TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No. 185/15 29.09.2015
1. Akinci will hold contacts with
various foreign officials in New York
2. Davutoglu
discussed the Cyprus problem with UN's Ban Ki-moon
3. İzcan calls Akinci to inform the public about the
progress on the Cyprus negotiation talks
4. Kibris: The obstacles regarding the Deryneia
crossing point have not been overcome yet
5.
Self-styled deputy Caglar will attend PACE’s plenary session
6. CMP: “The remains of 20 Greek Cypriot missing
persons were found so far in excavation works”
7. Signature
campaign by persons who live in occupied Yiallousa demanding not to lose the
houses they live in case of a solution
8.
Data on the number of workers in the occupied area of Cyprus between 2008-2014
9. Davutoglu: “No policy change regarding Assad”
10. HDP’s Demirtas signals coalition with CHP
11. Akdogan stated that the Kurdish peace process is
“unsustainable”
12. “Will the HDP boycott the elections?”
1. Akinci will hold contacts with various foreign
officials in New York
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper
(29.09.15) reports that Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci arrived in New
York yesterday, where he will start his meetings today.
Today (at 24.00 Cyprus time) Akinci will meet with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mammadyarov and the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (tomorrow morning at
04.00 Cyprus time).
Akinci will continue his contacts until 4 October and will meet with the High Representative of
the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President
of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, Sweden’s Foreign Minister
Margot Wallstrom and representatives of the Turkish Cypriot Aid Community.
Akinci
will also meet with the General Secretary of the Islamic Cooperation
Organization (ICO) Iyad Medeni and the Foreign Ministers of New Zeeland and the
USA Murray McCully and John Kerry respectively. His meeting
with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will take place on 2 October.
Akinci is being accompanied by the Turkish Cypriot
negotiator, Ozdil Nami, his spokesman, Baris Burcu, the adviser at the
self-styled foreign ministry Erhan Ercin, the director of his office, Cenk
Gurcag and the member of his negotiating team Sertac Guven.
The paper writes that the self-styled foreign minister
of the breakaway regime, Emine Colak will depart for New York tomorrow in order
to hold various contacts.
Meanwhile, Nami is also expected to hold separate
contacts during the period of Akinci’s stay in New York.
(I/Ts.)
2. Davutoglu
discussed the Cyprus problem with UN's Ban Ki-moon
Turkish daily Sabah newspaper (29.09.15) reports that United
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu.
Ban and Davutoglu met on the sidelines of the 70th UN
General Assembly in New York, the UN spokesperson's office said in a statement.
"The
Secretary-General and the Prime Minister agreed on the importance of the
negotiations for a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus, as well as Turkey's role
in supporting the process," the UN said.
Ban and Davutoglu "also discussed developments
related to the Middle East Peace Process, especially the current need to keep
tensions down in Jerusalem", the UN said.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Premier's intense diplomacy with
world leaders continued yesterday on the margins of the General Assembly. He
held bilateral meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Lebanon's
Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvil
during the day.
3.İzcan
calls Akinci to inform the public about the progress on the Cyprus negotiation
talks
According to illegal Bayrak (28.09.15) the leader of the United Cyprus Party (BKP)
İzzet İzcan has said that the property issue is the key point in the negotiations
process and added that the public was being misled towards a no vote with false
information.
Izcan stated that the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı needed to give more information
to the public on the ongoing negotiations process. “The two leaders have
achieved progress on governance and power sharing, migrants and population as
well as EU matters. However, the property issue still remains to be on the
negotiating table”, added Izcan.
Pointing
out that criteria pertaining to property are currently being discussed in the
talks, İzcan said that the public was being misled by the rejectionist camps on
both sides of the island.
“Property
remains to be the key issue in the Cyprus problem” he added.
Stating
that it was too early in the talks to set a date for a referendum, Izcan said
that the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide is
currently seeking financing abroad for a settlement.
4. Kibris: The obstacles regarding the Deryneia
crossing point have not been overcome yet
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (29.09.15)
reports thatthe discussions regarding
the opening of Deryneia crossing point are going well but no result has been
reached yet. Citing a source close to Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa
Akinci’s office, the paper writes that the
“speculations” published last week in the Turkish Cypriot press that the issue
of the route at the above-mentioned crossing point had been solved were not
true. The sources said that the
discussions with the “security forces” in the occupied area of the island are
continuing.
The paper reports that because Akinci was in favor of the use of the existing route in the area, the
issue has been discussed for long between Turkish Cypriot and Turkish
officials. The source told Kibris the following: “We cannot say that the
discussions on this issue have been completed and a definite result has been
reached. The discussions are continuing and we assume that they will end up
positively”.
The paper recalls that in statements to Kibrislast week, Akinci’s spokesman, Baris Burcu
had confirmed the information published in the press that the obstacles for
opening the Deryneia crossing point were overcome.
(I/Ts.)
5.
Self-styled deputy Caglar will attend PACE’s plenary session
Turkish
Cypriot daily Star Kibris (29.09.15) reports that the self-styled deputy with
the Republican Turkish Party – United Forces (CTP-BG) Mehmet Caglar will
participate in the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE), which will be held in Strasbourg between September 28 and
October 2. Caglar will return to the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus on
October 3.
(DPs)
6.CMP: “The remains of 20 Greek Cypriot missing
persons were found so far in excavation works”
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi (29.09.15) reports that the Committee of Missing
Persons, which is conducting excavation works behind the Central Prisons in the
occupied part of Lefkosia, has announced that so far the remains of 20 Greek
Cypriots have been found.
The
excavation works which began on the 17th of August completed the first half of
the dig before the Bayram period. It is expected that the second phase of the
excavation work to restart in the coming days.
In
statements on the issue, the Turkish Cypriot member of the CMP, Murat Soysal
told illegal TAK news agency that before the Bayram period, remains belonging
to 20 missing persons had been found.
He added that the second phase of the excavation works
is expected to start next week with the completion of the identification
process next year.
7. Signature
campaign by persons who live in occupied Yiallousa demanding not to lose the
houses they live in case of a solution
Turkish Cypriot daily Bakis newspaper (29.09.15)
reports that the persons who live in the occupied Yiallousa village started a
signature campaign in order not to leave the houses they live, in case of a
solution.
According to statements made by the so-called mayor of
the occupied village, Ozay Oykun the persons living in Yiallousa have started
the campaign in order to show that they are not willing to leave the village.
Oykun said that many times it was
reported in the Greek Cypriot press that the village will be among those to be
under the Greek Cypriot administration in case of a solution. He also stated
that so far 600 persons have signed the campaign. The village has 1,100
inhabitants.
The paper also writes that Yiallousa was among the
villages that, as it was alleged, was visited by some Greek Cypriots who
demanded to have their property returned by the persons who now use their
properties.
(CS)
8.
Data on the number of workers in the occupied area of Cyprus between
2008-2014
Turkish
Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen (29.09.15), in its front page under the title “The
number of the ‘foreign workers’ has been increased”, reports that while the number
of the registered “foreign workers” in the “social insurance system” in the
occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus is being increased, the number of the
Turkish citizens workers is being decreased.
According
to a report on the “economic situation of North Cyprus in 2014” prepared by the
illegal directorate of aid committee of the Turkish embassy in the occupied
part of Nicosia, there is a serious increase of registered “foreign workers” in
the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus.
The
paper publishes the following table with the number of the workers in the
occupied area of Cyprus accordingly to their nationality:
|
Years
|
“TRNC”
|
Turkey
|
Others
|
Total-work
permits
|
General
total
|
|
2008
|
40.552
|
29.740
|
2.650
|
32.390
|
72.942
|
|
2009
|
38.558
|
25.503
|
2.562
|
28.065
|
66.623
|
|
2010
|
39.622
|
27.792
|
2.917
|
30.709
|
70.331
|
|
2011
|
40.682
|
27.211
|
3.251
|
30.462
|
71.144
|
|
2012
|
42.663
|
27.996
|
4.210
|
32.206
|
74.869
|
|
2013
|
45.056
|
27.383
|
4.895
|
32.278
|
77.334
|
|
2014
|
46.715
|
27.987
|
5.753
|
33.740
|
80.455
|
(DPs)
9.Davutoglu: “No policy change regarding Assad”
Ankara Anatolia news agency (28.09.15) reported that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
stated on Monday that Turkey remains opposed to any political transition in
Syria involving President Bashar al-Assad.
Turkey has been Assad's most outspoken critic since
Syria descended into bloodshed in 2011, blaming him for violence that has
killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more, and insisting he had
to be removed.
But
last week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan floated the idea that Assad could
be part of a transitional period. He later said his comments did not represent
a policy change.
Davutoglu,
who is in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, said on
Sunday that Turkey would accept whatever political solution Syrians choose, but
it could not include Assad. "We
have the conviction that with al-Assad in charge during the transition period,
that transition period would no longer be transitory. We believe that this
situation would turn into a permanent status quo. Our conviction on this matter
hasn't changed," Davutoglu said. .
(…)
In
comments reported by local media that appeared to signal a policy shift,
Erdogan said last week: “Either a transition process without al-Assad, or with
al-Assad, is possible.”
But
he also echoed Ankara’s long-standing view, saying: “Nobody can foresee Syria’s
future with al-Assad. It’s not possible to accept a person responsible for
killing 300,000 to 350,000 people, a dictator.”
(…)
10. HDP’s Demirtas signals coalition with CHP
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (29.09.15) reports
that Turkey’s Peoples’ Democratic Party
(HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtas gave signs of a potential coalition with the
Republican People’s Party (CHP) at a speech during his visit to Germany.
“The
CHP, HDP and forces, communities siding with peace, freedom and democracy,
should be able to offer a democratic alternative power to Turkey’s society,”
said Demirtas in the Hamburg province of Germany on September 27.
“There have
been smear campaigns launched against our party during election terms. These
efforts of disinformation would affect the positions following an accurate
election as well. For instance, pro-governmental media has been carrying out a
smear campaign recently, claiming I have given instructions for certain acts of
the [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK.On the contrary, we have been a political
party making a great effort to stop the war and clashes, which the public
opinion also recognizes,” Demirtas added.
According to Demirtaş, “either the AKP should change itself or Turkey will have to get rid of
the AKP” to resolve problems. In this regard, the statement of Demirtas urged
an alternative and democratic authority, involving the cooperation of the CHP
and HDP.
While saying the HDP gave great importance to overseas
votes, Demirtas added that in this electoral term, a single vote or a minor
change in the number of MPs could change the balances of the parliament’s
arithmetic.
Because of the significant number of electors of
Turkish origin in Germany, the party has been carrying out an electoral
campaign, with Germany in focus, said Demirtas.
(…)
11.Akdogan stated that the Kurdish peace process is
“unsustainable”
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (28.09.15) reported
that Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister
Yalcın Akdogan,speaking at a local governance consultation meeting of his
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), stated on September 28 that the resolution process cannot restart like
nothing has happened because it has become “unsustainable”. He added that
the “security vacuum” due to deadly attacks of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK) will be entirely filled.
“These
operations weren’t launched for pleasure,” Akdogan said, adding that some
people asked why the government didn’t restart the process aimed at ending the
three-decade long conflict between Turkey’s security forces and PKK militants,
as they have already launched military operations.
“We cannot just
say ‘What were we talking about? Let’s go back to the beginning.’ Here, a
security vacuum has emerged. The organization [the PKK] has exploited the
process and betrayed it. Here is what I’m telling them: ‘You cannot resume even
if you want to resume.’ Because with these actions, the process has become
unsustainable,” Akdogan said.
(…)
Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested
the process could restart when positive momentum is captured.
“The ‘democratic initiative’ [process] has been left
behind, the national unity and fraternity [project] has been left behind. As I
said earlier, the resolution process is frozen at the moment. Why wouldn’t it
resume when we capture positive developments? There is no obstacle for this but
this process has unfortunately been torpedoed by the political party in
parliament which is backed by the separatist terrorist organization,” Erdogan
said.
12. “Will the HDP boycott the elections?”
Under the above title, columnist Yavuz Baydar in a
commentary in Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (29.09.15) describes the climate in
Turkey amid the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Turkey on November 1st
and writes the following:
“With about a
month left to Turkey's existentially important early polls, the Justice and
Development Party's (AKP) game plan seems to be intensifying on the Kurdish
vote in the 15 provinces in the southeastern region, where a number of ballot
boxes are declared to be removed from many districts due to the violent
conflict spreading across the settlements and escalating into a serious crisis.
What's
more worrisome, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) -- whose
80-seat-strong presence in Parliament delivered a severe blow to President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's plans to ‘legalize’ a shift to an executive presidential
system -- started delivering signals that if the ballot boxes are transferred
to other locations, it will consider boycotting the elections entirely.
The
debate about the legitimacy and possible outcome of the early election had so
far brought to the fore the possibility of the AKP eventually postponing it for
a year, by quoting the "state of war" as a pretext, as mentioned
in the Constitution, if it sees that plans for a single-party rule do not seem
likely.
But, as events unfold, the spotlight is on whether or
not the election will be fair and free in the mainly Kurdish provinces. In the
past week, the opposition raised the question of whether the declaration of
some 150 areas there as ‘forbidden security zones’ may be part of a plan to
push the HDP vote below the 10% barrier, so that it falls out of Parliament.
The case of whether or not the removal of the ballot
boxes elsewhere is now a burden for the Supreme Electoral Board (YSK), which
has to decide on a request by its Cizre branch to do so. If a decision is made,
it will set a precedent, depending on the ruling. If the YSK refuses to take the
matter on, chaos will ensue.
(…)
The extraordinary circumstances due to the widespread
escalating violence have already led to more than 150,000 people being
displaced -- according to the CHP figures -- and a related removal of ballot
boxes in all declared ‘security zones,’ in 15 provinces, will reportedly affect
400,000 people. (Independent pollsters such as KONDA claim that for the AKP to
achieve the status of ruling once more as a single majority party, the loss of
approximately 500,000 votes that had gone to the HDP would be sufficient.)
As I
mentioned earlier in this column, the upcoming election faces two threats.One
is the option of a postponement, and the other is that either the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) calls for an overall boycott or the HDP declares it as a
contesting party.
Now, as feared by many observers, the latter is
surfacing as a counter-move by the AKP to tinker with the voting routines in
its apparent favor.
Commenting
on the pending case of ballot boxes with the YSK, HDP spokesman Ayhan Bilgen
said: "When there is only a month left to the polls, a decision to remove
ballot boxes will mean blocking the right to participate in voting. We expect
the YSK to act soundly and cancel this application. This is a systematic move
of oppression."
Bilgen
added that, otherwise, "the party's central committee would take up the
issue of boycotting the elections," adding that "this discourse
should not be seen as a threat but a warning."
In a country that has experienced one constitutional
breach after another in the past one-and-a-half years, the pressure is mounting
for an "autonomous board" almost doomed to be instrumentalized.
The
danger is imminent: A boycott by the Kurdish political movement at this stage
is certainly what the AKP wants and is pushing it to its realization. It would
mean that roughly 6 million votes that had gone to the HDP would be wasted and
this would set the stage for a three-party Parliament, with the AKP possibly
gaining the majority to rule and even enough for a constitutional change to
establish a presidential system.
The
question, therefore, is whether or not the HDP will take that poisonous bite”.
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TURKISH
AFFAIRS SECTION
(AK/ AM)
