TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 245/13 31.12.13
1. Eroglu: All Turkish settlers will stay, workers
will go with a solution
2. Crisis within the CTP-DP “coalition government”
remains in suspense
3. Daily claims that a British fugitive couple is
hidden in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus
4. Arinc: What HSYK did should have a consequence
5. CHP calls for retrial of coup cases
6. IyadMadani takes over as OIC secretary general
1. Eroglu: All Turkish settlers will stay, workers
will go with a solution
Turkish Cypriot
daily Diyalog newspaper (31.12.13) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader,
DervisEroglu has argued that “refugees”
in the occupied area of Cyprus are only the people who had come to work and not
those who had been granted the “citizenship” of the breakaway regime.
In statements to
Diyalog’s general publishing director, ResatAkar, Eroglu said that they do not
consider as “refugees” any more those who became their “citizens”. “It is not
possible to throw away these people who are protected by the constitution”,
alleged Eroglu referring to the illegal Turkish settlers and added: “We do not claim that those who are workers
will become citizens of the common state that will be established [Translator’s
note: in case of a solution to the Cyprus problem]. However, those who say yes to the plan that will come up, that is,
everybody who are citizens of the TRNC at the moment, will continue being
citizens of the new partnership state”.
Asked how the
foreigners see this view, Eroglu replied that “some circles” had adopted the
description “settlers”, “but this situation changed with time”. According to
Eroglu the foreigners do not tell them anymore that “those who have come from
Turkey will return back”. He added: “Since I became president I met with almost
all the ambassadors in south Cyprus [Translator’s note: this is how he
described the ambassadors accredited in the Republic of Cyprus]. There is no view any more saying that
‘those who came afterwards and were granted citizenship should go back’. I am
saying it with satisfaction that this is put onto the table by absolutely no
ambassador”.
Asked whether
Turkey “is open to new ideas’ for strengthening the “TRNC” , if no solution to
the Cyprus problem is found in 2014, Eroglu replied that it would be wrong to
say this now, “but of course the strengthening of the TRNC, the reduction and
minimization of the problems of its people are among Turkey’s targets”. He went
on and claimed: “As Ban Ki-moon has said, this is the ‘last effort’. It is the
last effort to launch the negotiations and search for a result. If we fail
again, we will have to sit and make a new evaluation…”
When asked
whether or not the sovereignty is the only matter on which agreement has not
been reached in issuing the joint declaration, Eroglu replied “we have already
accepted the sovereignty, but it [Translator’s note: the Greek Cypriot side]
says that ‘the founding states will not be sovereign’”. Asked whether this is the
only disagreement, Eroglu said that “there are a few”.
When asked “what
you want is for the founding states having sovereign rights and by wanting this
you are considering of the separation in case of a disagreement”, Eroglu answered: “What we want is for the founding states to be sovereign. If we do not
agree in the future, we should not be in the [position we were when we founded]
the Republic of Cyprus”.
Erolglu
reiterated that either there will be progress and a referendum in the Cyprus
problem in 2014 or the Turkish Cypriot side will make a new assessment of the
situation.
(I/Ts.)
2. Crisis within the CTP-DP “coalition
government” remains in suspense
Under the title
“Crisis in suspense”, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (31.12.13) reports
that the situation of the 366 temporary
employees which created a crisis within the “coalition government” between the
Republican Turkish Party – United Forces (CTP-BG) and the Democratic Party –
National Forces (DP-UG) seems to have been overcome after a meeting held
yesterday by a committee established between the two parties. The two
parties met yesterday first at the level of their leaders and afterwards at the
level of a committee they established and submitted some proposals in the
direction of ending the crisis.
The committee has reportedly reached an agreement on
principle not to renew the contracts of the 366
temporary employees, to send them a letter of warning for one month and to call them to participate in an exam
which will be organized by the “public service commission” and will be open for
everyone for positions where the “state” needs personnel.
According to the
paper, while these developments were happening inside the “assembly”, in front
of the building the 366 temporary employees and Kamu-Sen trade union were
holding a protest and a strike. A row took place that lasted for a short period
of time between the protesters and the “police”.
SerdarDenktas,
leader of the DP-UG and self-styled deputy prime minister, chatted for a while
with the protesters. In statements to the press afterwards, Denktas said that his party had no meeting
with the National Unity Party (UBP) on the issue of establishing a “coalition
government” after a possible collapse of the CTP-DP so-called government.
Denktas noted
that the “attorney general” had expressed the view that the employment of these
366 persons was not “illegal” and added that they should find a solution to
this problem. He recalled that the “council of ministers” adopted a “draft-law” regarding the reform of the
“public sector” and that this “draft-law” will pass from the “assembly” within
a period of two months. He added: “There
is a formula for all the temporary employees. There is a formula for all of
them saying that those who do not pass three exams will cease [to have a
contract] and this number is 7,500 not 366…However, our people should know
this: No one will be able to take a salary from the state without working,
without giving the return for his salary. This order of things is changing.
When we have these possibilities, it is
not correct to deal with 366 persons, create unrest and bring our people
against each other…”
Meanwhile, in
statements to Havadis, the self-styled prime ministerOzkanYorgancioglu said that the “coalition partners” are close to
reaching an agreement on the issue of the 366 temporary employees and that the
formula will encompass all the temporary employees.
(I/Ts.)
3. Daily claims that a British fugitive couple is
hidden in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus
According to
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli (31.12.13), the British couple John Leigh and
his wife Deborah Lyndsay Harrison, who have been involved in an internet fraud
of 3.5 million sterling,remain hidden in the occupied area of the Republic of
Cyprus since 2005.
The paper
reports that the British couple has been wanted by the British secret services
MI6 and the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Meanwhile, the paper also reports that the MI6 has asked the help of the
police of the breakaway regime in order the couple to be extradited to the
British High Commissionaire.
4. Arinc: What HSYK did should have a consequence
Under the title
“Turkish gov’t vows to take action against judges and prosecutors board”,
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 30.12.13) reported that the ongoing fight between the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the FethullahGulen community is
entering a new phase as the government said it was working on a legal plan
against wrongdoers in the judiciary, an overt reference to pro-Gulen judges and
prosecutors.
“Not only with
regard to the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors [HSYK], but our Justice
Ministry will do whatever necessary – legal or judicial – against those who are
in the wrong and causing chaos in Turkey by leaking confidential information about
investigations and by distributing statements in front of the courthouse,”
BulentArinc, a deputy prime minister and the government’s spokesman, told
reporters Dec. 30 following a weekly Cabinet meeting.
“There must be consequences to the HSYK’s move that
ignored its own regulation,” Arinc said.
Underlining that
there was no check-and-balance system that could rein in the improprieties of
the members of the judiciary, Arinc signalled that the government might
reconsider the issue.
Arinc echoed
Erdogan’s self-criticism that giving broad immunity to the members of the HSYK
was “a mistake” and expressed his disappointment in the HSYK’s statement. “By
increasing the number of its members from five to 22, we thought that we were
making a democratic body. We regarded this as an important step toward
democratization,” he said.
There are three
powers, the government spokesman said.
“Both the legislative and the executive are under judicial control. But which
power is controlling the judiciary?”
5. CHP calls for retrial of coup cases
Turkish daily
Hurriyet Daily News (online, 31.12.13) reported that the government cannot proceed as if nothing has happened after the
prime minister’s top political adviser spoke of a “plot,” the main opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP) has maintained, while the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) called on the prime minister to expose whatever he knows
about the “conspiracy.”
“Everybody knows
that those who have plotted against their own country’s national army, national
intelligence [organization], national bank and the civilian rule that has been
enshrined in the nation’s heart could not have dealt for the good of this
country,” Prime Minister RecepTayyipErdogan’s top political adviser,
YalcinAkdogan, said Dec. 24 in his column in daily Star.
In his column
leading up to the opposition’s calls for exposure of “the plot,” Akdogan argued that hundreds of military
officers who were convicted of plotting to overthrow the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) government led by Erdogan had been framed by groups
within the judiciary who are now allegedly orchestrating a widespread
corruption probe against Erdogan’s allies.
Akdogan was
apparently referring to followers of U.S.-based spiritual leader
FethullahGulen, whose members command a global empire of business, media and
education interests. Gulen has denied any involvement in the investigation.
Following such
statements, the government cannot move
on as if nothing has happened, CHP Deputy Chair Umut Oran said Dec. 30,
adding that all the related case files should be reopened. “2014 should not be
a year that the law of rulers is implemented, but should be a year in which the
rule of law is implemented,” Oran said.
MHP Deputy
Parliamentary Group Chair OktayVural
urged the prime minister to submit a bill for this aim. “We would like
Prime Minister Erdogan to submit a bill, saying ‘Although I knew that these
[coup] plans were fake, I marketed them before the nation, I apologize, I will
take the necessary action,’” Vural said Dec. 30.
CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu urged the government on
Dec. 30 to act on the issue without losing any more time, suggesting that the
Parliament could adopt related legal arrangements before it enters recess
because of local elections scheduled for March 2014.
“If the AKP is
concerned about a legal plot, like Deputy Parliamentary Group Chair Mustafa
Elitas said and if it wants to pave the way for a retrial via a legal
arrangement, we are offering a blank check. Let them bring the legal
arrangement to the Parliament, we will support it,” Kilicdaroglu told daily
Hurriyet.
In remarks to
Turkish daily Hurriyet, AKP deputy
parliamentary group chair Elitas said Turkey could change laws to allow the
retrial of hundreds of military officers who were convicted of plotting to
overthrow Erdogan’s government.
Deputy Prime
Minister BulentArinc, however, ruled out
any possibility of a retrial in the near future regarding the coup plot cases,
adding no such eventualitywas discussed during the Cabinet meeting on Dec. 30.
“Requesting the cases to go to a retrial in connection to daily events can only
express a wishful thinking,” Arinc said.
The convicted military officers have long claimed that
much of the evidence against them was fabricated.
6. IyadMadani takes over as OIC Secretary General
According to
Ankara Anatolia news agency (30.12.13), IyadMadani succeeded
EklemeddinIhsanoglu as the new Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), the 57-member grouping of the Muslim countries.
Former Saudi
Foreign Minister IyadMadani on Monday took over formally his new post in
Jeddah.
----------------------------------------------------
TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION
