TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
167/15 03.09.2015
1.YKP:
Occupation army’s demand for an “alternative road” for the opening of Deryneia
crossing point shows that Varosha will not open
2. “A court for properties is being established”
3. Toros
tries to ease worries in the Turkish Cypriot side regarding the property issue
4.
The loaded with weapons cargo vessel seized in Greece passed through the
occupied port of Famagusta
5. “Turkey to become most advantageous route for
Israeli natural gas”
6. Claims that $7 billion belonging to Koza İpek were
illegally transferred to bank accounts in Malta, Bahrain and the occupation
regime
7. Turkey's MGK reiterates determination in fight
against terrorism
8. Demirtas: “No suitable conditions for polls in
Turkey's east”
9. Turkey moves arrested British journalists to a
distant prison
1. YKP: Occupation army’s demand for an
“alternative road” for the opening of Deryneia crossing point shows that
Varosha will not open
Under the title “YKP: A person who will say to the
general that ‘you exceeded your authority’ is wanted”, Turkish Cypriot daily
Afrika newspaper (03.09.15) reports that Murat
Kanatli, member of the New Cyprus Party (YKP) has said that the demand of the Turkish occupation army for building an
“alternative road” as regards the opening of the crossing point in Deryneia
area shows that the occupied fenced off city of Varosha will not open and the
army will continue being there. In a written statement issued yesterday,
Kanatli pointed out that the army wants to keep the [existing road] for
strategic reasons.
Kanatli added: “In times during which it is alleged
that we are full speed heading towards the solution, we find out that there are
still strategic areas for the army to be used in war and we are witnessing that the community leader succumbs to these and
brings the new proposals to the table. In the latest situation on Deryneia
issue, from YKP’s point of view we are
searching for a person who will say to the general ‘you exceeded your
authority’. Our demand is for the
new crossing points to quickly open and real confidence building measures,
that is, steps such as withdrawal of army, return of Varosha to those living
there prior to 1974 to be implemented
rapidly. This kind of steps will be real indications of the progress in the
solution process”.
(I/Ts.)
2. “A court for properties is being established”
Under the above title, Turkish Cypriot daily Detay
newspaper (03.09.15) reports that “a three-stage
program” is being followed on the property issue in the negotiations and
that the leaders have agreed on the issue of the categories of the properties.
The second stage, according to the paper, is the clarification criteria as
regards the properties. After a consensus is reached on this issue, a Property
Commission will be established after the solution, notes Detay, adding that it has also been decided that a [federal] Court
for Properties will be established together with the solution in order to
evaluate the decisions of the Commission and examine the objections raised
against them. The final say on the property issue will belong to this
Court. The citizens will have the opportunity to apply to the European Court of
Human Rights through this local remedy, if they are not satisfied.
(I/Ts.)
3. Toros
tries to ease worries in the Turkish Cypriot side regarding the property issue
Turkish Cypriot daily Dialog newspaper (03.09.15)
reports that the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce Fikri
Toros made statements as regards the property issue.
Toros alleged that those who bought Greek Cypriot
properties and have documents in their hands should not be afraid. He also
stated that criteria will be created for the settlers who came from Turkey and
received unrequited property.
He went on and claimed that those who paid for the
property they now own should not worry. “According to the international law is
yours. Everything you paid for belongs to you. There is nothing to worry about.
You are the owners if you paid money for it”, he stated and alleged that those
who invested in Greek Cypriot properties should not worry as well, because the
investment they made belongs to them.
(CS)
4.
The loaded with weapons cargo vessel seized in Greece passed through the
occupied port of Famagusta
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (03.09.15)
reports that the cargo vessel HADDAD 1 carrying a Bolivian flag loaded with
weapons which was seized off the island of Crete in the east Mediterranean Seaby
the Greek Coast Guard, passed from the occupied port of Famagusta.
Citing reliable sources the paper writes that the
vessel which went to the Turkish port of Iskenderun from Egypt cast anchor in
the occupied Famagusta port between 18-24 of August. After leaving the occupied
ports the vessel went back to Iskenderun and continued its trip.
(CS)
5.“Turkey to become most advantageous route for
Israeli natural gas”
Under the above title, Turkish daily Sabah (03.09.15)
publishes the following: “Israel is considering transporting Leviathan gas
resources to international markets via Turkey as the normalization process between
Ankara and Tel Aviv continues. The Israeli government is pondering using new
routes to carry energy resources from the Leviathan gas field, which holds 540
billion cubic meters of gas and is the world's largest gas reserve discovered
in the past decade. Following an Israeli confrontation with the Mavi Marmara, a
Gaza-bound Turkish humanitarian flotilla, in 2010, Israel turned away from
Turkey and toward Greece and Cyprus, whereupon Israeli officials said
trilateral relations among them reached a peak. As common interests between Israel and Turkey started overlapping, it
was believed that Cyprus would also benefit from the reconciliation between the
two countries.
Yet
another factor concerning Israel is the recent discovery of one of the world's
largest gas reserves in Egyptian waters. Sources from Tel Aviv said Israel's
plan to export its gas directly to Egypt changed after the country's discovery
of its own gas reserves.
Israeli
authorities also said they are debating the construction of a gas power plant
in southern Cyprus' Vasilikos. Planners fear that constructing a pipeline
connecting the Leviathan gas field with the Aphrodite gas field would be
costly.
Israel also stated they are unwilling to construct a
floating gas power plant due to security concerns. Moreover, it would be an
unprecedented, risky and enormous project -- equal to the size of four football
fields.
It
is said that carrying Israeli gas to Europe through Turkey would be
advantageous both for domestic and international use, the latter of which would
entail sending it to Europe through other lines such as the Trans-Anatolian gas
pipeline (TANAP) and Turkish Stream projects. However, Israel is worried about
realizing the project without first achieving normalization. Israeli authorities
said they have a lot to lose, and they have to wait for now.
According
to sources, private energy companies are looking at the Turkey alternative;
however, they do not know how to progress without reconciliation between
northern Cyprus and southern Cyprus. Giant energy companies think that a
pipeline passing from Turkey is the cheapest and best way to transport Israeli
gas”.
6.Claims that $7 billion belonging to Koza İpek
were illegally transferred to bank accounts in Malta, Bahrain and the
occupation regime
According to Turkish daily Sabah (02.09.15-online in
English) the inspectors looking after
the case of Koza İpek Holding, which is claimed to provide financial support to
the Gulenist Terrorist Organization, found out that aid money were being transferred
abroad.
A
special team from the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) has begun to
investigate all details related to 23 companies owned by Koza İpek Holding
after police launched a probe on Tuesday into the holding company after a
decision from the Ankara 7th Criminal Court of Peace. All banking transactions,
money transfers and financial relations of the foundations and companies
related to the Gülenist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) are being investigated.
Inspectors found that the price of gold extracted from
mines were shown to be 10 times higher than their real value by the holding's
gold group while aid money were sent abroad. They said that if Koza İpek
Holding has a connection with members of terror organizations its assets can be
confiscated in the name of national security.
In
the investigation in which Akın İpek, the group's chairman, is accused of being
the director of the Gülenist Terror Organization, it is claimed that the sum of
$7.04 billion was illegally transferred to the holding's bank accounts located
in Bahrain, Malta and Cyprus.
However, $4 billion out of this sum could not be documented, according to the
reports prepared by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board and Organized
Crime Control Bureau. It is alleged that the non-documented balance is the
money compiled for the Gülen terror organization.
The special team worked overtime at MASAK last night
not to skip any detail in the operation into Koza İpek Holding, which is
alleged to be a safe box of FETÖ. Additionally, technical assistance was
demanded from the Banking Regulation and Supervision Authority and the Capital
Market Board. As a covert operation is being conducted into the foreign
connections of the companies, money transfers made to members of FETÖ in the
U.S. and other countries are being investigated. Inspectors emphasized that a
cautionary judgment can be made on assets of the holding company if it is
documented that the group had a high amount of tax evasions or it has
connections with the "parallel structure."
Bank accounts of some individuals in FETÖ, which
Ankara describes as a terrorist organization after including it in the Red
Book, are under investigation.
(…)
According to Turkish law no: 6415, as part of the
United Nations Security Council's Regulation regarding the prevention of
financing terrorism, providing financial support to a terrorist organization is
a crime; thus, operations can accordingly take place and assets frozen.
7.Turkey's
MGK reiterates determination in fight against terrorism
Turkish daily Sabah (02.09.15-online in English)
reported that Turkey’s National Security
Council (MGK) convened on Wednesday in efforts to discuss critical matters
mainly focusing on establishing enhanced security measures in the upcoming
November 1st early elections, the Syrian crisis, the PKK and ISIS
terrorist organizations and the Gulen movement.
The
written statement released after the MGK meeting stated that security measures,
both past and future, to combat terrorism and terrorist attacks aiming to disrupt
the peace and tranquility both inside and outside the country were reviewed.
The
statement said: "No threat would weaken the hundreds-of years-old
fraternity bond within our nation."
The
importance of close cooperation with the international community to fight
terrorism was also underlined in the statement.
On
the matter of fighting against the Gulen movement, both domestically and
abroad, the statement expressed Turkey's determination to fight against such
illegal structures and as a democratic state of law; all procedures would be
carried out within the legal framework.
Security measures to ensure a peaceful and secure
environment, away from any kind of oppression at the upcoming general elections
dated November 1, 2015 were presented to the Council in the meeting.
Recent events and developments in Syria were
thoroughly evaluated; border security measures were reviewed, and restoring
peace and security in Syria were discussed while asserting that the fight
against ISIS terror organization with the US-led coalition will continue
full-force and with the same determination, added the statement.
The statement also expressed Turkey's concern over
European countries' attitude towards the refugee crisis, which Turkey has been
dealing with responsibly over the last few years.
(…)
8.Demirtas: “No suitable conditions for polls in
Turkey's east”
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (02.09.15) reported that the co-chairman of the
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas, told reporters on
September 2 in Ankara, that the conditions in the eastern and southeastern
Anatolian regions of the country were unsuitable for an election campaign due
to ongoing clashes between Turkish security forces and terrorists.
“Our
friends coming from these regions do not bring good news. They say conducting
an election campaign under these conditions is impossible. This is the
objective of the [Justice and Development Party] AKP. If they would, they could
provide the necessary conditions for polls even in one day”, Demirtasstated.
Arguing
that the presidency was aiming to increase its control of ballot boxes and
polling stations during the November 1 election in line with President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s instructions, Demirtas added:
“The President already said [the November 1 election] won’t be like the
June 7 polls. His presidency will take the ballot boxes in hand. It seems he is
in preparation to put his pressure on the ballot boxes as he seized [control
of] the state.”
Demirtas
further claimed the AKP could even postpone the election if they anticipate
their votes will decline further.
“Boycotting
elections is not on our agenda. We are working and discussing [how to]
provide election security. There are serious violations in various parts of the
region. But western parts of the country can hear only 10% of all of them,” he
added.
“The
HDP will compete in the election with all of its political mechanisms”,
Demirtas said, adding that the party’s
objective is to garner 20% of the votes on November 1, nearly seven more points
than it had in June.
On a question about the killing of a doctor by the
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants, the HDP co-leader harshly criticized
the organization and said he cursed the incident.
(…)
9.Turkey moves arrested British journalists to a
distant prison
According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News
(03.09.15) the two Vice News journalists
and their assistant who were arrested in Turkey on terror-related charges, have
been transferred to a prison more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) away from
their lawyers and the courthouse where they face trial, a lawyer stated today.
The
two British journalists, correspondent Jake Hanrahan and cameraman Philip
Pendlebury, and their Turkey-based assistant were detained last week in
Diyarbakır, the main city in Turkey's mostly Kurdish southeast, where renewed
fighting has killed a number of people.
A
court ordered the three formally arrested late on August 30 on charges of
aiding a terror organization. All three have rejected the accusation.
Tahir
Elci, head of the Diyarbakır lawyers' association, told The Associated Press by
telephone in Diyarbakır that the three were taken to a prison in Adana, southern Turkey, on the grounds that there were
English-speaking wardens and inmates there. Elçi, however, said the move would
hamper their defense.
Kevin
Sutcliffe, Vice News' head of news programming in Europe, said the journalists
were transported to a high-security prison where suspects convicted or accused
of terror-related charges are kept, sometimes in isolation. "This move
appears to be a blatant obstruction of the fair legal process that Turkey has
repeatedly pledged to uphold," said Sutcliffe. "We call
on the Turkish government to throw out these ridiculous charges and immediately
release our colleagues."
(…)Their arrests have prompted strong protests from
media rights advocates, the U.S. and the European Union.
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