Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 01-08-06

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The Turkish Cypriot leader denies that the US have given assurances to the Greek Cypriots on the three freedoms.

[02] The UN are exploring a formula to launch a new Cyprus talks process.

[03] Mesut Yilmaz was re-elected to the Motherland Party leadership.

[04] Turkish Defence Minister says that there will be no concessions on Cyprus.

[05] New representative of the pseudostate to London.

[06] Protest actions against the pseudogovernmnet�s attitude regarding the occupied Thermiotissa church.

[07] 3.151 illegal workers were found since March.

[08] The NPM launches campaign for drug smuggler Omer Gazi Tekogul.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[09] Columnist in HURRIYET calls in Turkey and Denktas to prove that they want a solution to the Cyprus problem.

[10] AVRUPA on Turkey�s defence at the UN Sub-committee on Human Rights.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] The Turkish Cypriot leader denies that the US have given assurances to the Greek Cypriots on the three freedoms

Denktash who will have a meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on August 28 in Austria said: �I am going to this meeting to find an answer to certain questions. Which common grounds exist between the two sides for the solution of the Cyprus issue? Are these strong enough to take us to an agreement?�

He indicated that the Greek Cypriots claim to represent the whole island. They are also working to make the refugees return to northern Cyprus by using the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Denktash repeated that he was against discussing membership to the EU before a solution is reached with the Greek Cypriots.

When asked if the US administration sent an assurance letter to the Greek Cypriot side saying that the three freedoms cannot be limited and confederation proposal will not be discussed, Denktash said that he spoke with a US diplomat regarding the matter who told him that there was no such assurance.

�I have doubts about the sincerity of this US diplomat�s answers,� he said, �If such a thing has happened, it is a step to prevent the talks. Because there is no reason for the talks if the US made such a promise�, he said. �Too many cooks spoil the soup,� Denktash quoted a British proverb. �The Cyprus problem would have been solved much before by the UN Secretary-General, if so many US, British and EU representatives had not been involved�.

He said that the involved sides accept the Greek Cypriot part as the sole government of Cyprus which leaves no motivation for the Greek Cypriot side to set up a partnership with the Turkish Cypriots.

He also remarked that he was not given any assurance that �everything will start from zero� at the talks.

[02] The UN are exploring a formula to launch a new Cyprus talks process

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan will meet Denktas in Salzburg, Austria, later this month and a meeting between the Secretary-General and Greek Cypriot leader Clerides is tentatively scheduled to be held in September, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting.

Brainstorming continues

Brainstorming at Washington, London, Brussels and the U.N. headquarters on finding a formula is continuing at full speed.

According to sources, London has been working hard behind the scenes to prepare proposals for a new Cyprus constitution. Britain's Cyprus envoy, Sir David Hannay, was preparing a constitution document in close co-operation with U.N. special envoy Alvaro de Soto and the paper would be presented at a suitable moment during the new round of Cyprus talks which are anticipated to start in late September.

The British-tailored, "draft constitution," sources say would include "rotation of presidency and some key ministries" -- a demand by the Turkish Cypriot side -- but the level of sovereignty of the future Turkish Cypriot section of the Cyprus federation would depend on the amount of land concession Denktas would agree to.

The sources said special attention was given by Hannay and de Soto to the "Belgian model" in preparing the "draft constitution."

In an attempt to break the impasse in the process, on the other hand, the Turkish Cypriot leader may hear in the August 28, meeting with Annan, a suggestion to apply the "Palestinian model" on Cyprus.

Diplomatic sources say the "Palestinian model" may satisfy the "recognition" demand of Denktas while assuring Greek Cypriots that until a final settlement in accordance with international law it would have "sovereignty" over the entire island.

Problem in semantics

The core of the current impasse in the Cyprus peacemaking efforts is semantics. While Greek Cypriots refuse any sort of reference to Denktas that may provide credence to the Turkish Cypriot state, the Turkish Cypriot leader is insisting that the "two parties" on the island should be treated on equal footings and he should be given equal status with that of Clerides, who enjoys international recognition as the head of the "sole legitimate government of Cyprus."

According to top Turkish Cypriot sources, the proximity talks that started in 1999 and landed in an impasse a year later on November 8, 2000, was "dead and buried" and peace making on the island should be continued with a new process, the parameters of which should be based on the Sept. 12, 2000 statement of Kofi Annan.

Opening the fourth round of the proximity talks process, Annan had stated that each of the two parties on the island "represents its side -- and no one else -- as the political equal of the other."

Furthermore, he had underlined that, "The equal status of parties must and should be recognized explicitly in the comprehensive settlement which will embody the results of the detailed negotiations required to translate this concept into clear and practical provisions."

The Greek Cypriot leadership was infuriated with the wording of the Sept. 12, 2000 statement of Annan and for two days had boycotted the talks. Eventually, however, Clerides was "verbally assured" that there was "no change" in the U.N. position on Cyprus and returned to the talks.

A month later, it became clear how Clerides was convinced by Annan and his special Cyprus envoy Alvaro de Soto to return to the talks when the Secretary-General presented to the two sides a "non-paper" framework for a Cyprus resolution in which he underlined that a settlement on the island would comply with the resolutions of the Security Council and would conform with the norms of the European Union. Furthermore, rather than using the expression "two parties on Cyprus" -- which was a terminology the sides had agreed over -- the Secretary-General used once again the "two communities" expression, this time infuriating Denktas.

The same day on Nov. 8, the European Union named the "Cyprus Republic" as a front-runner for entry in the bloc's wave of eastward expansion and raised eyebrows in both Ankara and northern Cyprus by stating that EU accession of the Greek Cypriot side of the island may come with or without a settlement on the island.

Turkish Cypriots, who were expelled by Greek Cypriots from the joint administration in 1963, do not recognize the "Cyprus Republic" as the government of the entire island, but say it is only a state representing the Greek Cypriot people.

Can the proximity talks be revived?

According to Turkish Cypriot senior sources, the proximity talks process is "dead and buried" and if Cyprus peace making wanted to be continued, a new initiative -- which ought to be based on the "political equality of the two sides on the island" -- should be launched.

The sources said Denktas and Ankara were very much willing to contribute to such a new process and the acceptance by Denktas to travel to Austria for an August 28, meeting with Annan reflected that readiness.

According to sources Denktas came under intense American and British pressure over the past month to accept to meet with the Secretary-General in New York but fearing that he would come under unbearable pressure in New York and would be forced to either accept a document or leave the meeting with Annan, the Turkish Cypriot leader demanded the meeting to be held in August and somewhere in Europe.

Besides, Denktas was suspecting that Annan would invite him to New York in September, a month when the General Assembly meets. Clerides, who is already tentatively scheduled to meet with Annan in September, would be in New York also and thus the Turkish Cypriot leader might be forced to a direct encounter with the Greek Cypriot leader or to a process similar to the "dead" proximity talks.

Eventually, the U.N. and Denktas agreed to have the meeting in Austria on August 28.

A U.N. spokesman said after Annan meets Denktas in Salzburg on Aug. 28, de Soto, plans to go to Cyprus to consult with Clerides and Denktas.

Denktas says will do best for Cyprus peace talks

Denktas said on Friday he would do his best to help the resumption of U.N. mediated peace talks aimed at ending decades of division between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish Cypriot TAK news agency reported Denktas's remarks after the United Nations announced U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan would meet him in Austria on August 28.

"It is our duty to help the efforts to resume the dialogue with the southern (Greek Cypriot) republic," the agency quoted Denktas as saying. "We will discuss the information given by the (U.N.) Secretary-General within our government and if necessary in our parliament," Denktas told the agency.

Greek Cypriots also sound positive on UN talks

Greek Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides said also his government would respond "positively" to a UN invitation to resume the stalled "proximity talks" on the island's division. "Our position is that if the Secretary-General calls for talks, having met Mr Denktas, then we shall respond in a positive manner," Clerides told journalists in Nicosia.

[03] Mesut Yilmaz was re-elected to the Motherland Party leadership

HURRIYET (6.8.01) reports that Mesut Yilmaz, Deputy Prime Minister in the three-party coalition government, was re-elected as Motherland Party Chairman.

He received 921 votes and his opponent Lutfullah Kayalar 284 out of a total of 1,205 votes cast.

[04] Turkish Defence Minister says that there will be no concessions on Cyprus

�However�, he added, �Turkey will continue to fulfil her obligations derived from the guarantee and alliance agreements�. Furthermore, Mr. Cakmakoglu expressed the view that a lasting solution in Cyprus �passes through� the guarantee of political equality and the so-called �sovereignty rights� of the Turkish Cypriots.

[05] New representative of the pseudostate to London

Mr. Korhan, who is taking the place of Hakki Muftuzade, has been also the director of the so-called Enlightenment Department.

[06] Protest actions against the pseudogovernment`s attitude regarding the occupied Thermiotissa church

The paper writes that the villagers, who have launched a petition, today will organize a protest meeting at the church, demanding that building works be stopped.

[07] 3.151 illegal workers were found since March

Furthermore, the paper writes that during the first four months of 2001 there were 1.150 applications to the so-called Social Insurances for unemployment benefits, while the total of the above mentioned applications for last year were 2.969.

Yeniduzen notes that while the number of those who search for a job increases, the number of those who offer a job decreases in the occupied areas.

[08] The NPM launches campaign for drug smuggler Omer Gazi Tekogul

KIBRIS (6.8.01) reports that a 70- member delegation of NPM under their general coordinator, Taner Etkin, went to Pyla, yesterday the village of Tekogul, and met with his family in order to express their support.

The visit, writes KIBRIS, was the first activity of the campaign.

[B] COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS

[09] Columnist in HURRIYET calls in Turkey and Denktas to prove that they want a solution to the Cyprus problem

Tinc says that Greece successfully put into practice her strategy to turn the Cyprus problem an EU problem, and she criticizes Turkey�s policy on Cyprus which scored no success.

She says that the non-solution of the Cyprus problem endangered and made critical Turkey�s position within the EU. `Even if Turkey overcomes the Greek veto in the EU now she will come face to face with the Greek Cypriot veto�, Tinc warns.

She then criticizes Denktas�s intransigent stand and says: �He is committing a mistake. This bargaining style has lost its effectiveness and its credibility, burning the ships tactics is not effective anymore�, Ferai Tinc stresses.

�News come in that if the talks resume in New York, proposals are prepared that will attract the Turkish side�s interest, such as giving veto rights to Turks within the EU.

Turkey should convince Denktas to return to the negotiation table before the EU progress report on Turkey will be drafted. Turkey should tell this openly.

The Cyprus problem has no room for showpiece statements and efforts. If Turkey and the TRNC take drastic steps that will demonstrate that they are the side that wants a solution, only then could they keep the bargaining power in their hands.

Otherwise, one day someone comes and dictates certain things. In that case , in a strong manner, people will ask for those to account for this.

From whom? From those who brand people opposing the Cyprus policy as traitors and consider only their policies right�, Ferai Tinc concludes.

[10] Avrupa on Turkey`s defence at the UN Sub-committee on Human Rights

�The UN Sub-committee for Human Rights accuses Turkey, because she violates the human rights in Cyprus. Turkey, which is one of the most priviledged convicted states of the European Court of Human Rights, defends herself against these accusations. She tries to refute the allegations.

One of the allegations regards the population brought to the island from Turkey. What does Turkey say? This population has been brought in order to fill the lack of workers in the island!

We could not know how this view, which is in the document distributed by the Turkish delegation, has been accepted at the UN, but we here have found it absurd.

It means that we had a lack of workers and Turkey has filled this. It means that there is work here, but there are no people to work. Amazing! When a man hears these fallacies, he wants to cry out. Ey you what is happening!

If there is a lot of work for us here, then why have people gone to London? Why have they taken the way to Australia? Has the Turkish delegation to the UN an idea on this issue? Why for three vacancies here there are 900 applicants? Why do the young people who finish the university think broody. Why does everyone join the queue to take his unemployment salary? And why is the lowest wage so ridiculous?

What is the benefit of Turkey`s saying these lies at places where we are not present? Is there anyone in the world who does not know? After 1974 Turkey melt the Turks in Northern Cyprus. A long time ago the number of those who have been brought form Turkey is much more than the Turkish Cypriots. Did we have such a big shortage of workers?

At the UN Turkey has been also accused of destroying the cultural heritage in the North. She will be accused further on this matter. Here is the last example: The Thermiotissa church in Thermia. .. For how many days now we keep writing. Go and have a look at this church. On its walls there is a writing saying `let he who enters here not go out without shit`. Now the church is being turned into a night club. This unique place which has a view to the mountains and to the sea, for some reason, has been rent for three million lira per month!

The world may not believe the committee at the UN. However, it must believe me. Because I am a Turkish Cypriot. And I know how Turkey shows disrespect to the human rights here. After all, if she respected the human rights, would she have organized the plots against our journalists and against Cakourmas?�.

KV/SK

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