Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 11-06-07

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Statements by Ozersay in New York

[02] Tatar says that the breakaway regime needs population

[03] Salih Cosar evaluates the problem with the illegal workers in the occupied areas

[04] Ozkardas sees a danger for the Turkish Cypriot identity if "amnesty" for the illegal workers and the "citizenship law" is approved

[05] Strong reaction by Serdar Denktas to a statement for the occupation regime to become the 82nd province of Turkey

[06] Talat on the June 12 general elections in Turkey

[07] Turkey to grant eight million TL for breakaway regime's industry and agriculture

[08] Illegal DAU's pre-university education institutions are given away to Fethullah Gulen's Doga College

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[09] Gul visits Poland, asks for support for EU bid

[10] Erdogan labels OSCE Minsk Group 'useless'

[11] Turkey and Poland signed science and technology agreement

[12] Turkey's AKP raises the election stakes

[13] Gen. Evren testifies from his home to a prosecutor over the 1980 coup

[14] Energy Minister announces date to shutdown nuclear plants

[15] Izmir to be transformed into NATO's land base

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Statements by Ozersay in New York

Ozersay met yesterday at the UN headquarters in New York with Lynn Pascoe, UN Under Secretary - General. Hilmi Akil, breakaway regime's so-called representative to New York was also attending the meeting.

According to Bayrak, the views of the Turkish Cypriot side regarding the method to be followed in the give and take process to start before, during and after the tripartite summit of 7 July, and the timing and "modalities" of a [possible] four-party conference were discussed in detail during the meeting.

In statements after the meeting, Ozersay said that the UN is attaching great importance to the tripartite summit to be held in July. He noted that the UN is expecting "concrete results" from this meeting and is determined for this meeting to have a different content and results than the previous two tripartite summits.

Ozersay said that he did not want to give further details on the content of his meeting with Pascoe, but as Turkish Cypriot side they are "extremely satisfied with what was said in the meeting".

Within the framework of his visit to New York, Ozersay met also with Nikita Zukov, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation at the UN. According to Bayrak, Ozersay conveyed "direct and in detail information" to the Russian official on the stance of the Turkish Cypriot side regarding various aspects of the Cyprus problem.

Today Ozersay is expected to meet with representatives of the other four Permanent Members of the UN Security Council.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Tatar says that the breakaway regime needs population

Tatar noted that they will continue to live together with their "citizens" who came from Turkey after 1974, as he described the illegal Turkish settlers. He criticized those who think differently and said: "We need population. We have to be careful. If the society will advance, if it will develop economically, we should not be conservative in the globalized world. The 'Cyprus belongs to the Cypriots' mentality ties our hands. Some population policies are drawn up according to the needs of the country?If your own people want to work in other places such as banks or the state, this means that there is a need for people who will work in the inferior service groups. These people will settle here, they will stay here. We have to look how we will turn this issue into our advantage?"

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes (07.06.11) reports that speaking yesterday at the "assembly", Irsen Kucuk, self-styled prime minister of the breakaway regime, said that it is not possible to give to no one the "citizenship" of the regime. He argued that no one was granted the "citizenship" during the past couple of months except persons who became "citizens" due to marriage. He noted that the "citizenship" will be granted when this is necessary, as long as the marriage is not bogus.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Salih Cosar evaluates the problem with the illegal workers in the occupied areas

In his interview, Cosar stated that the problem with illegal workers is a habitual problem and added that at a certain point, the number of illegal workers reached to 70.000 while today this number is alleged to be around 35.000, as he said.

Cosar supported also that the solution to the problem of the illegal workers is for the foreign workers to have a different minimum wage, adding that this should be encouraged by the "government".

He also added that the illegal workers problem is confronted positively by both sides adding that for Turkey it means that its unemployment people are employed and for the part of the employers in the occupied areas, it is positive from the point of view that they find cheap working labour.

Referring to the situation in the occupied area, Cosar said that the "social security institutions" collapsed like the Titanic due to the illegal workers. He mentioned also the difficulties of the "providence fund".

Asked why the illegal workers prefer to come to the "TRNC", Cosar said that it is due to the high minimum wages something that does not exist in Turkey.

Asked to express his view of how the problem of the illegal workers could be solved, Cosar proposed that they should remove the "amnesty" given to the illegal workers and then if they find job after their "amnesty" is removed, they could stay to the occupied area, if not then they should go.

(AK)

[04] Ozkardas sees a danger for the Turkish Cypriot identity if "amnesty" for the illegal workers and the "citizenship law" is approved

In statements yesterday during visits of KAMU-SEN to the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (KTEZO) and the Freedom and Reform Party (ORP), Ozkardas noted that in case a "law" passes regarding the "amnesty" to illegal workers and the issue of the "citizenship", the identity, existence and political will of the Turkish Cypriot "people" will be endangered. He argued that they all together, regardless of parties, should oppose to the "foreigners migration law" and the "amnesty" to the illegal workers, which he described as "the last blow against the country".

Ozkardas reiterated the Turkish allegation that the so-called isolations of the Turkish Cypriots continue and that the trust of the Turkish Cypriots towards the UN and the EU is reduced because the latter have not kept the promises it gave to the Turkish Cypriot community during the Annan Plan process. He said that in parallel to this "isolation", Turkey also implements a "secret isolation" on the Turkish Cypriots. He noted that the Turkish Cypriots are regarded as "lazy people" and "civil servants", but Turkey closed the Mersin port gate for them and does not allow them to produce.

Moreover, Hurrem Tulga, KTEZO's chairman, said that with the "law" which the regime considers to pass, the illegal workers will be "legalized" and this will not include only those who live in the occupied area of Cyprus, but also those who left for their countries because they had been illegal. This means that these people are tens of thousands, he noted.

Furthermore, Turgay Avci, ORP's chairman, said that his party is against granting the "citizenship" to everybody, but sees no problem in registering people who live for 20-30 years in a country and are not involved in any crime.

(I/Ts.)

[05] Strong reaction by Serdar Denktas to a statement for the occupation regime to become the 82nd province of Turkey

According to information acquired by DP, Denktas made the above statement yesterday while receiving a delegation of the Academic Staff Trade Union of the illegal DAU.

Denktas in his statements said: "The TRNC has not been established for fun. This state neither would become a province nor will it be patched". He went on expressing the belief that a conscious "government" will confront with the problems that appear in the "country".

Referring to the issue of the privatization of the illegal DAU, Denktas asked for the support of the "trade union officials" and said that his party is not possible to remain unresponsive towards this issue. He then called on the "government" to be very careful and added that their reaction will be stronger this time and that they will not wait for this issue to end like the way of the "Turkish Cypriot Airlines".

(AK)

[06] Talat on the June 12 general elections in Turkey

Responding to a question whether he was granted Turkish citizenship or not, Talat said: "No, I am only a TRNC citizen. I do not even have the passport of the 'Republic of Cyprus'." Upon a question on what he would have voted in the upcoming general elections in Turkey if he was a Turkish citizen, Talat said: "When I think of the Cyprus problem, I have to make a very good evaluation. Actually, the performance that the AKP government had shown and the policy that it had followed until today to the Cyprus problem were a good policy. I suppose that it will be like this afterwards."

[07] Turkey to grant eight million TL for breakaway regime's industry and agriculture

Atun said that this project will be independent from the "Investment Development Agency" (YAGA) and was prepared taking into consideration the needs of the breakaway regime and the development needs of its real sector. He said the model that will be implemented in the occupied part of Cyprus will not be exactly the same to the one implemented in Turkey.

Within the framework of the project, three million TL will be granted to the industry sector and five million TL to agriculture.

Meanwhile, according to Ankara Anatolia news agency (06.06.11), Turkey's "development agency model" will soon be implemented in the occupied area of Cyprus. Ankara Anatolia reports that regional development agencies are established under the coordination of the Turkish State Planning Organization (DPT) and have a great role in activating Turkey's economic potential.

In an interview with Ankara Anatolia news agency on Monday, Cukurova Development Agency's General Secretary Veysel Parlak said that development agencies currently operate in 10 different regions in Turkey, adding that studies were underway to open agencies in 16 more regions.

Parlak noted that the DPT had recently assigned his agency to initiate studies to help the breakaway regime benefit from Turkey's experience on the model. He said that the Cukurova Development Agency has completed its preliminary research in the occupied part of Cyprus and detected that "institutions operating in industrial and agricultural sectors would be the primary focus in the country".

Pointing to the 8 million TL fund allocated to boost the Turkish Cypriot economy, Parlak noted that financial assistance would be given to small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular and that their grant programs will be diversified in the upcoming years.

Parlak said: "We aim at increasing the private sector's production and modernizing their equipment. We will also develop new policies in an effort to assist SMEs and the manufacturing sector".

(I/Ts.)

[08] Illegal DAU's pre-university education institutions are given away to Fethullah Gulen's Doga College

Meanwhile, DAU-SEN, trade union of the employees in "DAU", reacted against the sale of the above-mentioned institutions and called on the entire community to resist against "giving away these institutions to the green capital".

Afrika writes that Doga College belongs to Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish businessman whom it describes as "mentor" of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in Turkey. According to the paper, Gulen "wraps the northern part of Cyprus like an octopus".

Moreover, other Turkish Cypriot newspapers refer to the issue on their front page. Under the title "From DAU to Doga", daily Haberdar (07.06.11) reports that the agreement between "DAU" and Doga College includes "DAU's" college, primary school and kindergarten.

Yeni Duzen (07.06.11) refers to the issue under the banner front page title: "It has been sold!" The paper writes that the button has been pushed for privatizing the Turkish Cypriot institutions one by one. The paper writes that Irsen Kucuk, self-styled prime minister, stated that the issue is left to the discretion of "DAU's" administration to decide, because "DAU" is an independent organization. He said that if the issue depended on him, he would close down the above-mentioned primary school and college.

(I/Ts.)

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[09] Gul visits Poland, asks for support for EU bid

Speaking at a joint press conference with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski after a private meeting and a meeting between the delegations of the two countries in Warsaw, President Gul said that the friendship between Turkey and Poland dates back for centuries.

"In 2014, we will celebrate the 600th anniversary of the foundation of relations between our two countries. Friendly historic relations continue to this day," Gul said.

"Turkey and Poland are two allies and strategic partners. We are determined to boost relations in all fields. Political relations between our two countries are excellent. We have carried our relations in the defence sector to higher levels. We have displayed a will to further promote economic relations between our two countries," Gul said.

"Poland will assume the rotating presidency of the EU on July 1. Poland is among the countries that have not lost strategic vision in EU matters and think about the future of Europe. Within this frame, I have thanked them for their support extended to Turkey's entry negotiations. Around 80% of the Polish people support Turkey's EU membership," Gul stressed.

On the same issue, Turkish daily Today's Zaman (online, 06.06.11) reports that when asked about Ankara's anticipation of the upcoming Polish term in the presidency, President Gul also said in the joint press conference: "Our expectation is for the making of decisions for an acceleration and strengthening of this process and the opening of chapters". He added that Turkey also expects that irrelevant issues won't be included in the technical process regarding the opening of new chapters.

[10] Erdogan labels OSCE Minsk Group 'useless'

To date the OSCE Minsk Group (MG) has failed to find a solution to the territorial conflict between neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted on Monday as saying in an interview with Azerbaijan's ANS TV. The MG, the three co-chairs of which are from France, Russia and the US, has striven to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for almost two decades.

The dispute may be solved, if Armenia and Azerbaijan make moves in a positive direction, Erdogan said, adding: "Otherwise, I do not see any solution to this issue. Though the MG has been operating for about 20 years, it has failed to achieve any results. I wonder what the MG can do today, if it has failed during the past 20 years. Unless Azerbaijan and Armenia find a solution to the Karabakh problem, relations between Ankara and Yerevan will not be normalized."

In a related development, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu expressed hope for an upcoming trilateral meeting of the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia that will be hosted in the Russian city of Kazan in late June. Turkey hopes a breakthrough in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and a resolution will be achieved during the meeting between the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents in Kazan, Davutoglu stated in an interview with ANS TV.

[11] Turkey and Poland signed science and technology agreement

Meanwhile, Turkish President Abdullah Gul addressed university students in a conference on Turkey's European Union prospects at the European College in Natolin, Poland, as part of his trip to the country.

Gul claimed that Turkey's accession with the EU was a must for the Union in order to achieve the European integration as well as to assume the role it deserves in the new global order, adding: "With Turkey's membership and its contributions, Europe will no longer be an inward looking entity and its influence will penetrate beyond its physical borders. Leaving Turkey out will result to a lesser Europe that fails to achieve its true potential."

Gul also said that Turkey's membership would help the Union's to expand its influence in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans, Caucasus, the Middle East and Central Asia.

Responding to a question over the freedom of press in Turkey, Gul alleged that his country had introduced far-reaching political reforms to comply with the EU's Copenhagen criteria, which he said included expanding freedom of press. "It is unacceptable to place Turkey, which has been taking political steps to comply with the Copenhagen criteria, among countries that put limitations on the freedom of press. A mistake is being made and it is done in a deliberate campaign," Gul claimed.

Gul said that laws in Turkey guarantee that no one could be put behind bars just because one's opinions.

[12] Turkey's AKP raises the election stakes

In an interview late Sunday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out a potential constitutional referendum if his party wins at least 367 seats in the June 12 election.

"The first step we will take [after the elections] is on the new constitution. But this issue is related with the parliamentary arithmetic. In case the parliamentary arithmetic does not allow so, we would work with the new [parliamentary] composition," Erdogan told Kanal D.

The Prime Minister earlier said he would not push for a referendum if the new charter were to be approved by more than 367 deputies, a stance that differs from his party fellows.

Deputy Prime Ministers Bulent Ar1
nc and Cemil Cicek have both said they would seek popular support for a new constitution even if a two-thirds majority in the Parliament approves the new text.

Speaking to TGRT late Saturday, Erdogan said the new constitution would only be taken to a referendum if his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, does not receive 367 seats in Parliament. "If we do, it would be unnecessary to hold a referendum, since we would have been brought to that position by the people, and a referendum would mean that we don't trust ourselves," the Prime Minister said.

Erdogan subsequently issued assurances that the new charter would be made with the inclusion of all political parties as well as nongovernmental organizations.

A constitutional amendment requires at least 367 votes. If the number of supporting deputies is between 330 and 367, the amendment is automatically taken to a referendum. In an interview a month ago, Erdogan said he was expecting to receive between 315 and 335 seats in Parliament, which would mean that the AKP would need the backing of other parties to even take constitutional amendments to a referendum.

Erdogan's comments in the final week before the elections are being seen by many as a way to attract more voters with his main project of renewing the charter. Even though it is unlikely any party will get a two-thirds majority in Parliament, observers said, both Erdogan and the opposition parties will continue pushing toward this goal.

[13] Gen. Evren testifies from his home to a prosecutor over the 1980 coup

Ankara Specially Authorized Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huseyin Gorusen left the Ankara Courthouse early in the day and went to Evren's house in the Merkez Orduevi (military lodging complex) to hear his testimony. Evren's lawyer also attended the testimony.

The questioning lasted four hours and lawyer ?mer Nihat ?zg?n spoke to reporters after the prosecutor left Evren's house. ?zg?n said the prosecutor asked Evren 12 questions which were related to the military's seizure of the control of the country. He said that Evren said he based his actions on Article 35 of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) Internal Service Code. Evren reportedly said the intervention ended years of political violence in which some 5.000 people were killed.

The article, which stipulates that the duty of the TSK is to protect the Turkish motherland and the Constitution, effectively paves the way for the military to intervene in domestic affairs under certain circumstances and carry out coups.

The lawyer said the investigation has "ended on Evren's part" as that he will not testify again.

The investigation into the bloody coup was launched after a constitutional amendment package was adopted in a referendum on Sept. 12, 2010 -- which is coincidentally the anniversary of the coup. The package introduced many changes to the Constitution, including the removal of a temporary article that had been inserted by the generals after the coup, providing immunity from prosecution on coup-related charges to the involved generals. Turkey's current Constitution was drafted in the aftermath of the coup and was adopted in a referendum in 1982 with 92% voter support.

The council of generals that staged the 1980 coup d'?tat comprised by Evren, Land Forces Commander Nurettin Ersin, Gen. Nejat Tumer, who was head of the Naval Forces, Tahsin Sahinkaya, who was the commander of the Air Force at the time, and Sedat Celasun, the commander of the Gendarmerie Force. Celasun died in 1998 and Ersin died in 2005. Tumer would also have testified in the investigation but died in a military hospital last week the day after he was subpoenaed by the prosecutor and shortly before the prosecutor could give him the papers summoning him to testify.

Sahinkaya, who was hospitalized at the Gulhane Military Academy of Medicine (GATA) only one day after he was summoned to testify, is expected to testify to prosecutor G?r?
en on Wednesday at his hospital room in GATA.

Evren and the other surviving suspects are being accused of staging a coup d'?tat and changing the constitutional order by force. There are many other suspects in the investigation, but the prosecution is conducting a separate investigation regarding the accusations they face.

While killings between political activists from left- and right-wing factions stopped after the army takeover, Turks have bitter memories of the repression that followed. About 50 people were executed, hundreds of thousands were arrested, many were tortured, hundreds died in custody and many disappeared following the military takeover.

[06] Energy Minister announces date to shutdown nuclear plants

"We will shutdown the nuclear power plants to be built in Akkuyu, Mersin and Sinop in 2071, the 1,000th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert," Energy Minister Taner Y1
ld1
z told Radikal in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri, where he tops the parliamentary candidates list for the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.

Y1
ld1
z said all security precautions have been considered for the nuclear power plants and no one should wrongly interpret Germany's decision to shut down its nuclear plants in 2022.

"If the nuclear plants are so dangerous, why don't they shut them down immediately instead of waiting till 2022?" said Y1
ld1
z. "The plants to be closed are 30-40 years old and will have completed their economic life. There are 26 nuclear power plants around the world, which I believe all should be shutdown on that date."

The Government is also holding talks on the planned Sinop plant. Before the Japanese earthquake, Japanese companies seemed to be ahead on a possible decision. Turkey and Japan signed a memorandum on civil nuclear cooperation last December, but the plans have been put on hold since the Fukusihima disaster.

Y1
ld1
z believes that the ruling AKP, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), agree on the country's nuclear policies, which are opposed by environmentalists. All three parties defend nuclear power plants in their election manifestos, Y1
ld1
z said.

[07] Izmir to be transformed into NATO's land base

"The final shape of the planning is that Izmir will be the Land Force Command of NATO," Gonul was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency in Antalya.

Izmir was hosting NATO's air base and was one of the two headquarters, along with the one in Larissa, Greece, that NATO was considering shutting down last year as part of plans to tighten its command structure.

"We insisted on a restructuring, which will display Izmir's international identity. Some work has been done, and we struggled. Now NATO's land force command is moving to Izmir. Thus, instead of the air force, the land force will be in Izmir," said Gonul. He said the number of personnel at the base would not change very much.

"It has not yet been submitted to decision-making mechanisms," said Gonul. "But according to the plans, NATO's Air Force will be based in Izmir." The new plan will be discussed at the NATO's meeting of Defence Ministers on June 8-9.

Izmir is also playing a critical role in the undertaking of NATO's mission in Libya, acting as the centre for operations monitoring the no-fly zone in the crisis-stricken North African country. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

EG/

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