Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 08-11-28

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by Mehmet Ali Talat in Turkey: The TRNC will continue to exist

[02] The Russian ambassador to Ankara stated that he sees absolutely no reason for any distress regarding the memorandum between Cyprus and Russia

[03] Soyer called on President Christofias to become a serious statesman

[04] Reactions to the opening of placards during the Anorthosis Famagusta - Werder Bremen football match continue; Afrika: The whole world saw this vandalism

[05] The Turkish Cypriot football federation wants to become a member of the Cyprus Football Association, but to act independently from it

[06] KTOS accuses the Turkish side of consciously transferring population to the island and putting the schools into a difficult situation

[07] The agreement regarding Turkeys giving a credit of $183.071.000 to the breakaway regime has entered into effect

[08] Efforts for the establishment of a new political party are under way in the occupied areas of Cyprus

[09] Two young Turkish Cypriots were arrested and taken to court yesterday because they insulted Mehmet Ali Talat on the Face Book

[10] The terrorists in Mumbai separated the Turks from their other hostages

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[11] From the Turkish Press of 27 November 2008

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by Mehmet Ali Talat in Turkey: The TRNC will continue to exist

Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (28.11.08) reports that Mr Talat addressed a conference in Izmir under the title The latest developments in Cyprus and the negotiating process. Mr Talat alleged that the Turkish Cypriot side is negotiating with all its capacity and will at this stage for finding a solution, but President Christofias says I am President, I have other duties as well and I cannot neglect them and does not carry out full-fledged negotiations in the real sense.

Mr Talat alleged the following: The Greek Cypriot side is extremely relaxed because it is a member of the EU and it does not need the solution as much as we do. We want the solution as a financial necessity, as a necessity of the everyday life.

Mr Talat also said, inter alia, the following:

With the victory of Christofias in the elections, serious changes started in the tendency of the Greek Cypriot side. At least it was possible for the negotiations to start. Before his election we were discussing with Christofias on the basis of the Annan Plan. After his election he made the Annan Plan abstract. I cannot discuss the Annan Plan, he said. The Greek Cypriot side is trying to change the ground of the negotiations through other ways, going through side roads. For example, it has signed an agreement with Britain. He made Britain accept its own views on issues which we have been discussing. Britain is an important country, a guarantor country, permanent member of the UN Security Council, the country that prepares all the drafts of the decisions of the Security Council. They have signed an agreement with Russia. There will be a Cypriot solution, says (Christofias). However, he takes Russia by his side and tries to change the ground. What kind of Cypriot solution is this? It is obvious that in this manner he is showing his intention to play with time. .

Finally, Mr Talat said that the transformation of the Republic of Cyprus into a new state is unacceptable and it is not in harmony with our honor and the realities. He reiterated the view that the new state should be formed with the principle of virgin birth. He argued that the guarantees of Turkey should continue and noted that they do not accept the guarantees of the EU, the UN and Britain. Mr Talat said that there is possibility for a solution since they are negotiating and expressed the view that this possibility is high. He argued that this will be the last chance for a solution.

(I/Ts.)

[02] The Russian ambassador to Ankara stated that he sees absolutely no reason for any distress regarding the memorandum between Cyprus and Russia

(I/Ts.)

[03] Soyer called on President Christofias to become a serious statesman

According to a statement issued by his office, Mr Soyer said: The most important point in becoming a statesman is by not showing an agreement he made according to the parts which suits himself and his job. He noted that the 23rd of May agreement provides for a common state in Cyprus with a single international representation.

He added: The Turkish Cypriot Founding State and the Greek Cypriot Founding State will be under the roof of this common state. These will be two states with equal status. Two founding states and this mechanism will be in federal principles based on the bi-zonality and the bi-communal political equality, that is, they will function according to the UN parameters which Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side have been supporting until today.

Meanwhile, in statements after his meeting with Hubertus Heil, general secretary of the German Social Democrat party (SPD) and Claudia Roth, co-chairperson of the German Greens Party, Mr Soyer accused the Greek Cypriot side and Greece of having a very wrong propaganda mechanism and of trying to give information which distorts the facts. He said that the SPD told them that it will evaluated the information the Turkish Cypriot delegation gave to it during their meeting regarding the wrong Greek propaganda.

Mr Soyer said the Turkish side has suggested to the Germans to visit the island and see both sides, because we believe that no propaganda can substitute the realities. Moreover he thanked that Greens Party for the support it provides to the Turkish Cypriots. He noted that the Turkish Cypriots do not want much. We want our political equality and to take our position in Europe as people having equal rights with the Greek Cypriots. This is the only thing we want, he concluded.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Reactions to the opening of placards during the Anorthosis Famagusta - Werder Bremen football match continue; Afrika: The whole world saw this vandalism

In its sports pages the paper reports that the Clubs Union in the occupied areas reacted to the above-mentioned activity and stated that in the matches to be played in the occupied areas this weekend they will also open placards writing Let us keep football outside politics and they will send a protest letter to FIFA and UEFA.

The self-styled minister of foreign affairs, Turgay Avci said they regret to see that the Greek Cypriot supporters used a social activity for their political goals. The Turkish vice-president of UEFA, Senes Erzik stated: Such a thing is not possible. If the Greek Cypriot team undertakes such an activity by saying we have taken permission from UEFA and implemented it, it will be punished.

Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (28.11.08) refers to the issue under the title The whole world saw this vandalism and publishes a picture of an abandoned block in the occupied closed city of Varosha. Why are you angry with Anorthosis? If it were you, would you not do the same demonstration for your conquered city which has been surrendered to the snakes and the centipedes for 34 years, wonders the paper.

Under the title Return to Varosha now, at once, Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (28.11.08) also reports that the general secretary of the New Cyprus Party (YKP), Murat Kanatli reacted to the statements made in the Turkish side on the above-mentioned football match and argued that the demand for return to Varosha is not a demand only by the Greek Cypriots but by all Cypriots. Mr Kanatli reminded that the YKP has organized a campaign on this issue and supports the campaigns organized for this.

(I/Ts.)

[05] The Turkish Cypriot football federation wants to become a member of the Cyprus Football Association, but to act independently from it

In an interview with Turkish Milliyet newspaper, Mr Adal said that they want the establishment of a joint committee after becoming a CFA member. Representatives of the Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, FIFA and UEFA will be participating in this committee. The issues regarding the international matches of the Turkish Cypriot teams will be decided by this committee, not by the CFA. Thus the Turkish side wants to act independently from the CFA. The Turkish Cypriot teams and football players will acquire the status of CFA member.

Our approach to the solution of the sports embargo applied to Cyprus should be sporting. And we shall do this, said Mr Adal.

(I/Ts.)

[06] KTOS accuses the Turkish side of consciously transferring population to the island and putting the schools into a difficult situation

(I/Ts.)

[07] The agreement regarding Turkeys giving a credit of $183.071.000 to the breakaway regime has entered into effect

Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (28.11.08) reports that the economy, finance, budget and planning self-styled parliamentary committee adopted with majority the budget of the so-called ministry of environment and natural resources for 2009. The budget is 68.600.601 Turkish liras (TL). The committee approved also the budget of the accounting bureau as being 3.211.316 TL.

(I/Ts.)

[08] Efforts for the establishment of a new political party are under way in the occupied areas of Cyprus

(I/Ts.)

[09] Two young Turkish Cypriots were arrested and taken to court yesterday because they insulted Mehmet Ali Talat on the Face Book

(I/Ts.)

[10] The terrorists in Mumbai separated the Turks from their other hostages

According to the paper, there were no Turkish citizens in the victims of the bombings. Specifically, a Turk who succeeded to get out of the attacks said: The armed persons said that they did not have any problems with us [the Turks] and told us to wait to the next room quietly. The terrorist placed the Turkish citizens in a different room from the others and gave us permission to talk on the phone.

(EA)

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[11] From the Turkish Press of 27 November 2008

a) Chador-Wearing Women in CHP

Similar to the way that Bulent Ecevit had made a terrible mistake by forming a coalition government with an Islamist party in 1973, Deniz Baykal is currently making a terrible mistake by allowing the membership of chador-wearing women in the Republican People's Party, CHP, says Rahmi Turan in an article in Hurriyet and recalls that in reaction to Baykal's "overture" Prime Minister Erdogan noted that the CHP has finally begun to see Turkey's reality. Is Turkey's reality staying away from civilization, asks Turan and underlines that the majority of those who vote for the CHP agree that just like the Islamic headdress the chador is also the symbol of reactionism. Stressing that Turkey has been going backward since the foundation of the republic, Turan says: "If this is true, this is the shame of all us. We were not able to take our country forward. Nonetheless we should at least make efforts to ensure that it does not go backward."

Citing Deniz Baykal as saying that according to an opinion poll conducted by the "Political Researcher Strategy Development Center" on 21-23 November 77% of those who vote for the CHP described the party's overture to conservative sectors as a positive initiative, Hurriyet's Ertugrul Ozkok explains in an article that the poll shows that the majority of those who vote for other parties have also found the CHP's move positive. In my opinion the results are very important because they show that regardless of who takes them, the majority of the people look favorably at steps that are taken with the aim of eliminating the current tension, points out Ozkok, adding: "There is no doubt that the CHP should also take other steps. It should show a large sector of the society that it is a 'manageable' party. The program and the regulation of the party will be changed prior to the local elections. The party organs will adopt an administration style that will leave behind the old Soviet-style collective responsibility understanding and that will put individual achievements to the fore. I am saying that positive developments are occurring in the CHP and it is necessary to support them."

The Islamic headdress has been turned into a political symbol by certain political parties notes Milliyet columnist Fikret Bila in an article and stresses that the people mistakenly believe that all women who cover their heads vote for the Justice and Development Party, AKP, while women who do not cover their heads vote for the CHP. The fact that Prime Minister Erdogan has welcome uncovered women to the AKP and the fact CHP Chairman Baykal has attached the CHP's badge on the collars of chador-wearing women may assist in breaking this prejudice and may function as a tool that will minimize the division of the society into women who cover their heads and women who do not, argues Bila and emphasizes that Baykal's stand should be viewed as a step that will contribute to unity, rather than polarization. The principles, the goals, and the policies of both the CHP and the AKP are public knowledge, says Bila, adding: "If the CHP starts speaking in favor of females covering themselves, the criticism leveled against Baykal will be appropriate. Otherwise, it is impossible to say that the CHP's views about secularity or the Islamic headdress have changed."

The problem is not the membership of chador-wearing women in the CHP, but Baykal's lack of credibility, maintains Hasan Cemal in an article in the same newspaper and draws attention to the fact that Baykal is still the chairman of the CHP despite his failure to win the elections during the past 16 years. We are talking about a Baykal who has saluted the memorandum issued by the military, who adapts his political line regarding certain issues to the line of the soldiers, who refuses to utter the words "Kurdish problem," and who speaks in defense of the Ergenekon gang, asserts Cemal, underlining that under the current circumstances an alternative will never be found to Erdogan in the CHP.

Citing EU's Joost Lagendijk as saying that given the CHP leader's previous comments on the Islamic headdress and the chador he was very surprised with Deniz Baykal's chador overture, Emre Akoz in a commentary in Sabah notes that the EU official is still not certain about whether Baykal is sincere or whether this is a maneuver that aims to ensure more votes for the CHP in the local elections. he should see, however, that the CHP is the party of the bureaucratic elite and that it functions as the spokesman of this group in the political arena, notes Akoz, adding: "And given this fact, it is clear that the Islamic headdress issue is a political rather than a social issue. If the problem were sociological, we would not have such a problem. Both the street (social relations) and the ballot box (the reflection of the people's preferences on politics) indicate this. Given that the problem has been created politically, it does not have a real content and given that they do not rely on the people, their principles do not tie their hands. And therefore our politicians are able to move from 'white' to 'black' and from 'yes' to 'no' in a pace the astonishes the Europeans.

Criticizing the CHP for enabling the membership of chador-wearing women just for the sake of votes, Cuneyt Arcayurek, in a commentary in Cumhuriyet also refers to Baykal's statement to the effect that "they allow the membership of those who announce that they have no problems with the state, secularity, the republic, or Ataturk." Under such circumstances there is no reason not to enable women who wear the Islamic headdress or the black chador to become doctors or nurses in public hospitals, teachers, civil servants, or judges, argues Arcayurek adding: "This criterion which the CHP chairman has placed for the membership of women with Islamic headdress or chador in the CHP may also be valid in the public sector with a legal amendment or a simple amendment in the regulations.

Similar to the way that the AKP continues to support the use of the Islamic headdress in spite of the uncovered women who join the party, the CHP will not assume a different identity by accepting the admission of chador-wearing women, stresses Cumhuriyet's Mustafa Balbay in a commentary. The CHP should request votes from all social sectors including women with chadors and the Islamic headdress and when doing this it should not feel obliged to include all the sectors of the society, asserts Balbay, adding: "It is not beneficial in terms of Ataturk's Turkey to target the CHP just because it has made such an overture." Balbay underlines that if the CHP wants to come to power, rather than including all the sectors of the society, it should aim to reach all the social sectors.

In an article entitled "A Normalized CHP is a Normalized Turkey" Yeni Safak columnist Yasin Dogan argues that the CHP's significance as a political party is not limited to its share of the vote and that a transformation of the CHP mindset of the sort heralded by the CHP leader's recent moves and statements would be vitally important for Turkish political life since the CHP mentality is reflected in the "nerve centers" of society and the state. Dogan goes on to emphasize the "historic" significance of Baykal's "recognition of the fact that some 70 percent of women in this country wear headscarves," his disclosure that he is not against veiling, and his declaration that women wearing chadors do not present a threat to the regime.

b) Local Elections

In an article Hurriyet columnist Cuneyt Ulsever emphasizes that on the eve of the local elections the AKP, the CHP, and the Nationalist Action Party, MHP, should join forces in order to resolve Turkey's major problems. It is necessary to remove the ban on the Islamic headdress in the universities, to enable the students who attend vocational schools to go to the university, to ban the use of religious symbols in the public sector, to turn the compulsory religion course into a course on all the faiths and religions, to accept the community houses as worship places, to grant the religious leaders of community houses equal rights as imams, to allow Kurdish broadcasting, and to enable education in the mother tongue, underlines Ulsever, adding: "I believe that these proposals will lead to a meaningful relaxation in Turkey. Furthermore they will take away the Islamic headdress card from the AKP, the Alevi card from the CHP, and the Kurdish card from the Democratic Society Party, DTP."

For the fist time the AKP will have to render serious accounts to the voters in the local elections in March 2009, argues Okay Gonensin in an article in Vatan, adding: "Therefore the amount of votes that will be received by the AKP in the elections will show how the accounts are viewed by the people. The upcoming local elections therefore have a dimension that goes beyond local elections." Recalling that Turgut Ozal's Motherland Party had faced a similar situation in 1989, Gonensin says: "The Turkish people know how to punish at the ballot box."

The AKP, whose popularity rate is dropping due to corruption and the economic crisis, has adopted a nationalist stand, the MHP which has ignored the Alevis' problems for many years is pursuing a new policy entitled the "Alevi Overture," the CHP which had described the Islamic headdress and the chador as political symbols has opened its doors to conservative voters, and the DTP which owes its existence to the Kurdish issue is embracing the religious card, asserts Mustafa Mutlu in a 650-word article in the same newspaper. Accusing all the political parties of adopting Machiavellian principles and concealing their true views, Mutlu states that there is an uncertainty about the views of each and every party, adding: "There is no (visible) difference between the political parties. All the colors have turned to grey. This is called political degeneration and this is the greatest obstacle before democracy!"

c) Deniz Feneri-Lighthouse Case

Stressing that the reasoned verdict of the Deniz Feneri case maintains that Zahid Akman, chairman of the Radio and Television High Council, RTUK, was involved in the fraudulent activities of the organization, Gungor Mengi in an article in Vatan stresses that Akman's involvement primarily harms the AKP government. Questioning why the AKP agrees to carry this load, Mengi asks whether Deniz Feneri a deeper organization that it appears to be or whether those who have engaged in fraud have merely carried out the instructions of the party. Does the AKP avoid wasting Akman due to the fact that it is scared that the RTUK chairman may expose various secrets, asks Mengi, adding: "Even if this is true, it is impossible for the AKP to keep Akman in office for until the elections, when he will be able to be elected deputy and enjoy the benefits of political immunity. Neither will the AKP be able to numb the society's conscience for three years."

Vatan's Mehmet Tezkan, commenting on the reasoned verdict released by the German court, questions whether Akman will continue to occupy his post and how the government will react to the verdict. Will it continue to remain a spectator, will it try to cover up the case, will it protect those who were involved in the fraudulent acts, or will it try to cover the case greatest fraud case in German history, asks Tezkan and says: "Zahid Akman should not sit in that chair even for one more day! He should go home voluntarily before someone tells him to go. He is currently resisting, but do not worry he cannot resist for long."

d) Kurdish Issue - Abdullah Ocalan

Mehmet Ali Birand in an article in Hurriyet Daily lists the reasons for the government decision to send several more prisoners to Imrali. Drawing attention to the criticism leveled by the opposition against the government for surrendering to the EU's demands regarding Ocalan, Birand notes that "he does not understand why the administration acts as if it is guilty and why it does not take steps to enlighten the public." Birand stresses that EU officials believe that Turkey is doing the right and that they do no understand "why hell is being raised."

Whether we like it or not the DTP is very powerful in the southeast and we have a terrorism problem that cannot be resolved only with military methods, says Sabah columnist Ergun Babahan in a commentary. This is a problem that should also be resolved with its economic and social dimensions, says Babahan, noting: "After reaching an agreement on basic principles we should sit at the same table with these and we should talk to them." Noting that despite the fact that Turkey has ignored its basic problems and their representatives for many years, these problems have not disappeared, Babahan also refers to the CHP's chador overture and the MHP's Alevi overture. As a grown up country Turkey is strengthening its democratic foundations, says Babahan and adds: "Yes the people are suffering, they are paying a price, but the need for change is inevitably felt by everyone. Change that rises from the bottom is more powerful than change that is imposed from the top. Those who adapt to this change will remain on their feet, those who cannot will eventually melt and disappear."

Recalling that Abdullah Ocalan's lawyers had requested permission to give their client the indictment of the Ergenekon case due to the fact that his name is mentioned in the text, Murat Yetkin in an article in Radikal notes that the Imrali Prison Education Council Chairmanship has rejected the request and adds that there is also a court decision in this regard. Despite the fact that I do not want to draw attention to cause and effect, when we look at the calendar we see that the court decision coincided with the comprehensive search conducted in Ocalan's cell following the Aktutun attack, with the allegations made by his lawyers and the DTP to the effect that Ocalan is being maltreated, and with the incidents that erupted during Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's visit in the southeast, asserts Yetkin. Referring to Ergenekon indictment, Yetkin questions whether the Education Council rejected the request because the indictment includes information that the council in question does not want Ocalan to see and adds: "The Ergenekon case as well as the developments associated with Ocalan and the PKK are gradually becoming more interesting."

e) Greater Middle East Project, (GMEP)

Four years after the announcement of the Greater Middle East Project (GMEP), former CIA Chairman Graham Fuller, in an interview to the BBC in Turkish, noted that the project in question has turned into a major disaster, explains Erdal Safak in his commentary in Sabah and details the initial goals of the project. "The GMEP has finished. Only cliches such as 'preventive intervention,' 'war on terror,' 'creative chaos' whose meanings are now understood and a Middle East that is dispersed in this chaos have remained behind. Bush has begun to sign the pardon decrees during his last five weeks at the White House. He is pardoning the sentences of some of the convicts. However the 600 million people who live in the GMEP region will never pardon him!"

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