Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 08-08-01

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Erdogan stated that the two sectors, the political equality and Turkeys guarantees are the conditions for the solution of the Cyprus problem

[02] Serdar Denktas said that the solution of the Cyprus problem can be reached with the right strategy

[03] Soyer: It is time to see fruits of the efforts being waged by the Turkish Cypriot people since 2004

[04] KTOS stated that the self-styled government has handed over the power to Ankara

[05] Yonluer criticised the occupation regime for withdrawing the right of the Turkish workers to obtain a citizenship after five years of work

[06] An economic cooperation protocol was signed between the self-styled Kionelli municipality and the German Weilburg municipality

[07] EU works so that the Turkish Cypriot community will achieve to reach the standards of the E.U.

[08] Water project

[09] The Turkish Cypriot Football Federation had contacts with FIFA in Zurich

[10] The Folklore Associate of Morfou attended a festival in Italy

[11] The Northern Cyprus Billiards Federation will participate in the European Billiards Championship in Germany.

[12] Yasar Yakis hosts lunch for EU representatives

[13] Turkish Parliament takes a two-month summer recess

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[14] "The Meaning of the Ruling"

[15] Turkish dailies foresee reshuffling of the cabinet after Court ruling

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Erdogan stated that the two sectors, the political equality and Turkeys guarantees are the conditions for the solution of the Cyprus problem

We will not accept any settlement which does not envisage two sectors, the political equality and the active guarantees of Motherland Turkey. This is a common wish of both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. No one should expect from us to take a step back from this point, he stated.

Mr Erdogan also reminded that he visited occupied Cyprus in order to participate in the celebrations for the 34th anniversary of the Turkish invasion and stated, inter alia, that with the invasion they succeeded in bringing freedom and peace for the Turkish Cypriots.

He also stated that as Turkish government, together with the TRNC administration, they made steps towards the solution, but the Greek Cypriot administration, as he called the Republic of Cyprus, did not make similar steps. He also said that it was not the Turkish Cypriots but the Greek Cypriots who prevented peace on the 24 April referendum.

Mr Erdogan also referred to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriots during the last five years and stressed the importance of the universities and the development in tourism in the occupied areas.

(CS)

[02] Serdar Denktas said that the solution of the Cyprus problem can be reached with the right strategy

Mr Denktas stated that the time has come for all the political and social problems and the problems of democracy to be solved with cooperation. He also said that the process for the solution is at a very important point and added that the work done until now by the technical committees and the working groups must be studied carefully and the people must be informed about them.

Mr Denktas called on the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat to insist on the principle of sovereignty which, as he stated, separately derives from the two peoples of Cyprus. On the issue of single sovereignty, he said that the establishment of a state with single sovereignty is a unitary structure and this structure envisages the maintenance of the Republic of Cyprus.

Mr Denktas went on and stated that his party has no intension of returning to the self-styled assembly.

Referring to Mr Denktas press conference, illegal BAYRAK television (31.07.08) broadcast the following:

On the issue of bi-zonality, Denktas claimed that the EU Acquis Communautaire in fact envisages the formation of a Greek Cypriot administration in the South of the island on the basis of the Greek Cypriot majority while in the North, it envisages the establishment of a Turkish Cypriot administration which will be integrated in structure.

Establishing such a structure under the EU rules will backspace the rights of Turkish Cypriots within 15 years, Denktas said.

Explaining that the phrase of Turkeys effective and active guarantee is replaced by Turkeys effective guarantee nowadays, the DP Leader stressed that this issue can in no way be diluted.

He called for unity and solidarity among all sides.

Regarding the resignations of DP MPs from the Parliament earlier, Mr Denktas complained that the calls made by these MPs have not been replied to and called on the Speaker of the Parliament Fatma Ekenoglu to put the petition presented by DP MPs to vote at the Parliament.

(CS)

[03] Soyer: It is time to see fruits of the efforts being waged by the Turkish Cypriot people since 2004

Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer has said it is time to see the fruits of the efforts being waged by the Turkish Cypriot people since 2004.

The Premier issued the statement during the opening ceremony of the CTP branch building in the village of Vadili.

Referring to the talks between President Mehmet Ali Talat and the Greek Cypriot Leader Demetris Christofias, Mr Soyer stated that the course of negotiations is very important in terms of the decision to be taken by the European Union next year on Turkeys EU membership process and European Parliament elections.

Mr Soyer underlined the importance of maintaining the negotiations for the common interests of the Turkish Cypriot people and Turkey.

He said that the gains achieved by the Turkish Cypriots after 1974 should be registered with international agreements.

We also need to keep pace with the EU standards without losing any more time he added.

[04] KTOS stated that the self-styled government has handed over the power to Ankara

He went on and stated that progress can take place with cooperation and with respect to the will of the Turkish Cypriots and added that KTOS is ready to make any sacrifices towards this direction.

(CS)

[05] Yonluer criticised the occupation regime for withdrawing the right of the Turkish workers to obtain a citizenship after five years of work

(DPs)

[06] An economic cooperation protocol was signed between the self-styled Kionelli municipality and the German Weilburg municipality

The paper also writes that Mr Schick, along with the delegation of German members of municipalities who are visiting occupied Cyprus, met yesterday with the self-styled prime minister Ferdi Soyer who wished that the cooperation between the Kionelli municipality and the Weilburg municipality will have good results. Mr Soyer further informed the German delegation about the latest development in the Cyprus problem and said that the Turkish Cypriots support the solution of the problem. He went on and stated that the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots can take as example the French and the Germans who without forgetting the past they can face the future together.

Referring to the relations of the occupation regime with foreign countries, Mr Soyer stated: We want relations at every level with Germany and any other country. It is as simple as this, he said and added that there are six universities in occupied Cyprus and 42 thousand students from 58 countries studying in them.

(CS)

[07] EU works so that the Turkish Cypriot community will achieve to reach the standards of the E.U.

Miss Neelie Kroes has said that they are working effectively with the Turkish Cypriots so that the Turkish Cypriot community will achieve to reach the standards of the E.U. She also added that for this purpose they had sent European experts to visit Cyprus.

(AK)

[08] Water project

(CS)

[09] The Turkish Cypriot Football Federation had contacts with FIFA in Zurich

The meeting started at 09.30, it continued until 11.30 and then they had a working-lunch at 12.30. Official proposals prepared by FIFA taking under consideration FIFA regulations, in order to solve the football situation in Cyprus, were discussed. The views and proposals of the Turkish Cypriots regarding FIFAs proposals were registered. The KTFF will notify FIFA in writing about the amendments they want to the proposals and the decision regarding the proposals will be submitted until the 15th of September 2008 at the demand of FIFA. According to the paper, the contacts of KKTF will continue today and the delegation will return to the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus on the 2nd of August. They will hold a press conference to brief for the content on their contacts.

(DPs)

[10] The Folklore Associate of Morfou attended a festival in Italy

(DPs)

[11] The Northern Cyprus Billiards Federation will participate in the European Billiards Championship in Germany.

(AK)

[12] Yasar Yakis hosts lunch for EU representatives

The chairman of Parliament's EU Commission, Yasar Yakis, hosted a luncheon for representatives of European Union member states in the capital on Thursday.

Yakis met with diplomats over lunch at Parliament. French Ambassador Bernard Emie, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency; Slovenian Ambassador Mitja Strukelj, whose country held the EU presidency during the past six months, and Katerina Moravcova, chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the incoming EU president, attended the lunch.

[13] Turkish Parliament takes a two-month summer recess

Turkish Parliament is scheduled to take a two-month recess until October 1st.

The parliament will go into recess on Friday following debates on 7 bills.

Earlier in the day, ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party executives met opposition parties to discuss a plan to recess the parliament as early as next week.

We want the parliament to go into recess after debating seven draft bills today and tomorrow, said Sadullah Ergin, AK Party's acting group chairman in the parliament, after the meetings.

There is an agreement among the groups on the issue, Ergin said.

[B] COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS

[14] "The Meaning of the Ruling"

The case to close down the AKP [Justice and Development Party], which we have debated continuously for months now, has finally concluded. The ruling that has emerged is every bit as interesting as the initiation of a judicial process based on the existing weak indictment: Although only one member of the Constitutional Court voted against closure, the AKP was unable to be closed down. The reason for this was that those members who voted by saying definitely that "it should be closed down" were limited to six...

It was the constitutional amendments made in 2001 and 2004, making it harder to close down parties that brought about this result. The warning of Constitutional Court Chief Justice Hasim Kilic that closing down parties should be made even more difficult was appropriate. And the penalty handed down to the AKP of depriving it of half its aid from the Treasury was a highly problematic result, not from the standpoint of the nature of the punishment, but from the standpoint of a large number of court members having provided support to an abstract concept like "becoming the nexus of anti-secularism"...

The important point from the standpoint of democracy is the fact that the AKP, which garnered the votes of one out of every two voters in the most recent general election, since which not even a year has passed, and which has governed the country for a period of almost six years, will be able to continue on its path. And since political banning was not imposed on a single one of its members, there will be no question of its suffering any shocks in the political arena. Because it is not possible for any effect of the court ruling to be seen other than a "warning" having been issued.

In fact, the AKP had no need to get a "warning" in this area. Throughout its six years in power, the AKP has displayed an inordinate effort to observe the country's sensitivities. Almost all of the democratic gains that it has achieved to date have been changes dependent on European Union (EU) membership. The AKP was obliged to postpone, due to its deference to those sensitivities, most of the promises it made to its own constituency in the 2002 and 2007 elections... Even on the topics of the complaint brought before the Constitutional Court, it did not act on its own; the constitutional amendment passed on the "headscarf," for instance, passed the National Assembly with the participation of all the parties except the CHP [Republican People's Party].

The ruling of the Constitutional Court, which resulted in the non-closure of the AKP, will be interpreted in different ways by a good many circles. But the important thing is not how others interpret it, but rather how the AKP interprets it. The AKP is going to continue on its path, but how will it continue? Should we expect it to act as if nothing has happened, and then engage in bold actions that could lead to the opening of a new case, or else are we going to confront a new timid and frightened AKP that will assess the ruling as a harsh "warning"? Or will the AKP perhaps, in continuing on its path, find a new mode of discourse?

Most probably, what needs to be done is to seek a new narrative. It is being seen that the consensus that it has found within the National Assembly is considered by some people, on certain issues, to be inadequate; in this situation, this [new approach] should be a method that would bring other dynamics into play. Some people are advising a strange form of administration that would include the leader of the main opposition party, as well as media magnates and managers. This is without doubt a distorted point of view that derives from misunderstanding democracy...

The dynamic that needs to be brought to bear is society itself. In the Chief Prosecutor's indictment, for instance, the point given the most importance was the amendments made to two constitutional articles; those two articles, as the result of another court case, were considered annulled by the Constitutional Court. But if those two articles, after passing in the Assembly, had been put to a popular referendum as well, and had gotten great support, could the stance of the Constitutional Court have been the same, one wonders?

Indeed, the things that have taken place ever since the day on which the closure case was first opened have shown that a new method, which would bring in society, could be possible. Spontaneously arising mass activity, and civil society organizations' standing up for democracy, would be steps in this direction. Those steps could turn into a method that could be employed as a popular referendum in the case of changes desired to be made on topics where there are contrary interpretations and approaches.

Turkey can find, when necessary, some way of getting through the curves without running into the wall. We can look upon the Constitutional Court's decision not to close down the AKP as the latest of these opportunities.

[15] Turkish dailies foresee reshuffling of the cabinet after Court ruling

Although Turkey's Constitutional Court decided to survive AKP from a closure decision, its verdict is a serious warning that could spark a prestige and image problem for the ruling party's image, unless it takes steps to soothe concerns regarding the secularism.

Observers say the ruling represents a "third way" which was signalled by the Court's Chairman Hasim Kilic two months ago.

Kilic had told the Referans business daily in May: "Believe me whatever the ruling is, you all see that our democracy, secularism and legal institutions would come out of this process stronger. And believe me this is not a wishful thinking!" And he said on Wednesday everybody should make necessary efforts to reduce political tension in Turkey from now on and urged political parties to take the legal steps for toughening party closure conditions.

The message and the details of the ruling of the Constitutional Court should be read carefully.

Six of the 11 members of the court said the AKP had become the focal point of anti-secular activities; one member, the chairman Hasim Kilic, said the case should be rejected, and the remaining four members also admitted that the party is focal point of anti-secular activities but not in an extent to deserve to be banned.

In other words 10 members of the Court said AKP had taken steps that harm the secularism principle in the country. That's why the ruling is a "serious warning" for the governing party, as Kilic said, and its activities would continue to be monitored by state organs.

"The AKP had been convicted for committing a crime against secularism by the 10 of the 11 members of the Constitutional Court. So that the AKP was not acquitted by the Constitutional Court," Murat Yetkin, Radikal's Ankara bureau chief said on Thursday.

He said Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP should now think twice before taking any steps, because every action of the ruling party would be assessed under the shadow of the court's ruling.

Subtitle: Now AKP's turn

The ball is now on the AKP's side. The ruling gave a brief relief to the country but the underlying issues remain in place and the solution mainly depends on the steps that AKP and Erdogan would take.

Erdogan's responsibility is to understand the message of the decision and take steps in line with that, Fikret Bila, Milliyet daily's Ankara bureau chief wrote in his column on Thursday.

"Reconsidering his policies over secularism, which is among the principles of the Constitution that cannot be changed and even proposed to be changed, should be at the top of the things that (Erdogan) should do? This is the outcome of the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the law lifting headscarf ban in universities and six members' (decision) to vote in favour of the party's closure," he added.

Erdogan said on Wednesday, in his first reaction to the ruling, everybody, especially politicians, has responsibilities and reiterated that his party would embrace every single person in the country regardless of their political views.Those remarks reminded the one he made after the AKP's sweeping victory in the general election in July 22, 2007. Erdogan had been under fire for not keeping his promise and fail to do what he said with embracing every segment of the nation.

Some segments of the nation and state organs have concerns over the AKP's policies and this is basis of the crisis that the country is going through, Bilal Cetin, Vatan columnist, wrote on Thursday.

"And the fact that those concerns are not baseless was heightened with the... ruling of the Constitutional Court. This would be a serious prestige and image problem for the AKP," he added.

Subtitle: Leadership change

Analysts suggest the first -and crucial- step that Erdogan could take is making changes in the leadership of the party as well as the cabinet. Erdogan could leave some radical names out.

hurriyet.com.tr and Milliyet reported Erdogan could shuffle his cabinet. Milliyet daily said Erdogan could change 5-6 ministers in the government, according to the speculations in Ankara; adding he discussed the issue in his secret meeting with President Abdullah Gul on Sunday.

Media reports also suggest Erdogan could replace some names from the party administration as well.

The ruling party and Erdogan are now left without any excuses. The Court's ruling is a serious warning that should be evaluated by the AKP leadership, who now has the responsibility to take steps to soothe concerns.

EG/

Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article