Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 13-08-30

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[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu says a road map should exist in the Cyprus negotiations

[02] Erk: "Our target must be to live in this geography, not to protect Turkey's interests"

[03] Erk: most probably a plot was prepared against Assad

[04] Quarrel in the CTP-BG for the distribution of the "ministries"; The "cabinet" is submitted to Eroglu

[05] Turkey has reportedly exerted pressure on CTP-BG not to establish a "government" with the DP-UG

[06] So-called minister Harmanci accused the "mayor" of occupied Rizokarpaso for disrespectful attitude

[07] Davutoglu has reportedly urged Western allies to force Assad to a peace conference; "Turkey wants to contribute to the 'establishment of a New Syria'"

[08] Turkey 'on alert' against possible chemical attack

[09] More on the deterioration of Turkey's ties with Egypt; Egypt refused to issue ID cards for Turkish diplomats

[10] Gul to host for the first time the ceremony for the "Victory Day"; Opposition parties not to attend the ceremonies

[11] Survey reveals that Turks still fear a military coup despite Ergenekon verdicts; AKP still ranks first with 43.5% if early election were to take place

[12] A 1.800-year-old Orthodox church in Turkey is set to be opened for tourists

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Eroglu says a road map should exist in the Cyprus negotiations

Alleging that as he understands the Greek Cypriot side wants new negotiations to be launched, Eroglu claimed that "certain progress and convergences were secured in the negotiations which started five years ago", Eroglu argued: "If you do everything from the scratch, there will be a problem".

Eroglu said that the current negotiating process is being held on a certain basis and alleged that in case the steps which have been taken are ignored, a new ground should be searched.

"Our thought is: Can we carry out this job within the existing basis"?, he said adding that the aim of the letter he has sent to President Anastasiades was to understand whether they will continue the negotiations from the point they were left and whether the negotiations will be open ended.

Meanwhile, according to Kibris (30.08.13), in his message on the occasion of the Turkish "Day of Victory", Eroglu alleged that the joint state established in Cyprus was demolished by the Greek Cypriots and the "fact of the two communities living together ended because of the Greek Cypriot dreams".

He claimed that "the sun now rises every day in Cyprus over two peoples, two cultures, two religions and two sovereign states with certain borders". Eroglu alleged the following: "If the Greek Cypriot side wants a viable agreement, prosperity and the security to be permanent, it should understand these realities and accept that there could be no return to the pre-1974 period".

Eroglu argued that they were searching for a "lasting and honorable" solution, which will not ignore the so-called realities on the island and could be sustained with a new partnership of the 'two sovereign people".

(I/Ts.)

[02] Erk: "Our target must be to live in this geography, not to protect Turkey's interests"

Addressing a panel under the title "The relations between Turkey and Cyprus, and Justice" in the occupied part of Nicosia, Erk said yesterday that the Turkish Cypriots should put forward their own projects in their relations with Turkey and form a joint action plan with Turkey "as two equal sides".

Erk said that the relations of the Turkish Cypriots with Turkey could be divided into two parts: the economic relations and the political relations. In the economic relations, he noted, Turkey is their biggest business partner and the main market for the Turkish Cypriot exports and imports.

Noting that the Cyprus problem is in the epicenter of their political relations with Turkey, Erk said: "On the issue of the Cyprus problem, the Turkish Cypriots have their own vision and targets and Turkey has its own vision and targets". Erk noted that the target of the Turkish Cypriots is to exist on this island, while Turkey wants to have influence in Eastern Mediterranean over Cyprus and has the target of being "active and influential" in Cyprus because of the fact that "the energy pipelines are congested in the area".

Noting that the Turkish Cypriots see themselves as "babies" in order to maintain Turkey's interests in the area, Erk said: "We see ourselves as if living here for being able to maintain Turkey's interests. Our target must be to live in this geography, not to protect Turkey's interests".

Pointing out that some circles want the reduction of the term of the military service, Erk argued that if this happens, they will feel the need to bring more army from Turkey.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (30.08.13) publishes exclusive statements by Erk who said that his political stance on the Cyprus problem is different than the one of the Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu, but he does not share the view that Eroglu is an obstacle in front of the solution. He alleged that the Greek Cypriot side is the side which is to blame.

Referring to the issue of the return of the occupied fenced city of Varosha to its legal owners, Erk argued that Varosha should remain as part of the comprehensive solution and alleged that when the Greek Cypriots say that Varosha should open, they want Famagusta as well and not only the closed area.

(I/Ts.)

[03] Erk: most probably a plot was prepared against Assad

In exclusive statements to Star Kibris, Erk recalled that the same circles had made the same allegations in the past against Saddam Hussein and added that "most probably this situation is a plot".

Erk argued that the foreign powers have set their eyes on Cyprus and added that it must be shown that Cyprus is not a springboard for these powers and a field where they could play. He said that the solution of the Cyprus problem is primarily necessary for this.

Erk said that they should be ready for a conflict in Syria, but added that he does not expect this "heated conflict" to be transferred to Cyprus. Asked whether they were ready for attacks with chemical weapons, Erk said that they have enough shelters and the "civil defense" is ready. He noted that he had no contact on the issue with the UN, the Foreign Minister Kasoulides or the British authorities.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Quarrel in the CTP-BG for the distribution of the "ministries"; The "cabinet" is submitted to Eroglu

Meanwhile, Kibris Postasi news website (30.08.13) reports that CTP-BG's chairman, Ozkan Yorgancioglu submitted today at 13.00 hours the list with the names of the "ministers" in his cabinet. The names are the following:

Ozkan Yorgancioglu (CTP-BG): "prime minister"

Serdar Denktas (DP-UG): "deputy prime minister" and "minister" of tourism and economy

Ozdil Nami (CTP-BG): "minister" of foreign affairs,

Teberruken Ulucay (CTP-BG): "minister" of interior and local administrations,

Zeren Mungan (CTP-BG): "minister" of finance,

Ahmet Kasif (DP-UG): "minister" of public works and transport,

Mustafa Arabacioglu (DP-UG): "minister" of education, youth and sports,

Onder Sennaroglu (CTP-BG): "minister" of food, agriculture and energy,

Aziz Gurpinar (CTP-BG): "minister" of labour and social insurance,

Hamit Bakirci (DP-UG): "minister" of environment and natural resources, and

Ahmet Gulle (CTP-BG): "minister" of health.

(I/Ts.)

[05] Turkey has reportedly exerted pressure on CTP-BG not to establish a "government" with the DP-UG

According to the paper, the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Cyprus, Besir Atalay called the chairman of the CTP-BG, Ozkan Yorgancioglu in order to convey to him a message from the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The paper writes that the message, which "had the influence of a cold shower in the CTP", was saying that "in case a coalition is established with the DP, the TRNC government will not be able to work with the AK Party government".

According to Havadis, replying to the message that their work with Turkey will not be "productive", Yorgancioglu said: "It would not be correct for us to make a step backwards at the stage we have come. The decision for a coalition with the DP has been taken. We want productive and active work and not crisis with the governments of Turkey".

After this conversation Yorgancioglu informed only the members of CTP's central administrative committee and discussed with them what they will do. They decided to "stand upright" and go for a "coalition" with the DP-BG.

According to the paper's columnist, Huseyin Ekmekci, Atalay's message was clear: "Either you will establish a coalition with the National Unity Party (UBP), or you could not have a relaxed term in the prime ministry". He notes that the message said: "We think that a coalition with the UBP would be more correct from the point of view of securing the continuation of the [economic] program and making the reforms. I was together with Mr Tayyip Erdogan a while ago. Mr Prime Minister thinks that we will not be able to work in harmony with a coalition government in which the DP participates".

(I/Ts.)

[06] So-called minister Harmanci accused the "mayor" of occupied Rizokarpaso for disrespectful attitude

Speaking about the issue, the so-called minister of tourism, environment and culture Mehmet Harmanci, issued a written statement yesterday, saying that the protocol which was to be signed yesterday between him representing the "ministry" and the "Rizokarpaso municipality mayor" was not signed, since Demirci went to Istanbul to meet Kurtulmus and did not attend the signing ceremony.

Harmanci expressed in his statement his deep sorrow over the above incident and said that they condemn strongly those who are waiting for permission from anybody in order to serve people's interests and characterized Demirci's behaviour as rudeness. Harmanci accused also Demirci for serving the Turkish authorities instead of his "country' authorities and people".

Commenting on the issue, Turkish daily Ortam writes in its front page: "Come to Cyprus from your country. He did not even behaved with the courtesy and politeness of being a "Cypriot" "mayor". He gets "authority" from Cyprus, he receives a salary.and afterwards, he runs to his country without taking into consideration his minister in Cyprus, in order to get permission? You go only where Arif Hoca says!...".

AK

[07] Davutoglu has reportedly urged Western allies to force Assad to a peace conference; "Turkey wants to contribute to the 'establishment of a New Syria'"

Speaking on August 28 to his British and American counterparts, William Hague and John Kerry, respectively, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu cautioned them that any action against the Syrian regime should not be conducted just to show that the international community is avoiding "standing still against" the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

"The action should rather pressure the Syrian administration to avoid military solutions in an effort to push it toward accepting a political solution", Davutoglu told them.

According to sources, Davutoglu underlined that "any military operation against the regime should serve the goal of ultimately bringing President Bashar al-Assad to the Geneva meeting".

The methods of action and Turkey's possible role have yet to be discussed with the Western allies, according to Turkish diplomatic sources. The White House has already ruled out any military effort to oust al-Assad.

Meanwhile, according to Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News Online in English (29.08.13) Davutoglu has said that Turkey's aid to the Syrian people and its support of the opposition forces is based on the "responsibility to contribute to the foundation of a new Syria."

In his answer to a parliamentary question by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmaker Atilla Kart, regarding the claims that Saudi Arabian cargo planes used Ankara's Esenboga Airport as a base to channel arms to the Syrian rebels, Davutoglu said the planes only carried humanitarian aid, adding the following: "Various countries apply for flight permissions to carry humanitarian aid to Syrians that have taken shelter in our country, and Saudi Arabia is among them". At the basis of Turkey's support to the Syrian people and the opposition, lies the will and responsibility of contributing to the establishment of a new Syria where democracy and peace will prevail. Our basic desire is that Syria finds stability and the Syrian people, who are our friends and brothers, can live together in peace."

CHP lawmaker Kart said that talking about "a new Syria" was a clear breach of the Constitution. "Does the authority to establish a new Syria have any place in the Constitution and the international law?" he asked in a written statement today. "Talking about a new Syria clearly shows which side the government has taken in the Syrian conflict", Kart added.

Kart also said that 16 Saudi Arabian C-130 planes had landed in Ankara as of April 18. "Similar flights took place on August 15-17, we have the information and footage," Kart said. "Esenboga is being used as a logistics base for the intervention in Syria, that is the actual situation", he concluded.

[08] Turkey 'on alert' against possible chemical attack

The Turkish government's crisis management center said on Twitter on Thursday that officials had designated bunkers at seven areas along the border to protect the people in the area from harm.

It also said that a team of 100 chemical weapons experts were sent to the border area which is being screened for any signs of chemical attacks.

[09] More on the deterioration of Turkey's ties with Egypt; Egypt refused to issue ID cards for Turkish diplomats

The three diplomats, one second secretary and two undersecretaries, are set to return home in the coming days, according to reports that appeared in the Milliyet daily on Thursday.

Speaking at a university in the northern province of Rize on Sunday, Erdogan said that he was disappointed by Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University Ahmed el-Tayeb's endorsement of the "coup".

The sheikh had made a brief statement following an announcement by the head of the armed forces that deposed the elected President, endorsing the "military coup".

Erdogan went on to say that history will curse men like el-Tayeb just as history has cursed similar scholars in Turkey before.

Noting that the Egyptian side has not yet sent an explanation to Ankara about their decision to refuse to issue diplomatic IDs, a senior Foreign Ministry official told Today's Zaman that Turkey does not approve of Cairo's move.

The Turkish official said that identification cards have already been issued for other diplomats in the Cairo embassy who have been working there for a while. However, Egypt refused to issue cards for the three new diplomats, who were dispatched to the embassy, he added.

Milliyet said that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry turned down Turkey's request to send three more diplomats to work in the embassy. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they rejected Ankara's request to increase the number of staff at its diplomatic mission, in protest of Turkish officials' recent negative remarks targeting "religious symbols and institutions" and "interference in the domestic affairs of Egypt."

The same diplomat also responded to claims that appeared in the media which suggested that sources from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry warned that Turkey's statements might "bring relations between the two countries to a halt." He said that the coming days will show how relations between Ankara and Cairo will evolve.

He added that while relations with Egypt have been suspended on particular issues, the two countries continue their contact on other issues, without elaborating on what these points were.

(?)

[10] Gul to host for the first time the ceremony for the "Victory Day"; Opposition parties not to attend the ceremonies

Turkish President Abdullah Gul released a message yesterday to mark "Victory Day".

During his message on Victory Day, Gul reiterated that the August 30 Victory, which was won under the leadership of Ataturk and through the robust solidarity between the nation and the army, was among the most significant turning points in history. "It is our biggest objective to protect what we have been entrusted with by our martyrs and war veterans with the same understanding and resoluteness, and to enable our nation to live independently forever", Gul said.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal K1
l1
cdaroglu announced that he would not attend the reception held by President Gul, which will be hosted in Gul's Cankaya Residency instead of the General Staff Headquarters.

Devlet Bahceli, leader of the other opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), had earlier announced that he will also not attend this year's reception. The victory on August 30, 1922, over the Greek military was the last big engagement between the two armies. Vatan Boulevard in Istanbul will be the main road for the celebration parades in the city, which will also take place in Ankara, 0
zmir and other cities across Turkey. The war began with the Greek invasion of 0
zmir in May 1919 after the end of World War I with tacit support from the Allies, especially Great Britain.

[11] Survey reveals that Turks still fear a military coup despite Ergenekon verdicts; AKP still ranks first with 43.5% if early election were to take place

In the nationwide survey, almost 40% of the public said the risk of another military coup in Turkey despite the court decision is still valid for the country, which has already experienced four interruptions to civilian democracy by military intervention since 1960. Only 35% of the people said the threat is gone after the court decision, while the remaining people did not respond or said they have not yet formed an opinion.

The survey indicated that people who identified themselves with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) are more worried about a coup than people who voted for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Almost 45% of the people who supported the CHP in the last national elections said they believe the threat is still there despite the court cases as opposed to 33% of CHP voters.

The reverse pattern was revealed for the AK Party voters, however. Some 39% of people who voted for the AK Party said the threat of military coup is over as opposed to 37%of AK Party supporters who disagree with that. The figure almost broke even for the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) supporters on the same question.

When asked whether the sentences handed down to suspects in the Ergenekon case -- the five-year trial of clandestine and terrorist gang charged with attempting to overthrow the government -- were just, respondents are roughly divided on that. While 35.2% of the people said they thought the court verdicts were just, 38.6%of people disagreed. The rest either did not respond or said they have no opinion.

The overwhelming majority of those surveyed also said they believe the government is interfering with the print and broadcast media, with 55.8% versus 37.1%. A total of 7.1% did not respond. Along party lines, the figures are quite high among supporters of the opposition parties. Even some 37% of people who said they voted for the AK Party agreed that the government interferes with press as opposed to some 55% of AK Party supporters who disagreed.

Pollsters also questioned respondents about their voting preferences. Asked which political party they would vote for if general elections were held this Sunday, 43.5% said they would vote for the AK Party, an eight percentage point jump from the June survey -- held in the middle of the Gezi Park protests -- and almost identical with the one conducted by MetroPOLL in July.

According to the poll, the CHP would receive 20.3% of the vote, a drop of more than two percentage points from the June survey. The MHP would receive 13.3% of the vote, while the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) would get 5.8%. In addition, 5.8% said they are undecided, while 4.1% did not respond. Only 6.2% would vote for other smaller parties while 1% was counted as a protest vote according to the survey. MetroPOLL said splitting the undecided votes at the ballot box would provide additional support for the political parties.

According to the survey, 76.5% of the respondents said they like President Abdullah Gul most among existing political figures. Gul has increased his popularity 4% points from the June survey. Gul was followed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan with 63%, an increase of almost 10% points from June. Kemal K1
l1
cdaroglu dropped to 21.6 from 26.7 and Devlet Bahceli dropped to 26.9% from 29.3% compared with the June survey.

The poll also asked respondents about their preferences on the Presidential elections to be held in June next year. Almost a quarter of people said they would like to see incumbent President Gul as the President while 19.3% indicated Prime Minister Erdogan as their choice. K1
l1
cdaroglu scored very low with 1.2%, followed by Bulent Ar1
n? (0.8%) and Devlet Bahceli (0.7%). 65.3% of respondents said they would vote for Gul if he declares his candidacy. That figure was 50.9% for Erdogan. Gul was also the number one choice (8.9%) for the chairmanship of the AK Party should Erdogan become President according to the survey. He was followed by Numan Kurtulmus (6.8%) and Bulent Ar1
nc (6.2%).

The MetroPOLL survey indicated that 47% of the people said they can switch to another party in the next elections, while 44.2 said they would stick to the party they voted for in the last elections. The defections among the opposition parties were quite high as opposed to AK Party supporters. Some 32% of AK Party voters said they could vote for another party, while the same figure was 63.7% for the CHP supporters, 70.8% for the MHP supporters and 55.9% for the BDP supporters.

In a troubling sign of voters' disenfranchisement, some 42% of respondents said no single existing party actually represents their preferences, while 53% said they do not feel loyal to any party. 47% said they could vote for a different party in each election.

Moreover, 45% said Turkey needs a new political party, while 51.7% said they disagree with that.

The percentage of people who thought the country is moving in a better direction was 48.3% as opposed to 38.5% who disagreed with that. Almost 58% said they feel happy about their lives, while some 30% said they are not.

The poll was conducted from August 14-20 by telephone among a random national sampling of 1,215 adults residing in cities, towns and villages. The margin of error for the overall poll is 2.8 percentage points, and the confidence level is 95%.

[12] A 1.800-year-old Orthodox church in Turkey is set to be opened for tourists

The Marmaris Trade Center (MTO) initiated a project in 2010 to restore the church and open it for faith and marriage tourism. The project titled: "Five Pieces of Gold," was approved by the Provincial Special Administration last February. The restitution and restoration projects of the church were also approved by the Mugla Cultural and Heritage Preservation Board.

MTO Chairman Mehmet Baysal said that the restoration works of the project were set to start soon. He said that a team including experts of the Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate and Mugla Council of Monuments made observations about the history, architectural structure of Kameriye Island and gathered information about similar churches to create a database for the restoration project.

Baysal said that the budget problem of the project was also solved, adding: "In accordance with the law, the Provincial Assembly cannot provide a budget for chambers. Since the island is within the borders of Bozburun district, the budget was allocated for the municipality and they will make a tender for the project."

He said that the Kameriye Church Restoration Project made a tremendous impact in Turkey and abroad, and experts agreed to the idea that the island would become Turkey's second Virgin Mary. Baysal said that statistical works showed that faith and cultural tourists brought more income than those who came for sea and sun tourism.

"There are three similar churches in the region. We plan to make projects for their restoration, too. This project is very important to diversify tourism. We believe that the island will be a faith and marriage tourism center in the region. We estimate that hundreds of couples will get married in this church through special tours organizations that we will organize," Baysal said.

The Kameriye Church, which is reached by a 20-minute boat trip from Bozburun, is being visited by lots of tourists in the summer months, particularly Orthodox tourists. Some tourists, who join daily boat tours, take a break on the island and light candles in a chapel named "Ruined Church." Also, some tourists make a wish by tying pieces of cloth to the tree in front of the church.

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