TURKISH
CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW
C
O N T E N T S
No.
193/16
07.
10.2016
1.
Akinci: “This is the last effort of our generation for a solution”
2.
Turkish Cypriot daily refers to the content of Akinci’s briefing to the
“assembly”
3.
Siber’s statements after Akinci’s briefing of the
“assembly”
4.
Turkish deputy Prime Minister is holding contacts in the breakaway
regime
5.
Chairman of MUSIAD branch in the breakaway regime spoke about Cyprus’ past and
future in a meeting of the organization abroad
6.
Turkish fair of the breakaway regime to take place in Istanbul
7.
Yildirim: Turkish soldiers will stay on Iraqi soil
8.
Turkey to cut official ads on newspapers of journalists charged with terror
links
9.
AKP Deputy calls for trial without arrest for jailed writers
1.
Akinci: “This is the last effort of our generation for a solution”
Turkish
Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (07.10.16) reports that Turkish
Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci briefed yesterday the “parliament” of the
breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus on the
developments in the Cyprus problem. In statements after the 4,5 hour long
closed-door “session”, Akinci described the meeting as “fruitful” and
“useful”, adding that everybody expressed their views in a participatory
manner and not competitively. He said that he listened to the “deputies’”
views and replied to their questions.
Reiterating
that the minutes of the negotiations are sent to the “parliament” and all
“deputies” can read them, Akinci noted that he gave further information on
issues which were not understood.
Akinci
recalled that he would meet with President Anastasiades today within the
framework of the negotiations and added that “we are going to work for
evaluating this process in the best manner”. Reiterating the statement he had
made when he was entering the “assembly”, Akinci argued:
“I
really think that we are in a historic period, at an important crossroad.
This is always said in the Cyprus problem, it is said that ‘it is crucial’, but
I think that this time it is really so. I have said it many times and I will say
it once more. I believe that this is the last effort of our generation. If
this opportunity is missed again, I do not know when and how the process will
recommence and what will be discussed in the next processes. However, what
is reasonable is for us focusing on this opportunity and on turning it into a
reality and not on such scenarios. It is possible for us to create a new
Cyprus for the benefit of both the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots and
of Turkey, Greece and the region. […] Provided that this will is not
unilateral, that the same will, the same wish, the same realism is used by the
Greek Cypriot side as well, and the issue is approached from the same point of
view. Because this is the way by which we are approaching it and we will
continue our course in this direction”.
(I/Ts.)
2.
Turkish Cypriot daily refers to the content of Akinci’s briefing to the
“assembly”
Under
the title “Towards the end”, Turkish Cypriot daily Diyalog
newspaper (07.10.16) reports that a counter proposal with the
support of the USA has been developed in respond to the Greek Cypriot condition
that the Turkish occupation army must withdraw and the guarantees must be
abolished in case of a solution to the Cyprus problem. According to the
paper, “it is known that after a possible solution Turkey will become guarantor
of the Turkish Cypriots only and not of the entire island” and that “the Greek
Cypriot side and Greece are not positive on this issue. “However, it is said
that in case Turkey’s right of unilateral intervention is abolished, agreement
could be reached”, it adds.
Turkish
Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, who briefed the “deputies” yesterday at a
closed-door “session”, writes the paper, said that the existing system of
guarantees belongs to the past and referred to views such as Turkey’s guarantees
to cover only the northern part of the island and the Turkish intervention to
take place in case the Turkish Cypriots ask for it.
According
to information obtained by Diyalog, during meetings with Turkish officials,
US Vice President Joe Biden and the US Ambassador to Nicosia have expressed the
view that maintaining foreign troops on the island is an obstacle in front of
the reunification of Cyprus.
During
the closed-door “session” of the “assembly”, in parallel to Turkey’s guarantees,
the activities of “ELAM terrorist organization” which constitute a threat for
the Turkish Cypriots were discussed. Akinci has reportedly said that the
prohibition of ELAM could be asked and that similar examples exist in the EU.
The
paper writes that another issue on which the leaders have agreed is the
formation of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of
Representatives will have 36 Greek and 12 Turkish members and the Senate 20
Turkish and 20 Greek members. The laws suggested by Greek Cypriots will need at
least five Turkish votes in the Senate and six in the House of Representatives.
The laws suggested by Turkish Cypriots will need 18 Greek Cypriot votes in the
House of Representatives and five in the Senate. The number of the employees in
the federal government has not been clarified yet, but 67% of the civil
servants will reportedly be Greek Cypriots and 33% Turkish Cypriots. It
is said that this is better than the 1960 agreements and more Turkish Cypriots
will be employed.
It
is also said that the “deputies” asked Akinci questions on the rotating
presidency and the property as well. The issue of the citizenships has also come
onto the agenda. Some “deputies” reacted to the adjustment as regards the
population proportion, which is said to be 220 thousand Turkish Cypriots and 803
thousand Greek Cypriots. Akinci has reportedly expressed the view that the
Turkish Cypriots who live abroad could not be prevented from becoming citizens
of the federal state and warned the “government” that it should not grant new
“citizenships” at this stage.
(I/Ts.)
3.
Siber’s statements after Akinci’s briefing of the
“assembly”
Turkish
Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (07.10.16) reports that the “speaker” of the
“assembly Sibel Siber praised Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akicni for briefing
the “parliament” about the latest developments if the Cyprus
negotiations.
Speaking
after the meeting, Siber stated that this was the third briefing that Akinci
made at the assembly and added that the information given was important because
it destroys the climate of wrong information that is spread on the issue. She
said that Cyprus is their common problem and that the exchange of views is very
important.
She
went on adding that the session was closed to the press in order for the
confidentiality on the Cyprus negotiations to be kept.
(CS)
4.
Turkish deputy Prime Minister is holding contacts in the breakaway
regime
Turkish
Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (07.10.16) reports that Deputy Prime Minister of
Turkey Veysi Kaynak is paying today an illegal visit in the breakaway
regime.
According
to the paper, he will first meet with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci
and later with “prime minister” Huseyin Ozgurgun.
At
14:00 he will deliver the opening speech at the “Hala Sultan symposium” which is
organized by the “Cyprus social studies university”. In the evening he will
attend a dinner offered to his honor by Serdar Denktas.
(CS)
5.
Chairman of MUSIAD branch in the breakaway regime spoke about Cyprus’ past
and future in a meeting of the organization abroad
Turkish
Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (07.10.16) reports that the "chairman" of the
Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) branch in the
occupied area of Cyprus, Okyay Sadikoglu participated in the European meeting of
MUSIAD in Cologne, Germany, which took place between September 30- October 1.
According
to the paper, Sadikoglu spoke about “the past and the future of Cyprus” in the
meeting.
The
paper also reports that Sadikoglu later went to Amsterdam for the opening of the
local branch of MUSIAD in the Nederlands.
(CS)
6.
Turkish fair of the breakaway regime to take place in Istanbul
Turkish
Cypriot daily Volkan newspaper (07.10.16) reports that the “1st TRNC
Fair” will take place in Istanbul between 9-13 of November 2016, at CNREXPO
exhibition center, which is Eurasia's largest international exhibition
center.
“Minister
of economy and energy” Sunat Atun stated that the fair will be under the support
of the Turkish Minister of Turkey Nihat Zeybekci.
The
Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, the “Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry”
and the “ministries” of energy and tourism are among the participants in the
fair.
(CS)
7.
Yildirim: Turkish soldiers will stay on Iraqi
soil
Ankara
Anatolia news agency (07.10.16) reports that Turkish Prime Minister Binali
Yıldırım said that Turkish troops will remain in Iraq to continue the fight
against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and to make sure that no
change to the region’s “demographic structure” is imposed.
“Whatever
the Iraqi government in Baghdad says, the Turkish presence there [in the
Bashiqa region] will remain for the fight against ISIL and to make sure that the
demographic structure of the region is not being changed by force,” said
Yıldırım, addressing a trade and industry meeting in Ankara on Oct.
6.
He
added that at a time when there were troops from 63 countries in Iraq to fight
against terror, concern over the Turkish presence in the country was “absurd”
and had “nothing to do with good intentions.”
8.
Turkey to cut official ads on newspapers of journalists charged with terror
links
Turkish
Hurriyet Daily News (07.10.16) reports that Turkey’s Press Advertisement
Institution, the authority for distributing official ads to newspapers, has
announced that it will not direct any business to publications whose owners,
partners or executives face terrorism charges, raising criticism from the
opposition and a sector organization.
Newspapers
that do not fire journalists who face such charges within five days will also
not benefit from official ads, according to a regulation published in the
Official Gazette on Oct. 5.
The
new regulation also addresses the printing time of newspapers, forcing them to
go to print at 5 p.m. at the earliest, three hours later than the former
regulation.
The
Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) said the regulation is tantamount to
interference in the content of newspapers.
The
regulation will cut ads to many publications, the union said in a statement.
“In
a period in which press freedom has been disregarded this much, the government
is looking to silence all diverse voices,” it said.
“This
is a great threat,” said Barıs Yarkadas, a main opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP) Deputy and a former journalist.
“They
will make a deadly strike on newspapers and magazines,” he said, adding that his
lawyer would file a lawsuit against the regulation.
9.
AKP Deputy calls for trial without arrest for jailed writers
Turkish
Hurriyet Daily News (07.10.16) reports that a lawmaker from the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP) has said jailed writers in Turkey should be tried
without arrest.
Orhan
Miroglu, the AKP’s Deputy from the southeastern province of Mardin, specifically
referred to the case of award-winning arrested novelist Aslı Erdogan.
“I
want Aslı Erdogan to be tried without arrest. I think the same for other jailed
writers, as I am also a writer,” Miroglu said in Parliament on Oct. 5, adding
that he had also objected to Erdogan’s arrest in a Facebook post.
“I
think writers, regardless of the crimes they may have committed, can be tried
but without arrest in accordance with the existing laws in Turkey. I criticize
Aslı Erdogan, but I’m the first one who objected to her arrest from Facebook,”
he said.
Erdogan,
a member of daily Ozgur Gundem’s advisory board and columnist, was arrested over
alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Aug. 20. Ozgur
Gundem was shut down for allegedly engaging in PKK
propaganda.
During
his speech Miroglu also criticized the closed newspaper. “If I bring several
issues of it here, I’m sure that 90% of you would be scared even to read it,” he
said.
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