Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 98-11-25

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

TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA

No. 218/98 -- 25.11.98

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Poll: `Over half�could vote for women.

[02] Demirel: ``For us the Cyprus problem has already been solved''.

[03] Denktash warns against accession to EU.

[04] Turkey, pseudostate sign ``Social Security Protocol''.

[05] Grey Wolves protest Italy�s stand.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Poll: `Over half� could vote for women

But as the ``elections'' approach the figure might change and support for the women might either diminish or increase further.

The eventual outcome depends a great deal on the election campaign.

As known the following parties are taking part in the ``elections''. National Unity Party (UBP), Democratic Party (DP); Republican Turkish Party (CTP); Communal Liberation Party (TKP); Patriotic Unity Movement (YBH); National Revival Party (UDP), which is cooperating with the Nationalist Justice Party (MAP); and Our Party (BP).

Alongside the 350 candidates fielded by these parties are two independent candidates. Of the total 352 candidates 33 are women.

The second COMAR (Cyprus Opinion and Market Research Firm) poll involving 1, 132 respondents in face-to face meetings between 4 and 8 November 1998, asked the electorate not only about their views on the parties but also whether or not they intend to vote for women.

COMAR conducted its first poll between 4 and 8 October 1998 among 1,372 respondents in the five so-called districts.

COMAR pollsters asked 1,132 respondents in occupied Nicosia, Famagusta, Kyrenia, Morphou, and Trikomo the following question: ``In voting for a single party, or in casting a mixed vote, would you choose women candidates?'' The following reply was received: (numbers in percentages)

Reply					General Female	Male
Yes, I will choose women candidates	 57.3	 62.4	 52.8
No, I  will not choose women candidates	 37.2	 32.8	 41.0
No idea/no reply			  5.5	  4.8	  6.2

As is clear from the above, more than half of the electorate, 57.3 percent of it, are thinking of voting for the female candidates.

Some 62.4 percent of women and 52.8 percent of men say ``I will choose women candidates''.

But attention has focused on the high 32.8 percentage of women saying they would not vote for female candidates. Some 41 percent of men said they would not vote for the women candidates.

According to COMAR results, rural dwellers are more inclined to vote for women. Asked ``would you vote for women candidates?'' the following replies were given by rural and urban residents: (numbers are in percentages)

Settlement	Yes	  No	No idea/no reply
Cities		52.8	 41.8	  5.4
Villages	61.5	 32.8	  5.7

This shows that the rural electorate is more likely to favour women candidates. Some 61.5 percent of the rural electorate, as against 52.8 percent of the urban electorate, want women to enter ``parliament''. And 41.8 percent of urban and 32.8 percent of the rural electorate are disinclined to vote for women candidates.

This is how this question was answered by ``citizens'' who have Cypriot roots (indigenous Cypriots) and those who have roots in Turkey (settlers): (numbers are in percentages).

Electorate		Yes	No	No idea/no reply
With Cypriot roots	58.1	52.8	 5.3
With Turkish roots	36.6	40.4	 6.8

The above figures show that the preference for women candidates is higher among voters with Cypriot roots.

In examining the support for women candidates, COMAR did not neglect the age factor. The result shows that the older the voter the more likely they are to prefer women. Some 53.9 percent of the 18-24 age group prefer to vote for women candidates. The figure increases with age, reaching 60.3 percent above the age of 55.

The COMAR poll asked the party followers if they would vote for women.

The result showed that most of those favouring women come from the UDP, DP and TKP. The electorate voting for the BP, which has not put forward any woman candidate, firmly declared that they would not vote for women candidates. It was also found out that support for women was less than expected in the CTP and YBH.

These are the results of this study: (numbers are in percentages)

Electorate	 Yes	 No	No idea/no reply
UBP		 53.3	 40.8	  5.9
DP		 65.3    25.6	  9.1
CTP		 49.1	 47.1	  3.8
TKP		 64.5	 29.2	  6.8
YBH		 50.0	 42.8	  7.2
UDP		 70.0	 20.0	 10.0
BP		  --	100.0	  --
Mixed		 58.3	 36.8	  4.9

[02] Demirel: For us the Cyprus problem has already been solved''

Asked to comment on his first encounter with the Cyprus problem, Demirel says he learned the background in the late 1950s, when he was the director of the State Water Works Department.

Recalling his meetings with Greek officials on Cyprus in his capacity as Prime Minister, Demirel goes on to refer to the intercommunal conflict on the island between 1964 and 1967 and Turkey�s readiness to intervene militarily and recounts US presidential envoy Cyrus Vance�s mediation in 1967, mediation that averted Turkish intervention.

Demirel adds: ``After that I convened the Council of Ministers and told it:

This is not the end of the affair. This is only the beginning. They (the Greek side) will not stay quiet. Tomorrow the political complications in Turkey and beyond could change. Theirs is the Cretan policy. Though the Ottoman armies in Crete suppressed an uprising there in 1903, in 1910 Crete ceded to Greece. It was not the Ottoman armies that lost Crete. It was ceded by the politicians at the table. Turkey was weakened by the Balkan war and as a result Crete was wrested from her. This (the policy pursued by the Greek side) is called the policy of protraction. They protract an issue and wait for Turkey to weaken. If you notice, they are applying the Cretan policy in the case of Cyprus. They never reach an agreement, as it does not benefit them. Once they come to an agreement they would lose the opportunity of seizing control of the whole of the island. That is why this is not the end of the affair. Therefore, we should procure all that we need for a landing, such as parachutes, helicopters, transport aircraft, landing ships, and so on. Let us immediately procure all these''.

Demirel says that after this cabinet meeting Turkey manufactured its own landing ships and bought 15,000 parachutes, which were used ``when a new opportunity arose in 1974. The Cyprus operation was launched. And since then there has been no bloodshed in Cyprus. We are telling everybody, and two days ago I also told Austria, in its capacity at the EU term chairman:

If there is peace in Cyprus today it is thanks to the Turkish Army, for the peace is being kept not by the UN but by the Turkish Army. Two days ago in Vienna there was talk of Cyprus being admitted to the EU. I asked: Which Cyprus? Today there is a south and a north Cyprus. Which Cyprus do you want to be a member?''

To a comment that with the January 1997 ``declaration'' Demirel and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash radically changed Cyprus policy and to a question what he has to say about that, Demirel inter alia replies: ``We have never shunned the search for a peaceful solution. It was not us who made a peaceful solution. It was not us who made a peaceful solution difficult. There was a de facto situation, but no one accepted it or heard our cry''. And he went on: ``There are two separate peoples on the island with separate languages and religions and racial and cultural identities. The lived together but were separated after attacks on the Turks. They cannot live together again. (Words indistinct) First, Turkey cannot abandon these people to the old savagery. If so, let us come to an agreement. Let these people agree between themselves on how to live together. But the Cypriots in the south have the sole objective of reoccupying the whole of northern Cyprus one day. That is what the property issue is all about. That is, if such rights as the sale and purchase of property are recognized in northern Cyprus. If the people who left the north return there like this then we would end up at square one in 10 years. That is, our people there would vanish, as the Greek Cypriots would then legally occupy the north. That is why we cannot return to the old days. We cannot forgo the rights we have gained and the rights our compatriots have gained there''. He then added:

``We will widen and develop our economic ties with northern Cyprus, look after the farmers and artisans in northern Cyprus and take them under our wings. We will take services to northern Cyprus. Already, roads, water projects, and irrigation pools are under construction there. We will also take water and electricity, provide agricultural credits. The Ziraat (Agriculture) Bank will give credits to the farmers in Cyprus under the same conditions that it gives to the farmers in Anatolia. This way we will save them from being crushed under the embargo. In the period ahead, we will also take industry there. There is a serious unemployment problem. By creating some 10,000 to 15,000 jobs we would be eliminating that problem too''.

In reply to a relevant question, Demirel said: ``Turkey is the mightiest state in the region. Whoever creates problems with Turkey sooner or later comes to regret it. I am not saying this as a threat. We are a peaceful country. We have been living in peace for the last 75 years. Our military operation in Cyprus was for self-defense. It was a fulfillment of our promises and guarantee to our compatriots there. We are a peaceful country, but peacefulness is not weakness. I said the above so that no one should entertain the thought of testing Turkey�s might. Turkey has one of the world�s few best trained, best equipped, and most disciplined armies. We have it not as a threat to others but for our security. Besides, Turkey is a great state with many friends and connections in the region extending from the Adriatic to the Great Wall of China. Against whom and for what purpose are you (the Greek Cypriots) going to use the missiles and arms brought to Cyprus?''

And he concludes:

``To sum it all up, for us the Cyprus problem has already been solved. Our brothers in Cyprus should hold their heads up, stay united and together. A giant country, Turkey, is behind them. What we want from our brothers in Cyprus is the following: We do not want to administer Cyprus, you yourselves should administer it properly, we will simply provide all your needs. One might argue that bureaucracy in Turkey works slowly. That may be so, but none of our efforts go without results. Turkey is now getting ready to lay the water pipeline, after that it would lay the (electricity) cable. As I said before we will green Cyprus.''

In conveying his greetings to the Turkish Cypriots, Demirel finally adds:

``Many greetings and love to our friends, brothers, and compatriots. The Turkish Cypriots are a part of the Anatolian Turks and nothing less than that''.

[03] Denktash warns against accession to EU

To a question on Cyprus� EU accession, Denktash replied claiming: ``Yes, the EU has begun its talks with the Greek Cypriot side, which it believes represents Cyprus as a whole. The process will gradually diminish the chances of a balanced agreement between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides. The Turkish and Greek Cypriots will move in their own separate directions. Naturally, that will strengthen the walls that divide them''.

To a question on how Turkish Cypriots see the issue of annexation to Turkey, he said: ``I do not believe that the number of those who are opposed to integration with Turkey is great. I will understand if you said that the number of those who do not want annexation is great. We can use the realities to obstruct the intentional propaganda of those who try to equate integration with annexation.''

Asked to comment on the future of the pseudostate, he said inter alia: ``We took an oath to struggle to achieve partition against ENOSIS in the past. That was because Cyprus cannot be allowed to become a part of Greece. Nor will the Turkish Cypriots agree to be dominated by the Greek Cypriots or Greece. We took another oath 15 years ago. Our people established the TRNC after resisting against ENOSIS for 20 years. I cannot give it up even if I want to do so. We have taken an oath to defend our republic. It has been upheld by our constitution. I cannot change my mind even if I want to do so. Our constitution supports Turkey�s rights on Cyprus. We are an inseparable part of Turkey, regardless of the fact that we are a different country. Our duty is to maintain the unity between Turkey and the TRNC as a factor that balances the Greek-Greek Cypriot front in Cyprus''

And he continued: ``So, the TRNC is a basic factor. It is under Turkey�s protection and guarantee. It will continue to exist and develop. A time will come when the EU will decide to hold direct talks with the TRNC to unite the two sides on the island. It will recognize Tureky�s rights on Cyprus again and support an agreement that will maintain the balance between Turkey and Greece. The EU may fail to agree to that because of Greece�s threats. Furthermore, it may continue to view the application the Greek Cypriot side made to join the organization for political reasons as an initiative on behalf of Cyprus as a whole. That will diminish the chances of an agreement between the two sides.''

Asked whether, looking back, he can say that what he did at a certain time was wrong, Denktash replied: ``I cannot say I did not make a mistake during the 50-year-long struggle. However, we should learn from our mistakes. Meanwhile, we took measures under the conditions that existed in the past. We need to have the same conditions at the present time to be able to decide whether they were wrong. We waged a dynamic struggle under the changing conditions to maintain our national cause. Our situation was different in 1963. So, let us consider the point we have reached. Our people have established their republic. Our task is to protect it. We must not make a mistake. No one must make a mistake. That is the most essential requirement''.

[04] Turkey, pseudostate sign ``Social Security Protocol''

The ``protocol'' aiming at realizing a reform in the existing social security system in the pseudostate was signed by Nami Cagan, the Turkish minister of Labour and Social Security, and by Onur Borman, the so-called minister of labour and housing.

Onur Borman said that the aim of the ``protocol'' was to develop the existing cooperation between Turkey and the pseudostate.

Borman stressed that the ``protocol'', which targeted at forming a single social security system and protecting the rights of the people who are the members of the social security organizations, foresaw the formation of a unity of norms and standards based on the balance of benefaction and burden.

Pointing out that Turkey will provide every kind of assistance to the pseudostate in the implementation of the social security reform, Borman said that the changes for which they recently gave start, will enable them to transit into ``Single Social Security System''.

Labour and Social Security Minister Nami Cagan and the accompanying delegation will leave the occupied area on Wednesday.

[05] Grey Wolves protest Italy�s stand

The group gathered in a park near Ledra Palace in the occupied part of Nicosia and from there they marched to the Ledra Palace check point.

A representative of the group submitted a petition to the UN Peace-keeping- Force officer to be delivered to the Italian Embassy in the free areas. At the check-point the group tried to burn an old unused Italian made FIAT car, but Denktash�s police prevented the group from doing so. The protesters, out of frustration, started stoning and clubbing the scrap car.

They then burned an effigy of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in front of the Foreign Press Association premises.

KIBRIS reports that in the petition, it is said that ``The Turkish people will sooner or later mete out the punishment that Apo deserves. What happened to ASALA terrorists and their supporters in the past, will happen again''.

(MY)

EF/SK

From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/

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