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TURKISH PRESS
AND OTHER MEDIA
No.10/08
15.01.08
A. NEWS ITEMS
1. Gul will ask from Amr Musa the lifting of “isolations” and from
Mubarak support for “TRNC´s” effort to search for oil
2. Statements by Erdogan on Cyprus from Spain
3. Turkish Cypriot TDP declares its manifesto and claims that the current
situation in Cyprus is not in favour of the Turkish Cypriots
4. Statements by Soyer on the missing Iraqi athletes and human
trafficking
5. Serdar Denktas leaves open the possibility of his party resigning from
the so-called assembly
6. Turkish diplomat on the ECHR ruling regarding missing Cypriots
7. The Spanish Prime Minister supports Turkey´s EU membership and
views trade between the two countries
8. Erdogan defends Turkey’s closer ties with Iran and argues that the US
showed understanding on the issue
9. Turkey eager to get a share from Saudi Arabian Investment Fund
10. Meeting with Merkel, Sarkozy in May
11. Ministers of Turkey, Syria and Iraq agreed on joint projects of
common interest by utilizing Euphrates and Tigris resources
12. Prime Minister Karamanlis to visit Turkey between January 23-25
B. COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS
1. From the Turkish Press of 14 January 2008
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A. NEWS ITEMS
1. Gul will ask from Amr Musa the lifting of “isolations” and from
Mubarak support for “TRNC´s” effort to search for oil
Under the title, “The palace gesture to Gul at Egypt”, Turkish daily Milliyet
newspaper (15.01.08) refers to the visit of the Turkish President, Mr Abdullah
Gul to Egypt. The paper reports that Mr Gul and his wife are being hosted in
the 400-room historic Kubba Palace in Cairo. The paper further reports that
“Mr Gul, in the framework of his contacts in Egypt, will meet Amr Musa, the
General Secretary of the Arab League, where they will discuss about the
lifting of the embargo imposed on the TRNC by the Arab countries, by
launching flights to [occupied] Lefkosia and by having trade activities with
them.” In addition, the Turkish President will express to his Egyptian
counterpart, Mr Hosni Mubarak, his expectation that he will support “TRNC’s”
effort to search for oil in the Eastern Mediterranean.
(EA)
2. Statements by Erdogan on Cyprus from Spain
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (15.01.08) reports in its front page
under the banner headlines: “The south Cyprus cannot talk in north’s name”
and says that the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Spain has
claimed that “there is no ground for the south Cyprus to be called “Cyprus” in
the European Union. He went on and claimed that “at this moment the north
Cyprus is not benefiting from the opportunities that the south Cyprus is
benefiting on the international, EU and local basis. “The southern Cypriots can
not speak on behalf of the northern Cypriots Mr. Erdogan declared.
Referring to the referendum held on 23 April 2004 in Cyprus Mr. Erdogan
claimed that north Cyprus was punished and south Cyprus was admitted to
the EU.
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Mr. Erdogan went on and said: “Is there any ground so that south Cyprus
could be called as ‘Cyprus’? There is not. Because at this moment the north
Cyprus is not benefiting from the opportunities that the south Cyprus is
benefiting on the international, EU and local basis, so, how come that the
south Cyprus is speaking on behalf of the north Cyprus? It cannot. The Annan
plan was doing away with this, but now this is not done, of course the solution
of this should be within the framework of the UN. Is the UN able to solve this
problem? Until now it was unable to do it.
If a southern Cypriot buys a kilo of cheese from north Cyprus immediately he
is taken to court and punished. Such situation prevails there. We have
difficulty to understand how the South Cyprus became EU member.
Look, we are in the course of a negotiation process and still I have difficulty to
understand the decision taken by the EU. What is that decision? For example
‘the negotiations could be opened but they could be closed.’ Why they could
not be closed? It could not be closed unless the Cyprus problem is settled.
Who is the guilty? Turkey…Are we really the guilty? No, the guilty is Cyprus
itself. It is incomprehensible. It is intransigent. It refuses to sit around the
negotiating table …Unless you sit around a negotiating table it is not possible
to reach an agreement. So for this reason continuously they try to make
Turkey to foot the bills. Or they come and say to the north Cyprus come and
become a minority of south Cyprus. No, the north Cyprus will never become
the minority of the south Cyprus, it will not. We are saying this from the very
beginning, and continue to say it. It is not possible for us to say ‘yes’ to an
unfair thing on the island where we are a guarantor power. This is the crux of
the matter. I do not consider it right for the EU to fix the process as regards
the date 2015.”
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The Turkish daily newspapers (15.01.08) covered Erdogan’s statements as
follows:
Under the subtitle, “The TRNC does not become a minority”, Hurriyet reports
on the statements of Mr Erdogan at the breakfast press conference organised
by the Europa Press news agency. The Turkish Premier when asked about
Turkey’s EU process and the attitude of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy
said: “Countries that could not fulfil the criteria are now EU members. One of
these is south Cyprus, which obstructs our membership, as well. This country
did not adapt to the Copenhagen or the Maastricht criteria; tell me how they
could complete this job. TRNC will never be Cyprus’ minority. As Turkey we
will never say yes to anything unjust. Esteemed Sarkozy made his election
campaign on Turkey. And now he sees the difficulties of this. Through the
media he continues to talk about Turkey. In May there will be a meeting in
Germany between the leaders of France, Germany and Turkey.”
On Erdogan’s statatements regarding the Cyprus problem Bugun newspaper
reports that Mr Erdogan stated: “The Greek Cypriot Administration of South
Cyprus is mentioned as Cyprus in the EU states. This cannot be accepted. It
is sought for North Cyprus to become a minority of South Cyprus. This is not
possible. (Answering a question whether the Cyprus problem has a similarity
to the Kosovo issue). These days the administration of Kosovo announced its
independence. We are evaluating the developments. I would like to say that
we look positively towards the independence of Kosovo. Is there any aspect of
this that compares to Cyprus or not? There is no relation.”
Under the subtitle “The situation in Cyprus is very different from the one in
Kosovo”, Sabah reports on the statements of Turkey’s Prime Minister, Mr
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, answering a question whether there is any similarity
between the Kosovo issue and the Cyprus problem. Mr Erdogan said: “I would
like to point out that we see positively the independence of Kosovo. Is there
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any aspect of this that compares to Cyprus or not? There is no relation.
Cyprus is very different from the Kosovo issue.”
Aksam reports on the statements of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and under the
subtitle “The TRNC does not become a minority”, writes the following: “The
EU resolution: the negotiations may start but they cannot be closed. Why can
they not be closed unless the Cyprus problem is resolved? They are trying to
make Turkey pay the bill continuously. The TRNC will never be South Cyprus’
minority.”
(MHY/EA)
3. Turkish Cypriot TDP declares its manifesto and claims that the current
situation in Cyprus is not in favour of the Turkish Cypriots
Illegal Bayrak television (14.01.08) broadcast the following:
“The President of the Communal Democracy Party (TDP) Mehmet Cakici has
declared his party’s manifesto at a press conference today.
The party’s manifesto is made up of a series of principles under five main
titles.
Speaking during the press conference the President of the Communal
Democracy Party Mehmet Cakici pointed to the importance of a determined
political struggle in order to allow the Turkish Cypriot People to keep its
existence in peace and prosperity.
He added the reason for failing to reach a federal solution in Cyprus was the
Greek Cypriot side’s rejection of the Annan Plan during the 2004 referenda
and expressed the view that the current situation on the island is not in favor
of the Turkish Cypriot people.”
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On the same issue, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (15.01.08) reports
that the leader of the Communal Democracy Party (TDP) Mehmet Cakici held
a press conference yesterday and announced his party’s five-point principles
under the title: “Manifesto”.
In the Manifesto it says that the Turkish Cypriot Community is the sole source
of the sovereignty in the north Cyprus and it is the sole boss of its house. It
says that the TDP will act in such a way that the TRNC as a local
administration will be the politically equal and the partner of the federal wing of
the future federal State of Cyprus.
In the Manifesto under the title “Initiative will be taken for peace” the TDP says
that “in order to secure a real and lasting peace, first an active policy will be
pursued. Effort will be made so that the Turkish Cypriots, being EU citizens, to
be represented in every organ of the EU. Opening of the Nicosia Airport and
Varosha under the UN auspices will be put on the negotiating table. And the
basic objective will be the total demilitarization of the whole of Cyprus”.
(MHY)
4. Statements by Soyer on the missing Iraqi athletes and human
trafficking
Illegal Bayrak television (14.01.08) broadcast the following:
“Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer has stressed that human trafficking is a
problem for the whole world and added that the international gangs are also
trying to use both the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the south
Cyprus for such purposes.
He also explained that necessary legal arrangements have been made to
tackle with issue.
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Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer stated that the Iraqi sports team which
arrived in the TRNC for a training camp had harmed the republic’s esteem by
seeking asylum in south Cyprus and added that the necessary measures
should be taken to prevent similar illegal border activities.
Stressing that the issue of human trafficking is a problem for the whole world,
the Premier stated that the international gangs are also trying to use both the
TRNC and south Cyprus for such purposes.
Explaining that a radar station has been built by the Cyprus Turkish Security
Forces at Kantara, he said that the Northern shore and the gulf of
Gazimagusa (occupied Famagusta) will be observed easily by this way.
Stating that the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces has increased the number of
coastguard boats, Mr. Soyer explained that necessary arrangements were
also made on the law in fighting with human trafficking.”
5. Serdar Denktas leaves open the possibility of his party resigning from
the so-called assembly
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (15.01.08) reports that the leader of
the Democrat Party (DP) Serdar Denktas, when asked what will be his party’s
decision tomorrow as regards whether it will stay in the so-called assembly or
resign, he said that the party’s grassroots want the so-called DP deputies in
the illegal assembly to resign. The DP party assembly will convene tomorrow
and will decide whether to stay in the so-called assembly or resign.
(MHY)
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6. Turkish diplomat on the ECHR ruling regarding missing Cypriots
Turkish Daily News newspaper (14.01.08) reports the following:
“Turkey remains hopeful that the Grand Chamber will view favorably its
appeal of the top European court's recent ruling in a case revolving around
nine Greek Cypriots missing since 1974.
The Grand Chamber is the appeals body of the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR).
“The Chamber may rule that these nine Greek Cypriots, 30 years after their
disappearance, can no longer be considered missing persons and should be
‘presumed dead,' in line with the rationa temporis principle of international
law,” said one Turkish diplomat, who asked not to be identified.
According to this principle, a court may allow the families of missing persons
to initiate legal procedures, such as those required for inheritance, on the
assumption that the missing are no longer alive.
“In our case, more than 30 years have passed since their disappearance,” the
official said. “That means the Chamber should reverse its ruling. However it is
a very complicated and technical issue. The Court, itself, is confused on this
case.”
The EHCR Thursday ruled that Turkey violated the right to life of nine Cypriots
by failing to investigate their disappearance during its 1974 intervention in
northern Cyprus. The decision represents the EHCR's final ruling on the case,
which the missing persons' relatives filed in 1990.
The Cypriots went missing after being apprehended by Turkish forces during
the military intervention that left the Mediterranean island split into ethnic
Greek and Turkish sectors.
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By a 6-1 vote, judges at the Strasbourg-based court ruled that "there had
been a continuous violation of Article 2 (right to life) of the European
Convention on Human Rights resulting from Turkey's failure to conduct an
effective investigation into the whereabouts and fate" of the nine Cypriots.
Subtitle: No compensation asked of Turkey
The Turkish official said the ruling had gone just about as expected and, while
not altogether satisfactory, left some grounds for consolation.
Foremost among these was the court's refusal to order compensation, the
diplomat said, noting that such a step would have been “very bad for us,
insofar as it would constitute a precedent for future cases.”
Each of the applicants was awarded 4,000 euros ($5,900) for costs.
Subtitle:The Cyprus government welcomed the ruling.
"The decision of the ECHR is a positive development and the government
expresses its satisfaction, especially on a humanitarian issue as sensitive and
tragic as this one," government spokesman, Vasilis Palmas, told reporters.
Turkey has three months to appeal the case to the Grand Chamber.”
7. The Spanish Prime Minister supports Turkey’s EU membership and
views trade between the two countries
Ankara Anatolia news agency (14.01.08) reports the following from Madrid:
“Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said that acceptation
of Turkey's full membership will be the most important decision that EU will
made in the 21st century.
Speaking at Turkish-Spanish Business Council meeting in Madrid on Monday,
Zapatero said that Europe has always kept its promises, and he expressed
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hope that it would not change its decision about Turkey. (full membership to
the Union)
Stressing that the Turkish economy has recorded great progress in the last
five years, Zapatero said that the trade volume target --which is 10 billion
USD-- between Turkey and Spain will soon be reached. He added that Turkey
has a strategical importance for Spain in economic aspect. Zapatero called on
Turkish businessmen to invest in Spain.”
On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news agency (14.01.08) reports the
following from Madrid: “Spain has always supported and will continue to
support Turkey's accession to the EU, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis
Rodriguez Zapatero said after his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan in Madrid on Monday.
Zapatero said that Turkey is the third biggest partner of Spain in economy,
adding that they have all facilities to further increase the trade volume
between the two countries which is 7 billion Euro in 2007.
Noting that Turkey and Spain are two big economies, Zapatero said that the
two countries have dynamic sectors. Zapatero added that foreign ministers of
the two countries were instructed to start activities to develop institutional
relations.”
8. Erdogan defends Turkey´s closer ties with Iran and argues that the US
showed understanding on the issue
Ankara Anatolia news agency (14.01.08) reports the following from Madrid:
“Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that U.S.
authorities showed understanding about Turkey's gas deal with Iran and
added that there was no problem regarding this matter.
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PM Erdogan attended a breakfast organized by 'Europa Press' in Spanish
capital of Madrid.
Asked why Turkey got closer with Iran although this country had problems
with the United States and Israel, Erdogan said Israel or the United States
were unable to meet Turkey's natural gas demand. "So I have to take care of
myself," he told reporters.
"United States is a friend, a strategic partner and an ally of Turkey. But they
have to understand us since we must import gas from Iran," Erdogan said.
"Our American friends showed understanding when we brought up this issue
in our talks. There is no problem about this matter," he added.
Despite having made a promise to Turkey that the supply of natural gas would
resume on Monday, Iran announced that the supply of natural gas which was
halted last week would not begin due to "extremely cold temperatures."
9. Turkey eager to get a share from Saudi Arabian Investment Fund
Ankara Anatolia news agency (14.01.08) reports the following from Ankara:
“Turkey is eager to get a share from the biggest public-capitalized "investment
fund" of the world that will be established by Saudi Arabia.
Within this framework, a Turkish delegation headed by State Minister Mehmet
Simsek will leave for Dubai on Monday in order to attend a 2-day international
investment conference.
According to sources, Turkish officials will invite the fund executives to make
wide-scale investments in Turkey.
Officials will also brief investors from the Gulf countries on the investment
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environment in Turkey, as well as privatization, real estate and tourism
projects.
Meanwhile, officials said that executives of investment funds from the Gulf
countries
were
particularly
interested
in
investing
in
energy,
telecommunication, retail and logistics sectors.
Saudi Arabia, the biggest oil producer in the world, decided to establish a
giant investment fund in order to protect its rising oil incomes. The new fund
will compete with other investment funds in the Middle East and Asia.
The fund, which will have a minimum initial value of 900 billion USD, is
expected to reach 1 trillion USD in value within this year.”
10. Meeting with Merkel, Sarkozy in May
Under the above subtitle Turkish daily Today´s Zaman newspaper (15.01.08)
reprots the following:
“While reiterating Ankara's objection to any option short of Turkey's full
membership in the EU, Erdoğan said he would meet with the leaders of
Germany and France -- which oppose Ankara's bid to join the EU -- in May to
discuss future relations between the EU and Turkey. Erdoğan had already
said last week that the meeting would take place in Germany, but he had not
given a date. Turkey rejects outright the idea of any privileged partnership that
would replace full membership in the 27-nation bloc. French President
Nicolas Sarkozy proposes membership in a "Mediterranean Union" instead of
Turkish EU membership.”
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11. Ministers of Turkey, Syria and Iraq agreed on joint projects of
common interest by utilizing Euphrates and Tigris resources
Turkish daily The New Anatolian newspaper (14.01.08) reports the following:
“Ministers of Syria, Iraq and Turkey dealing with water resources on Saturday
asserted that there was no row over the quota of each from the water of the
Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
Syria's Minister of Irrigation Nader Al-Boni, Iraq's water Resources Minister
Abdullatif Gamal Rasheed and the Turkish Minister of Environment and
Forestry Veysel Eroglu held talks in Damascus.
The meeting was characterized by collective thinking for investing the joint
water resources available for the three countries, the three Ministers told
reporters following their talks.
Al-Boni said they had agreed on each country's quota of the Euphrates and
Tigris waters.
Turkish friends would never think to cut off water supplies for Syria and Iraq
and Syria cannot consider using the water from the two rivers without passing
Iraq's quota, the Syrian Minister said.
The ministerial committee also agreed to set up projects on Tigris for the
common interests of the three countries in addition to opening a joint training
center. Regular meetings of technical committee and ministers are also
essential, Al-Boni said.
He added that they had agreed to exchange expertise and data for developing
the joint water resources for the good of the region's peoples.
Al-Bonai referred to the water pact signed between Syria and Turkey in 1987,
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as "historical." According to the pact, Turkey lets 500 cubic metres of water for
Syria a second. The Turkish side now allows 700 to 750 cubic metres a
second, he said asserting that there are "not problems to be put on the table
regarding water from Turkey to Syria or from Syria into Iraq." According to the
Syrian Irrigation Minister, Iraq gets 80 percent of its water supplies from the
water coming from Turkey through Syria, higher than the 58 percent provided
for in the relevant pact.
For his part, the Turkish Minister said the "historical" meeting had discussed
several issues on the joint water resources. Eroglu underlined that the
necessity of the just and rational use of the Euphrates and Tigris waters,
setting up a data bank and drawing up a plan for the water resources
available for the three countries.
The Iraqi Minister called for turning the outcome of the ministerial meeting into
agreements for dividing the water resources among the three countries.
Rasheed said that the meeting was "positive" and could be built upon it for
future cooperation and coordination.”
12. Prime Minister Karamanlis to visit Turkey between January 23-25
Turkish daily Today’s Zaman newspaper (15.01.08) reports that the exact
date of a long-awaited official visit to the Turkish capital by Greek Prime
Minister Costas Karamanlis has been set for some time between January 23
and 25.
The last Greek prime minister to make an official visit to Turkey was
Karamanlis' uncle, Constantine Karamanlis, in 1959. Karamanlis was
originally supposed to visit Turkey in 2005, but the visit failed to take place as
Turkey's relations with the European Union began to sour because of the slow
progress of its negotiations to join the bloc. Karamanlis' visit will come at a
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time when the countries have been experiencing considerable tension on
certain issues, particularly in recent weeks. In late December the Turkish
Foreign Ministry delivered a diplomatic note to the Greek Embassy in Ankara
concerning a large number of violations of Turkey's territorial waters in the
Aegean Sea by the Greek Coast Guard and fishing boats.
Bilateral cooperation in the energy and banking sectors will be the key items
of talks between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
Karamanlis. In the summer of 2007 Ziraat Bank -- the largest public bank in
Turkey as well as the most profitable national bank -- received legal approval
from the Greek Central Bank to initiate banking services and is supposed to
open its first office in the Greek capital of Athens. The procedure for the
opening of the branch is expected to be finalized during Karamanlis' visit.”
B. COMMENTARIES, EDITORIALS AND ANALYSIS
1. From the Turkish Press of 14 January 2008
Following are summaries and reports from the Turkish press of 14 January
2008 which still continues to assess President Gul´s visit to the United States,
and other issues of the current political agenda:
a) Gul´s visit to the United States:
In an article entitled "Tête-à-Tête with Kissinger", Milli Gazete columnist
Osman Toprak calls on President Gul to explain why, during the New York leg
of his visit to the United States, he had a 45-minute private meeting with
Henry Kissinger, the "architect," of the current US foreign policies and the
"brains" behind the United States' "imperialist" vision.
In an article entitled "He brought four critical messages," Hurriyet columnist
Fatih Cekirge writes about the results of Turkish President Abdullah Gul's visit
to the United States last week. He says that US officials told the Turkish side
that Turkey should abandon its concerns about Kirkuk and encourage Turkish
companies to join projects aimed at producing oil in Kirkuk while cooperating
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with the United States in coordinating an energy route in Asia and the
Caucasus. Cekirge says: "Sharing Kirkuk's oil reserves and energy were the
most
important
aspects
of
Gul's
visit
to
Washington
which
were
overshadowed by discussions about the PKK."
An interview entitled "We have been cooperating with the United States in the
field of energy for 20 Years" in Milliyet quotes Necdet Pamir, an expert in
energy, as saying that Turkey cannot take a concrete step in the field of
energy until the United States withdraws its troops from Iraq and political
stability is achieved in the country. He ascribes reports that Turkey and the
United States have reached an agreement to cooperate in tapping Iraq's oil
reserves to a public relations exercise aimed at polishing the United States'
image in Turkey.
In an article entitled "They are opening a hole in the Ramparts," Ortadogu
columnist Orhan Karatas quotes Nationalist Action Party, MHP, leader Devlet
Bahceli as saying that his party will staunchly oppose the government's plan
to amend Article 301 of the Penal Code because reasons cited by the
government do not coincide with the realities of Turkey. Responding to a
question about visits paid by Erdogan and Gul to the United States, Bahceli
argues that describing the PKK as a common enemy will not be sufficient to
root out separatism. He states: "What will those who have declared that the
PKK
is
a
common
enemy
propose
after
terrorists
have
been
liquidated? There are reports about some political projects. They are trying to
unite political parties which make the same statements and demands as the
PKK. Their only difference is that they do not use weapons. They intend to
replace armed separatists with those who are not armed. They will later
advise us to hold negotiations with them in order to resolve the problem."
In an article entitled "To those causing a diplomatic tempest in a teapot",
Zaman's Washington correspondent Ali H. Aslan accuses certain "doom
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merchants" in Turkey of trying to undermine alliance relations between the
United States and Turkey in drawing public attention to White House
correspondent Dana Perino's use of the term "political solution" in a statement
regarding Turkey's fight against the PKK. He also claims that "if what is
meant by a political solution is dialog with the PKK and scenarios of a
federation or of partition, this could not be said to be Washington's policy."
In an article entitled "Energy move in chess and the eradication of the PKK",
Zaman columnist Mehmet Yilmaz argues that while there is no concrete
evidence to support allegations that Turkey has pledged to support a US
military campaign against Iran in return for securing Washington's backing for
its latest operations against the PKK, it is obvious from President Gul's
remarks announcing an agreement with the United States to "operate Iraq's oil
fields jointly" that Turkey and the United States have developed a "new
strategy" to promote "common interests" related to energy security and energy
marketing.
In an article entitled "Washington's dilemma between Ankara and Arbil",
Today's Zaman columnist Omer Taspinar argues that Turkey was given the
following "implicit message" by the Bush administration during Gul's recent
visit to Washington: "There is no excuse for not inviting Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani to Ankara."
b) Turkish-EU relations: In an article entitled "Summit meeting with Sarkozy
and Merkel may be a turning point," Milliyet columnist Semih Idiz says that a
summit meeting which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to
hold with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela
Merkel in the first part of the year may turn out to be a turning point in TurkishEU relations. Predicting that Sarkozy will come under pressure to drop his
opposition to Turkey's accession to the Union because it conflicts with the
United States' vision based on global peace, Idiz says that US support will not
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be the only factor which will strengthen Turkey's hand in the summit because
there are influential countries in the EU which are in favor of Turkey's
membership.
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EG/