-Americanism in Turkey would skyrocket" if the forthcoming Obama administration were to ask Turkey to "negotiate with the PKK or the DTP."

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