Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 96-12-20

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TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA

No.231/96 20.12.96

CONTENTS

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Etkin interviewed on Rifkind's plan.

[02] Report links Asil Nadir with Catli gang.

[03] COE committee approves report on Turkish Cypriot representation.

[04] Turkish Cypriots were refused entry to COE committee meeting.

[01] Etkin interviewed on Rifkind's plan

In reply to a question on Malcolm Rifkind's proposed 10 points, Etkin inter alia said: "Allow me now to express my opinion on the views he outlined at his news conference. It must be clearly known that a proposal has not been made. The first reports said that a proposal was put forward. That is wrong. A written or a verbal proposal was not made to us in the talks. We have assessed what was outlined as the British Foreign Office's views. Mr. Rifkind held a news conference at the end of his contacts and outlined his views. Naturally, whatever he has said is his opinion. A general assessment of the Cyprus problem will indicate that a proposal cannot be made by a foreign official or country. The problem will be resolved through the talks that will be held between the two peoples in Cyprus."

In reply to a relevant question he said: "Let us first discuss the question of guarantees. Our categorical stand can be outlined as follows: The system that has been established in accordance with the 1960 Treaty of Alliance and Guarantees cannot be changed. No provision can be added to the agreement that will be reached to weaken or remove Turkey's effective and de facto guarantee in the future. We resolutely insist on that."

Asked if they are or not inclined to agree to an international formula on the question of guarantees, a formula which also will include Turkey, he said:

"We are definitely not inclined to do so because the guarantee of an international force will weaken Turkey's effective and de facto guarantee and, probably, remove it in the future altogether. This state of affairs will pose a very serious threat to our security. It may weaken or remove the system of guarantees which protects our existence on the island. Agreeing to this is impossible."

Asked if Turkey will be able to take unilateral action if it is included in an international system of guarantees, Etkin said: "Turkey will not be able to effectively fulfill its role as a guarantor power in such a system of guarantees. This is why we oppose it. Turkey will find it very difficult to guarantee our security. In fact, we are convinced that it may forfeit the opportunity it has to do so.

Meanwhile, why should we need an international force if we are going to reach an agreement? If a military force is required to monitor or follow up implementation of the agreement we will reach for a certain period of time, then UNFICYP, which has been on the island since 1963, can fulfill this task and then withdraw. Meanwhile, Turkey and Greece can continue to be the guarantors of Cyprus, as called for by the 1960 Treaty of Alliance and Guarantees."

Asked on the issue of Cyprus' EU accession before Turkey, he said that is impossible for them to adopt a favourable approach on the matter. "The talks may be resumed and an agreement may be reached. However, we must maintain a very careful approach on accession to the EU. We have outlined our resolute stand on the matter. As far as we are concerned, Cyprus' accession before Turkey joins the organization is impossible", he said.

Concluding, he said: "We have outlined our position. A basis exists. We have the Boutros-Ghali Set of Ideas, which was drawn up within the framework of the UN Secretary General's good offices. It includes the necessary parameters. We have said that we are ready to discuss them. Meanwhile, we have a few basic principles which cannot be abandoned. Let us briefly outline them as follows: The first is the principle of bizonality, the second is political equality, the third is equal partnership in sovereignty, and the fourth, which is the most important, is the maintenance of Turkey's effective and de facto guarantee, in other words, the right Turkey has in accordance with the Treaty of Alliance and Guarantees.

The question of accession to the EU may be placed on the agenda after an agreement is reached. However, we maintain a resolute approach on an important matter. It closely concerns our security and existence in Cyprus. We can join the EU if Turkey is a part of it."

[02] Report links Asil Nadir with Catli gang

"Asil Nadir's lawyer M.A. (as published) came to Turkey a few times last month on a private plane. The plane landed at Ankara's Esenboga Airport. The airport hangar belonging to Ceylanlar was used to take attention away from the plane. Nadir's lawyer held a secret private meeting with Ozer and the Cillers. The press was not informed of the meetings.

There was a `landing of banks' in Cyprus in 1993. Many Turkish `businessmen', among them people barred from establishing banks in Turkey, ended up owning banks in Cyprus. At the time the leader of New Cyprus Party, Alpay Durduran, said that Cyprus had become `an inn where everybody enters as he pleases.' The money from Turkey obtained by tax evasion or from unknown sources was laundered through these banks. The Cypriots complained that `we had become the Sicily of Turkey.'

Asil Nadir escaped from Britain in May of 1993. Nadir, who was forced to present himself to the police every Sunday and who was barred from leaving Britain until the conclusion of a court case, disappeared on Sunday 3 May after presenting himself to the police for a last time. He took refuge in the `TRNC`.

Nadir's escape was planned. All the preparations were made. President Turgut Ozal died on 17 April 1993 just when the order to start the operation was being awaited. Upon his death the escape was postponed.

Turmoil broke out in Cyprus after Nadir took shelter on the island. TRNC leader Rauf Denktash' son Serdar Denktash's newspaper VATAN reported Nadir's escape to Cyprus under the headline: "Now we are done for". Then Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu and his supporters saw the escape as a `victory' and gave support to Nadir.

Dervis Eroglu is an interesting man. It is being claimed that Eroglu is a partner of Gaziantep businessman Mehmet Ali Yaprak, who is the `world's largest Coptagon (as published) producer.' There are also claims that Yaprak is producing his goods in Cyprus. Yaprak was abducted in front of his house in Gaziantep by Abdullah Catli (an Idealist Hearth Association member and alleged mafia-state hitman who died together with a former police chief in a car accident in Susurluk 40 days ago) and policemen from a special operation team.

Despite going bankrupt in Britain, Asil Nadir was a billionaire on his return to the island. Nadir's trump card was his wealth in Cayman Islands banks. It was rumoured at the time that this wealth amounted to 25 million pounds sterling. The South American Cayman Islands were being used to launder money and hide money obtained illegally. Later the Ciller family too started showing interest in these islands.

When Asil Nadir wanted to invest in Turkey, MIT (the National Intelligence Organization) sent a one-word report to the State Planning Committee: `Objectionable'.

Abdullah Catli and his team played an important role in the escape of Asil Nadir. In its 24 May 1993 issue AYDINLIK reported that the organization that helped Nadir to escape was made up of member of the Idealist mafia with links to the CIA.

The escape was organized in Germany. The plane and the pilot were found in Germany. Enver Altayli supervised the organization. The plane hired for Nadir's escape was arranged by Altayli, who was the MHP's (Nationalist Movement Party) chief inspector in Germany prior to the 12 September 1980 coup. The Turkish State's intelligence organizations know that Altayli has been cooperation with the CIA for many years and carried out activities in the Turkic republics on behalf of the CIA.

And Rifat Yildirim, one of the key persons in the escape, was the favourite hitman in Catli's team prior to the 12 September coup. Yildirim, who murdered Assistant Professor Bedrettin Comert on 11 July 1977, passed himself off as a militant of the Army For the Liberation of the Enslaved Turks (Esir Turkleri Kurtarma Ordusu) (ETKO) when he was captured a year later. Yildirim was spirited away from the Ankara Security Directorate and went to Germany after the 12 September coup. He was captured in Frankfurt on charges of heroin smuggling. In his deposition at the Frankfurt prosecutor's office he announced that he was engaged in narcotic business `in the name of the Idealist Organizations'. He was sentenced to seven years, the heaviest penalty under German law. Yildirim was looked after at the prison by Catli and Altayli. Just like Catli, Yildirim too has murky relations with Azerbaijan.

These were not the only people involved in the getaway of Asil Nadir. Such old former MHP murder suspects as Yildirim Nihat Barlas, Tayfun Iner, Mikail Goleli and Celal from Bingol were also in the team that was to protect Nadir during the getaway. Most of the MHP people mentioned here were known to be members of the Abidinpasa Idealist Hearth Association, which was one of the bloodiest gangs in Ankara before the 1980 coup. The gang was headed by Catli.

The Swiss narcotics prosecutor issued an international detention warrant against Catli for bringing in 4 kg of heroin to Switzerland on 7 September 1984. Catli was detained in Ardennes Street in Paris on 24 October 1984. Again heroin was found on him. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in Paris on 27 January 1986 and in Basel on 20 July 1989. Catli was spirited away from Bostadel Prison on 21 March 1990.

Catli took over the leadership of his gang after escaping prison. There are signs that relations between Asil Nadir, who gives material and spiritual support to the Idealists in Cyprus, and Catli grew closer.

Aysegul Nadir is as famous as Asil Nadir. Aysegul Nadir is as close to former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as to be his `adviser on antiques'. Aysegul Nadir was caught while smuggling antiques and was interrogated by the then director of the Istanbul Financial Police, Salih Gungor. Asil Nadir intervened and sacrificed $300,000. There are claims that the dollars were given to a former minister who is now in great trouble.

The internationally renowned bellydancer Yonca Yucel became famous with the first MIT report. The report said that Yucel was the mistress of then deputy director of the Istanbul Security Directorate, Mehmet Agar. Now Yucel is in London and lives in a house given to her as a gift by Asil Nadir!

Kutlu Adali was shot and killed on the night of 6 July in front of his house in the TRNC capital of Nicosia. Adali was a columnist in the Republican Turkish Party's (CTP) organ YENIDUZEN. Thousands took part in Kutlu Adali's funeral. Twenty trade unions staged strikes and businesses closed for Adali.

The Turkish Revenge Brigade (Turk Intikam Tugay, TIT) claimed responsibility for the murder. An unidentified person who called KIBRIS said: `We killed Kutlu Adali. The Turkish Revenge Brigade.' Before the 1980 coup the TIT was one of the illegal organizations harbouring such extremist rightist murder gangs as the ETKO of Rifat Yildirim who was Catli's righthand man. The TRNC police are now investigating if Catli had a role in the murder of Adali.

In the past year there has been an unprecedented bombing campaign in Cyprus. Buildings belonging to the two coalition partners were bombed.

In a statement to AYDINLIK, CTP General Secretary Ferdi Sabit Soyer said: `Bombs were placed in our party building and in the buildings of our government partner. The secret fascist organizations have recently started publishing foundation statements. The perpetrators of the bombing incidents have not been found. Eventually, important writer Kutlu Adali, who was very sensitive over this issue and criticized them, was murdered by these organizations. It is impossible to find the perpetrators of any crime on such a small island as Cyprus, which is teeming with thousands of soldiers and policemen. This is very interesting. The TIT assumed responsibility for the murder. I think the Turkish public is no stranger to the TIT.'

Many who want to book a place on TRNC Airlines to go to Cyprus are told: "We have no seats." But those who board the plane see that more than half of it is empty. When asked why the answer is given: "Parliamentarians book seats and then do not come." Attention is being drawn to some deputies who frequently travel by TRNC Airlines from Ankara-Ercan (Tymbou)-Yesilkoy-London. These visits are considered meaningful. The Turkish State's narcotics officials are closely interested in these tours.

The TRNC Airlines Administration Board is headed by Umit Utku, a known figure in the Idealist world. The Cypriots are somehow never able to free themselves of Utku. Turkish Airlines has a share in TRNC Airlines. Utku maintains his position by relying on this share. And it was Tansu Ciller who appointed Umit Utku as a member of the Turkish Airlines Administrative Board!

Abdullah Catli, who used the pseudonyms Feridun Akkuzu in France and Hasan Kurtoglu in Switzerland, was detained at Ataturk Airport on 26 February 1992. This time round he used the pseudonym Sahin Ekli. Catli, who was detained and fingerprinted for using a forged passport, was released by the Istanbul Security Directorate.

In a written statement on Friday 13 December the Interior Ministry announced that Abdullah Catli's (Sahin Ekli) fingerprints were found on the magazine of the Klalashnikov used in the murder of (casino owner) Omer Lutfi Topal. It was also announced that an investigation will be opened against personnel who caused the delay by not examining the fingerprints on the gun earlier. The gun used in the murder and police officers Ercan Ersoy, Ayhan Carkin, and Oguz Yorulmaz, who were released after being detained for involvement in the murder of Toptan, were handed over to Special Operations Department officials who came from Ankara. That Department was headed by Ibrahim Sahin."

[03] COE committee approves report on Turkish Cypriot representation

The report will go into effect once it is approved by the COE Parliamentary Assembly.

[04] Turkish Cypriots were refused entry to COE committee meeting

KIBRIS reports that the head of the so-called Turkish Cypriot parliamentary delegation Hakki Atun has launched a protest. (MY) EF/SK