Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 12-01-26

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

[01] Statements by Eroglu after the Greentree summit: "We are closer to the multilateral conference than yesterday"

[02] Statements by UBP, CTP and Talat on the Greentree summit

[03] How the Turkish Cypriot press covers the results of the Greentree summit

[04] Bagis: "We don't sit at the negotiation table with a half-state"

[05] Akca argues that the "governments" in occupied Cyprus are not strong in solving problems

[06] Durust held contacts in Ankara

[07] "Court to decide the Julio Iglesias case"

[08] Turkey and Russia issued a joint declaration; Cyprus problem was in the agenda

[09] The Turkish parliament speaker received the "parliament speaker of Gagauz region"

[10] "Towards a more cautious Turkish foreign policy"

[11] Turkish President approved the new election law TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS The developments in the Greentree summit, statements made by the UN Secretary-General, the Turkish Cypriot leader and President Christofias after the Greentree summit, comments on the summit by UBP, CTP and former Turkish Cypriot leader Talat, new provocative statements by Egemen Bagis who said that Turkey will not sit at the same table with a "half-state" during the EU term presidency of the Republic of Cyprus, and other internal issues are the main topics covered by the Turkish Cypriot press today. The papers refer also to statements by the Turkish so-called ambassador in the occupied part of Lefkosia who argued that the agreement achieved between the self-styled government of the regime and the trade union of the employees in the "electricity authority" (KIB-TEK) for making KIB-TEK autonomous will not solve the problem that exists in the field. The campaign of collecting 60 Senators' signature to take the French bill, which criminalizes the denial of Armenian genocide in 1915 to the Constitution Council, the construction of the 3rd bridge in Bosporus, the investigation of the judge and the prosecutor in the recently concluded Hrant Dink murder case after they publicly clashed over the verdict, Foreign Minister Davutoglu's contacts in Moscow and other domestic issues are covered today in the Turkish press. Hurriyet daily refers to the Greentree summit under the title: "A last chance for one month for Cyprus from UN".

[01] Statements by Eroglu after the Greentree summit: "We are closer to the multilateral conference than yesterday"

Eroglu alleged that President Christofias showed that he did not want a result at Greentree by saying, right after sitting at the negotiating table, that "we have taken these numbers, we have to evaluate them, we will evaluate them in Cyprus".

Eroglu claimed that the side which showed flexibility and submitted "constructive proposals" at Greentree was the Turkish Cypriot side. "The Greek Cypriot side has only rejected every proposal we submitted", he alleged.

Arguing that in spite of the "lack of will of the Greek Cypriot side", a more concrete timetable came out at the Greentree meeting as regards the final stage [of the talks], Eroglu added: "An important matter for us is the timetable in the statement (made by the UN Secretary-General) as regards the multilateral conference. I could say that today we are closer to a multilateral conference than yesterday?"

Eroglu said that according to the letter which the Secretary-General sent to the leaders earlier, they should have discussed and take decisions on the issues of property, the election of the executive and the citizenship. "These matters mentioned in the statement of the Secretary-General are in harmony with the demands and the expectations of the Turkish Cypriot side and a result of the intensive diplomacy carried out by the Turkish Cypriot side", he argued.

Responding to a question, Eroglu said that more progress could have been achieved at the Greentree summit, but alleged that this was not possible because of the lack of will on the Greek Cypriot side.

Eroglu alleged that President Christofias exhibited a "hard and intransigent stance" as regards the text of the statement which the UN Secretary-General would make and indirectly showed that he did not trust the Secretary-General.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Statements by UBP, CTP and Talat on the Greentree summit

Speaking at his party's headquarters in the occupied part of Lefkosia, Kucuk alleged that the process did not end in the desirable manner, in spite of the "steps taken by the Turkish side", because the Greek Cypriot side did not give the expected response to these steps.

Noting that they will continue to support every initiative taken by the Turkish Cypriot leader, Kucuk said: "Our wish is the end of the existing uncertainty by reaching a comprehensive solution on the island with a multilateral international conference before 1 July".

Meanwhile, Kibris (26.01.12) reports also that Asim Akansoy, general secretary of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), has said that the picture that came out after the Greentree summit is not very encouraging. In statements during a television program, Akansoy evaluated the Greentree summit where the UN Secretary-General, President Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu met for the fifth time. Akansoy alleged that the Turkish Cypriots are the side which is harmed the most by the existing uncertainty and argued that saying that "we are a sovereign state and life will continue even without a solution" is tantamount to ignoring the Turkish Cypriot "people".

Akansoy said that there are things to be done before going to an international conference and added: "The UN Secretary-General is putting this forward and says that 'we want convergences on the internal matters'. Everyone knows that if this does not happen, it will not be possible to go to an international conference. Therefore both leaders should show a flexible stance and secure going to an international conference".

Akansoy noted that deadlock exist on two issues and that one of these concerns the cross voting under the chapter of Governance and Power Sharing. Recalling that one Turkish Cypriot vote will be equal to four Greek Cypriot votes, Akansoy pointed out that actually the cross voting is in favour of the Turkish Cypriots.

Moreover, the same paper publishes statements by former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, who said that he did not expect a multilateral conference without convergences to be achieved in the Cyprus negotiations. Speaking yesterday on a television program, Talat argued that the Turkish Cypriots have the leading role in the solution of the Cyprus problem and added that the Turkish Cypriots, who are oppressed, should defend more the solution. Talat claimed that the Turkish Cypriot leader who carries out the Cyprus talks could influence Turkey.

Referring to the benefits of the cross voting, Talat said that it would be difficult for politicians with fanatic and chauvinistic views to be elected with this system. He described as "totally wrong" the view that this system will benefit only AKEL and the CTP.

Responding to a question, Talat said that the Greentree summit will not be the last one and added that it should not be forgotten that both Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu and President Christofias had worked for the rejection [of the Annan Plan].

(I/Ts.)

[03] How the Turkish Cypriot press covers the results of the Greentree summit

Kibris: "No result came out of the summit again; the negotiations were out of their element"

Haberdar: "Either [international conference] or parting of the ways". In its subtitle the paper writes that the summit ended with the result that there will be no other tripartite summit, that the leaders were given a deadline, that the decision as to whether an international conference to be held will be taken according to a report to be prepared by Alexander Downer in March and that a clear timetable came out.

Havadis: "End game in March"

Gunes: "March is very critical"

Star Kibris: "The hopes for spring"

Vatan: "One more month negotiations for the citizenship, property and the governance!"

Volkan: "The Greek Cypriots do not want an agreement"

Halkin Sesi: "The summit was also of no use"

Yeni Duzen: "Last chance for Eroglu-Christofias". The paper publishes the full text of Ban Ki-moon's statement in the Turkish language.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Bagis: "We don't sit at the negotiation table with a half-state"

Bagis argued that if there is a Cyprus settlement until 1 July, then they will get together with pleasure with the United Republic of Cyprus and they will open chapters for negotiations.

Bagis said that "they will continue to have relations with the European Commission, however, they will not take seriously the allegation that a half state represents 500 million Europeans". He added that when Cyprus takes over the EU rotating presidency, they will consider it like when the children take the seats of the adults in 23 April (Children's Day in Turkey).

[05] Akca argues that the "governments" in occupied Cyprus are not strong in solving problems

In statements made yesterday replying to a question during a visit to Gonyeli "municipality", Akca expressed the view that the agreement achieved in the sector of electricity [Tr. Note: The agreement achieved between the "government" and El-Sen, trade union of the employees in the so-called electricity authority (KIB-TEK) and provides for KIB-TEK to become "autonomous"] will not solve the existing problem.

Akca said that privatizations are on the agenda in all parts of the world and added that there is a need for a "law" in the occupied area of Cyprus in order for the rights of the employees to be protected and the privatization process to be transparent. Referring to the view that this [privatization] is imposed by Turkey, Akca noted that Turkey "makes suggestions" for the "TRNC's" further development, but it is the "governments" [of the regime] that are responsible to determine the shaping and the timing of these [actions].

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (26.01.12) refers to Akca's statements under the banner front-page title: "Who administrates?". The paper notes that the trade unions which are members of the Communal Existence Movement commented on the above statements and said Akca was "like a governor of a colony".

Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika (26.01.12) covers the developments under the title: "Like a governor".

(I/Ts.)

[06] Durust held contacts in Ankara

Durust is holding various contacts while on his visit to Ankara today. He embarked on his contacts with a meeting with the TURKSOY General Secretary Dusen Kaseyinov.

[07] "Court to decide the Julio Iglesias case"

"Iglesias' management company, which has a Turkish partner, demanded $10 million in damages, saying they had been 'deceived' and that they did not know about the Turkish Cyprus' [editor's note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus] ill-defined diplomatic situation or that the territory's structure lacked 'governmental characteristics'.

The U.S. based management company, Creative Talent Agency (ICTA) and the Voyager Cyprus Company's hotel, Merit Crystal, signed an agreement in October 2010 for an Iglesias concert. However, after pressure by Greek Cyprus [editor's note: Republic of Cyprus], the concert was cancelled, while the retainer fee taken was not returned to Voyager.

Voyager sued ICTA in Florida, requesting the money back, but was unsuccessful. On Aug. 12, 2011, ICTA sued Voyager in Washington and also sued Turkish Cyprus. According to a written statement in the case, ICTA said Turkish Cyprus was an illegal organization.

Athan T. Tsimpedes, an attorney who has taken part in many Greek cases, took over the case and said the areas under Turkish Cyprus' control belonged to Greek Cyprus and that Turkish Cyprus was an illegal organization in the international arena.

The court will decide on the case in the coming weeks. It is expected that the case will be evaluated as a financial case rather than a political one."

[08] Turkey and Russia issued a joint declaration; Cyprus problem was in the agenda

In a joint declaration after a meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Group in Moscow co-chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the two countries underlined the importance on cooperation in nuclear energy as well as in oil and natural gas pipeline projects.

The two countries also reiterated their commitment in strengthening the principle of preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, expressing support for the NPT RevCon.

The joint declaration also pledged cooperation to fight against terrorism, underlining a need to speed up efforts to sign a memorandum of understanding between the two countries.

Meawhile, Turkish daily Milliyet (25.01.12) published an interview with Turkey's Foreign Minister Davutoglu by Fikret Bila. It is also reported that Davutoglu's top of the agenda in Moscow was Syria. In addition, Iran and Cyprus held also important places during Davutoglu's trip to Moscow, the paper wrote.

[09] The Turkish Parliament Speaker received the "parliament speaker of Gagauz region"

Cicek said that there were close and sound relations between Turkey and the Gagauz region, stating that relations between parliaments should be boosted.

Cicek said that there were some projects that Turkey wanted to implement in the Gagauz region, but peace, tranquillity and stability must be secured in the region first as as to attract investments.

Harlamenko said that they were eager to boost their cooperation and relations with Turkey.

[10] "Towards a more cautious Turkish foreign policy"

"The tension with France over the Armenian issue has been a stress test for Turkish foreign policy. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan managed to tone down his reaction against the French Senate approval of criminalizing speech that claims the killings of Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman Empire was not genocide. The expectations were much higher than strong condemnation of France; Turkish politicians and the majority of media were in favour of imposing 'sanctions' against France in order to deter French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the French system as a whole.

Erdogan was right to say the Sarkozy move was a violation of freedom of expression. There were French Senators, even those who claim that the 1915 massacres were the result of a genocide campaign, who said that to vote for it would not only be a violation of the French Constitution, but freedom of expression as well. Yesterday, Amnesty International took a similar position.

But trying to use the trade links as leverage in politics could perhaps bring additional points in domestic politics, but could harm both sides' interests. After all, the Turkish share in French foreign trade was nearly 1.4% and the French share in Turkish foreign trade nearly 4.7% in 2010. Plus, there are thousands of Turkish workers employed in French investment projects in Turkey.

Yet, there were cautious voices. For example, Umit Boyner of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD), Rifat Hisarciklioglu of the Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce (TOBB) and Yilmaz Arguden of the Turkish-French Business Council were saying that to boycott French goods and threaten exclusion of French companies from public procurement projects and tenders in Turkey, would not serve the purpose; on the contrary those moves might be counterproductive.

It appears that Erdogan decided to listen to their advice, solve the problems in a less aggressive manner and took the opportunity of the legal procedure to annul the Senate vote in the Constitutional Court.

Volkan Bozkir, a former diplomat specialized in European politics and now the head of the Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, said yesterday that in the current political climate it could be hard to find at least 60 French legislators to sign up for such an application, but the time in between would help the crisis to cool down.

But it seems that the French stress test could be a fine tuning opportunity for Turkish foreign policy for 2012 and the near future. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow yesterday that both countries' policies regarding Syria, Iran and Iraq have similarities, which is a move towards balanced politics.

This fine tuning may have links with the European economic crisis which impacts the Turkish economy. The Central Bank and the Treasury are trying to cool down the Turkish economy and make an effort to maintain a lesser and more controlled growth rate; which means less Turkish exports would be under pressure for new markets.

One might observe the reflections of this line in the near future."

[11] Turkish President approved the new election law

Gul was elected President, a largely ceremonial role, with the support of the ruling AK Party in 2007 but it has been unclear whether his term would last five or seven years.

The change could be significant for the ambitions of Prime Minister Erdogan, the most powerful politician in Turkey.

Erdogan plans to draft a new Constitution to replace one framed after a military coup three decades ago, with reports suggesting that he favours creating a more presidential style of government.

There has been speculation in Turkey that Erdogan wants to become president before his third, and final, term as Prime Minister ends in 2015.

Under the new law, the seven-year term applies only to the current presidency. All subsequent terms would be five years. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EG

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