TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
No.
85/13 08/05/13
CONTENTS
1.
The occupation regime continues granting “citizenship” to Turkish settlers
2.
Talat: Turkey could not enter into the EU without a solution to the Cyprus
problem
3. Elcil criticized Atalay for his latest statements
4. Australia High
Commissioner visited the “mayor” of occupied Lefkosia
6.
“PKK pullout starts with controversies”
7. International
Defense Industry Fair begins in Istanbul
8. Erdogan
says Israel's strike on Syria ‘absolutely unacceptable'
9. The private TV channel AS TV in the occupied area of
Cyprus stops its broadcasting
10. Products that contained
pork meat were destroyed
1. The
occupation regime continues granting “citizenship” to Turkish settlers
Under the title “26 citizenships in two days”, Turkish
Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (08.05.13) reports that the self-styled
government of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of
Cyprus has granted the “citizenship” of the regime to another ten persons with
its recent decision. The other day, the “council of ministers” had granted the
“citizenship” to another 16 persons.
Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (08.05.13)
refers to the same issue under the title “16 ‘citizens’ more in one meeting!”
The paper reports that the “cabinet” approved the “citizenship” of 16 persons
during its meeting of 22 April 2013.
According to the paper, the National Unity Party (UBP)
self-styled government has totally distributed the “citizenship” of the regime
to 5.617 persons within the period 1 May 2009 - 8 February 2013. The paper
writes also that in every meeting of the “council of ministers” 15-20 persons
are granted the “citizenship” of the regime. The decision of granting the
“citizenship” to 16 persons was published in the “official gazette” on 2 May
2013.
According to the paper, the fact that 15-20 persons
are granted the “citizenship” in every meeting is strengthening the allegations
that the number of 5.617 new “citizens”, which had officially been announced by
the UBP “government”, will reach 10.000 by the end of this year. The paper
publishes the names of the 16 new “citizens”, most of whose are born in Turkey.
(I/Ts.)
2. Talat:
Turkey could not enter into the EU without a solution to the Cyprus problem
Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (08.05.13)
reports that the former Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat has claimed
that Turkey really wants a solution to the Cyprus problem and that it shows
this since 2003. Responding to a question during a TV program on illegal
Bayrak, Talat alleged that Turkey realizes the importance of the solution and
added that it is obvious that without a solution to the Cyprus problem Turkey
could not enter into the European Union. Talat noted that in parallel to this,
the Cyprus problem poisons Turkey’s all international relations and this is
clearly seen in every step.
Assessing the view that the United States of America
has stepped in the Cyprus problem, Talat said that he also saw that America’s
interest is increasing. He noted that he had held a meeting with an American
diplomat six months ago and he saw that the US had no interest in Cyprus then.
Talat argued that the reason of America’s current interest in Cyprus is related
to the improvement of the relations between Turkey and Israel by America, the
increasing role of Turkey in the area and Turkey’s EU accession process.
Referring to the economic situation in the occupied
area of Cyprus, Talat said that if Turkey had not given money to the breakaway
regime, the situation in occupied area would have been much worse than the one
in government-controlled area of the island and that they should act having all
these in mind.
(I/Ts.)
3. Elcil criticized Atalay for his latest statements
Turkish
Cypriot daily Ortam newspaper (08.05.13) reports that the general secretary of
KTOS trade union Sener Elcil, in a written statement yesterday, accused Turkey
and the Turkish officials for not respecting the will of the Turkish Cypriots.
Issuing
a written statement, Elcil accused the AKP government in Turkey and Turkey’s
Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalaty for his latest statement and said: “You are
a Colony Minister that you have violated the international law with this
separatist system you have created after 1974 and you will continue to be the
puppet of the governments here”.
Elcil
went on and accused the Turkish government for administrating the “northern
part of the island as a colonial power”. He said also that Atalay who is
visiting the island “every week”, gives instructions to the “officials” of the
UBP, adding that Atalay, in the framework of the integration and assimilation
policy followed by Turkey, pokes his nose into their matters, exactly like a
Colonel.
He
went on and said that Atalay had visited the occupation regime after the UBP
congress, since he felt uncomfortable after the disputes for the chair which
were taking place in the UBP party, and during his visit, as he said, gave
instructions to Kucuk.
AK
4. Australia High
Commissioner visited the “mayor” of occupied Lefkosia
Turkish
Cypriot daily Yeniduzen (08.05.13) reports that the Australian High
Commissioner to Cyprus Trevor Peacock visited yesterday the newly elected
so-called mayor in the occupied part of Lefkosia Kadri Fellahoglu. During the
meeting, they discussed the problems and the projects in the “municipality” as
well as the Cyprus problem.
Peacock
said that 20 thousands Turkish Cypriots live in Australia, adding that
Australia High Commission has also an office in the occupied part of the
Republic of Cyprus. Furthermore, Peacock said that Australia is one of the few
countries, which also has a special representative for Cyprus affairs. He also
wished that the Cyprus talks resume the soonest possible.
Fellahoglu,
for his part, said Australia is a very important country for the Turkish
Cypriots, adding that they are getting ready to organize joint culture
activities with the Australia High Commission.
5. Turkish
columnist suggest that US interest on the solution of the Cyprus problem
increased
Under the title “Is US back in Cyprus diplomacy?”,
columnist Yusul Kanli publishes the following article in Turkish Hurriyet Daily
News (08.05.13):
“A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement a while ago
escaped the attention it deserved. That statement was stressing that Turkish
and American top diplomats were meeting very frequently. Issues were so intense
that, though they had 10 or so telephone talks within a week, there were many
issues they did not complete discussing. Thus, they decided to come together in
Istanbul for a face to face meeting. It was extraordinary for an American
Secretary of State to visit a country three times in a few weeks. But, that was
what apparently what Secretary of State John Kerry understood from proactive
foreign policy. Troubleshooting required concentration and effort; he was
ready. Furthermore, managing problems was over for Kerry, it was now time to
bring about solutions.
The success of the Israeli ‘apology’ and ‘resolution’
of the ‘Semitism allergy’ of the Islamist government in Ankara helped boost
expectations from Kerry. Next in line were the Middle East problem,
intra-Palestinian animosities, Iran, Islamist jihadism and such for the
Americans; Syria, the separatist Kurdish threat and the opening, hydrocarbon
politics, Cyprus and such were for the Turks. So, the proactive Kerry and the proactive
Ahmet Davutoğlu continued their intense contact in any way possible.
Greek Cypriots were shocked last week to learn from
Washington that, rather than arranging a meeting for Foreign Minister Ioannis Kassulides
with Kerry sometime in late June, the secretary of state was inviting the Greek
Cypriot minister for a May 10 meeting. Plus, Kassulides was given appointments
by all top executives of the “national security” team in Washington.
Naturally, diplomacy is the art of attaining the best
possible result with the probable lowest effort or cost. Turkey’s increasing
geostrategic importance; efforts to diversify the energy resources of Europe
and preventing Turkey from drifting away from Europe and a Western European
understanding of democracy, lie in the background of Kerry’s efforts as much as
his deep foreign policy understanding and pro-settlement resolve.
Now, not just a ‘quick’ May 10 appointment for Kassulides
but claims that the Obama administration may soon appoint a powerful special
Cyrus envoy, like in the George Bush Sr. times, led to evaluations that
Washington was getting actively engaged in Cyprus diplomacy once again. This of
course should not be solely attributed to the gassy offshore details. Still,
the Americans and the British appear to be “understanding” the awful situation
the new Greek Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades has been in because of the
economic crisis he inherited and his demand for time until September. Yet, they
are pressing as well for talks to be agreed to start after September and with a
firm schedule. That is, they are also against open-ended talks. At least that’s
how developments are seen so far in assessments made in Ankara and northern
Cyprus.
In the meantime, according to Greek Cypriot news
reports, some pundits have started floating the idea of changing the modality
of Cyprus talks which for the past few years have been continuing under the
motto of achieving an “accord for Cypriots by Cypriots.” Reportedly the new
talks might not be just representatives of the two peoples but the three
guarantor powers as well as the EU might find seats reserved for them at the
negotiations table. Not a bad idea, is it not?”.
6. “PKK
pullout starts with controversies”
Under the above title, Turkish Hurriyet Daily News
(08.05.13) reports that around 1,500 PKK members are set to begin retreating
from Turkish territories into northern Iraq today as part of the ongoing
resolution process carried out by the Turkish government and outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) with expectations that complete withdrawal will take three
to four months.
Defined as the first phase of the resolution process,
the debate around the withdrawal of the militants fueled an already tense political
climate in the country as the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) vowed they would
hold the government responsible for any military operations against militants
during their withdrawal.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
reiterated that the militants should leave their arms behind and criticized the
PKK chieftains for announcing the exact timeline of the retreat.
“Their announcement of a date etcetera, these kinds of
things is wrong. I mean, if you will do something, then there is already no
need to announce a date, this and that. The principles of this are leaving and
laying down the arms. They would in any case know how to leave from wherever
and how they had entered in the first place,” Erdogan told reporters on May 7
following his address to his parliamentary group.
Erdogan made this remark when he was reminded that
Murat Karayılan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), announced that
the PKK withdrawal would begin on May 8. He also criticized the media’s
publication of some maps outlining the directions of the PKK members’ retreat
from Turkey into the northern Iraq. “How they will leave, when they will leave
is up to them. Making definitions [on their retreat] is not part of our
strategy,” he added.
Interior Minister Muammer Güler echoed his prime
minister while advising the media not to depict May 8 as an extraordinary day
as all security forces were taking care of their business as usual.
A serious warning came from Gültan Kışanak,
co-chairperson of the BDP, who recalled the military’s operations against the
militants in 1999, during their massive withdrawal from Turkey after the PKK’s
leader Abdullah Öcalan was captured. “I am speaking very openly. Good things
did not occur in 1999. This withdrawal process should be carried out in its
whole skin,” she stressed.
Underlining that they took the government’s statements
as assurances, she said, “We will hold the government responsible for any
military operation. BDP’s other co-chairperson, Selahattin Demirtaş, estimated
that the withdrawal process would take around three to four months considering
the geographical size and thinking that they would use the same routes they had
been using when entering into Turkey from northern Iraq.
7.
International Defense Industry Fair begins in Istanbul
Ankara Anatolia news agency (07.05.13) reports that
under the auspices of the Turkish Ministry of National Defense the 11th
International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF'13) began in Istanbul on Tuesday.
781 firms from 50 countries attend the fair at TUYAP
Fair and Congress Center until May 10. IDEF contents Land, Sea, Air and Space,
Transportation, Logistic, Support Activities and Supplies Materials, and Tools
and Equipment.
Ministers of defense from various countries, heads of
General Staff and senior level military officials were accredited for the fair
which sets grounds for decision makers to exchange ideas.
Commenting on the issue, Turkish Hurriyet Daily News
(08.05.13) writes the following: “The leaps that Turkey’s defense industry has
made in recent years go on show at the country’s biggest arms fair, with
national and sectorial officials now looking to sell rather than buy hardware.
For several years in a row, Turkey’s premier defense
exhibition IDEF was a venue for Western weapons makers to showcase their
products primarily aiming at Turkish buyers willing to shell out the big bucks.
Not anymore. This year, the show has opened with Turkish arms makers
predominantly showcasing their products to potential buyers from both home and
abroad.
[…]
IDEF’13 will host over 800 defense companies from 49
countries from May 7 to 10 in Istanbul. Organized since 1993, the exhibition is
viewed as one of the world’s top five international events on defense and
security. Turkish Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz has said he expects a “record
number of agreements to be signed during the exhibition.”
Over the last several years, Turkey has made it an
“established government policy” to seek local solutions to meet the
modernization needs of NATO’s second largest army. “I guess we have been too
explicit in our emphasis on local solutions and our desire to go as national as
possible,” the defense procurement official said. “I do not think any smart
manufacturer could view Turkey as a market now.”
In recent months, Turkey’s defense companies have
given pace to their efforts to unveil several “national Turkish” systems
apparently in efforts to showcase them at IDEF’13.
[…]”
8. Erdoğan
says Israel's strike on Syria ‘absolutely unacceptable'
Turkish daily Zaman newspaper (08.05.13) reports that
the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that an Israeli
airstrike over the weekend on a military complex near the Syrian capital of
Damascus is “absolutely unacceptable” and that no reason or excuse could
justify the operation.
Activists said on Monday that the airstrike on Sunday
morning, Israel's third in Syria this year, killed at least 42 Syrian soldiers.
The Israeli government has not formally confirmed involvement in the strikes.
However, Israeli officials have said the attacks targeted advanced Iranian
weapons transiting Syria to reach Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, an ally of Syria
and foe of Israel.
Erdoğan said that such attacks embolden what he called
the “illegitimate Syrian regime” while speaking at parliamentary group meeting
of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Tuesday.
"These attacks are chances, opportunities offered
on a golden tray to Assad and to the illegitimate Syrian regime. Using the
Israel attack as an excuse, he is trying to cover up the genocide in
Banias," he said. Erdogan was referring to a Syrian coastal town where
anti-Assad activists said at least 62 people were killed by government fighters
over the weekend.
9. The private TV channel AS TV in the occupied area
of Cyprus stops its broadcasting
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi (08.05.13) the private TV channel AS TV in
the occupied area of Cyprus, will stop broadcast as of today.
According
to information acquired by Kibris Time news website, the AS TV will stop
broadcasting in the occupied area of Cyprus as of today, and start broadcasting
in Istanbul as of tonight, since the channel was bought by the well-known
journalist and TV programmer in Turkey, Ugur Dundar.
The
owner of the private TV channel in the occupied area of Cyprus was Metin Sadi.
The paper writes that the amount of money that the channel was sold was not
given to publicity.
AK
10. Products that
contained pork meat were destroyed
According
to Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi (08.05.13), the so-called veterinary
department in the occupied part of Cyprus carried out inspections to the meat
products in all supermarkets in the occupied village of Gialousa.
According
to the controls, some package of sheftalia (Cypriot spiced minced meatball)
were produced with mixture of pork minced meat and bird meat. The so-called
municipal police confiscated 36 packages of sheftalia and destroyed them.
Ozay
Oykun, “mayor” of occupied Giallousa, claimed that the products were destroyed
because they were dangerous to people’s health.
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TURKISH
AFFAIRS SECTION
