TURKISH CYPRIOT AND
TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C O N T E N T S
No. 155/14 21.08.14
1.Eroglu:
Turkey does not meet with the Greek Cypriots behind closed doors; The Turkish
Cypriots want to begin a give and take process
2.
The illegal YDU hospital’s “permit” for organ transplants is postponed; Eroglu
interferes in the human organ trafficking allegations
3.
Talat: “Presidential elections will be really about solution and non-solution”
4.
Akinci announces his candidacy for next year’s “elections”
5. British
Knightsbridge company is reportedly trying to find a formula to sell products
to Russia via the breakaway regime
6. A Togo flag boat
travelling in the Mediterranean Sea for four months set anchor at the illegal
port of Famagusta
7. Gul leaves the
Presidential palace heartbroken; Outgoing first lady Hayrunissa Gul expressed
deep disappointment over AKP’s younger generation policy
8. Several foreign
leaders to attend Erdogan's oath taking ceremony; Eroglu to attend the ceremony
9. “Gul's options”
10. Kılıcdaroglu
stated that Erdogan's support of IS would boomerang on Turkey
1. Eroglu: Turkey
does not meet with the Greek Cypriots behind closed doors; The Turkish Cypriots
want to begin a give and take process
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (21.08.14) reports that Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has alleged that the Greek
Cypriot side implements delaying tactics in the negotiating process for finding
a solution to the Cyprus problem and argued that the Turkish Cypriot side wants
to begin the give and take process the soonest.
Eroglu met
yesterday with a delegation from the Social Democracy Party (TDP) under Cemal
Ozyigit, TDP’s chairman, and with a delegation from the occupied Limnitis and
Potamos area Producers’ Union.
In his
statements, Eroglu noted that some
argue that the negotiation process has collapsed, but the negotiations continue and the leaders will meet again on 2
September. He said that their wish is for the negotiations to end with an
agreement and alleged that the demands
of the Greek Cypriots at the negotiating table increase every day.
On his
part, Ozyigit wished for the tension
experienced recently in the negotiations to end and noted that a “more
pro-peace language should be used”. He noted that the sides should stop blaming each other and use correctly the
opportunity given with the joint declaration. Ozyigit described as “wrong”
the approach of the Greek Cypriots of allegedly beginning the whole process
from scratch instead of continuing with the issues on which distance exists
between the sides.
Referring
to the allegations published in the press that the newly elected Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has some “surprises” for the Greek Cypriots and
President Anastasiades has “surprises for Turkey, Ozyigit wondered where the
Turkish Cypriots are in these “surprises”, whether the Turkish Cypriots are
“by-passed” and whether the Greek Cypriots are holding direct contacts with
Turkey over the Turkish Cypriots. He
noted that the Turkish Cypriots should be more active in their efforts for
finding a solution.
Replying
to Ozyigit, Eroglu said, in brief,
the following: “Turkey prepares no
surprise. Before the election of Mr Erdogan to the presidency, Anastasiades
had expressed the expectation that ‘if Tayyip Erdogan wins the elections, he
can solve the Cyprus problem’. However,
no dialogue has been held in order to expect such a thing. He can express his
view, but he had not consulted with Turkey, he had not discussed [with Turkey]
behind closed doors for talking like this”.
In
statements during his meeting with the occupied Limnitis area producers, Eroglu
said that their biggest wish is to
defend their “country” and alleged that some people have “set eye” on their
areas and wish the return to the pre-1974 period. Referring to the
invitation of the union to participate in a grape festival in September, Eroglu said that after 20 September he
might be in New York, but if he is in Cyprus he will definitely attend
their festival.
Meanwhile,
Eroglu briefed yesterday the so-called People’s Council on the Cyprus problem. During the meeting he said that he will
sign absolutely no arrangement which will lead the Turkish Cypriots back to the
conditions of pre-1974 period. “From
this point of view, let everyone be at ease”, he added.
Eroglu
noted that they held the briefing in this period, because one stage has been
completed in the negotiations and the last stage is about to begin. Eroglu
noted that he will meet with the UN Secretary-General in September and added
that the fact that a special adviser for Cyprus will be appointed by the UNSG,
made necessary the discussion with the “People’s Council” of the stage to which
the negotiating process has come.
Eroglu
alleged that some difficulties exist in the process since February, because of
the stance of the Greek Cypriot side and claimed that the main problem is “not
respecting the progress achieved in the past”.
Eroglu alleged also that Greek Cypriot side
does whatever it can so that “the situation of those who acquired profit from
the existing status quo is not changed” and argued that everybody sees that the
Greek Cypriots do not feel the need to exert efforts for the establishment of a
“new partnership”.
Eroglu
went on arguing: “While on the one hand the Greek Cypriot side is continuing
its delaying tactic games at the negotiating table, on the other it tries with
heart and soul at the international level to increase the embargoes implemented
on the TRNC. They must understand now
that we have a state even without a solution and we will continue defending our
state”.
Eroglu said that the pre-conditions allegedly
put by President Anastasiades for the beginning of the give and take process
cannot be accepted.
(I/Ts.)
2. The illegal YDU
hospital’s “permit” for organ transplants is postponed; Eroglu interferes in
the human organ trafficking allegations
Turkish
Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (21.08.14) reports that the self-styled ministry of health has postponed the illegal Near East
University (YDU) hospital’s “permit” for carrying out organ and tissue
transplants due to “police” investigation regarding allegations that human
organ trafficking is held at the hospital. The decision has been conveyed
to the “YDU” with a letter sent by the self-styled minister of health, Ahmet
Gulle. The letter says that “carrying out any organ and tissue transplant would
not be appropriate until the police investigation is completed”.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (21.08.14) reports that the Turkish
Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has joined
the debate created between the illegal YDU hospital and the self-styled
ministry of health. Reacting against Gulle’s statement as regards some
suspicions that human organ trafficking was conducted at the above-mentioned
hospital, Eroglu argued that everyone
should be careful about what he is saying. In statements during a meeting
with a delegation from the “YDU”, Eroglu said that carrying out organ transplants in the occupied area of Cyprus is “an
honor and gives some messages to the world”. He said that statements on such
issues by Gulle before finding out the truth cause harm to the medical
community. “I hope that this was a slip of the tongue by the esteemed
minister”, he noted adding that suspecting something is different from proving
it.
Ahmet Savasan, member of “YDU” hospital’s administrative
council, said that they visited Eroglu
with the aim of “cleaning the information pollution experienced in the field of
health”. He noted that the
developments injured them seriously and that “in front of these untrue
allegations which will give a trump card to the Greek Cypriots” they will
convey to all their “institutions” their documents after having them approved
by Turkey.
Moreover,
the self-styled prime minister of the regime, Ozkan Yorgancioglu said yesterday that the “ministry” was only
implementing the “law”, pointing out to the provision of the “law” that organ
transplants are carried out between relatives. He noted that in this case it is
not known whether the donor and the recipient are relatives.
Referring
to the human organ trafficking, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper
(21.08.14) reports that, according to
investigations held in Turkey, organs which are bought from Ukrainian donors
for 30 thousand Turkish liras (TL) are sold to patients from Israel who are
awaiting for transplants for 500 thousand TL. The investigations showed
that the transplants take place in private hospitals in Egypt, Northern Iraq
and Bagdad. Donors come mostly from Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey. Organ
transplant operations are held in Turkey, Iraq India and Israel, where the
dimensions of the situation are serious.
(I/Ts.)
3. Talat:
“Presidential elections will be really about solution and non-solution”
Turkish Cypriot daily
Havadis newspaper (21.08.14) reports that former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet
Ali Talat stated that the main issue of the agenda of the “presidential
elections” to be held in the breakaway regime next year, is the Cyprus problem.
Talat said that the “presidential elections”
will really be about solution and non-solution. He also said that there may be
many candidates from the left political front but this will not be an issue.
“The pro-solution candidate will win the elections from the first round”, he
said.
Talat evaluated the results of the presidential
elections in Turkey and said that he does not expect any political changes as
regards Turkey’s policy to Cyprus after Erdogan’s election. He said that
Turkey’s Cyprus policy has changed in 2004 after the Justice and Development
Party (AKP) came to power and that Erdogan will continue to follow this policy.
Talat also said that the many problems faced by
the Turkish Cypriots are rooted to the non-solution of the Cyprus problem,
adding that their aim should be to reach an agreement soon.
4. Akinci announces
his candidacy for next year’s “elections”
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (21.08.14) reports that Mustafa Akinci, experienced Turkish Cypriot politician and former
mayor of the occupied part of Nicosia, has
announced for the first time that he will run as “independent candidate” in the
“presidential elections” to be held in the occupied area of Cyprus in April
2015.
In
statements yesterday to Kibris TV, Akinci expressed the belief that he receives
the necessary messages from the “people” in this direction and thanked the
“people” for their stance. Akinci said
that the “president” should have a “vision for peace”, be able to establish
healthy relations with Turkey, be really independent and be able to lead the
society in the direction of “clean politics”, democracy, human rights and
transferring authority to the civilians.
Referring
to the Cyprus problem, Akinci said that
“we have a chance” to solve the problem adding that “new dynamics were born:
natural gas and energy”. “You know, if this is not wisely used within a
framework which will be to the benefit of all sides, it has disputable areas”,
he argued.
Akinci said he is in favor of a technical
committee entering into the occupied fenced off city of Varosha to prepare a
report on the situation of the buildings. He noted this would be very useful and
necessary and expressed sorrow for the fact these things have not been done up
to now. “That place could create new
common dynamics”, he noted adding that something should be given in return for
this, such as the Port of Famagusta, the illegal Tymbou airport or even the
Nicosia International Airport which was included in the Confidence Building
measures in 1993.
(I/Ts.)
5. British
Knightsbridge company is reportedly trying to find a formula to sell products
to Russia via the breakaway regime
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper
(21.08.14) reports that followingtheembargo
that Russia imposed as regards buying products from Europe, the British
Knightsbridge company is trying to find a formula to sell products to their
Russian customers via the breakaway regime.
According to the paper, the company, which was sending its products to Russia via the
Lincolnshire port, aims to reach the Russian supermarkets sending its products
via the illegal ports of the breakaway regime and the ports of Turkey.
Havadis also cites statements by an executive
member of Knightsbridge, who wants to remain anonymous, and is visiting now the
occupied areas of Cyprus that said: “You must have very strong ties. Conditions
are changing every week”.
6. A Togo flag boat
travelling inthe Mediterranean Sea for four months set anchor at the illegal
port of Famagusta
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli newspaper
(21.08.14) reports that a Togo flag boat
which was travelling to the Mediterranean Sea for four months, without
being able to stop at any port in the
area, set anchor at the illegal port of Famagusta and was put under
custody by the breakaway regime.
The boat
under the name Milano Sky had
loaded on April 20, 5.300 tons of corn in order to deliver its load in Libya
but was not able to set anchor at any Libyan port due to the political
situation in the country.
7.Gul leaves the
Presidential palace heartbroken; Outgoing first lady Hayrunissa Gul expressed
deep disappointment over AKP’s younger generation policy
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (20.08.14)
reports that President Abdullah Gul and
First Lady Hayrunnisa Gul are leaving the Cankaya Presidential Palace after
seven years in residence with a sense of sadness following what they term
“disrespect” on the part of some pro-government publications.
This resentment comes
not only because President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan has closed the doors on
Gul’s return to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) but also because of a
smear campaign against the President and his staff at the Presidency. The couple has declared the campaign “a display of disrespect and
rudeness,” adding that they were particularly hurt because the campaign was
driven by “the newcomers.”
“To be
honest, I have observed a considerable amount of disrespect from our neighborhood
during the last term. I have followed all of them. Everybody around me was
doing his or her job in the framework of an impartial Presidency,” Gül told
Ankara bureau chiefs on the sidelines of his last farewell reception on August
19.
Gul referred to an ongoing smear campaign
against his closest advisers through the pro-government media which was
intensified in recent months after the outgoing President hinted at his
intention to return to the AKP. Gul was among the founders of the AKP along
with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2001. He was elected as President in 2007 after he
was forced to cut his links with the party in line with constitutional
requirements.
“Those who know me are
well aware of my behavior. Those who don’t know me, or those who have only
recently entered our neighborhood or those who don’t know the past very well
are speaking shallowly about these issues. I will just let them recall their
disrespect and that’s all,” Gul said.
The “neighborhood” Gul
refers to is the AKP, while the topic of his criticism is the party’s younger
generation, which he and other veteran politicians would like to prevent from
joining the executive board. Young staff has been intensely lobbying for Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu to become the next chairman and Prime Minister to succeed Erdogan.
Following Gul’s talk with journalists, Hayrunnisa Gul, who was accompanying
the President, also found time to talk with media representatives. Unlike her
husband, she did not hide her deep
disappointment over the recent smear campaign against them, saying: “He
[President Gul] does not respond to these criticisms because of his politeness.
We feel very offended by some recent media reports. I have never felt such
sorrow in my life as during this period.”
(…)
“They act as if we did
not read anything, did not hear anything, were not aware of anything. So far I
have stayed silent, but that won’t last for too long. I will start speaking;
perhaps I will be the one to start an intifada.”
“Mr. Gul keeps silent
out of politeness. There were days he took newspapers away from me in order for
me not to read the stuff against him and get upset. There were days he turned
off the internet, as he knew I would read such stuff online. They were extremely
wrong and disrespectful in what they wrote and said about him. And what has
been most upsetting for us, especially over the last year, were the attacks
from those from our own social groups, from observant Muslims. We have not seen
such high doses since Feb. 28 [1997 – when a harsh military-led psychological
campaign was going on], when my headscarf was a matter of public debate. It is
hard to believe. I know what is going on. For now, I am keeping silent, but
that won’t last too long.”
Before getting into
details, Mrs. Gul had criticized some pro-government journalists without giving
names, saying:
“They made us very sad and now they are trying to get into the same photo with
us.”
Right before that, following a family picture
of the Gul couple with reporters in the reception, she told Abdülkadir Selvi,
the Ankara bureau chief of pro-Erdogan daily Yeni Şafak that she “did not want
to shake hands with him” because she had been “very hurt by him.” Hayrunnisa
Gül also told Mehmet Akarca, the Ankara bureau chief of private broadcaster ATV,
the following: “You were telling [Abdullah] what to do all the time. Say
something now, too. Now I see you are all in the same photo with the others.”
(…)
Touching on the issue as to whether Turkey
should adopt the presidential system, Gul said he made his views clear when the
issue was debated and reiterated that he preferred the current legislative
system. “Of course, no one can argue that the presidential system is not a
democratic system,” he stated, underlining that the most important thing in
such systems was to maintain the balance of the system by protecting the
consistency and the principle of separation of powers. “At the end of the day,
whichever system you select, it will enter into force following public approval”,
he added.
8.Several foreign
leaders to attend Erdogan's oath taking ceremony; Eroglu to attend the ceremony
According to Turkish daily Today Zaman
(20.08.14), Turkey has invited a number
of foreign leaders to the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, following his win in the nation's first presidential election by
popular vote on August 10.
A Foreign Ministry official who wished to remain
anonymous told Today's Zaman on Wednesday that government officials are working
on an invitation list and that “on principle,” the Ministry would not share the
list of invited or confirmed guests.
The inauguration
ceremony will be held on August 28 in Ankara. Erdogan gathered 51.8% of the
popular vote on the August 10 elections.
According to reports in the Turkish media on
Wednesday, US President Barack Obama and
Russian President Vladimir Putin are among those invited to Erdogan's
swearing-in ceremony, but both are expected to send representatives.
(…)
Leaders from Qatar and
other Gulf countries
are expected to attend the inauguration, as well as many leaders of former Soviet UnionRepublics.
Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev and the “TRNC’s president”
Dervis Eroglu were among the first leaders to congratulate Erdogan after
his electoral win. Aliyev and Eroglu are expected to attend the ceremony.
Kyrgyz President
Almazbek Atambayev
is also expected to be among the leaders attending the ceremony.
(…)
9.“Gul's options”
In a commentary under the above title, columnist Ibrahim Varlik in Turkish daily
Today’s Zaman (21.08.14) assesses Gul’s possible options after the end of his
duty in Presidency, as follows:
“As is well known,
President-elect Erdogan does not want Gul to be his successor as Prime
Minister; he would prefer a puppet. Yet, Davutoglu will not be an absolute
puppet either. Especially if he wins the 2015 general elections, this will be
the real start of the end of Erdoğan as far as the Justice and Development
Party (AKP) is concerned.
If Erdogan had not won in the first round,
there would have been some probability that he would have asked Gul to be the
Prime Minister, since Gul is someone who could bring success to the AKP in the
2015 elections. This is crucial because if the AKP loses the 2015 elections,
Erdogan will have a very difficult time in the presidential palace and his
family and friends will face countless legal indictments. Gul could not
instantly become Prime Minister even if Erdogan approved it, since he is not a Deputy,
but the AKP could easily solve that problem in a few months with a similar
formula that worked for Erdogan in 2003.
Now, it is very clear that this will not happen
and that Davutoglu will be the Prime Minister. So, let us look at what options
are available to Gül.
First, it is a
well-known secret that Gul does not want to retire from politics now and that
he wants to be very active in politics. He would not be satisfied with less-prominent
positions than that of the Prime Minister. Not
only his actions and some declarations, but off-the-record conversations among
his advisors suggest that Gul will not leave the AKP to the anti-democrat Erdoganists.
Second, there
is immense pressure from within the AKP on Gul that he should return to active
politics. They cannot be vocal since they are too afraid of Erdogan, who is
known for his ferocity towards any dissent. But those AKP members are aware that they will be in deep trouble in a
few years' time if the AKP does not change its anti-democratic ways.
Third, Turkey's
democratic circles also hope that the AKP return back to its former spirit of
2002-2007. They have been pressuring Gul to take some risks and challenge Erdogan.
It is crystal clear that an effective challenge
for Erdogan will not come from the Republican People's Party (CHP) or
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which are incompetent because of their
ideological and organizational deficiencies. I am not hopeful about these two
parties. There is a huge need for a
centrist party that is better than what the AKP was in 2001: a party that will
have social democratic, liberal, progressive pro-European Union, pro-human
rights, pro-freedom, pro-equality and pro-religious freedoms. But unless the
AKP's support declines, this will not happen very soon.
Thus, Gul remains the
only plausible candidate that can challenge the Erdoganist authoritarian path.
Gul will most probably wait until the 2015
elections to see if and to what extent the Davutoglu government will be successful.
In the meantime, he may become an AKP member again and may even be elected as a
Deputy. If Davutoglu cannot receive more than 43-45%, Gul will wait to be
called to the rescue. But this may be too late, since around that time, Erdogan
will complete his process of making the AKP belong only to him.
Experienced members of the AKP will be out of
Parliament because of the three-term rule, and many young figures who owe their
existence to Erdogan will be in Parliament. The post-2015 AKP may not respect Ggl
at all and may try to experiment with AKP Deputy Chairman Numan Kurtulmus. Thus, a lesser probability suggests that
Gul may form a new party prior to the 2015 elections, before it is too late.
Gul has been working
on this alternative since Erdogan enacted a law a few years ago to stop Gul's
candidacy in the Presidential elections. The Constitutional Court annulled this law to
the effect of empowering Gul, but the deep scars are still there and Gul has
learned very well that Erdogan is not to be trusted. Thus, forming a new party
will be easy for Gul. A sufficient number people around him would create a new
synergy.
But the enigmatic
problem is this: Will he be able to entice some of the AKP voters? Erdogan's
ruthless propaganda machine can easily present him as a threat to economic
stability and an agent of ‘foreign dark forces’.
Erdogan was able to
transform corruption cases against him into a perceived power struggle between
him and Fethullah Gulen, so he can do the same with Gulmore effectively”.
10. Kılıcdaroglu
stated that Erdogan's support of IS would boomerang on Turkey
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (20.08.14) reports
that the main Opposition Republican
People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, in an exclusive interview with
the paper, inter alia, said that the AKP government has supplied arms to the
terrorist "Islamic State" (IS), an act that will boomerang on Turkey
in the future.
Kılıcdaroglu accused
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government of providing arms and
munitions to the IS -- formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL) -- through al-Qaeda groups as part of its strategy against the
Syrian government. “The arms that were seized in trucks were not destined for
Turkmens, but rather for the IS,” he said, adding: “Now that terror has come
back and hit Turkey”.
Kılıcdaroglu was referring to the IS'
kidnapping of all the diplomatic staff in Turkey's consulate on June 11 in
Mosul, including Consul-General Öztürk Yılmaz, members of their families and
the special forces assigned to protect the consulate.
He stated that the government had forgotten all
about the hostages as over two months had passed without any resolution. The
CHP leader also alleged that Erdogan has handed these people over as captives
to the IS, noting that the government failed to evacuate the consulate staff in
time even though the IS militants had advanced towards Mosul.
“The IS came and
raided. Erdogan instructed, 'Do not use weapons, go ahead and surrender.' And
they surrendered. Our national flag in the consulate compound, on our soil, was
lowered,” he
explained.
Kılıcdaroglu said that
the fact that the government could not call the IS a terrorist group was yet
another indication of the relationship. “The whole world is calling the IS
[members] terrorists. Yet we can't say so,” he underlined.
The main opposition leader also claimed that not only Turkey but also al-Qaeda
and IS militants had sent weapons to Iraq and Syria. “Camps were set up to
train them. Truckloads of arms were sent. All of this was to topple [Syrian
President Bashar] al-Assad. Assad remains in power while thousands of Muslims
were murdered. That is why I say Erdogan's hands are bloody," he
stated.
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