TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No. 102/15 04.06.2015
1. Akinci’s contacts in New York
2. Talat: “Return of property is wrong!”
3. The Turkish Cypriot “municipalities” claim the
administration of the water which will be brought from Turkey
4. Reactions over the possible privatization of the
occupied Famagusta port
5. Message of support to Cumhuriyet’s journalist
Dundar by the KTGB
6. Yorgancioglu met with Turkish, Kirghizstan and Bosnian
Herzegovinian children groups
7. The “New
Rising Movement” to protect settlers in the breakaway regime
8. Erdogan: Journalists, Armenians, gays are
representatives of sedition
9. Turkish commentary views split in AKP
10. Commentary views possible scenarios after the elections
in Turkey
11. Fifty-two years sought for journalist Baransu as
trial over MGK report begins
1.Akinci’s contacts in New York
Under the title
“Important meeting on the Cyprus issue”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(04.06.15) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci will meet with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
today in New York. After the meeting, statements to the press will be made
at the UN headquarters around 19.00 hours (Cyprus time).
During his stay
in New York Akinci will hold meetings at various institutions and will give interviews to Al-Jazeera, the
Associated Press and Bloomberg.
Before his
meeting with the UNSG, Akinciwill also
attend a working breakfast organized by the International Peace Institute.
Representatives of foreign missions in New York are expected to participate in
the breakfast.
(I/Ts.)
2.Talat: “Return of property is wrong!”
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (04.06.15) reports that former Turkish Cypriot
leader, Mehmet Ali Talat has replied to
Erato Kozakou Markoulli, member of the Greek Cypriot negotiating team on the
property issue, who has reportedly
told Ada TV that the property issue will be solved with return of property.
In statements to the paper, Talat
alleged that “this is a wrong approach” and argued that “this kind of behavior
is not in harmony with the spirit of the negotiations”.
Talat claimed: “Markoulli said that territories will be
returned to the pre-1974 owners. If you say this, how will you sit to discuss?
Discussing these issues before the press prior to negotiating is wrong.
However, the Greek Cypriot side does this”.
He argued that
such “allegations” bind the Greek Cypriot side and send a message to the
Turkish side saying “do not come down on me”.
Moreover, he alleged that the
Greek Cypriot side’s stance on the issues of guarantees and the property is
wrong.
Meanwhile,
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (04.06.15) reports that Talat gave a
lecture at the illegal European University of Lefka on the “Negotiating
Processes in Cyprus”. He noted that the process was revived with the election
of the new Turkish Cypriot leader and added that the convergences documents are
reexamined. He argued that with the
solution of the Cyprus problem, a problem which Turkey faces in its
international relations will cease to exist.
Replying to a
question, Talat said that in case of a solution, there will be two founding
states and a single federal structure internationally. He claimed that during the transition period, the Turkish
lira will be an official monetary unit like the Euro, harmonization of the
banks will be achieved within the framework of the new federal law and the
Central Bank Law and a banking
unification will be on the agenda.
(I/Ts.)
3.The Turkish Cypriot “municipalities” claim the
administration of the water which will be brought from Turkey
Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris newspaper (04.06.15) reports that the 28 “municipalities” in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus
claim the administration of the water which will be brought from Turkey with
undersea pipelines. The “municipalities” gave a press conference yesterday announcing the establishment of a company
named “Municipalities Union Water and Canalization Enterprises – KKTC BESKI”.
The chairman of the “Union”, AhmetBenli said that they have also prepared a project named “Administration of the TRNC’s
Drinking and Utility Water and Drain Water Project”. The project provides
for completion of the investments on the water network within three years and
on the canalization in ten years.
Pointing out
that they will need 391 million Turkish liras for the above-mentioned
investments, Benli noted that the “municipalities” are currently responsible
for the distribution of water to 132 thousand places in the occupied area of
Cyprus. He said that the “municipalities” face economic problems, which will
increase if the provision of services in the water sector is taken away from
them and the burden of the workers in this sector continues to be on their
shoulders.
Meanwhile, the
director of the project, Dervis Kemal Deniz said that according to the information
they could acquire, the annual demand of
drinking and utility water in the occupied area of Cyprus is 32 million cubic
meters.
(I/Ts.)
4.Reactions over the possible privatization of the
occupied Famagusta port
Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (04.06.15)
reports in its front page that the
recent statements made by the so-called minister of transportation and
communications Hasan Tacoy that the issue of the privatization of “ports” has
come on the agenda and that the occupied Famagusta port will be among the
first, has created a great shock in the “TRNC”.
Commenting on the issue, Vargin Varer, economist and deputy chairman of the Turkish Cypriot
Chamber of Trade said, inter alia, that the current structure of the “Famagusta
port” is not sustainable. He, however, pointed
out that the privatization of the port cannot be the remedy and proposed the
changing of the port’s structure in order to be able to provide further
services than “imports and exports”. “One solution might be the creation of a
different structure of the port so that the different services of the ports to
gather under an autonomous authority which would have its own incomes and
expenditures”.
On the same issue, Yiltan Ozkirac, “member of the ship agents union” said that he does not
oppose to the privatizations in general but as regards the privatization of the
occupied Famagusta port he said that it is unacceptable. He said that the
privatization of the “Famagusta port” with its current structure would be
wrong.
Also, the “chairman” of Guc-Sen trade union Erol Emin condemned strongly the privatization of
the “port” and said that the “port” belongs to the people.
Pointing
to the strategic and cultural importance of the “Famagusta port” since it was
the first port in Cyprus, Erol expressed the view that it would be a mistake to
proceed to the privatization of the “port” especially in a period where
intensified talks for the solution of the Cyprus problem are taking place.
Erol
called the “government” to step back on this issue and stressed the need for a
master plan to be implemented so that the “port” to become sustainable.
Moreover, the
“chairman” of the “administration board” of the “worker’s company in the port”,
Serhan Tekkan said that they were informed about the privatization of the
“port” by the press and asked for an appointment with the so-called minister
Tacoy to discuss the issue.
He
further said that the privatization of the “port” would mean expensiveness in
the market which would have negative effects in the “country’s economy”.
(AK)
5.Message of support to Cumhuriyet’s journalist
Dundar by the KTGB
Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (04.06.15)
reports that the Turkish Cypriot
Journalists' Union (KTGB), in a written statement yesterday expressed their
support to the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet editor-in chief Can Dundar, who is
facing an investigation on the charge of publishing photographs purportedly
showing trucks belonging to the Turkish National Intelligence Service (MIT)
filled with weapons.
The
Union condemned strongly Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s stance
towards this issue and underlined the need for democracy and freedom of the
press to be respected in Turkey.
(AK)
6. Yorgancioglu met with Turkish, Kirghizstan and
Bosnian Herzegovinian children groups
Illegal
Bayrak television (04.06.15) reports that the self-styled prime minister Ozkan
Yorgancioglu met with Turkish, Kirghizstan and Bosnian Herzegovinian children
groups who visit the breakaway regime to take part in the 1st of June World
Children’s Day activities.
“The
children took part in the 3rd LefkosiaInternational Children’s Folk Dance
Festival” that was organised by the collective efforts of HASDER, GOC-TS,
FOLK-DER and the Youth Centre”, Bayrak broadcast.Yorgancioglu stated that culture and arts were means to carry
forward the past to the future and added that “foreign children who took part
in the festival would return to their countries and speak about TRNC”.
7. The “New Rising Movement” to protect settlers in
the breakaway regime
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (04.06.15) reports that a new organisation
has been established called “Yeni Dogus Hareketi” (New Rising Movement) which
aims “to reduce the unjust treatment of the Turkish citizens (Tr.note: the
settlers) living in the TRNC”
Erhan
Arikli who announced the new organisation said that “they would defend the
rights and equalities that all citizens carrying a TRNC ID card”. He said that they would not differentiate between “old
Cypriots and new Cypriots”.
Arikli
said the movement was formed “in order to help Turkish citizens who had migrated
to the TRNC to overcome difficulties they face”. He said that the most to be
affected by the solution process would be those “citizens” from Turkey who “migrated”
to the island after 1974.
Arikli
claimed that the Greek Cypriot side which refers to these people as settlers,
opposed their presence on the island and argued that they should all be sent
back. “No one was able to say what would happen to those people who migrated to
the island after 1974, despite most of these people becoming TRNC citizens. Unfortunately
it was a bitter truth that those in power in the TRNC had acted with prejudice
towards those who had been immigrants since 1974 and ‘left-wing’ parties,
associations and organisations had made Turkish citizens feel as outsiders”, he
stated.
Arikli
also claimed that the electoral law only gave these “citizens” a right to vote;
it did not however give them the right to be voted, limiting their
representation to no more than 2 “deputies”.“No country, including the Greek
Cypriot side, has a citizenship law such
as this”, he said.
8. Erdogan: Journalists, Armenians, gays are
representatives of sedition
Turkish
Hurriyet Daily News (04.06.15) reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
has continued his salvoes against a number of his critics including
journalists, Armenians and members of the LGBTI community ahead of the June 7
general elections, accusing them of supporting the Peoples’ Democratic Party
(HDP).
“Their
biggest ally is Dogan Media. The Armenian lobby, homosexuals and those who
believe in ‘Alevism without Ali’ – all these representatives of sedition are
[the HDP’s] benefactors,” Erdogan said during an address to citizens in the
eastern province of Bingol on June 3.
On
June 3, the Turkish President also repeated his ever-toughening rhetoric
against international media. “They also received the support of some foreign
media outlets, which see Turkey as their colony,” he said. Without mentioning
the name of the AKP, which he co-founded, Erdogan said that “everyone should go
and vote for the party he or she likes.”
In
recent days for different reasons, Erdogan has slammed several media
institutions including daily Hurriyet, which is owned by the Dogan Media Group,
daily Cumhuriyet, the New York Times, CNN International and the BBC.
9. Turkish commentary views split in AKP
Turkish
daily Diken newspaper (31.05.16) publishes a commentary by Levent Gultekin
under the title: "What Is happening in the AKP?"
“[…]
The elimination process in AKP has almost been completed. As a result serious
split has occurred. The majority of the media members and the bureaucrats who
were removed from office and the majority of those who were removed from the
list of candidates are from the ideological grassroots of the AKP. In other
words, an important part of those who had accompanied Erdogan since the
establishment of the party and who had come from the Islamist neighbourhood
have been pushed out. They have been replaced by recruits who view loyalty to
Erdogan as the only value.
This
picture has started a major debate both in the party and in the grass roots and
it led to a serious split. Those who say: "This party has an ideology and
values, what is important is the AKP, and we should protect it" are on one
side, while those who say "Erdogan is the only important thing, he works
with whoever he wants, and he determines the policy" are on the other
side.
The
first sign of the split was seen in the media. The structure which is described
as the "partisan media" was split into two, namely as Erdogan's media
and the AKP media. The group which also included Yeni Safak, Yeni Akit, and
Kanal 7 which had also existed prior to the establishment of the AKP was
positioned as the AKP media, whereas the group which also includes Sabah, Star,
Aksam, and 24 TV was positioned as Erdogan's media. […] Such a split also
exists in the party. The fight between Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc and
Ankara Greater City Mayor Melih Gokcek was the first surfaced sign of the
conflict between the pro-Erdogan circles and the AKP members.
Those
in the party who believe that Erdogan is seriously harming the AKP government
and that he is even endangering the AKP's chances of coming to power with his
words and behaviour are in the majority. The rate of those who say "Erdogan
under any condition" in turn is quite low.
Resistance
is building in the party and the Islamist circles against the elimination of
the Islamists -- a process launched by Erdogan. In fact there is an unnamed
uprising. The fights we witness in the newspaper columns are not merely
independent fights started by journalists. This is a fight which is supported
in the background by AKP ministers, deputy chairmen, and the leading names of
the neighbourhood. […]
The
pro-Erdogan circles aim to create a country where Erdogan is in full control in
each and every institution and in every field. The AKP members in turn aim to
stop the damage caused by the pro-Erdogan circles and to remain in power. Unfortunately
both sides miss the real reason behind the negative course of developments. […]
The AKP has grown by being nurtured by peace. Now it is nurtured by fights and
separatism. They are not able to understand that such policies are not
supported by AKP grass roots.
In
short, unfortunately the goal of those who say "Tayyip Erdogan is the
president; as of now what is important is the AKP and therefore we are obliged
to protect the AKP" is not a more tranquil Turkey. They do not oppose
Erdogan because they want a more democratic, more liberal, more pluralistic,
and more egalitarian Turkey. Their
problem is the elimination of the Islamists and the fact that Erdogan is
endangering the AKP government with the persons who has recruited lately and
with his policies.”
10. Commentary views possible scenarios after
elections in Turkey
Turkish
Istanbul BGNNews newspaper (03.06.15) published an article by Nazli Ilicak under the title: “Post-Election
Scenarios”:
“There
are a few scenarios which might happen after the elections:
1) In
case the HDP fails to overcome the election threshold, the AK Party will
maintain its one-party government. The authoritarian regime will grow stronger
and take root. Arrests will continue. The government will start implementing
its plans for the media. Along with police officers, many journalists and
judicial officials will be detained; they will be put on trial with or without
detention. In short, it will be the end of democracy.
2) If
the HDP overcomes the threshold, the AK Party will either obtain the absolute
majority of 276 by a small margin, or lose it, again by a small margin. In that
case, Tayyip Erdogan will, a) Either comply with the rules and without
intervention, start from Ahmet Davutoglu – and after him, other party leaders –
for establishing the government. b) Or take action to make transfers for the AK
Party so it can obtain the required parliamentary majority.
3) The
President has a power provided him by article 116 of the Constitution, which
states that in case the “Cabinet cannot get a vote of confidence” or is
“deposed by a vote of no-confidence,” and if no Cabinet can be formed, or if
formed, cannot get a vote of confidence within 45 days, the President may
decide to have new elections. Now, suppose there was a lack of good faith and
the 45 days were wasted because of fruitless negotiations… And a government is
formed without the necessary support from the Parliament, so that it will be
unable to get a vote of confidence. Erdogan may just as well call for another
election. To overcome that risk, the CHP and MHP may want to sign a protocol to
form a government that will receive the HDP’s external support. If that
happens, the President will have to entrust the task to them, in case the AK
Party fails.
4) As
you see, the HDP will be a “key party” if it surpasses the threshold. It will
either support AK Party from the outside, or a CHP-MHP coalition. This formula
cannot survive a term of four years. Following some democratic steps, one
should expect early elections.
5) The
AK Party and the MHP may form a coalition. It will be a relatively stable government.
However, the MHP will only consent to it if Tayyip Erdogan acts within the
limits of his jurisdiction. We may even witness the opening of the corruption
files. Would Tayyip Erdogan agree to that?
6) A
CHP-AK Party coalition is, compared to a coalition with the MHP, a lesser
possibility and an alternative that Tayyip Erdogan would not prefer. But even
if it happens, Tayyip Erdogan will find himself restricted and claims of
corruption will be investigated. To repeat, an AK Party-CHP coalition is a long
shot as opposed to an MHP coalition.
7) Democratic-minded
AK Party members may prefer to leave the party. Just as it had been with
Fazilet Party, they may start a new movement. Keep in mind that Abdullah Gul is
in reserve.”
11. Fifty-two years sought for journalist Baransu as
trial over MGK report begins
Today’s
Zaman newspaper (04.06.16) reports that the trial of journalist Mehmet Baransu
for publishing classified documents of a 2004 National Security Council (MGK)
meeting that brought together the President, the Prime Minister, Cabinet
ministers and top commanders to discuss an action plan against faith-based
social movements began on Wednesday with the prosecutor seeking 52 years for
the journalist.
A
prompt investigation launched against Baransu for reporting on a confidential
MGK document that mentioned a planned crackdown on faith-based groups in the
country drew bitter condemnation and stern criticism. The indictment, completed
by the Anadolu Chief Public prosecutor's Office, pointed out that Baransu's
report published on Nov. 28, 2013 in the Taraf daily exposed state secrets and
thus requires severe punishment.
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