Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 10-09-10

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

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Eroglus message on the Bayram celebrations

[02] Mayor of occupied Lefkosia met with Slovakian Ambassador

[03] Cakici: The search for a solution to the Cyprus problem will last as long as Turkeys EU accession course continues

[04] Turkish Cypriot daily says the very rapid increase of population causes problems in the health sector

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[05] Public opinion polls on 12 September referendum

[06] Highlights

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS

[01] Eroglus message on the Bayram celebrations

Speaking to the press after receiving well-wishers at his residence, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu said that the Turks of Cyprus have been celebrating a peaceful Bayram since 1974. Noting that Bayram is being celebrated under the roof of a state, Eroglu said we know the value of today and therefore we are planning for our future.

Explaining that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is an unrecognized country but is also a developing one, Eroglu noted that from time to time problems are being experienced due to this fact. He added, however, that these problems would be overcome in time with unity.

[02] Mayor of occupied Lefkosia met with Slovakian Ambassador

Expressing the Lefkosia Turkish Municipalitys readiness to do all it can in finding a solution to the Cyprus problem, Bulutoglulari said that his municipality played an important role in the opening and functioning of crossing points in the capital.

He also pointed out that the Greek Cypriots should not ignore developments and improvements in the TRNC and warned that 2010 is the last chance to reach a settlement in Cyprus. Bulutoglulari said that the Greek Cypriot side should not miss this opportunity and should make the best use of the current opportunity to reach a solution.

[03] Cakici: The search for a solution to the Cyprus problem will last as long as Turkeys EU accession course continues

In an interview with Afrika, Cakici said that the Annan Plan was followed by a period in which relations between Turkey and the EU were being shaped. During this period, the Cyprus problem was and continues to be on the table, he said adding It is a process which is slowing down and even stagnating the Cyprus problem at the moment.

The TDP leader noted that even if every six months efforts are exerted which give hope to the people that a solution will be found by the end of the year, when someone sees those who return from the negotiations could realize this will not happen. Cakici said that the negotiating process is static, but it is not derailed. Cakici claimed that everybody should understand that as long as Turkeys EU accession negotiations slow down, the negotiations on the Cyprus problem slow down as well.

Responding to a question on the influence the population brought from Turkey had on crimes committed in the occupied areas of Cyprus and the economy, Cakici said, inter alia, the following: We take a lot of population from Turkey and this is exploited in politics. For example, 1600 persons could be made citizens in one day. Therefore, when I see this process, (I say) there are persons who acquired identity card in one day, and northern Cyprus has come to a point it will not be able to tolerate this.

He said he respects everyone who came to the occupied areas of Cyprus in the past, but he is against granting of citizenship from now on unless this is necessary.

(I/Ts.)

[04] Turkish Cypriot daily says the very rapid increase of population causes problems in the health sector

Trade unions officials in the health sector told the paper that the problems increase continuously because of the uncontrolled entries into the occupied areas of the island. The officials pointed out that personnel is not sufficient to meet the demand in this field.

The chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Physicians Union, Alper Baydar said that the burden of the hospitals has become heavier because of the uncontrolled increase of population and added that even the operating rooms are insufficient due to the excessive demand.

The chairman of the health Workers Trade Union, Kemal Oktar expressed concern over the fact that officials could not take measures on this issue.

The chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Doctors Trade Union (Tip-Is), Erol Seherlioglu said that the majority of persons who apply to the policlinics are foreigners and that the citizens cannot benefit from the health services. He noted that the workers brought from Turkey have no social security and thus they cannot be treated in the private sector.

If the states policy is to increase the population to five millions, it should arrange the health infrastructure as well, he added.

(I/Ts.)

[B] TURKISH PRESS

[05] Public opinion polls on 12 September referendum

According to the GENAR poll, conducted between 30 August and 5 September, the referendum will see a turnout rate of 88%, of which 53.8% will say yes to the changes while 46.2% will say no. The survey was conducted across 31 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara and Erzurum, and 99 districts of the provinces surveyed.

According to another poll conducted by the same company between 31 July and 8 August, 84% of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) voters will vote in favour of the changes, despite a call by the party to boycott the referendum. A total of 96.6% of Justice and Development Party (AKP) voters will vote in favour of the package. The Republican Peoples Party (CHP) has been campaigning against the referendum, but 5% of its voters will vote in favour of the package while 81% of the Nationalist Movement Partys (MHP) voters will vote against it. The MHP has also assumed a no stance on the referendum.

The poll asked those surveyed whom they would vote for if the referendum on Sunday were a general election. A full 43.4% said they would vote for the AKP while those who said they would vote for the CHP came in at 27.8%. The MHPs votes appear to be around 13.3% according to current trends, while 3.9% said they would vote for the BDP. The Felicity Partys (SP) votes were measured at 3.4%.

On a regional basis, yes votes appeared to be outdoing no votes in every area except for the Aegean and Mediterranean regions.

The poll also measured attitudes toward the referendum along gender lines. More women than men are inclined to say no. The survey also found that the lower the income and education level of those polled, the more likely that they would vote no.

According to a poll by Andy-Ar, whose results were published yesterday, yes votes will come in at 57.4% in Sundays referendum. The poll, conducted between 1 September and 6 September across 25 provinces with 4,743 people surveyed, found that those who were undecided in August are now gravitating toward supporting the package, which contributes to the higher percentage of yeses this poll has measured. The survey found 42.6% planning to vote no.

Like GENARs poll, Andy-Ars poll also finds that the southern and western coastal regions plan to vote no, while the Black Sea region and the heartland of Anatolia will be voting for the package. This poll also finds that 84.6% of BDP voters will support the package.

[06] Highlights

Referendum on Constitutional amendments

Kadri Gursel warns in his column in Milliyet that the emergence of a "yes" vote at the referendum will not only bring the judiciary under the control of a popularly-elected strong president but will also enable the AKP to either block the path to a genuinely liberal constitution or draft a new constitution that would reflect AKP's one-dimensional mentality.

Milliyet publishes a report on a "latest" survey, without mentioning source and date, according to which the vote in major cities would be:

Istanbul: 52.1% yes, 47.9 % no

Ankara: 59.3% yes, 40.7 %no

Izmir: 27.4% yes, 72.6 %no

Bursa: 56.9 %yes, 43.1% no

Adana: 33.1% yes, 66.9% no

Antalya: 34.4% yes, 65.6 %no

Konya: 61.3 %yes, 38.7 %no

Diyarbakir: 84.3% yes, 15.7% no

In his column in Vatan, Rusen Cakir writes that if BDP's boycott succeeds and a "no" emerges from the referendum, then the BDP, and hence indirectly the PKK and Ocalan, would be seen as a factor in the political life of the country. If despite the BDP boycott a "yes" emerges, then PM Erdogan would further distance himself from the Kurdish movement and totally ignore the BDP and forces behind it. Cakir adds that the AKP needs Kurdish votes to guarantee a "yes" vote but is careful not to seek it openly as it would then alienate the voters in Turkey's west and north. In turn, the BDP is also facing a dilemma, as some of its grass roots might not heed the boycott.

In a article in Yeni Safak entitled "Could the Judiciary Conduct a 'No Campaign?'", columnist Yalcin Akdogan criticizes Supreme Court President Hasan Gerceker for what he describes as his recent "unfortunate" speech against the constitutional reform package "six days before the referendum". Akdogan asserts judicial bureaucrats should be subject to the same bans that restrict what the prime minister, cabinet members, and political parties can publicly say about the subject of a referendum during the last week before the referendum. He also describes Gerceker's messages as a grave act of interference with the popular will and censures the content and style of his address as "highly disrespectful."

In an article entitled "Politicians' Secret Feasts", Zaman columnist Mumtazer Turkone argues that the ongoing referendum debates have amply demonstrated that voting against the constitutional amendments is a means of promoting the tactical interests of certain political parties. Naysayers are so hard-pressed to explain their reasons for opposing the amendment package because they cannot disclose their hidden agenda, he concludes.

b) US, Israel not using PKK against Turkey

Mehmet Ali Birand says in his column in Hurriyet that the tension in relations with the United States and Israel had caused concern among Turks that these two countries might use the PKK to punish Turkey. Birand quotes unnamed officials as saying that the United States is continuing to share intelligence on northern Iraq unabated and remains very keen on improving Turkey's ties with northern Iraqi administration. He says that the Turkish intelligence is now closely following Israel's moves, but has so far observed no change in policy, adding that an Israeli-PKK cooperation could only be possible if Turkey starts harming the fundamental interests of Israel. These unnamed officials in Ankara have also said that they have no complaints against Barzani, though they expect him to do more in restricting the PKK movement in the region.

c) Kurdish issue, army attack on PKK

Ahmet Altan, in his column in Taraf, condemns the surprise army attack on truce-observing PKK on the eve of Ramadan holiday in which nine PKK members were killed. Also condemning violence committed by the Kurdish side, Altan argues that the killing of PKK members cannot be justified, adding that its only objective was probably to sabotage the peace process.

A report in Vakit entitled "ETO [Ergenekon Terrorist Organization]-PKK Partnership in Dortyol" asserts that a special team has been assigned by the Interior Ministry to investigate allegations that the "political group" that "provoked the recent ethnic unrest in the Dortyol district of Hatay is involved in some $1,5 billion worth of drug trafficking together with the terrorist PKK.

Today's Zaman columnist Ibrahim Kalin asserts that the "Kurdish issue" will emerge as a more "urgent" matter than "the long-term steps of democratization" after the referendum amid such questions as "what will happen to Abdullah Ocalan? What will happen to other leaders and their militants, to their supporters and institutions in Europe? Will they be given amnesty? Where will they live? Will they be allowed to participate in the political system in Turkey? Will they really give up their arms once and for all?"

d) Turkey's "half-gesture" to Armenians

Semih Idiz, in his column in Milliyet, looks at the controversy surrounding the Armenian liturgy to be held in St Cross Church on the island of Akhtamar of Lake Van on 19 September for the first time since 1915. Idiz says the government will not be able to reap propaganda benefits it sought because the Holy See in Armenia has revoked its previous decision to send representatives to the liturgy as the Turkish government failed to place a cross on the church. Idiz notes that with its half-gestures towards its own Christians Turkey scored no propaganda points abroad when it allowed Greek liturgy at Sumela Monastery and will not achieve one at Akhtamar. Idiz says there is still time for the government to turn its "half-gesture" into "full-gesture," but then the government knows that once the cross is placed on top of the church it will be hard to remove it again for fear of negative propaganda, adding that if the government is incapable of shouldering such responsibilities it should better not engage in this kind of initiatives in the first place.

e) An evaluation of Hanefi Avci's book

Today's Zaman writer Emre Uslu criticizes former Eskisehir police chief Hanefi Avci's book Simons in the Golden Horn as an "operation" intended to change the course of certain criminal investigations by creating the impression that the Turkish police force is being controlled by the Fethullah Gulen community. Uslu also details the "contradictions" in the book. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio

/EI

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