TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 112/14 19.06.14
1.
Davutoglu calls on the Islamic countries to support
Turkey on the Cyprus problem
2.
Contacts by Nami in Jeddah
3.
Ozersay says they insist on a road map
4.
MHP wants the immediate interception of the Cyprus
talks
5. Ertugruloglu to
attend summer meetings at PACE
6. Turkish Columnist on
the Mosul crisis and Turkey’s connections with the ISIL
8. Turkish court sentences 1980 coup leaders to life imprisonment
8. Top Turkish court paves way for retrial of Balyoz
coup case convicts
9. Editorial says nomination of Ihsanoglu declares
“victory” of change in Turkey's political character In Turkey
10. Gul and Erdogan to take final decision on the
presidential elections and the AKP leadership
1.
Davutoglu calls on the Islamic countries to support
Turkey on the Cyprus problem
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (19.06.14)
reports that the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet
Davutoglu has referred to the Cyprus problem in his address at the 41th Meeting
of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation Foreign Affairs Ministers and
called on the Islamic countries to support Turkey on this issue.
Davutoglu touched also upon the problems that the
Moslem countries are experiencing in areas such as Azerbaijan, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Kosovo, Crimea, Myanmar, Middle East and Africa. He argued that they “should be united for
the solution of the problems”.
Davutoglu ended his
speech by asking support to Turkey’s candidature for becoming non-permanent
member of the UN Security Council for the period 2015-2016.
(I/Ts.)
2.
Contacts by Nami in Jeddah
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (19.06.14)
reports that Ozdil Nami, self-styled
foreign minister of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic
of Cyprus, explained the developments in
the Cyprus problem yesterday during contacts he held in Jeddah which he is
visiting within the framework of the 41th Meeting of the Organization for
Islamic Cooperation Organization’s (ICO) Foreign Affairs Ministers.
At the airport Nami met by the Chief Counselor of
Turkey to Jeddah, Fikret Ozer and one Ambassador from the Royal Protocol of
Saudi Arabia. Nami met yesterday withthe
General Secretary of ICO, Iyad Amen Medeni and the General Director of Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT)
Dr El Hassane Hzaine.
Nami held
also contacts with the Head
of State of the Sultanate of Oman and General Secretary of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Sayyid Badr bin Hamad
Hamood Albusaidi, the Foreign Affairs Minister and Minister of African
Integration of the Republic of Chad,
Moussa Faki Mahamad and the Head of the delegation of Azerbaijan in Jeddah,
Aksin Mehdiyev.
Issues on which
cooperation could be held in the fields of education, culture and trade were
discussed during the meetings. Moreover, Nami briefed his interlocutors on the
latest developments in the Cyprus problem and on how the Turkish Cypriot side
sees the on-going process.
(I/Ts.)
3.
Ozersay says they insist on a road map
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (19.06.14)
reports that the Turkish Cypriot negotiator, Kudret Ozersay has said that the Turkish Cypriot side will continue to
preserve its position against what he called as “the Greek Cypriot demands” in
order for passing to the next stage of the Cyprus talks. In statements
yesterday after his four-hour meeting at the buffer zone with his Greek Cypriot
interlocutor Andreas Mavroyiannis, Ozersay said that they will continue the
discussion on the issue of determining a road map in the negotiations.
The paper writes that Ozersay and Mavroyiannis discussed the chapters of the “European Union”
and “the citizenship” during the above-mentioned meeting.
Ozersay noted that the debate which started during the
meeting of the leaders on 2 June as regards the road map will continue in the
next meeting and that the proposals submitted by the Turkish Cypriot side on
the issue are still valid.
Ozersay said that the
meeting yesterday was held in a more sincere and friendly environment comparing
to the past meetings and added that this positive climate does not change the
reality that “a big difference exists between the sides” on the issues of the
EU and the citizenship. Ozersay said that especially on the issue of the derogations within the EU a gap exists
between the sides. He noted that yesterday the Turkish Cypriot side asked
questions and made comments and criticism on the proposals of the Greek Cypriot
side on the EU chapter. He added that the debate helped them in better
understanding some positions of the Greek Cypriot side, but their
dissatisfaction continues.
Ozersay said that the Turkish Cypriot side submitted
some proposals and made some statements on the issue of the citizenship and
added that the Greek Cypriot side brought proposals on the issue of the economy
which will be discussed later with the assistance of experts.
The negotiators discussed also issues which will be
taken up during the meeting of the leaders on 25 June.
Asked whether they have reached an agreement on any
issue, Ozersay replied: “The statements we make to each otheramong
the issues we discuss create to both sides the expectation that we could
achieve progress on some issues. However,
before seeing this on the paper in a concrete manner, it would not be realistic
to say that progress has been achieved”.
(I/Ts.)
4.
MHP wants the immediate interception of the Cyprus
talks
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (19.06.14)
reports that the Turkish Grand National
Assembly (TGNA) did not accept
yesterday a proposal submitted by the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) on the
Cyprus problem.
Addressing the
plenary session of the TGNA, Tugrul
Turkes, Deputy with the MHP, said the following: “Our call on the
AKP government from here is: Gather your
courage and intercept, suspend immediately these negotiations which continue in
Cyprus and are in absolutely no way for the benefit of the Turks of Cyprus and
Turkey. Let all parties which participate under this honorable roof gather
and let us sign a common declaration.
Let us condemn the political and
Hellenistic decisions of the European
Court of Human Rights and point out that shaping the international law
against Turkey is wrong”.
(I/Ts.)
5. Ertugruloglu to
attend summer meetings at PACE
Turkish Cypriot daily
Kibris Postasi newspaper (19.06.14) reports that
Tahsin Ertugruloglu “deputy”
with the National Unity Party (UBP) is attending the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe 's (PACE) summer meeting in Strasbourg. The meeting will
take place between 23-27 June.
6. Turkish columnists
on the Mosul crisis and Turkey’s connections with the ISIL
The Turkish press publishes various articles on
the Mosul crisis, the role of the Turkish Foreign Ministry and Turkey’s
connections with the ISIL
Under the title “The mess
in Iraq, Kirkuk, and the Turkish Foreign Ministry”, Ihsan Yilmaz writes in Today’s Zaman
(19.06.14) that the withdrawal of the Iraqi Army from Kirkuk forces Turkey to
recalibrate policy on city:
“[…] In
the past, Turkey did everything it could to prevent the emergence of a strong
government in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Turkey argued that Kirkuk must be part of
the central Iraqi government and not part of the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG). Now, the fact that the Iraqi army has deserted Kirkuk, which is now
controlled by the KRG, is forcing Turkey to recalibrate its policy on the city.
[…] “Enverist” [Enver Pasa was known for
his adventurism] AKP politicians are showing signs that they're dreaming of a
“Greater Turkey”: Turkey plus Iraqi Kurdistan, which is still independent, but
would be under Turkey's influence and even tutelage. These are of course
utopian and even dystopian dreams, since these adventures could cause a serious
headache and further problems for Turkey.
In the
past, Turkey did not want Kurds to have Kirkuk because Turkey didn't want Kurds
in Iraq to be richer and more powerful, which Ankara thought would lure the
Kurds in Turkey. […] The AKP has partially inherited the Kemalist approach,
but, with its neo-Ottomanist vision, it has convinced the Kemalist
establishment that Turkey must be friendly with Iraqi Kurdistan. […] The Recep
Tayyip Erdogan-Ahmet Davutoglu duo may have some fears over, concerns about and
limits to the “Envero-Islamist” adventurism in their minds, and may prefer a
weaker Kurdistan that is open to Turkey's influence and tutelage. This step is
necessary for Erdogan's ambition to become the leader of the Muslim world. […] From
another perspective, however Erdogan and Davutoglu feel, they will definitely
obey the US administration on points where it is very clear, unambiguous and
firm. And, as of today, the US wants a united Iraq, not three independent (de
facto or de jure) Iraqi states: Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni. […] If Erdogan is
elected president of Turkey, he will push for Greater Turkey under his
leadership. If he feels powerful enough, he may even decide to “allow” the KRG
to control Kirkuk! Thus, it depends on how powerful he feels after the
elections. […]”
Under the title:“Turkey
and ISIL”, Yasar Yakis writes in Today’s Zaman (19.06.14):
“The seizure of members of Turkey’s Mosul
consulate came as a surprise for Turkey […]. The rapid ascent of ISIL started
in 2004 with the creation of the Jama'at al-Tawheed wal Jihad to resist the US
invasion of Iraq. It changed its name several times […] In 2013, when Syria
became a breeding ground for terrorism, the porous border between Syria and
Iraq facilitated the spread of the organization throughout Syria. Consequently
the name of the organization was changed to ISIL.
The attention of countries supporting the
Syrian opposition was so focused on the overthrow of Bashar Assad that the
emergence of ISIL did not bother them. Some of them may have even considered
them a welcome development since, after all, ISIL was helping them overthrow
the Assad regime. It is only after the world witnessed the ruthless practices
of ISIL that certain countries distanced themselves from this terror
organization.
Since its inception several factors contributed
to the organization's rapid growth. […] At present the organization is financed
by private donations from the Gulf countries, extortions from the businessmen
and grocers, ransom money from people they kidnap, bank robberies, etc. […]
Currently there are 32 Turkish drivers being
held by ISIL, who say that they will only be released if a $5 million ransom is
paid. The next targets of ISIL include
Baghdad and Shia holy places in Iraq, such as Karbala and Najaf further south.
If these holy places fall into the hands of a Sunni extremist organization,
much bloodier sectarian clashes will be unavoidable.
ISIL's success in Iraq provides several
dilemmas for Turkey. If the Iraqi territories inhabited by Turkmens (Mosul,
Kirkuk, Tall Afar, etc.) become part of the ISIL territories, they will be
subjected to strict Sharia. In Syria, Turkey's southern borders will be
surrounded by the Syrian Kurds, Bashar Assad's regime and ISIL. Many ISIL
recruits used Turkish territory as their transit route to join their units in
Syria therefore; we have to assume that they may have established liaisons with
many Turks. These Turkish connections will always pose a security threat to
Turkey.”
In addition, under the
title “Is there a link between ISIL kidnappings and Turkey’s presidential
race?” Merve Sebnem Oruc writes in Sabah (18.06.14):
In 1979, an angry mob of Iranian students
stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took more than 60 Americans hostage.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter allowed Iran's deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
to enter the U.S. to receive medical treatment. The students, and Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian revolution, demanded the
extradition of the toppled Shah for trial of the crimes committed during his
reign. The hostages were freed 444 days after the crisis began and just minutes
later Ronald Reagan took the oath as president. According to many, the hostage
crisis cost Jimmy Carter a second term. The crisis absorbed his concentration
and his focus on the hostage crisis kept him away from the campaign rallies.
[…]
I have been thinking of the Iran hostage crisis
ever since the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) kidnapped 49 people in
the Turkish consulate and 31 Turkish truck drivers in two separate attacks in
the Iraqi city of Mosul. I didn't notice the similarities between the two
crises until Monday. […]
On Monday, the opposition Republican People's
Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) announced their common
nomination for the upcoming presidential election with their invisible
partners, the Gulen Movement and business tycoons. Their nominee Eklemettin
Ihsanoglu, former Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,
was known for being a silent Muslim over the coup in Egypt and Assad's crimes
in Syria, an attitude directly opposed to Recep Tayyip Erdogan's. This
significant contrast indicates that the presidential race will be built upon
debates regarding Turkey's foreign policy.
We can't be sure for now but I will not be
surprised if the countries or organizations that back or cooperate with ISIS
have a finger in the abduction of the Turks to make sure that it costs
Erdogan's presidency as the Iranian hostage crisis did Jimmy Carter. Who knows?”
7. Turkish court sentences 1980 coup leaders to life imprisonment
Ankara Anatolia news agency (18.06.14) reports that
two surviving leaders of Turkey's bloody 1980 military coup were on Wednesday
sentenced to life imprisonment.
In late old age, former generals Kenan Evren, 96, and
Tahsin Sahinkay, 88, were sentenced to life. They
did not attend court because of poor health, instead appearing via videolink
from hospital. Their trial began in April 2012 with the prosecution claiming
the pair had attempted to "eliminate" the Turkish constitution and
overturn Parliament. Prosecutor Erdinc Hakan Ozdabakoglu asserted that the
defendants began plotting the coup a year before it was launched and requested
heavy prison sentences despite the men's age and infirmity.
8. Top Turkish court paves way for retrial of
Balyoz coup case convicts
Turkish Hurriyet Daily News Online (19.06.14) reports that Turkey's top court has delivered a
landmark ruling, deciding that the rights of a majority of the convicted
suspects in the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot case have been violated, thus
paving the way for a retrial.
The
Constitutional Court issued its ruling on June 18, after merging 230 separate
individual appeals that were filed by the convicts. The ruling is likely to have repercussions in the political arena as
well, as political debates are already heated in the run up to the August
presidential election.
9. Editorial says nomination of Ihsanoglu declares
“victory” of change in Turkey's political character In Turkey
Under the title “if the CHP is choosing its candidate
from the Islamic Organization and not from the Socialist International…”
Turkish daily Star newspaper (17.06.14) published the following article by
Mustafa Karaalioglu, who notes that Ihsanoglu nomination for the presidential
election by the Turkish opposition consists of a victory of AKP in Turkish politics:
“The nomination of Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu by the CHP's
[Republican People's Party] and the MHP's [Nationalist Action Party] chairmen
jointly will not change the outcome of the presidential elections, but, it will
definitely show that Turkey's political character has changed. Surrendering to the extraordinary change that took place within the
last 10 years, Kilicdaroglu and Bahceli have declared that it will no longer be
possible to have a leader who does not have a conservative profile at the head
of this country. It was necessary to merge the rule of politics and
administration with the general tendency of the society, and yesterday, the
last great resistance against that was broken.
Whoever is going to run for the first, second, third
chairs of this country, whoever is intending to govern Turkey must either get
their reference from the conservative tradition, or be somebody approved by
that tradition.
That is the
change… Erdogan must have probably sat back in his chair and nodded with a
smile on his face when he heard the news. Who would have thought?
Until 10 years
ago, let alone 10, only three to five years ago, the issue of identity that was
the object of rejection and denial has become now the only way out in politics.
How can the Prime Minister not be happy with that roof candidate? The CHP chose
its candidate from the Islamic Organization and not the Socialist
International. The party that was the bastion of Kemalism is not capable of presenting
the public with a candidate who comes to the fore with his Kemalist identity.
It is obliged to produce a conservative name by submitting to the course of
history and the trend in the society.
The failure to think of a Kemalist for Mustafa Kemal's
chair, and the acceptance that such a candidate cannot be chosen by the society
is a great development. Not having the courage to even participate in the
elections with such a candidate is declaring the end of an era.
The name of the
candidate is not Kemal Dervis, Yilmaz Buyukersen, Deniz Baykal, Nur Serter,
Ilker Basbug, or Kemal Kilicdarolgu. It is Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu…
That is because,
it is known that none of the names listed will come out of the ballots. Then
the only hope that is left is that the candidate be at least a
"conservative." So that he can reduce the number of votes for
Erdogan…[…]”
10. Gul and Erdogan to take final decision on the
presidential elections and the AKP leadership
Turkish Hurriyet Daily News Online (19.06.14) reports
that Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
will have a meeting next week to discuss the ruling Justice and Development
Party's (AKP) candidate for presidential election and the leadership of the
party.
During the
meeting, the two are likely to make a decision on the name who will serve as
the "caretaker prime minister" and head of government for the 10
months between the presidential elections and the June 2015 parliamentary
elections, in the event of Erdogan's candidacy and victory. In recent polls
conducted by the AKP, a majority of respondents favoured Gul serving as prime
minister, in an implementation of a formula similar to a "Putin-Medvedev
model," under which Gul and Erdogan would swap roles. In such an event, Gul, who is not a member of the Parliament,
will be elected to the AKP's leadership during the party's autumn congress this
year and will thus lead the party in the electioneering ahead of the June 2015
vote. According to this scenario, during the 10 months between the August vote
and the June 2015 vote, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan or former Transport
Minister Binali Yildirim could serve as the caretaker prime minister.
Meanwhile,
Erdogan is tight-lipped not only in public statements but also while speaking
with party executives on whether he will run in the August vote. Sources close
to the prime minister recall that he likes to make significant statements on
"Good Fridays," so could make his presidential candidacy announcement
on June 27. Other sources suggest that Erdogan could wait until July 3, which
is the final date for individuals to officially submit their candidacy.
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