Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-08-26

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Rauf Denktas is preparing to ask the Greek Cypriots to pay the bill for the destruction he has caused to Cyprus in co-operation with Turkey

[02] Talat calls the occupied areas of an EU member state a free country. He alleges that the conditions are not ready for free trade though the line drawn by Turkish troops; Decision on the trade in Cyprus

[03] The Missing Persons Committee has once again cancelled its meeting

[04] Turkish Generals discussed Cyprus at a NSC meeting yesterday

[05] PUM: "This Country is Ours Platform" has abandoned its aim and principles

[06] "IHD: First village evacuation in three years"

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[07] Columnist in Turkish paper argues that Turkey will pay the price for the buildings in the properties of Greek Cypriots

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Rauf Denktas is preparing to ask the Greek Cypriots to pay the bill for the destruction he has caused to Cyprus in co-operation with Turkey

Recalling that the Greek Cypriots are visiting the Apostolos Andreas Monastery in Karpasia in return for the Turkish Cypriots being allowed to visit the Hala Sultan Mosque and pointing out that there is a balance here, Denktas said: "I read it in the newspaper today. A well-meaning citizen said, 'If we can go to Hala Sultan, they should be able to come to their church.' We already balanced our right to go to Hala Sultan with their [the Greek Cypriots'] right to come to Apostolos Andreas. No holes in national causes and fronts should be opened through acts of goodwill. The Greek Cypriots have plenty of churches. Every church has a special day. Every priest wants to return to his church now. If you read reports of how the priest in Istanbul supports these people, you will easily see that from the standpoint of the Greek Cypriots, opening churches by carrying congregations to places where they do not have congregations is a political activity." Denktas said that he hopes that if the Greek Cypriots come for the worship service, the day will be uneventful and that no disturbances and acts of violence will take place.

Denktas also said that claims for damages will be filed against the Greek Cypriots for alleged attacks on the island against the Turkish Cypriots and that the necessary preparations for this have reached the last stage, adding that no compensation will nevertheless heal the psychological trauma from which the Turkish Cypriots have been suffering for the past 30 years.

[02] Talat calls the occupied areas of an EU member state a free country. He alleges that the conditions are not ready for free trade though the line drawn by Turkish troops; Decision on the trade in Cyprus

Speaking before entering the meeting, Mr Talat said that work was continuing for a few days on the Green Line Regulation and added that measures that will ease trade between the two sides will be determined and put to a regulation.

Alleging that the Greek Cypriots were preventing the movement of goods from the occupied to the free areas of Cyprus and threatening the ships using occupied Famagusta Port that they will be taken to a black list, he said free trade could only be possible with a European Commission regulation.

Explaining that the old regulation on trade between the two sides was prohibiting trade from both directions, he reminded that the so-called Council of Ministers had freed trade from the "north" to the "south" when it accepted the Green Line Regulation.

Mr Talat added that yesterday the "Council" would decide on regulations of trade from the free to the occupied areas of Cyprus.

Referring to the religious ceremony the Greek Cypriots are to hold at Saint Mamas Church in occupied Morphou, Mr Talat said that his so-called government had given permission for the ceremony and added that everyone should respect it.

Stressing that threats and provocations will not serve the interest of the "State", he said: "Such threats will be harmful to the State as we are trying to prove to the world that we have a free country".

Meanwhile, according to Turkish Cypriot KIBRIS newspaper (26.08.04) Mr Talat said, responding to questions, that he might visit Brussels when the Free Trade Regulations will be discussed at the EU organs, but he added that nothing is final yet on this issue.

The paper writes also that the so-called Council of Ministers decided to permit, in stages, goods from the free areas of Cyprus to be transferred to the occupied areas. At the first stage only semi-manufactured products will be allowed to enter the occupied areas. A list of these products will be prepared by the so-called ministry of economy. Animals and animal products could be transferred to the occupied areas upon permission by the regime.

KIBRIS reports that in statements after the meeting, the so-called minister of Economy, Dervis Kemal Deniz said: "If the regulations for direct trade with the EU have a result in our favour in September, the trade from the south to the north will be very relieved, especially for goods coming from the EU".

[03] The Missing Persons Committee has once again cancelled its meeting

The committee which was due to meet on Monday had rescheduled its meeting for today but once again cancelled it.

In a statement today to the illegal TAK news agency, the Turkish Cypriot member of the Committee Rustem Tatar said that the sides in Cyprus couldn't agree on where the DNA tests would take place and that's why the committee could not convene for a meeting.

He added that currently it wasn't possible to say when the committee would meet.

The United Nations and Greek Cypriot officials had stipulated that the Centre for Genetics and Neurology in the free areas of Cyprus be used for DNA tests whereas the Turkish Cypriot side wants to use the Centre jointly and have a say on the issues.

[04] Turkish Generals discussed Cyprus at a NSC meeting yesterday

The paper notes that regarding Cyprus, the NSC evaluated the situation after the referendums and the fact that the international community has allegedly not kept its promises to the occupiers of Cyprus.

According to the paper, the NSC has established the following: 1) Ankara is face to face with the recognition of the Republic of Cyprus within the framework of Turkey's relations with the EU. 2) The Greek Cypriots and Greece have in their hands the "veto" trump card for Turkey getting a date for its accession negotiations with the EU. 3) Having acquired the support of the EU, the Greek Cypriot side might impose a solution to the Cyprus problem before December 2004 by demanding more than it has been given to it with the Annan Plan. The demands of the Greek Cypriot side, according to the NSC, might be related to the withdrawal of Turkish occupation troops from Cyprus, the withdrawal of the settlers illegally brought into the island from Turkey after the 1974 invasion, the annulment of the Treaty of Guarantee, putting forward the argument that no foreign country could guarantee the security of an EU member country and the Turkish Cypriots to become a minority in the Republic of Cyprus.

Meanwhile, according to Turkish HURRIYET (26.08.04), during the meeting of the NSC a paper prepared by the Foreign Ministry regarding the common stance of Ankara and the Turkish Cypriots on the Cyprus problem from now on was distributed to the members of the Council.

Furthermore, Turkish Daily News (26.08.04, Internet version) reports that another issue that dominated the meeting was the recent developments concerning the ending of the international economic "isolation" of the Turkish Cypriots. The issue was also presented by the Foreign Ministry.

[05] PUM: "This Country is Ours Platform" has abandoned its aim and principles

In a written statement issued by the Party's Executive Council, the Movement accused the Platform of "getting signals" from the Republican Turkish Party before acting, instead of consulting with its members.

PUM expressed also the opinion that the Platform "has receded from its aim and principles".

[06] "IHD: First village evacuation in three years"

"A Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) investigation report states security forces have forcibly evacuated Sirnak's Ilicak village in southeastern Turkey. 'About 350 villagers were ordered to leave last month, allegedly because they could potentially supply Kurdish rebels', it read.

IHD Deputy Chairman Reyhan Yalcindag said: 'The right to own property was infringed in Ilicak. When we visited we saw a tent city 600 metres from the village, which portrayed a horrible situation. 343 people are close to starving in squalid conditions'.

An armed conflict between security forces and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists died down with a unilateral cease-fire when PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was captured in 1999. Official figures show more than 3,600 ethnic Kurdish villages in Turkey were forcibly emptied during the 15 years of fighting. During the cease-fire forced-evacuations waned, however, after the PKK ended the cease-fire, armed conflicts escalated two months ago.

Yalcindag said: 'Most of the unjustly treated people are women and children. At the beginning they were forced to settle near their village, but were then forced further away. The aim is to force them to leave completely'.

Yalcindag asked for the authorities to monitor health, saying villagers were living in unhealthy conditions and should be allowed to live in their home village".

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[07] Columnist in Turkish paper argues that Turkey will pay the price for the buildings in the properties of Greek Cypriots

Today, at the start of the 21st century they continue to build in the properties of the murdered, evicted or missing Greek Cypriots at such an unjust manner that even Turkish and Turkish Cypriot journalists do not remain unaffected.

Metin Murin, columnist in mainland Vatan newspaper on 25 August publishes the following commentary on the issue, under the title: "Turkey will pay the price for the constructions in the TRNC":

"If you come to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus these days you will not come across an island, you will see a resort.

In the heat of August workers, the majority of whom were transported from Turkey, are incessantly building holiday homes, especially in the area of Kyrenia.

I believe that no country of the Mediterranean basin has experienced such feverish construction in such a short period.

The houses, most of which are sold before the project starts, are bought almost entirely by foreigners who wish to own a holiday or retirement dwelling.

Compared to one year ago the purchases of immovable properties increased by five times in 2002 reaching 290 thousand square meters. This number was doubled in 2003 reaching 613 thousand square meters.

The British are 80% of the buyers and the rest German, Israelis and Turkish Republic citizens.

The construction sector set a record in the growth rate of the TRNC economy. According to information from a Cypriot banker friend of mine in the last 12 months two billion dollars were transferred in the accounts of property development companies in the TRNC from abroad.

My friend said: "To our bank alone for a year now 500,000 pounds sterling come every week".

If we consider that the total exports of the TRNC do not exceed 30 million pounds sterling then we understand better the size of these sums.

From the political point of view this construction may render impossible the solution, which already is difficult. Because the buildings are erected almost entirely in land left behind by Greek Cypriots who fled to the South in 1974.

By accepting the decisions of various international courts and the Annan plan the Turkish side accepted that the properties of the Greek Cypriots in the TRNC do not belong to the Turks.

Sooner or later the Greek Cypriots will demand through international courts the equivalent of their properties and they will get it. The day the invoice comes it will be put before Turkey which watches the building activities unmoved but in fact indirectly encourages them.

Turkey cannot escape the responsibility because all the property sales to foreigners are one by one sold with the approval of the TRNC Council of Ministers. Since Turkey supports and holds the TRNC on its feet the international law holds Turkey responsible for the legal and executive actions there.

How many times the properties of the Greek Cypriots change hand and who is the last owner are not at all important. The right of the holder of the title deed of an immovable property cannot be eliminated if that property changes hand through illegal means."

Mr Metin Munir covers the issue of the sale to foreigners of the stolen Greek Cypriot properties in his column in Vatan on 26/08/04 as well.

Mr Metin Munir, inter alia, writes the following: "A large portion of the 37% of the island on which the TRNC is founded are properties of the Greek Cypriots.

With the encouragement of Turkey these properties were distributed to Turkish Cypriots and Turks who came from Turkey after the 1974 operation.

This distribution was illegal. According to the international law the right of the Greek Cypriots, who abandoned their homes after the 1974 operation, over their properties is still valid.

Nothing changes the legal status of the Greek Cypriot properties before the international law in spite of the fact that they deserved the tragedy of 1974, the Turkish Cypriots abandoned properties in the South and the Turkish Cypriots accepted the Annan plan while the Greeks rejected it".

The columnist goes on stressing that from information he possesses the so-called Council of Ministers of Mr Mehmet Ali Talat proceeds without delay and obstacles approving the sale of Greek Cypriot properties to foreigners but for the properties belonging to Turkish Cypriots the approach is different so that Turkish Cypriot properties are not sold to foreigners.

Mr Munir repeats that the real owners and proprietors of the Greek Cypriot houses and land are the holders of the original title deeds, that the title deeds given by the occupation regime are illegal and concludes: "Turkey, which recognizes the European Courts and wishes to start accession negotiations with the EU next year, cannot be cleared of any political or legal responsibility.

While the Turkish Cypriots are selling the properties getting rich, Turkey is buying a very big headache. Responsible for the Greek Cypriot properties is not the TRNC - nobody recognizes it - but Turkey.

For this reason it will be to the benefit of Ankara to re-examine the building rush in the island".

EG/

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