3/7/13

TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW



TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW


C O N T E N T S
No. 123/13                                                                                           03/07/2013

1. Afrika: The voters will punish by boycotting the political parties who bow on AKP demands
2. CTP announced its political manifesto for the “elections”
3. Kucuk said that they will continue to grant “TRNC citizenships” and allocate plots in rural zones
4. YKP to participate with the observer member status in the European Left Party conference
5. “Mayor” of occupied Lefkosia stressed his readiness for cultural cooperation with Italian cities
6. Cicek re-elected as Turkish Parliament Speaker
7. KRG pressures Baghdad with Turkey oil pipeline

1. Afrika: The voters will punish by boycotting the political parties who bow on AKP demands
Under the title “The voters punish by boycotting”, Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika (03.07.13) writes that the political parties in the breakaway regime did not react against the salaries threads and the blackmails opposed to the “government” of Sibel Siber by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey and notes that the voters will reply by punishing the parties boycotting the “elections”.

“After the elections, besides the change of the persons who sit on the chair, no other change is expected”, writes the paper which notes that following the call of Turkish Cypriot Primary Teachers’ Union (KTOS) and Turkish Cypriot Primary Teachers’ Union (KTOEOS) to boycott the forthcoming 28 July “elections”, a reaction came by Ahmet Kaptan, the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Public Servants Trade Union (KTAMS). Kaptan who said that the AKP put the will of the Turkish Cypriots under mortgage stated that the Turkish Cypriots should fight until the end in order to administrate themselves.

2. CTP announced its political manifesto for the “elections”
Under the title “Radical reforms are a condition”, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper writes that the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) announced yesterday its political manifesto for the forthcoming 28 July “elections”.

The 212-page manifesto which includes the “communal vision” and the “social economic program” of the party was presented in a press conference yesterday by CTP’s chairman Ozkan Yorgancioglu.

The party distributed to the journalists who attended the press conference the “Regeneration notebook” with the party’s positions.

According to the party’s manifesto, radical reforms are needed for the problems faced in the breakaway regime, politically, socially and economically. In addition new mechanism must be adopted in the “citizenship” issue. Finally the party notes that it does not take a step back on the issue of the solution of the Cyprus problem.

3. Kucuk said that they will continue to grant “TRNC citizenships” and allocate plots in rural zones
Under the banner headline “Kucuk: Our hands are clean”, Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi (03.07.13) reports in its front page, that the leader of the National Unity Party (UBP) and former “prime minister” of the breakaway regime Irsen Kucuk, commenting on the investigation that Siber’s “government” will launch for the activities of the former ruling UBP “government”, said the following: “Let them investigate as much as they want. Our hands are clean. We have not hidden anything. We published every decision in the official gazette and we submitted to the people”.

Kucuk continued: “Within the framework of our laws, we granted citizenships, we allocated plots in rural zones to our youths. If our people give us a vote of confidence, we will continue to allocate plots in rural zones and grant ‘citizenships’.”

4. YKP to participate with the observer member status in the European Left Party conference
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (03.07.13) reports that the New Cyprus Party (YKP) will participate with the observer status member to the conference European Left Party.

The conference will take place in Porto, Portugal between 6-7 of July 2013. Murat Kanatlι, YKP chairman will represent the party to the conference.

5. “Mayor” of occupied Lefkosia stressed his readiness for cultural cooperation with Italian cities
Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (03.07.13) reports that the “mayor” of occupied Lefkosia Kadri Fellahoglu met with the Italian ambassador to Lefkosia Guido Cerboni.

The latest developments of the Cyprus problem and the plans for the improvement of occupied Lefkosia were discussed during the meeting.

Fellahoglu told the Italian ambassador that they are ready for cooperation socially and culturally with Italian cities.

6. Cicek re-elected as Turkish Parliament Speaker
Turkish daily Milliyet (03.07.13) reports that Cemil Cicek elected yesterday for the second time as Turkey’s Parliament Speaker with 299 votes in the third session of the voting. According to the Constitution, for a new Parliamentary Speaker to be elected, one of the candidates must receive two-thirds of all votes during the first two voting sessions, which amounts to 367 votes in total. If such level of support cannot be attained, in the third session, a simple majority, amounting to 276 votes, is sought. If the third session also fails to yield any result, the candidate who receives the highest number of votes becomes the new parliamentary speaker in the fourth voting session.

Cicek contested against Faruk Bal from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Osman Koruturk from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

7. KRG pressures Baghdad with Turkey oil pipeline
Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 03.07.13) reports the following:
“Sparks fly as workmen weld together a pipeline set to carry crude from the self-ruled Kurdistan region of Iraq to Turkey, defying the central government and shifting the energy balance of power in the region.

Some 600 km away, Iraqi officials in Baghdad’s heavily fortified oil ministry are threatening dire consequences if the pipeline is completed, but appear powerless to prevent the Kurds exporting oil without their consent.

Turkey’s courtship of the Kurds has strained relations with Baghdad, which says the pipeline would set a precedent for other provinces to pursue independent oil policies, potentially leading to the break-up of Iraq.

‘They tell us to finish it as soon as possible because they don’t want the Iraqi government to do something... (but) it cannot do anything,’ said an engineer at the site in the northern Kurdish province of Duhok. ‘This is very important for Kurdistan because it will benefit the economy.’

At an estimated cost of $200 million, the 281 kilometres pipeline will reduce the autonomous region’s reliance on Baghdad.

For the Turks, it will open up a new energy corridor and allow them to scale back their dependence on Russia and Iran for oil and gas.

Neither side has been deterred by the United States, which has urged both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Turkey to abandon the project.

‘The export of oil and gas is not a monopoly of any single entity to be decided in Baghdad,’ KRG Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami said in a speech in London last month. ‘Indeed, it is our duty as Iraqis under the federal constitution to pursue export routes for oil and gas to secure our future’.”


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