TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 186/13 01-02.10.13
1.
Eroglu evaluated his contacts in New York; he said the principle of bi-zonality
is of vital importance of the Turkish Cypriot side
2.
Nami: The two sides in Cyprus are working for a common text for the
negotiations’ launching- The aim is solution by spring
3.
Gul encourages a timetable for the Cyprus talks
4. Afrika accused CTP of changing its stance regarding the role of
Eroglu in Cyprus negotiations
5. Denktas is going to Ankara invited by the Turkish Minister of
Tourism
6. New crisis in DP: Two members resigned from the party
7.
The local products of occupied Cyprus will be branding with the logo “Made in
North Cyprus”
8.
Evaluations on the democratization package by opposition leaders
9.
Turkey's education unions at odds over lifting ban on headscarf
10. Reactions in the breakaway regime on Erdogan’s democratization
package
11.
Bagis heads to EU for progress report
1. Eroglu
evaluated his contacts in New York; he said the principle of bi-zonality is of
vital importance of the Turkish Cypriot side
According to illegal Bayrak television
(online, 01.10.13), Turkish Cypriot leader DervisEroglu, after completing his
contacts in New York, held a press conference at the occupied airport of Tymvou
where he evaluated his New York contacts.
Stressing that he had held a fruitful
meeting with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Eroglu said he informed Ban
on the course of the Cyprus talks.
Claiming that the Turkish Cypriot side was
ready to start a productive negotiations process under the basis of a
timetable, Eroglu argued it is possible to reach a solution until the end of
the year if the Greek Cypriot side shared the same political will.
Alleging that the Greek Cypriot side had an
intention to distance itself from convergences and to put forward preconditions
for the restart of the process, Eroglu claimed the President Anastasiades’
letters to the UNSG and the President of the EU Commission were obvious
examples proving these intentions.
“The content of these letters appeared in
the Greek Cypriot newspapers. Amongst other things, Anastasiades was talking
about how the new partnership will evolve from the Cyprus Republic. At no stage
of the negotiations was such a position accepted as a UN parameter”, Eroglu
said.
Eroglu warned that approaches and
arrangements which water down security and guarantees will not be accepted and
added that the preservation of the principle of bi-zonality as defined by the
UN was of vital importance for the Turkish Cypriot side.
Noting that negotiations should restart
without prejudgments, prejudices and preconditions, Eroglu said the ways how to
overcome the current problems through negotiations should be determined with a
sincere spirit and through mutual dialog which requires effective and
productive methodology.
Commenting also on contacts to be held by
the special representatives in Ankara and Athens, Eroglu claimed that these
visits will be realized on the basis of equality.
He also added that the Turkish side
perceived this development as a step towards holding a multilateral conference.
Expressing the Turkish Cypriot side’s
target to reach a comprehensive agreement until the end of the year, Eroglu
argued this will be followed by a multilateral conference during which all
subjects will be finalized.
“If a full consensus will be reached, this
will be presented to the approval of the two communities at a simultaneous
referendum” he added.
Eroglu concluded by saying that the issue
of territory which would cause unrest in the island should be discussed at the
last stage of the negotiations.
2. Nami:
The two sides in Cyprus are working for a common text for the negotiations’
launching- The aim is solution by spring
Turkish Cypriot daily YeniDuzen newspaper
(01.10.13) reports that the self-styled minister of foreign affairs OzdilNami
evaluated his recent visit to New York and spoke to the paper’s editor-in-chief
CenkMutluyakali on the launching of Cyprus negotiations.
Nami stated that the two sides in Cyprus
are working for preparing a common text for the re-launching of Cyprus
negotiations and added that the UN Secretary General wants the negotiations to
start without any delay.
He also said that there are differences
between the two sides regarding how the negotiations will start and noted that
works are taking place under the UN supervision so that these differences to be
lifted and a common text to be prepared.
He also said that the aim is the text to be
competed upon Downers’ arrival to the island next week. “It will be announced
by each leader”, he stated and added that it is said the negotiations to be
started in October.
Asked to elaborate further on the
differences between the two sides, Nami stated that the Greek Cypriot side
wants all the issues regarding the peace procedure to be discussed all together
and claimed that there is an open effort to avoid commitments on the issue of
rapprochement by the Greek Cypriots. He also said that the Greek Cypriot side
is against setting a timetable for the talks. As regards the Turkish Cypriot
side, according to Nami it is committed to the rapprochements reached until
today and wants also an agreement on the rapprochements in which the two sides
agreed. After that, all the issues can be put on the table.
Nami said that all the sides that they held
contacts in New York agreed that the negotiations must start in October and
that the negotiations shall not have an open end. He also claimed that even the
UN started to believe that this is the last initiative for the solution of the
Cyprus problem. He also said that we have now reached a point where someone
will pay the price for the non-solution.
Referring to the leaking of the letter of
President of the Republic of Cyprus NicosAnastasiades to the UN, Nami said that
it created uneasiness and its content was not pleasant. He said that the issue
of the European Union’s participation to the negotiations is not accepted by
the Turkish Cypriot side and claimed that the Varosha issue was not at all at
the New York agenda.
Finally,Namiclaimed that the aim is the
negotiations to be launched in October and a solution to be reached by the
first month of spring adding that the UN wants all parts to support this goal.
3. Gul
encourages a timetable for the Cyprus talks
Addressing the Turkish Parliament during
the opening ceremony of the new legislative year on Tuesday, President Abdullah
Gul welcomed the reform package unveiled by the Justice and Development Party
(AKP) government on Monday as he pushed for more extensive steps for a broader
democracy and hinted at a return to politics.
The official website of the Presidency of
the Republic of Turkey publishes the full text of Gul’s address.
As far as the Cyprus problem is concerned,
Gul said the following:
“The Cyprus issue, which has been ongoing
for almost 50 years, must be resolved. The parameters for resolving the
conflict are well-known. It is essential that there is no delay in conducting
direct talks between the two communities in order to reach a comprehensive
settlement based on these parameters. On the other hand, we know from
experience that open-ended talks do not produce any results. The process to be
initiated will be a test of sincerity for everyone involved. Turkey, as we have
always done, will support all diplomatic efforts for a fair and lasting peace
on the island and will maintain utmost solidarity with the brotherly Turkish
people in Northern Cyprus [editor’s note: breakaway regime in the occupied part
of the Republic of Cyprus].”
4. Afrika accused CTP of changing its stance regarding the role
of Eroglu in Cyprus negotiations
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika
(02.10.13) reports in its first page that the Republican Turkish Party (CTP)
which until now accused the Turkish Cypriot leader DervisEroglu of being in
favor of a deadlock in the Cyprus talks, is adopting a new approach in the new
period of negotiations.
Afrika writes that during a speech that
OzkanYorgancioglu, the self-styled prime minister and leader of CTP made in the
self-styled assembly, he stated that “CTP will act together with Eroglu on the
enforcement of the negotiations”.
The paper further writes that Yorganciolu
stated that the Cyprus problem will be one of the most important issues on the
agenda in the coming period and added that the “assembly” must follow the
developments and pay an effective role on the solution.
The paper also writes that the self-styled
foreign minister OzdilNami referred to the recent developments regarding the
Cyprus problem and stated that his contacts and Eroglu’s contacts in New York
were very successful.
The paper also adds that the concord
between Eroglu and CTP’s views regarding the Cyprus problem may be an
indication for the 2015 “presidential elections” in the breakaway regime.
5. Denktas is going to Ankara invited by the Turkish Minister of
Tourism
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis
newspaper (02.10.13) reports that the self-styled deputy prime minister and
minister of culture and tourism SerdarDenktas, is going to Ankara in order to
participate in the 31st Constant Conference of Cultural Ministers of
Turkish language Speaking Countries which is taking place in Turkey.
Denktas is invited by the Turkish Minister
of Culture and Tourism, Omer Celik, who is hosting the conference.
6. New crisis in DP: Two members resigned from the party
Turkish Cypriot daily Ortam
newspaper (01.10.13) reports that two members of the Democratic Party (DP)
resigned from the party.
These are Kemal Ozturk, DP
Lefkosia district chairman and MunurOzturk the chariman of DP Youth
Organization.
The paper writes that many
problems exist between the members of the party.
7. The
local products of occupied Cyprus will be branding with the logo “Made in North
Cyprus”
According to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris
(02.10.13), Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry (KTSO), in a press conference
held yesterday, introduced the new logo that will be put on the local products,
which are complied with the criteria of KTSO, in the occupied area of the
Republic of Cyprus.
The products will be branding with the logo
“Made in North Cyprus”. The KTSO aims to improve the quality of the local
products
8. Evaluations
on the democratization package by opposition leaders
Under the title “Nationalist party calls
reform package ‘shameful’”, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online,
01.10.13) reported that the democratization package announced by the government
Sept. 30 aims to meet the demands of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader DevletBahceli said on Oct.1,
describing the package as “shameful” and “nightmarish.”
“Prime Minister [RecepTayyip Erdogan] is
attempting to pull the wool over our nation’s eyes with democratization
packages. He is meeting the demands of the PKK one by one,” Bahceli said on
Oct. 1. Bahceli labelled the package as “a so-called democratization package”
while claiming the package was the outcome of the PKK’s imposition on
government.
“Mr Prime Minister, who praises himself on
carrying out silent revolution, surrendered to the PKK with a sneak revolution.
This package is the outcome of bargaining. This package granted was approval of
the PKK and murderer of Imralı [jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan] and was
blended with reports of the Wise People Commission. The will of the Turkish
nation, the will of Parliament, and expectations of our nation were not taken
into consideration,” Bahceli said. “Separatism has gained more ground with this
package.”
On the same issue, HDN (online, 01.10.13),
under the title “Package is cosmetics, main opposition leader Kilicdaroglu
says”, reported that the democratization package falls short of addressing
Turkey’s main problems and enhances the government’s authoritarian tendencies,
the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has said.
Belittling the package for its incapacity to provide a cure for the country’s
ills, CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said these had been mostly aggravated in
the last 11 years under the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) rule.
“I am saying this clearly, Turkey’s
problems cannot be solved with cosmetics. This is short-sightedness, looseness,
lack of seriousness,” Kilicdaroglu said, in a press conference held in the
party headquarters yesterday, a day after Prime Minister RecepTayyipErdogan’s
announcement of the package.
“The package that has come out is a package
brought in to enhance a majoritarian authoritarian regime,” Kilicdaroglu said,
arguing that the AKP had only introduced this skin-deep package to ward off
social pressure. “No package that does not touch the election system in Turkey,
the law on political parties and parliamentary regulations, can democratize
Turkey,” Kilicdaroglu said.
While slamming the proposal of “narrowed
regions,” Kilicdaroglu said the root of the problem was the election threshold
itself, and should the AKP propose to lower it, say to 3%, the CHP would have
backed such proposals wholeheartedly.
Kilicdaroglu also pointed to a lack of
sincerity, as his party had already proposed similar changes, yet to be vetoed
by the AKP. “What they brought before us today is a bad copy of our proposals,”
Kilicdaroglu said.
According to Hurriyet Daily News (online,
30.09.13), the opposition parties, particularly the Kurdish political groups,
expressed their disappointment with regard to the democratization package
underlining that it wouldn’t address Turkey’s needs for democratization and
demands outlined in the context of the Kurdish resolution process.
“The Kurds wished for the solving of the
Kurdish problem, the solving of the belief difficulties of the Alevis, and the
allowing of all those alienated in the country to contribute to its rule. We
have been struggling for years for this. We wish to clearly state that this
package has not met any of these wishes. This is not a package that addresses
Turkey’s need for democratization,” GultanKisanak, co-chairperson of the Peace
and Democracy Party (BDP) told reporters Sept.30. “Was this a package worth
waiting for? All of Turkey saw,” she added.
The BDP will continue to make its
assessments with regard to the package and will make further statements on the
fate of the ongoing resolution process. As Kisanak put it directly, a number of
crucial demands form the BDP as part of the Kurdish resolution process had not
been addressed by the package.
Meanwhile, Turkish daily Today’s Zaman
(online, 02.10.13), under the title “Kurdish intellectuals: PM’s reforms opened
the way for progress”, reported that some Kurdish intellectuals believe that
the package revealed by Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan on Monday is a
significant step, noting that there is now an expectation of continued efforts
towards democratization.
“The government's democratization package
will pave the way for more steps to be taken on the Kurdish issue. There is a
need for more packages and more comprehensive solutions,” said BayramBozyel,
Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR) deputy chairman, to Today's Zaman, adding
that he agrees with Erdogan that the package is not the first and should not be
the last.
Evaluating the BDP's remarks, Kurdish
intellectual Ibrahim Guclu told Today's Zaman that the statements were shallow
and based on ideology. “When you consider the whole of Kurdish society, not
just the BDP, you will see that opinions on the package are different. Thus,
the government has taken a necessary step, yet we still need more,” said Guclu.
9. Turkey's
education unions at odds over lifting ban on headscarf
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online,
02.10.13) reports that the lifting of the headscarf ban in public institutions
with the recently announced “democratization package” has received mixed
reactions from Turkey’s three education unions.
The Education and Science Personnel Union
(Egitim-Sen) has denounced the decision, which will allow female teachers to
wear headscarves in schools, for placing the country under a religious theme,
while Egitim-Bir-Sen and Turk Egitim-Sen welcomed the decision with their
separate reservations.
“We do not find it right to bring religious
symbols into the public sphere. This will result in placing the country under a
religious theme,” said Egitim-Sen President UnsalYildiz yesterday.
“[Allowing the] headscarf will be an
obstacle in providing this public service [education]. There will be serious
obstacles for students with different religions or sects in receiving this
service. They will have serious problems in communicating with teachers [who
are wearing the headscarf],” Yildiz told the Hurriyet Daily News.
Turkish Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan
announced the “democratization package” on Sept. 30, which included the removal
of the headscarf ban for public servants except prosecutors, judges and
military personnel. AhmetOzer, the deputy secretary-general of the education
sector labour union Egitim-Bir-Sen, however, welcomed the government’s decision
to remove the ban but said that it was insufficient for excluding prosecutors,
judges, and members of military, who have to wear uniforms.
Turk Egitim-Sen criticized the democracy
package for involving the headscarf issue along with the “controversial” issue.
Turk Egitim-Sen head Ismail Koncuk said yesterday that the removal of the
student’s oath and permitting Kurdish language private high schools should not
be in the same package as the headscarf. “The demands of the [outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK and headscarf issue should not be in the same
package. The removal of the headscarf ban is approved by a wide range of
society, but the others, such as Kurdish language private high schools are
controversial,” Koncuk said.
10. Reactions in the breakaway regime on Erdogan’s
democratization package
Under the title “Green light to
the old names return”, Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (01.10.13)
reports about the new democratization package announced by the Turkish Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan and notes that the package was not democratic at all;
however some of its provision interests the Turkish Cypriots.
The paper writes that together
with the return to the old names of the villages, the package provides the
lifting of the rule of reading the Turkish oath at the primary schools every
morning. This is expected to be applied to occupied Cyprus as well, according
to Afrika which notes that the non-democratic package created a lot of reaction
in Turkey.
Commenting on the issue, the
general secretary of the primary school teachers' trade union (KTOS) SenelElcil
stated that the package is an attempt to hide the obscurantism opposed in
Turkey. He also noted that the “law” for changing the names of the villages in
occupied Cyprus after 1974 must be cancelled and the villages must return to
their Cyprus Republic period names.
11. Bagis
heads to EU for progress report
According to Hurriyet Daily News (online,
01.10.13), the Turkish government is increasing its pressure on the EU
Commission on the eve of the publication of the latest Progress Report, in a
bid to convince the body to issue a more “balanced” report amid suggestions
that the EU will excoriate Turkey over the Gezi Park demonstrations.
EU Minister EgemenBagis will hold talks in
Brussels with senior EU officials tomorrow. Bagis will also promote the
government’s recent democratization package during his talks and will ask the
commission to refer to the package in the Progress Report.
The Minister will have talks tomorrow with
the European Union’s commissioner for enlargement, Stefan Fule, and the
chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, ElmarBrok, in
Brussels.
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