TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No. 220/15 19.11.2015
1.
Akinci met Hammond
2.Eide met with Akinci
3.
Colak asks for the annulment of the parliamentary elections in the Republic of
Cyprus
4.
The British Parliament asks for the return of the occupied fenced off city of
Varosha to its legal owners
5.
Ozgurgun: ELAM’s attack demonstrated the need for Turkish guarantees in the
island
6.
Columnists describe as “very Denktasist” Akinci’s decision not to participate
in German Embassy’s reception for the honor of Steinmeier
7. BKP was represented at the
congress of the European Left Party in Madrid
8. “Water crisis” in the occupied
area of Cyprus; Turkey closed the penstock in Anamour dam for the flowing of
the water in the occupation regime
9. Turkish Cypriot columnist
condemns the behavior of some reactionaries in the match between Turkey-Greece
10.
Occupied Morfou inhabitants ask for a hospital construction in the area
11. Tsipras and Davutoglu
discussed the Cyprus problem during their meeting in Ankara
12.
Tsipras met with CHP and HDP
13. AK Party announces
Parliamentary Speaker candidate
14. Eight percent of Turks
have favourable opinion of ISIL, Pew poll shows
1. Akincimet
Hammond
Illegal Bayrak television (19.11.15) broadcast that
the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met with the British Foreign
Secretary Phillip Hammond who is
visiting the island.
Making a short statement after the meeting, Phillip
Hammond said he was very pleased to meet with Akinci once again.He said that
they discussed all aspects of the negotiations that are going on to try and
achieve a settlement and that he was convinced that solid progress is being
made on the political dimensions of the settlement.
Hammond said that Akinci and Anastasiades clearly have
a good working relationship and are working through the challenges.‘There are
some very big issues remaining about property rights, about territorial
boundaries and security guarantees. I think we are getting to the crucial point
of these discussions now where the two leaders have to come forward with bold
and initiative solutions to these big remaining challenges’ said Hammond.
‘What I have been able to say to Akinci as I said to Anastasiades
this morning is that the international community and I can certainly speak for
the United Kingdom and I’m sure also more widely, is that they are right behind
these discussions. We want a solution to be found and we will do whatever we
can to support that solution. That means providing technical assistance to the
discussions and in due course it will mean the international community finding
some money to support the inevitable costs of a solution to the long running
property related issues’ said the British Foreign Secretary.
‘I’m confident these talks will continue and
accelerate over the coming weeks, there are lots of my international colleagues
arriving the Chinese Foreign Minister is coming to the island, the Russian
Foreign Minister, the US Secretary of State. There is real momentum now from
the international community to support these talks and we will keep very
closely in contact with both sides of this discussion and whatever we as the UK
can do we will do’ said Hammond while concluding his statement.
On his part, Akinci stated that he had informed the
British Foreign Secretary regarding the developments in Cyprus and the Cyprus
negotiations process.
Explaining that such visits will increase in the
future, Akinci said that the international interest shown towards the Cyprus
negotiations process is important.
He said that if a positive outcome is reached at the
talks, the people on the island will make the Cyprus problem workable and
livable.
Akinci also said that he believed that foreign support is important and his meeting
with the British Foreign Secretary today had been very beneficial.
2.Eide met with Akinci
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (19.11.15)
reports that the Special Advisor of UN
Secretary-General on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide visited yesterday the Turkish
Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci at the so-called presidential palace.
The
Turkish Cypriot negotiator Ozdil Nami, the “presidential spokesman” Baris
Burcu, the “undersecretary” of the so-called foreign ministry Erhan Ercin and
the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, Lisa
Butthenheim were also present at the meeting.
In statements to the press after the meeting, Eide reminded that the third out of the six
meetings, scheduled to take place between the two leaders in November, has been
completed.
Stating that the last meeting was an extended one, Eide added that it was constructive and
pointed out that instead of making evaluation of the results of each separate
meeting taking place between the two leaders, it would be better to make
statements in the end of the series of the meetings.
Eide
also said that the two leaders evaluated and condemned both strongly the
attacks experienced on Monday, while they issued also a joint statement
condemning the attacks.
(AK)
3. Colak
asks for the annulment of the parliamentary elections in the Republic of
Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (19.11.15)
reports that Emine Colak,
self-styled foreign minister of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of
Cyprus, has argued that we are so close
to the solution of the Cyprus problem for the first time since 1974 and asked
for the annulment of the parliamentary elections to be held in May 2016 in the
Republic of Cyprus “for the continuity of the negotiations”. In statements
to Reuters during the last day of her visit in London, she said that she is
cautiously optimistic on the issue of the solution and added: “I do not think that a referendum could be
held in the beginning of 2016, but why not within 2016?”
Furthermore, Colak
met in the Parliament with Crispin Blunt, President of the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the UK’s Parliament. According to Colak’s office, during the
meeting she drew attention to the importance of the increase of Britain’s
support to the negotiating process and the solution to be reached in Cyprus.
Within the framework of her contacts, Colak participated in a lunch hosted to her
honor by the so-called friends of northern Cyprus group in the British
Parliament. She also met with Hilary Benn, Shadow Foreign Secretary of the
Labor Party and Pat McFadden, Shadow EU Minister. She briefed them on the
negotiating process and underlined the
importance of the support offered by the Labor Party both in the British
Parliament and the Socialist Group of the European Parliament. She argued
that especially when the Cyprus problem
comes onto the agenda listening to the views of the Turkish Cypriots is
important and asked from her interlocutors to hold contacts with the Turkish
Cypriots in such situations.
Benn
and McFadden said that their support to the solution process in Cyprus will
continue and that they are always ready to listen to the views of the Turkish
Cypriots and meet with them.
Meanwhile, according to Turkish Cypriot daily Star
Kibris newspaper (19.11.15), speaking to journalists at the so-called
representation office of the regime in London, Colak said that during her contacts she had asked from her
interlocutors Britain’s support to the negotiating process in Cyprus,“because
as a guarantor power Britain cannot remain silent and passive during such an
important period”. “They must support the negotiations most intensively”,
she argued.
Responding to a question on the natural gas found in
Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Colak
said that the island’s resources could increase prosperity on the island, but
as long as there is no solution it could cause a conflict. “We saw this
during the past months. There has been a process that went until the
abandonment of the negotiating table”, she noted expressing the view that when
the natural gas and the water are united, “a better future will come for all of
us” and these will be “elements which will lead us to the point we deserve”.
Replying to another question, she said that whatever the property regime after the solution is, the
property owner will have rights on his property regardless of where he is
living. She added: “This is even a part of human rights. Therefore, the
envisaged property formulas will most probably be procedures carried out by an
independent property commission. These are valid for all, regardless of where
they are living”.
(I/Ts.)
4. The
British Parliament asks for the return of the occupied fenced off city of
Varosha to its legal owners
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (19.11.15)
reports that the House of Commons of the
British Parliament has unanimously endorsed a decision supporting the finding
of a political solution to the Cyprus problem and the return of the occupied
fenced off city of Varosha to its legal owners.It was stated that the
decision was taken after a visit to Cyprus by seven Deputies headed by Deputy
David Burrowes. The other Deputies who participated in the visit were Matthew
Offord, Sir David Amess, Sheryll Murray, Martin Vickers, Byron Davies and Chris
Pincher. All members of the delegation spoke at the House of Commons prior to
the endorsement of the decision.
Deputy Burrowes noted that the fact that the visit
took place during a period of intensive negotiations showed their support and
solidarity for a comprehensive solution. He
expressed his satisfaction with the endorsement of the decision that was a “clear
message towards supporting the entire Cyprus’ and fenced off Varosha’s freedom
and justice”.
(I/Ts.)
5. Ozgurgun:
ELAM’s attack demonstrated the need for Turkish guarantees in the island
Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes newspaper (19.11.15)
reports that the chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP) Huseyin Ozgurgun,
commented on the issue of the recent attacks against Turkish Cypriots in the
government-controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus and stated that the
attacks demonstrated the need for Turkish guarantees in the island.
Ozgurgun stated that ELAM organization, which he holds
responsible for the attacks, replaced EOKA and added that ELAM attacks the
Turkish Cypriots and their properties. He went on and said that the statements
made by President Nicos Anastasiades that he feels sorry for the incident are
not enough and added that the attackers must be punished.
He also claimed that the Greek Cypriot side must
abandon the chauvinist and racist education system that follows.
In addition, Ozgurgun expressed his satisfaction over
the decision of the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, who refused to attend a dinner given in honour of
the visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the buffer
zone, because his request that the two sides be represented at the event on an
equal footing, was not met satisfactorily.
(CS)
6. Columnists
describe as “very Denktasist” Akinci’s decision not to participate in German
Embassy’s reception for the honor of Steinmeier
Writing in his column in Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper
(19.11.15) today, columnist Serhat Incirli
describes as “very Denktasist” Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci’s stance
not to participate in the reception hosted by the German Embassy to Nicosia in
the honor of the German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, who was
visiting the island.Incirli reports, inter alia, the following:
“[…] Was Akinci
expecting to be invited as ‘TRNC president’? Or did he believe that
Anastasiades should have been invited with the capacity of the ‘leader’ by an
Ambassador of a state? I do not think so.If he was expecting this, he is
either very humorist or there is
definitely a very dangerous virus, which remained in the palace from late
Denktas’ time and had infected Talat also at a time, and could deal a blow to
the solution! The German Ambassador behaves as ‘head of state’ to the head
of state of a country in which he is carrying out an official duty. We are not
anyway in the UN negotiations! We will not sit at the table and negotiate! In short, [what is] Akinci’s stance? It is
very ‘Denktasist’…”
Furthermore, writing in her column in Turkish Cypriot
daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (19.11.15), columnist
Cigdem Durust describes as “very emotional” what she calls as Akinci’s
“sensitivity”.She recalls that the same behavior had been exhibited by late
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas and former Turkish Cypriot leaders Dervis
Eroglu and Mehmet Ali Talat from time to time. “Do we not have a lot of
experiences which show that we could reach nowhere with such point of view”,
she wonders recalling that for many years those who had been criticizing late
Rauf Denktas were saying that with his behavior he was not giving the Turkish
Cypriots the opportunity to hold contacts and explain their problems. “Is it not a similar behavior this one now”,
she asks adding that she is very ‘confused”.
“Nevertheless, I
am at ease because the invitation was not related to the Cyprus problem or the
negotiating process”, she notes.
(I/Ts.)
7.BKP was represented at the congress of the
European Left Party in Madrid
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (19.11.15)
reports that the United Cyprus Party
(BKP) attended the congress of the European Left Party (EL) which took place in
Madrid between November 13-15.
According to the paper, BKP which is an observer member of the European Left Party’s executive
board, was represented at the congress by Salih Sonustun, secretary of foreign
relations of the party.
Sonustun
made a presentation during the congress as regards the Cyprus problem.
In
the presentation, Sonustun demanded from the (EL) party to support more
actively the solution of the Cyprus problem. He also underlined the positive
steps undertaken by the two leaders within the framework of the Cyprus
negotiation talks and pointed out that the Cyprus problem cannot be solved with
the leader’s efforts only.
Pointing
out that BKP supports the efforts for finding a federal solution in the island,
Sonustun said that he called the two leaders to undertake more decisive steps
in order to diminish their different views on several of the issues related
with property, population territory and guarantees.
(AK)
8. “Water crisis” in the occupied area of Cyprus;
Turkey closed the penstock in Anamour dam for the flowing of the water in the
occupation regime
Turkish Cypriot daily Diyalog newspaper (19.11.15)
reports that Turkey had decided to close
the penstock in Anamour dam for the flowing of the water in the Panagra dam in
the occupied area of Cyprus, as a reaction to the “TRNC government”, which
proposed for the water from Turkey to be administrated by the private company
BESKI,being established in the occupied area of Cyprus.
According to information acquired by the paper, the occupation regime’s “government”
refused to accept the proposal made by Turkey for the privatization of the
water management and thus Turkey has decided to suspend also the flowing of
money for investments in the “TRNC” as well as the flowing of water. Due to
this practice, the investment projects of the “municipalities” and “ministries”
have been suspended as well, writes the paper.
Speaking on the issue, the “muhtar” of the occupied Panagra village Bayram Avci stated that
its being a week that the flowing of the water at the dam has stopped and added
that the water in the dam is depleted.
Avci added that due to the crisis occurred and the
long term lack of rainfall they will face difficulties not only in the
agriculture sector but also the people will suffer as well.
The paper adds that the “water crisis” issue was discussed yesterday at the meeting of the
central committee of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG).
So-called prime minister Omer Kalyoncu, some “ministers” as well as the
chairmen of CTP, Mehmet Ali Talat and the National Unity Party (UBP) Huseyin
Ozgurgun, were also present.
In statements to the paper, Ozgurgun said that there was a quarrel concerning the issue of the
administration of the water from Turkey. He added that the issue will be solved
through discussion and preparation and said that they will discuss this issue
very soon with Turkey in order to find a solution.
(AK)
9.Turkish Cypriot columnist condemns the behavior
of some reactionaries in the match between Turkey-Greece
Under the title: “The
most obscene reactionary behavior in culture”, Turkish Cypriot daily
Havadis newspaper (19.11.15) publishes a
commentary by Basaran Duzgun, who condemned in his article the behavior of some
funs in Turkey to the football match
game between Turkey-Greece in Istanbul,
who catcalled the moment of silence for the victims of the Paris
attacks.
The columnist writes that similar behavior has been
observed by funs in a national match in Konya by some reactionaries.
The columnist writes that the fans in the match were
shouting the slogan: “Ya Allah Bismillah-Allah-u ekber” [Translator’s note:
“With the name of Allah, Allah is one”] and similarizes
these people to the attackers in Paris.
(…)
(AK)
10. Occupied
Morfou inhabitants ask for a hospital
construction in the area
Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes newspaper (19.11.15)
reports that the inhabitants of occupied
Morfou area gathered signatures asking for the construction of a hospital in
the area.
According to the paper, the “Morfou Civil Society
Platform” gathered 3,500 signatures which
will convey to the “ministry of health”.
(CS)
11. Tsipras and Davutoglu
discussed the Cyprus problem during their meeting in Ankara
Turkish
daily Sabah newspaper (19.11.15) reports that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Turkey and Greece have
a window of opportunity to act on the unification of Cyprus, adding that he
believed Athens would increase support for Ankara's bid to join the European
Union.
"There is a window of opportunity right
now over the Cyprus problem. The negotiations are proceeding. We have a common
approach with Greece to contribute positively to the talks," Davutoglu
said at a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who
is visiting Turkey.
Sending
positive messages about cooperation between the two countries, Davutoglu said
that Greece and Turkey have a similar approach to issues pertaining the
European Union and added that there is a consultative base between the two
countries to make the Balkans a region of peace and stability.
"Turkey, Greece and Europe share a common
fate in terms of refugees" the Prime Minister said, while he underscored
that the issue was not about refugees, but is rather about Syria and terrorist
organizations. He noted that Turkey and Greece are victims of the Syrian crisis
and said that nobody should put the blame on Turkey and Greece alone.
Davutoglu said that respective Greece and
Turkish ministries will create a mechanism to foresee the steps that will be
taken to prevent humanitarian tragedies in the future.
12. Tsipras
met with CHP and HDP
Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reports (19.11.15) reports
that in the framework of his contacts in Turkey Greek Prime Minister Tsipras met with main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP)
Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu and with the co-chairwoman of the People’ s
Democratic Party (HDP) Figen Yuksekdag.
During his meeting with the parties, Tsipras exchanged
views on the development of the Cyprus problem and the refugee crisis.
13. AK Party announces ParliamentarySpeaker
candidate
Turkish
daily Sabah newspaper (19.11.15) reports that Omer Celik spokesperson of
the Justice and Development Party
(AKP) announced the party's Parliamentary Speaker candidate as former Culture
Minister and Istanbul Deputy İsmail Kahraman.
Kahraman
has served as the culture ministry during the Refah-Yol government between 1996
and 1997. He was elected as a Deputy from Istanbul in the November 1 general
elections. Kahraman is also a veteran AK Party member from Rize, President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's home province.
In
addition, the paper reports that the
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has named Group Deputy Chairman Yusuf Halacoglu
as their Parliamentary Speaker candidate.
Until
the formation of a new government, the Republican People Party's Deniz Baykal
is acting as the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, as the
eldest member of the Parliament.
The
deadline for the post is midnight on Nov. 21. The Speaker is voted for by the
550 deputies of the Grand National Assembly. In the first two rounds of voting,
successful candidates need the support of at least 367 lawmakers. In a third
round of voting, a minimum of 276 votes is needed. If a fourth round is
necessary the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected.
The
AK Party holds 317 seats in Parliament while the Republican People's Party
(CHP) has 134 seats, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) 59 seats and the MHP
40.
14. Eight percent of
Turks have favourable opinion of ISIL, Pew poll shows
Turkish
daily Today’s Zaman newspaper (19.11.15) reports that 8% of Turks who were interviewed for a recent poll by the Pew Research
Center have said that they have a favourable opinion of the Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL) while a large majority of 73 % expressed disdain of the
radical group.
According
to newly released data that the Pew Research Center collected in 11 countries
with significant Muslim populations, people from Turkey to Jordan to Indonesia
overwhelmingly expressed negative views of ISIL.
The
survey showed that 73 % of the Turks said they have an unfavourable opinion of ISIL
while 19 % offered no definite opinion of ISIL and 8% expressed positive perception
of the group and 1% of those who had a favourable opinion said they have “very favourable”
opinion about the group.
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