Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 13-05-02

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Merkel called on Turkey to fulfil the requirements of the Customs Union deal

[02] Eroglu and President Anastasiades to meet on 29 May; Eroglu says they will discuss the issue of when the Cyprus talks will begin

[03] Eroglu met with Israeli Ambassador to Cyprus

[04] Kilicdaroglu carries out contacts in the occupied area of Cyprus

[05] Turkey pushes Turkish Cypriots for urgent reform drive

[06] Turkish Deputy Prime Minister's announcing the regime's "public administration report" is described as "insult" for the Turkish Cypriots

[07] Cyprus rising on Turkey's agenda

[08] Investors from Middle East are reportedly interested in purchasing immovable property in occupied Cyprus

[09] They reportedly want to create a community "that goes to mosques, reads the Koran and fasts" in the occupied are of Cyprus

[10] One fifth of the employees in occupied Cyprus are illegal

[11] Suleyman Erguclu is the new director of KIBRIS Media Group

[12] BDP co-chair invites main opposition to act together

[13] Police stage crackdown on May Day protesters in Istanbul

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Merkel called on Turkey to fulfil the requirements of the Customs Union deal

When asked how long Turkey will have to wait to join the EU, while Turkey signed the EU Partnership Agreement 50 years ago, Merkel, inter alia, said: "Negotiations with Turkey have being continuing since 2005. They are open ended. One of the conditions for EU membership is that the candidate country abides by the EU's common law and value system fully. This applies to Turkey too. Turkey should carry out a new reform process. When Turkey's accession negotiations started, Turkey promised to fulfil all the requirements regarding the implementation of the Customs Union agreement with all EU member countries including Cyprus. If this condition applies, then it would have a positive impact on the membership process."

[02] Eroglu and President Anastasiades to meet on 29 May; Eroglu says they will discuss the issue of when the Cyprus talks will begin

Eroglu said that at the dinner of 29 May they will discuss the issue of when the negotiations will commence. He added that during the dinner, he will express his views as regards the need for a time limit to the negotiations and they will try to agree on that. He said that he will put on the table the issue of determining a road map and try to take the views of the other side on this issue.

Eroglu alleged that having a result at the negotiations is their priority, but if there is no result and if the Greek Cypriot side has allegedly no intention of showing good will for an agreement, "there are other alternatives" and "these alternatives will come onto the agenda".

Alleging that the popularity of President Anastasiades decreased because of the economic crisis in the government-controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus, Eroglu wished for President Anastasiades to regain his popularity and carry out the Cyprus talks "in a more relaxed and confident manner".

Referring to statements made by the Foreign Minister, Ioannis Kasoulides, Eroglu alleged that the Foreign Minister "goes round and talks too much". He claimed that it is as if he tries to sabotage the negotiations before they begin and added that the statement that the negotiations could not start and would not start now "cause discomfort" to them. He said that he will discuss these issues on 29 May with President Anastasiades and added that he might convey his views on this issue to the President by phone before the meeting.

Asked to comment on the fact that the Turkish Foreign Minister has recently started referring too often to a two-state solution and to say whether he might have more intensive meetings with Turkey before the negotiating process begins, Eroglu said that they are continuously consulting with the Turkish Foreign Ministry and that he even sends regularly his special advisor, Osman Ertug to Ankara for meetings with the Cyprus Department of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He argued that Davutoglu's statements as regards the possibility of a two-state solution are correct, and they were said at the right time and at the right place.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Eroglu met with the Israeli Ambassador to Cyprus

According to "BRT", the meeting was perceived as an important development, as there are reports that Israel is preparing to burn its bridges with the Republic of Cyprus regarding the exploration activities off the coast of Cyprus for oil and natural gas.

No statement was issued before or after the meeting where Eroglu's undersecretary Hasan Gungor and Eroglu's special representative and spokesman Osman Ertug were also present.

[04] Kilicdaroglu carries out contacts in the occupied area of Cyprus

Deputy Chairman of the CHP Faruk Logoglu told Today's Zaman that Kilicdaroglu will have separate talks with "TRNC officials", including Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, so-called prime minister Irsen Kucuk and so-called parliament speaker Hasan Bozer.

Logoglu added that the main agenda of the talks would be a solution to the Cyprus problem and that the leaders will exchange their views on the issue.

"The CHP seeks a solution that preserves the political rights of the Turkish Cypriots [in a unified Cyprus]. In this regard, we call on the guarantor states on the Cyprus issue, the United Nations and the European Union to play a constructive role as regards the issue and to contribute to the process. More importantly, we want Turkey to show concern for the Cyprus issue, a national issue for the Turks," said Logoglu.

Kilicdaroglu is also scheduled to appear as a guest on Kanal D's TV program "Genc Bakis" (Young Perspective).

[05] Turkey pushes Turkish Cypriots to an urgent reform drive

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay met with so-called prime minister Irsen Kucuk on April 29 and presented a comprehensive study conducted by the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) which reflects the growing displeasure of the public over the status of the "country".

Kucuk was reportedly annoyed after the representation. Atalay urged the Turkish Cypriot officials to take the report seriously, according to official sources. "We also use surveys to decide our moves in Turkey, there is a problem here that should be addressed," Atalay reportedly said.

The report said a majority of the Turkish Cypriots is pessimistic about the future due to various reasons. During his visit, Atalay said Ankara was ready to extend every manner of support to develop the "country's" economy. "Our priority is a strong and a sustainable economy for 'Turkish Cyprus'," Atalay said.

The report, titled "Economic and Administrative Priorities of Reform in 'Turkish Cyprus'," said political uncertainty was contributing to the public's negative perception of the country's status and future. 62% of Turkish Cypriots are not happy with the socioeconomic status of the country, while only 14% said they were content. 49% of them said the future would be worse than present, versus just 17% who said it would be better.

The report, which is based on recent studies of the foundation, aims to restructure "Turkish Cyprus" so that it will have its own policy-making mechanism and foster management skills. It said the Turkish Cypriots have a strong perception that they will not be able to sustain their current lifestyle as they have until now, making it difficult to plan for the future. Due to a lack of a "future vision," public administration reform cannot be made, the report said, adding that this should emerge from social negotiation and that the reform process should be designated as a process that builds upon itself.

Nearly 30% of the public, however, said any possible reforms would have no chance of success, while 77% said public support would be necessary to ensure the reform program's success. Some 70% of respondents also said the program should be embraced by the "Turkish Cypriot government", while 36% said Turkey needed to extend support in making the new program.

The report also revealed that the majority of the Turkish Cypriots, some 70%, demand partial or comprehensive reform. 42% of the public, meanwhile, said the mechanism of the state should be totally reformed, while 26% said there should comprehensive reforms.

The push from Ankara came as diplomacy over reunification intensified as both Turkey and breakaway regime are urging the United Nations to resume talks. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with U.N. envoy Alexander Downer on the same day Atalay met with Kucuk and repeated the Turkish side's demand for the U.N. to launch reunification talks on the island "as soon as possible."

The report also lists the priorities of the reform process, namely, strengthening the "centre" of the state, which includes political coordination and financial management, improving public services and launching a structural transformation of the economy.

[06] Turkish Deputy Prime Minister's announcing the regime's "public administration report" is described as "insult" for the Turkish Cypriots

In a written statement issued yesterday, Sonya argued that the self-styled prime minister Irsen Kucuk, who was sitting and listening and accepted this report, must resign, "if he values the honour of the TRNC people".

Noting that Kucuk turned his own "government" into "zero", Sonya pointed out that this report said that the most fundamental deficiency of the breakaway regime is the lack of the capacity of the "state" to establish a policy, determine its priorities and coordinate, follow and supervise the implementation of this policy.

He argued that this report is both an "insult" to the "citizens" of the regime and a contradiction to former statements made by Atalay. He said that the report is also a clear statement showing how "incompetent" Kucuk and his self-styled government are.

(I/Ts.)

[07] Cyprus rising on Turkey's agenda

"On April 29, the same day that Alexander Downer, the special Cyprus envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General, was in Ankara to talk to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay was in the Turkish half of Nicosia [Trans. Note: the occupied part of Lefkosia] to have talks with Irsen Kucuk, the 'prime minister of the Turkish Cypriot government' of the divided island.

Almost at the same time that Davutoglu was telling Downer that there were suitable conditions to restart talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, with the assistance of Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom as the guarantors of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960, Atalay was telling Kucuk that the status quo in the 'Turkish Cypriot Republic' [Trans. Note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus] was no longer sustainable and that urgent reforms were needed.

Atalay based his remarks on a survey carried out by the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), an Ankara-based think tank, which showed that only a fifth of the population on the island are happy with the way that they are governed and that the trust in the system (symbolized in the trust in the courts) is also at the same level, according to official sources replying to Hurriyet Daily News questions. Atalay did not go as far as using a sentence which begins with the word 'otherwise', but considering the situation that Turkey is the unique supporter of the Turkish Cypriots, despite being blocked from entering the European Union because of that, Kucuk probably took a message out of those remarks. Cemil Cicek, the Turkish parliamentary speaker, recently said that if Turkey had to make a choice between the EU and the Turkish Cypriots' rights, it would go for the Turkish Cypriots without any hesitation. Yet, it seems Ankara does not want to be played by the Turkish Cypriots either, while making plans to take new steps on the issue.

It is no coincidence that Atalay is also in charge of coordinating the Tayyip Erdogan government's efforts to reach a political settlement on Turkey's Kurdish issue. Like the Kurdish issue (having links with the human rights situation in Turkey) Cyprus is one of the top obstacles blocking Turkey's integration with Europe ? at least as it is presented by the commission and some of its key members.

The issue has not been on Ankara's priority list for some time, but when the eurozone economic crisis hit the economy of the Greek Cypriot government in the southern two-thirds of the island concurrently with the discovery of rich natural gas fields around the Mediterranean island, the whole situation changed. Davutoglu recently told HDN that Cyprus was back on agenda along with Syria, Israel/Palestine and Iraq. Erdogan asked his Greek counterpart, Andonis Samaras, during a meeting in Istanbul last March to work together. Davutoglu sent letters to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and leading members of the U.N. Security Council, helping Downer start his tour; he had been talking to both sides on the island and Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos in Athens before flying to Ankara for Davutoglu. He is expected to carry on more talks with both Cypriot parties this week.

Will the crisis in southern Cyprus bring a new opportunity for talks on reunification of the two people separated since the Greek coup and Turkish military intervention in 1974 [Editor's note: the Turkish invasion to Cyprus] or will it help them reach a peaceful divorce after having slept in separate beds since that year? No one has an answer to that question yet."

Furthermore, on the same issue, columnist Yusuf Kanli, under the title "When will the Cyprus talks' plane take off?" in HDN (01.05.13), wrote that the Turkish government's shifting Cyprus approach might be best summarized with the naive phrase of "committed to settlement." If Cyprus is a problem between the two peoples of the eastern Mediterranean island and, if together with Greece and Britain, Turkey is a "fiddler on the side-line" or a guarantor of fair play, what does it mean for Ankara to be committed to a Cyprus settlement?

Kanli also argued that Turkey and Turkish Cypriots are not just paying lip service to their "committed to a settlement" declaration but have been pressing hard for the resumption of talks and even the convening of an international conference to finish off the Cyprus problem with a big-bang agreement.

[08] Investors from the Middle East are reportedly interested in purchasing immovable property in the occupied area of Cyprus

(I/Ts.)

[09] They reportedly want to create a community "that goes to mosques, reads the Koran and fasts" in the occupied area of Cyprus

According to the paper, Tacoy told Akit, inter alia, the following "striking" words: "The number of those in the TRNC assembly who fast does not exceed 3-4. The children know nothing about the religion, the faith. Turkey let Cyprus off too much. It has given money. It has spoiled the TRNC.

We want to create a community which goes to mosque, reads Koran and fasts. And this could be realized with the religious and moral education which will be offered from primary school.

In spite of the fact that prostitution is forbidden according to our laws, we know that there is prostitution in the night clubs, but we turn a blind eye. We know that the Turkish government does not want these, but our government has not exerted any effort on this issue.

I find Turkey's economic support to be excessive. The fact that Turkey gives money in this manner caused pertness and corruption?"

Meanwhile, after the reaction caused by the above interview, Tacoy issued a written statement denying that he said all the above. "The most of the expressions in the reportage do not belong to me", he said.

However, Akit's publishing editor, Hasan Karakaya told Haberdar that they have recorded on a tape Tacoy's statements and that they stand by what they have published.

(I/Ts.)

[10] One fifth of the employees in occupied Cyprus are illegal

The research showed that 52% of the unregistered workers are "citizens" of the "TRNC", breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus and 48% are foreigners. 27.6% of the "illegal workers" are self-employed and 12.6% work for an employer.

The percentage of the "unregistered", that is, the illegal workers in the occupied area of Cyprus has been found to be 20.8% of the total number of the employees, which means that one out of five persons work "illegally" in the occupied area of Cyprus.

(I/Ts.)

[11] Suleyman Erguclu is the new director of KIBRIS Media Group

Suleyman Erguclu is appointed as the new publishing director of KIBRIS Media Group. Erguclu was one of the first editors of Kibris and had retired four years ago.

(I/Ts.)

[12] BDP co-chair invites main opposition to act together

"In the second phase [of the resolution process], which we call the 'democratization phase,' we could together conduct a democracy struggle against the Justice and Democracy Party [AKP]. If the CHP gets rid of its status-quo supporting character, leaves aside its nationalist sensitivities, and focuses on its social democrat tendencies, we could make opposition together," Demirtas told a group of journalists at Parliament on April 30.

"Permanent peace can be achieved through [the peace process]. If the CHP misses that point, it will remain both outside of the process and will be unable to play its historic role as the main opposition in the democracy struggle," Demirtas said.

Demirtas also said they were not completely against the new presidential system. "Even if the Conciliation Commission disperses, we will continue the works and discussions regarding the Constitution with the AKP. We are not closed to that. There could be a president above the regional public autonomies we have proposed. This is not necessarily against our model. However, the model the AKP has proposed is not the kind that we would support. Our voters would not say 'yes' to such a presidential system in a referendum," he said.

[13] Police stage crackdown on May Day protesters in Istanbul

Thousands of Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK) workers and their supporters gathered early today in Sisli to march to the iconic square. However, police started a crackdown against the group, which also included members of socialist groups, anarchists and supporters of the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) after a final warning was issued in Istanbul's central Sisli district.

Murat Yetkin wrote that for the last two years Labour Day celebrations were no longer a source of political tension in Turkey. It was Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development party (AKP) government which declared May Day a National holiday for labour...

At least three demonstrators and a reporter were injured during the crackdown and hospitalized. Demonstrators refused to back down, re-gathering just after police intervened and turning the back alleys of Sisli into small war zones.

Turkish daily Cumhuriyet (02.05.13) reports on the same issue in its front page under the banner headlines "Fascism with gas". TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article