TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 243/13 24-27.12.13
1. Eroglu held a
telephone conversation with the UN Secretary
2. Eroglu says he wants a new partnership state in Cyprus established with
the powers given by two “sovereign peoples”
3. Ertug: the written exercise for a joint declaration has ended; Ankara
does not want inclusion of the single sovereignty in the declaration
4. Nami: Agreement on a joint declaration could be reached within an hour
between the leaders
5. Eroglu and Ankara are accused of “poisoning the negotiating process” and
of submitting separatist proposals
6. The CTP-DP self-styled government is reportedly about to collapse
7. Turkish Prime
Minister Erdogan Announces Reshuffle, New Cabinet
8. Erdogan: I am the
real target of the graft probe
9. New Turkish Interior
Minister Ala reflects Erdogan’s roadmap
10. Resigns and expels
from AKP over the graft probe
11. Prosecutor removed
from new graft probe in Turkey
12. Turkish lira hits record lows amid piling political crisis
12. Turkish lira hits record lows amid piling political crisis
13. EU warns Turkish
government on probe, for the second time in a week
14. Turkish columnists
on the graft probe crisis
1. Eroglu held a
telephone conversation with the UN Secretary
Illegal Bayrak television (24.12.13) reported that the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis
Eroglu held a telephone conversation with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon.
The latest stage reached in the talks on the
joint declaration was discussed during the conversation. Eroglu informed UN
Secretary General about the latest “initiatives” of the Turkish Cypriot side,
Bayrak broadcast.
According to a statement
from the self-styled president’s office, the UN Secretary General said that he
was well aware of the Turkish side’s efforts. “He praised the Turkish Cypriots
constructive efforts as well as the Turkish Foreign Minister’s support to the
process”, Bayrak reported. He also said that he expected the two sides in Cyprus to make use of
the window of opportunity and to restart the Cyprus negotiations process by the
time the report is prepared.
2. Eroglu says he wants a new partnership state in Cyprus established with
the powers given by two “sovereign peoples”
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (27.12.13)
reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu has alleged that the Turkish Cypriot side had submitted a
proposal which believed that the Greek Cypriot side could not reject regarding
the joint declaration, but the Greek Cypriots “rejected this proposal as well”.
In statements during a meeting with Turkey’s Bar Association, Eroglu
alleged that, with the aim of gaining time, the Greek Cypriot side had put what
he described as “precondition” the signing of a joint declaration before
sitting at the negotiating table. Eroglu argued that the real problem will be
solved at the negotiating table and that the solution is postponed with the
above-mentioned “precondition”. Eroglu said he was not sure on whether the
Greek Cypriot side wants a solution.
Eroglu noted that the Turkish
Cypriot side talks about “a bi-zonal, bi-communal new partnership which will be
formed by two founding states”, while the Greek Cypriot side wants the
transformation of the Republic of Cyprus by changing its name.
In his statements, the chairman of the Turkish Bar Association,
Metin Feyzioglu argued that Eroglu’s being at the Turkish Cypriot leadership
during the period of the recommencement of the Cyprus negotiations, is “an
important chance” both for Turkey and for the “TRNC”.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (27.12.13) reports
that addressing a reception he hosted for journalists in the occupied part of
Nicosia, Eroglu claimed that from the very beginning, the Turkish Cypriot side
has been working in harmony with the UN on the issue of the joint declaration.
He argued that the Turkish side accepted
with “small changes” the first document submitted by the UN on this issue.
He alleged that the process for the recommencement of the negotiations has come
to a deadlock because of what he described as the “intransigent stance” of the
Greek Cypriot side.
Eroglu said that in the document submitted by the Turkish Cypriot
side on 14 December, they proposed that the sovereignty in Cyprus “should
derive from the Turkish Cypriot and the Greek Cypriot peoples” and that no side
could claim that it has sovereignty, rule and power over the other. He added
that they also suggested that the “founding states” should be able to exercise
all their powers without the interference of the federal government and that the
persons who will take the citizenship of united Cyprus will also have the
citizenship of the “founding state” to which they belong.
Eroglu alleged that the Greek Cypriot side’s position as regards
turning the Republic of Cyprus into a federation by making some constitutional
amendments is contrary to the UN parameters. According to Eroglu, a solution could be reached based on the following
“parameters”: “The state to be established will be a new and a partnership
state. This state will be established with the powers given by two sovereign
peoples. Of course, we are not opposed to this partnership state’s having sovereignty
and of course it will have a single identity abroad”.
Furthermore, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (26.12.13) reported
that Eroglu argued that “with or without
a joint declaration we will actually find and discuss everything at the
negotiating table”.In statements during a meeting with a Turkish Cypriot
think tank’s delegation, Eroglu described the discussion on a joint declaration
as “wrong”. However, the UN accepted it,
he added.
Eroglu
reiterated that Turkey’s active and effective guarantees are a red line for them.
(I/Ts.)
3. Ertug: the written exercise for a joint declaration has ended; Ankara
does not want inclusion of the single sovereignty in the declaration
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (27.12.13)
reports that Osman Ertug, special
representative of the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu argued yesterday thatthe
written exercise carried out for a joint declaration which would launch the
direct negotiations between the community leaders, has ended. In statements
to Kibris, Ertug said that the
Turkish Cypriot side “believes that the
time has come for making moves that will change the game and will be outside
the moulds”. Ertug gave no details regarding what he meant by this, writes
Kibris. “This is a move towards the solution and it will be discussed with the
other side”, he said. Ertug noted that the UN told the sides to think for a
while about the negotiating process.
Ertug said also that Ankara
gave to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon the message that “if there will
be a new document, the single sovereignty could not be included in this
document”. Ertug alleged that “there could not be anything more natural
than this”.
Referring to the proposal submitted by the
Turkish Cypriot side on the joint declaration, Ertug described it as “a real opening” and alleged that the most
“unreliable” among the players involved in the Cyprus problem is the Greek
Cypriot side. “Greece is a more reliable player”, he argued. “These people
have rejected even their own proposal. They submit a proposal as a bluff, and
they withdraw it when we accept it”, he alleged.
(I/Ts.)
4. Nami: Agreement on a joint declaration could be reached within an hour
between the leaders
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (25.12.13)
reported that Ozdil Nami, self-styled foreign minister of the breakaway regime
in the occupied area of Cyprus, has argued that a very small obstacle remained as regards the joint declaration,
which will launch the direct negotiations between the community leaders in
Cyprus, and added that if they launch
dialogue, the leaders could solve this problem within an hour.
In statements to Kibris, Nami said he could not understand why there
was no communication between the leaders within the past 3-4 days. He argued
that the leaders should “help each other”, adding that this is what should be
done if a joint state will be established.
Nami said that he is more hopeful today than in the past on the issue of the solution
and added that the process today is “at
a much more advanced point” comparing to its beginning. Nami added: “Two words remained and the problem could be
solved. What I have said is that with the solution of the problem regarding the
joint declaration, there is the possibility of reaching an agreement within
months, not years. I have not said that referendum will be held after some
months”.
(I/Ts.)
5. Eroglu and Ankara are accused of “poisoning the negotiating process” and
of submitting separatist proposals
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (25.12.13) reported that Sener Elcil, general secretary of the
Turkish Cypriot teachers’ trade union (KTOS), has said that the side which uses delaying tactics in the on-going
negotiating process for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem is the Turkish
Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, who demands separate sovereignty and internal
citizenship. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Elcil noted that “it is
inevitable to oppose to this policy, which has isolated the Turkish Cypriots
from the world and afterwards eluded them with the lie of being under embargo
and isolation”.
Elcil said that Eroglu
leads the Turkish Cypriots to annihilation and added that they will continue
opposing to Eroglu and his “separatist team”. He accused Eroglu and his team of
poisoning the negotiating process and of not
hesitating to attack the self-styled foreign minister of the regime, Ozdil
Nami, who “approaches positively to the issue recently”.
Meanwhile, Kibris reported also that
Izzet Izcan, chairman of the United Cyprus Party (BKP) has said that they
demand the Cyprus negotiations to continue from the point they had been left
and to reach a comprehensive solution. In a written statement, Izcan noted that
the proposals submitted by the Turkish
Cypriot side regarding the joint declaration aim at a confederation based on
the sovereignty of two separate states. He pointed out that the propaganda carried out by the Turkish
side which refers to “early solution and referendum within three months” aims
at hiding the real targets of the Turkish side.
Izcan claimed that while the Turkish Cypriot side and AKP government
in Ankara actually insist on a confederation by suggesting two separate
sovereignties, the Greek Cypriot side postpones the beginning of the
negotiations because it feels weak due to the economic crisis.
Izcan
noted that sovereignty is one and inseparable in federation and added that this
is provided for in the UN Security Council Resolutions. He pointed out that the
Turkish side rejects this by insisting on a confederation based on two separate
states and sovereignties and it is not sincere when saying that it wants a
solution.
(I/Ts.)
6. The CTP-DP self-styled government is reportedly about to collapse
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi
newspaper (27.12.13) reports that tension
is escalating between the “coalition partners” in the self-styled government in
the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, because of the Republican Turkish
Party’s (CTP) position that 366 persons, who had been employed in the “public
sector” during the process of the congress of the National Unity Party (UBP)
under the status of “temporary personnel” should be fired.
It is said that self-styled prime minister Ozkan Yorgancioglu
believes that the issue is totally “under his responsibility”, because these
persons are paid by the “prime minister’s office”. Yorgancioglu is reportedly
insisting on not renewing the contracts of these people.
Citing a reliable source from the Democratic Party – National Forces
(DP-UG) - the CTP’s “coalition partner” - the paper writes that the relations
of Yorgancioglu with the DP-UG “have been cut off” due to his intention to fire
this “temporary personnel”. The sources
said that the DP-UG will not accept this and might withdraw from the
“government”. They added that some persons from within the DP-UG might support
a possible “motion of censure” to be submitted by the UBP against the “government”.
Meanwhile, writing in his daily column in Kibris Postasi (27.12.13),
Gokhan Altiner argues that there is a
huge pressure on Yorgancioglu from within the CTP and that is why it is rather
impossible for him to change his mind and not fire these 366 persons. He
argues that the interruption of the relations between the “coalition partners”
“is a question of time”.
He also reports that according to some
information, self-styled minister of finance, Zeren Mungan has submitted his
resignation due to the pressures exerted and the attacksagainst him. He says
that Yorgancioglu begged Mungan to delay his resignation.
(I/Ts.)
7. Erdogan announces
reshuffle, new cabinet
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (26.12.13)
reports that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the new
Cabinet following a meeting with President Abdullah Gul in Ankara amid the
high-level graft probe that has shaken the government.
The cabinet reshuffle
comes after Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, Interior Minister Muammer Guler
and Environment and Urbanization Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, who face bribery
and corruption allegations, announced their resignations.
Guler has been replaced by Prime Ministry
Undersecretary Efkan Ala, who is one of Erdogan’s closest aides. Nihat Zeybekci
assumed the ministerial position left vacant by Caglayan while İdris Gulluce
was appointed as the new Environment and Urban Planning minister.
Egemen Bagis, whose
name was also mentioned in the graft investigation as a suspect involved in
corruption and bribery, also lost his ministerial post in the reshuffle. Bagis has been replaced by Justice
and Development Party’s (AKP) deputy chair in charge of external affairs, Mevlut
Cavusoglu.
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag was
appointed as new justice minister, after Sadullah Ergin announced his candidacy
for the upcoming local elections in the southern province of Hatay.
Ankara Deputy Emrullah İsler will replace Bekir
Bozdag as deputy prime minister. Aysenur İslam Aile was named to replace Family
and Social Affairs Minister Fatma Sahin who will run for Gaziantep mayoral post
while Lutfi Elvan replaces Transport Minister Binali Yildirim, who is a
candidate for İzmir mayoral post.Sports and Youth Minister Suat Kilic and Industry
and Technology Ministrer Nihat Ergin also lost their ministerial portfolios and
were replaced by Akif Cagatay and Fikri Isik respectively.
Ankara Anatolia news
agency (26.12.13) reported that after the recent changes, the new Turkish
cabinet is as follows:
Prime Minister: Recep
Tayyip Erdogan
Deputy Prime Minister:
Bulent Arinc
Deputy Prime Minister:
Ali Babacan
Deputy Prime Minister:
Besir Atalay
Deputy Prime Minister:
Emrullah Isler
Minister of Justice:
Bekir Bozdag
Minister of Family and
Social Policies: Aysenur Islam
Minister of European
Union Affairs: Mevlut Cavusoglu
Minister of Science, Industry
and Technology: Fikri Isik
Minister of Labor and
Social Security: Faruk Celik
Minister of Environment
and Urbanization: Idris Gulluce
Minister of Foreign
Affairs: Ahmet Davutoglu
Minister of Economy:
Nihat Zeybekci
Minister of Energy and
Natural Resources: Taner Yildiz
Minister of Youth and
Sports: Akif Cagatay Kilic
Minister of Food, Agriculture
and Livestock: Mehdi Eker
Minister of Customs
and Trade: Hayati Yazici
Minister of Interior
Affairs: Efkan Ala
Minister of
Development: Cevdet Yilmaz
Minister of Culture
and Tourism: Omer Celik
Minister of Finance:
Mehmet Simsek
Minister of National
Education: Nabi Avci
Minister of National
Defense: Ismet Yilmaz
Minister of Forestry
and Water Works: Veysel Eroglu
Minister of Health:
Mehmet Muezzinoglu
Minister of Transport,
Maritime and Communication: Lutfi Elvan
8. Erdogan: I am
the real target of the graft probe
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (26.12.13)
reported that Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the real target of the graft probe is himself,
adding that those who aim at him will not succeed.
Erdogan told a group
of reporters during
the return flight from Pakistan on December
24 that the "operation"
was aiming him through the Service for Youth and Education Foundation of Turkey
(TURGEV), an NGO who has the prime minister's son, Bilal Erdogan among its
board members. He implied that TURGEV was being investigated for requesting
amendments on the construction plans of a building with the go-ahead of Istanbul's
Fatih Municipality.
Erdogan said that the specific building managed
by TURGEV had been rented by the Municipality as a student residence.
"That place is a student residence, not
Bilal Erdogan's hotel. They want to
reach me via TURGEV. My son is on [TURGEV's] board of management. [Fatih
Mayor] Mustafa Demir and the mayor of the Umraniye district are also on the board.
My eldest daughter Esra is on its board. That place is a student residence and
they take a lot of pride in it," Erdogan said.
9. New Turkish Interior
Minister Ala reflects Erdogan’s roadmap
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (27.12.13)
reports that the appointment of Efkan
Ala, the former undersecretary of the Prime Ministry, as the new Interior Minister
of Turkey, which has been going through political turmoil, has been widely
considered as the most evident signal reflecting Prime Minister Erdogan’s
resolve to play it tough, along what he has already labeled as a “fight for
independence.”
Erdogan reshuffled his Cabinet on December 25
after three key ministers resigned over a sweeping corruption and bribery
scandal that has targeted his allies and rattled his government.
Before being appointed as the undersecretary of
the Prime Ministry in 2007, Ala was the
governor of Diyarbakir, a metropolitan city in the predominantly Kurdish
populated southeastern Anatolia, where grassroots of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) are strong.Ala is the only new minister among all 10
replacements that is not a member of Parliament.
According to main
opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Ala is
“an element of the deep state.”
10. Resigns and
expels from AKP over the graft probe
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman newspaper
(27.12.13) reports that the ruling in Turkey Justice and Development Party (AK Party) İzmir Deputy Erdal Kalkan
resigned after he was being referred to the party's discipline committee for
his critical remarks over the government's pressure on prosecutors who are
leading the corruption investigation into alleged bribery and tender rigging.
Kalkan voiced criticism regarding mounting
pressure on prosecutors leading the corruption probe that led to resignations
of three ministers.
Announcing his resignation in a tweet, Kalkan
said political parties are not personal properties of politicians, but rather
social products that belong to millions of people who created them, in
reference to the governing style of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Hurriyet Daily news (27.12.13) reports that former
culture minister, Ertugrul Gunay, resigned from AKP as well. He drew attention
with his criticisms on social media following the police crackdown on
demonstrators during the Gezi protest. He has been sent to AKP's disciplinary
committee after publicly expressed criticism over the graft scandal.
The ruling AK Party
has referred three Deputies, including Gunay, for their critical remarks on the
party's approach to graft probe which led to resignations of three ministers.
AK Party Burdur deputy
Hasan Hami Yildirim, Gunay and AK Party
İzmir deputy Kalkan have been referred to the party's discipline committee.
They will face possible expulsion from the party, AK Party Spokesman Huseyin Celik
said in a written statement.
In addition, Hurriyet Daily News (25.12.13)
reported that former Turkish Interior Minister
Idris Naim Sahin has announced his resignation from the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) over the graft scandal.
Sahin was the predecessor of Muammer Guler
whose son has been arrested under the corruption investigation that rocked
Turkey last week.
This was the first
resignation from the AKP, and a high-profile one, since the high-level graft probe was revealed
with the police operations into the three minister’s houses.
11. Prosecutor
removed from new graft probe in Turkey
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (27.12.13) reports that Public Prosecutor Muammer Akkas, who
was overseeing one branch of the corruption investigation in Turkey was removed
from the operation on Thursday. The prosecutor claimed that he had been
prevented from performing his duty in the investigation.
Akkas, who is known for his work on
sensitive cases such as the Ergenekon coup plot and the murder of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, was
removed from the investigation by İstanbul Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Oktay
Erdogan on the grounds that he had violated the confidentiality of the
investigation.
Akkas was leading the investigation that is
seen as the second phase of a graft probe. The prosecutor's removal came only a
day after he had ordered the detention of 30 suspects, including a number of Deputies
and businessmen. The İstanbul Police Department, which has seen an extensive
purge of its top officers in the last week, did not comply with the detention
order.
Following his removal, Akkas gave copies of a
written statement to reporters outside İstanbul's Caglayan Courthouse on
Thursday. The statement complained about the pressure he had experienced not to
pursue the investigation.
12. Turkish lira
hits record lows amid piling political crisis
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (27.12.13)
reports that the ongoing government and
judiciary crisis have rattled markets, pushing Turkish lira to a fresh record
low of 2.1750 against the U.S. dollar, sending the stock market plummeting to
its lowest in 17 months, while the euro reached an all-time high by passing 3
liras for the first time.
13. EU warns Turkish
government on probe, for the second time in a week
Today's Zaman Online in English (24.12.13)
reported that the European Union has
warned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cease interference in a
high-level corruption probe and said that he put Turkey's EU bid at risk by
firing police officers in many provinces, a move defined as a serious concern
by the EU.
Brussels has announced that it is seriously concerned
about how the government has been handling the investigations, stressing that
the removal of police chiefs and the speedy change as to how police must
conduct ongoing investigations have caused grave concerns.
Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule said he was “seriously
concerned,” a few days after he had warned the government not to intervene in
ongoing investigations.
Fule's spokesperson Peter Stano also said
serious concerns have been raised regarding the fate of investigations and the
separation of powers. “The latest developments, including the sacking of police
chiefs and the instructions to police to inform authorities on investigations,
raise serious concerns as regards the independence, efficiency and impartiality
of the investigations and the separation of powers. This further highlights the
need for establishing a proper judicial police, as already recommended by the
EU," he said.
14. Turkish
columnists on the graft probe crisis
Various Turkish columnists wrote about the
graft probe in Turkey and commented about the future of Tayyip Erdogan’s
government and the possible development of the political crisis:
Under the title,
"The future could be Gul’s", Semih Idiz writes in Hurriyet (26.12.13) that Turkish
President Gul likely will benefit from
recent political developments in Turkey:
“Eyes have turned to
President Abdullah Gul following the massive probe which could end up revealing
Turkey's greatest corruption scandal to date, and which has left Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan facing the most difficult moments of his political career. […]
Eyes will continue to
rest on Gul who is emerging not just as moderate but also a principled voice at
a time of political turbulence or crisis. Gul has also been underlining the
importance of the EU's legal standards for Turkey for a long time, a fact that
will also shed positive light on him abroad, at a time like this.
Many believe that these latest developments
will benefit Gul politically in the long run, not because of any calculations
on his part, but because his honesty and generally principled stand will bring
him automatic dividends at a time when respect for politics and politicians has
hit rock bottom in Turkey. This is why the future could very well be Gul's.
Under the title
"Who is going to win this fight?" Ibrahim Karagul writes in Yeni
Safak (25.12.13) that the graft probe is a western plan aiming to make Turkey
to change its regional policy:
“[…] The
aim of the probe is to undermine the
trust the man in the street has in the State and in the country, and undermine
his idea of the State. The growing impression is that justice is sought not
for the state but for the sake of structures within the state. The question of
"whose public prosecutor, whose police, and whose intelligence
service" is leaving a mark on the collective consciousness. All that is
held as common ground in the country is being shattered to pieces. […]With the
rapprochement between the United States and Iran, there is a serious fault line
shift in the Middle East. Let us reiterate: On the basis of this mobilization,
countries and policies too are changing or they are being made to change. Saudi
Arabia and Israel ended up being two countries left out in this new situation. The brains behind the operation are
attempting to reshape Turkey's position anew. It is impossible for them to get
Turkey, run by Erdogan, to do this. Today's Turkey is upsetting the playmakers
because it is challenging them when necessary. […]”
Under the title "Erdogan's Tough Choice”, Avni Ozgurel writes in Radikal (26.12.13) that Erdogan may collapse under the pressure soon:
“Since the AKP
[Justice and Development Party] was founded right up until today Tayyip Erdogan
has always stood up for his cadres and taken political risks.[…] The last 10 years, including the
events of recent weeks, are filled with examples of ministers and bureaucrats
who had lost the prime minister's trust but who were kept on rather than be
fired simply because the opposition parties and the media were making too big
an issue out of them.
While this situation
may be true, it is also true that after absorbing all the judicial/political
mistakes made during this time, the burden being shouldered by Erdogan is
becoming too much for him and that if not now then soon the prime minister will
not be able to carry even one more straw.
For the longest time I
have been writing how Erdogan has been made a target for big national capital
and international power centers. The reason for this is not corruption or any lack in democracy etc but
the way Erdogan defies the system's gears in regional or global interest plans,
meaning he does what he wants not what is asked of him. […]
One aspect is the international power game that
Washington is behind. […] The other
aspect to this affair is the result of the embargo that Iran is under. […]
At this point we need
to return to the point I was trying to make at the start of this column,
meaning how much longer can Erdogan survive the obstacles being thrown in his
path by the party members, his own people?”
----------------------------------------------------
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
