Media Two Facedness

The European Union has agreed to unblock aid worth 139 million euros to the Turkish Cypriots, ending a two year dispute. This agreement could have been reached last year during Britain’s EU presidency but certain EU members insisted on linking the financial assistance with direct trade. The RoC government disagreed with this claiming that direct trade constitutes de facto recognition.

Lets recall how the press reacted back then when there was no agreement ... The money has been stuck in Brussels' coffers ever since, because the (Greek Cypriot) Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since May 2004, has blocked the release of the funds. A statement like this or something similar was common when one read about this particular issue. Then of course followed by how the Greek Cypriots voted NO (oxi) to the Annan plan. Strong commentaries followed ... The audacity of the Greek Cypriots who make up only 700,000 people, do they not realize the Turkish Cypriots need these funds, how ohh how can they be punished when they voted YES to the Annan plan. SHAME! Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!

Most of these articles that discuss the Cyprus issue will say, but Ankara says this and Ankara says that but never state what Nicosia’s view is on a given matter.

We don’t need to know what Ankara says, we only need to know the facts. Around the time when a few EU member States were pushing for linkage between financial assistance with direct trade, the news wires picked up a story on “balls to embargoes (their website),” a story about Turkish Cypriot Football players stripping off clothing in protest of the embargo. The organizer was quoted in the press as saying that the campaign is about human rights and not politics. Yes, the very same embargo that has helped spawn luxury villas and yachts dotted all over the North of the island. What am I going on about? It seems the Turks have already rejected the EU deal and only a handful of news agencies are reporting it. That's right, direct trade was not linked to the aid.

Does it meet their maximalist demands, it does not. Never the less, this is a compromise deal that is a benefit to the Turkish Cypriots. The money will fund projects to improve infrastructure and the economy in the North, is this not considered a benefit? The rejection also tells us that any possible future agreement on the Cypriot issue that does not contain the maximalist demands of the Turks and the authorities in the North, would be rejected outright. Here is an example of a press article being receptive to Turkish arguments. The Cyprus spin stops on this site ... Financial Times, step to the front line:

Turkey upset by EU deal on N Cyprus
By Daniel Dombey in Brussels and Vincent Boland in Ankara
Published: February 26 2006 18:49 | Last updated: February 26 2006 18:49

The European Union has agreed a controversial aid package for the Turkish Cypriot community in northern Cyprus, in a decision that has upset Turkey and threatens to complicate further Ankara’s negotiations to join the EU.

Is it controversial because the EU agreed to it or because the Turks find it unacceptable? I did not bother to read the rest of the article.

Complacent attitude to Blair’s Oram's defence

Blair has not visited occupied northern Cyprus in connection with her defence of a British couple who have been ordered to tear down a built on house on property belonging to a Greek Cypriot refugee, British Minister for Europe Douglas Alexander has confirmed.

In his written response to Theresa Villiers MP, Alexander said nor was Blair the guest of the British Consul-General when recently visiting Istanbul in her professional capacity.

The Government warns British citizens, through its online travel advice and in response to enquiries, of the risks purchasers face when buying in northern Cyprus, said Alexander.

Cherie Blair’s decision to defend the Orams has already caused a diplomatic outcry from the Cyprus Press and Government. In April last year EU newcomer Cyprus warned it would use courts in other EU countries to enforce decisions against property investors who had bought property in northern Cyprus that Greek owners had been forced to abandon when Turkey invaded the island. This followed a European Court of Human Rights decision upholding the property rights of one such Greek owner against the Turkish Cypriot occupiers of her property.

It put the number of Greek Cypriots affected at over 200,000 and estimated that between them they hold valid titles to approximately 82 per cent of the privately owned land in the occupied areas. UK property investors have been prominent buyers of properties in northern Cyprus where prices have tended to be cheaper than in the south.

Villiers said that although it was a relief to hear Blair had not visited Turkish occupied Cyprus in relation to the case, she was still dismayed at the complacency of Alexander’s letter. The Government was trying to bring the two sides together in Cyprus, but the Foreign Office did not seem even to be worried about the controversy caused by Blair's involvement in case.

'In defending the Orams, she is flatly contradicting the advice of the Foreign Office by actively supporting those who have gone against this advice and “bought” land owned by refugees’, she said, vowing to campaign for the Government to strengthen its advice to those thinking of purchasing property in occupied northern Cyprus.

Highlights of the Proposal

Did i call it or what?

From The Turkish Daily Hurriyet

Some of the highlights of the Ankara document sent to Annan are as follows:

*****A call for renewed efforts to work on the Annan plan for Cyprus from all sides. The Annan plan was rejected by the Greek side of the island in a referendum, but the Ankara document calls for its re-enlivening.

*****A call for the EU to bring about the promises of direct trade and aid made to Northern Cyprus prior to the Greek referendum.

*****A call for preparations to be made in order to bring about direct trade possibilities with Northern Cyprus for any country which wishes. Isolationary measures placed on Northern Cypriot ports and airports should be lifted according to this too.

*****A reassurance that, following these measures, restrictions against Greek Cypriot use of Northern Cypriot ports and airports will also be lifted.

Diplomatic timing crucial

According to diplomatic sources, both the US and England have put their full support behind this document.

As you can see, President Papadopoulos was correct when he hinted that the British Government was seeking to upgrade the breakaway statelet with Foreign Minister Straw's visit to the North. That is why the government was adamant about a neutral venue for the meeting.

New Proposal

It has now been confirmed by several Turkish News Agencies that a “new” proposal on Cyprus will be announced by Ankara tomorrow. The authors of this proposal would have us believe that it is purely coincidental that this plan is being announced on the very same day Foreign Minister Jack Straw arrives in the region. This proposal is not new ... Turkey, for quite some time now has made it clear that the opening of Turkish ports to Cypriot vessels will only occur if direct trade is rewarded to the breakaway statelet. Be weary of press reports tomorrow that praise this “new” proposal. Cypriot officials who will speak with Foreign Minister Straw should make it clear that any new proposal will not be linked to Turkey's obligation in implementing the customs union protocol with Cyprus.

Ankara's Policy Change

The Turkish daily Hurriyet is announcing a major policy change on Cyprus from Ankara “...Ankara has presented a proposal to Kofi Annan of the United Nations, which states that Greek Cypriot ships will be for the first time in 31 years allowed to enter Turkish ports.” The daily goes on to say that the proposal contains “reciprocal concessions” but did not specify exactly what this meant. The Turkish public will be informed of this new proposal on Tuesday. Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will be visiting Cyprus on Tuesday where he will meet with Mr. Talat. The Foreign Minister is also expected to visit Turkey where talks will be dominated by the Cypriot issue. It certainly is becoming clear what all these meetings are about ... it is for Britain to support and promote direct trade with the Northern breakaway statelet. In return, Cypriot ships would be allowed to enter Turkish ports. If this indeed is accurate, it would solidify the division of the island. Please view my post below titled “Guarantees” to read what Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Abdullatif Sener said about the opening of Turkish ports to Cypriot ships.

Turkey’s Obligation

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin’s exclusive statements to The Cyprus Weekly may be an indication that France would like to play a more active role in resolving the issue of Cyprus.

Turkey must comply with its Cyprus obligations, says French PM

By Angelos Marcopoulos

Turkey has no option but to meet its obligation in connection with Cyprus and respect human rights it was stressed by French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and other senior European leaders in exclusive statements to The Cyprus Weekly during a series of political gatherings here.

``This year we shall see how Turkey deals with its obligations,’’ de Villepin said. ``The new year must be an active and useful one because France, and Europe, have to defend their values on human rights and peace in the world,’’ he added.

The French leader was replying to a question whether Turkey would be convinced to meet its own obligations to the EU in the coming year following the fact that the EU, and Cyprus, met all their obligations to it in 2005.

The question referred of course, to the repeated statements from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior Turkish leaders that Turkey will not apply the EU protocol demanding the opening of Turkish sea and air ports to Cypriot ships and aircraft.

Villepin’s position was made more specific in a subsequent statement to The Cyprus Weekly by the French Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei.

"They (Turkey) undertook commitments and they should respect them...In 2006 there will be a series of (EU) rendez-vous with Turkey on Cyprus,’’ he said.

It was significant that Villepin’s statement came shortly after the European Court of Human Rights issued a series of judgements condemning Turkey for gross violations of human rights, including murders, disappearances, torture, oppression of free speech, etc., which revealed that Ankara continues to show contempt to a CoE’s ministers’ resolution which vainly asks Turkey to cease tolerating grave crimes committed by its security forces.

De Villepin’s stance was fully backed by Rene van der Linden, the Dutch President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Catherine Colonna, the French Minister for European Affairs.

"I hope that all involved will be wise enough to stick to agreements and meet all revelant expectations,’’ van der Linden told The Cyprus Weekly in response to a question dealing with Erdogan’s statement.

"They (Turkey) certainly "Have to apply’’ the extension of Custom Union to Cyprus was Colonna’s comment.

UN Resolutions must be fully implemented - Chirac

In another important statement for Cyprus this week French President Jacques Chirac said that all UN resolutions must be fully implemented.

Calling for a "new start’’ and the "relaunch of a political Europe, in a multipolar world", Chirac said that "France is determined to act more strongly than ever in order to find solutions to many conflicts".

This should be done "with due respect to law, and the law is not a variable geometry,’’ he said, stressing that "all UN Security Council resolutions must be fully implemented.’’

Giving further backing to Chirac’s words French Foreign Minister Douste Blazy stated that ``France’s ambition in 2006 is for the EU to play a political role in all efforts to settle conflicts.’’

Strained Relations?

Anyone reading the Cypriot press lately is undoubtedly aware that there has been controversy and strained relations between Britain and the Cypriot government. In fact, relations between the two governments have been cool since the introduction of the Annan plan. More recently, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw planned a fence-mending visit to Cyprus this month but the trip is now unlikely to occur due to another dispute...this one involving Mr. Straw's meeting with Mr. Talat. The government of RoC is seeking a neutral venue for the meeting instead of the one planned in the Presidential offices of the secessionist entity, worried the meeting itself would give political credence to the breakaway state. While relations with Blair’s government have not been smooth...voices of support have been heard from members of the UK parliament, particularly from the conservatives. Two articles in the Cypriot press mentioning two British MPs...the first article talks about Conservative MP Roger Gale speaking at the House of Commons on property matters in occupied North.

British MP condemns Cherie Blair’s involvement in property case
11/01/2006

British MP Roger Gale (Conservative for North Thanet) has condemned the involvement of the Prime Minister’s wife, Cherie Blair, in a property case relating to occupied Cyprus. Speaking at the House of Commons on Monday, following receipt of an answer by Minister Douglas Alexander to a written parliamentary question, Mr Gale said the Downing Street position seemed inconsistent with the Foreign Office position with regard to property matters in occupied Cyprus. He then explained that it was “not good enough for the Prime Minister’s wife, acting in any ‘professional’ capacity, to defend the interests of those exploiting stolen and occupied property in the northern part of the island of Cyprus” while the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was declaring that the British Government warned British citizens of the risks of purchasing property there. Mr Gale also noted that Cherie Blair’s involvement in a case “allegedly funded by a former North London Turkish Cypriot Labour Councillor and seeking to defend the interests of British nationals who claim to ‘own’ a villa built on land belonging to a Greek Cypriot refugee, is clearly designed to bestow legitimacy upon an illegal regime and upon the illegal development of the villas that are now smothering the northern part of the island”. “Once again it would seem that venal self-interest is taking precedence over the legitimate rights of those who have had their properties illicitly taken from them”, the British MP concluded.

The Financial Mirror today is mentioning conservative MP Theresa Villiers of Barnet who on Tuesday had sharply questioned Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Here are extracts of that debate in the House of Commons.

Mrs. Theresa Villiers: If he will make a statement on progress towards a settlement which will reunite Cyprus.

Mr. Jack Straw: As the UN Secretary-General noted in his report of last December, progress toward a solution on Cyprus has been negligible at best. We believe that a comprehensive solution can only be achieved under United Nations auspices, but the UN reported a widening gap and little confidence between the two communities over the past year. Ultimately, both communities have to demonstrate the courage and flexibility required to resume negotiations towards a comprehensive settlement, and we shall play our part in that.

Mrs. Theresa Villiers: There is a development boom in northern Cyprus, much of which is taking place on land that its owners fled from, as refugees, after the Turkish invasion. Will the Secretary of State strengthen the advice on the Foreign Office website urging British tourists and holidaymakers not to buy property in northern Cyprus that might have been stolen from its Cypriot owners?

Mr. Jack Straw: The advice that we give at the moment is appropriate but of course, we will always keep it open to review. This is a very complicated issue that goes back many decades. We are seeking to help bring both parties together, which is one reason why I worked so hard to open negations with Turkey on 3 October on membership of the European Union. Only when Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and the two communities recognize that their mutual interests are stronger than their historic antagonisms will we get a settlement.

Legal Fees

Mrs. Blair is back in the news. New details of Mrs. Blair’s involvement in the Oram’s case have been uncovered, please read below for more details.

We are paying Mrs. Blair gbp 200,000.
Getting her on the Turkish side...
(The Mail on Sunday Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)
Cherie Blair was last night at the centre of a fresh row over her business affairs after a Mail on Sunday investigation uncovered new details about her latest high profile legal case.

More from Jean Christou on this developing story below:

REPORTS in a British newspaper that the Turkish government is paying part of Cherie Blair’s £200,000 Sterling fee to defend the Orams shows that the case has political significance despite protest to the contrary by Downing Street, the government said yesterday. 

Britain’s Mail on Sunday went undercover to investigate the case of Linda and David Orams, who are attempting to justify their possession of land in the north belonging to Greek Cypriot Meletis Apostolides. 

The British Prime Minster Tony Blair’s barrister wife is taking part in the defence of the couple, who are appealing a Nicosia court decision ordering them to demolish the £160,000 villa they built on Apostolides’ property in Lapithos. 

As the Nicosia court cannot enforce its decisions in the north, the case has been accepted by the UK courts. 

Cherie Blair’s law firm Matrix, was brought in by the Orams’ Turkish Cypriot lawyer Hassan Vahib, 44, a property developer and former Labour councillor in London, who is also one of the parties paying the couple’s legal costs. 

Downing Street has insisted that Blair is acting in her professional capacity as a lawyer but a reporter from the Mail on Sunday discovered otherwise while posing as someone interested in buying property in the north. 

The paper said it spoke to the operations manager of Vahib’s property firm Troy Lake UK (Cyprus) Ltd, Firtac Ortac, who confirmed the firm was contributing to Cherie Blair's costs and that the reason for hiring her was because of her political influence. 

“At a meeting with an undercover Mail on Sunday reporter he said: 'We are paying her more than £200,000. The clients are not paying. We are. We can afford it and we have much ourselves to gain. When Mrs Blair wins, it will set a precedent and the market will rocket.' 

“Ortac also said that the hiring of the Prime Minister's wife was, for them, a political act, the paper said: “We have about 25 lawyers working for us, so there is no shortage of legal brains. But you see the North-South dispute is also very political. 

“They (the Greek Cypriots) have made it political, so now we get political too. What can be better than getting the wife of the British Prime Minister on our team? She is a noted human rights lawyer too, so simply getting her involved and on the Turkish side is fantastic,” he added.
Ortac claimed that the Turkish government was also paying Blair because they were 'playing a political game' and boasted that Vahib was in regular contact with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the paper said. 

Blair agreed to take the case following hush-hush meetings with Vahib and the Orams in Istanbul last May. “Cherie Blair spent three days in the city, during which she was a guest of the British consulate. However, she demanded that the reason for her trip be kept confidential,” it added. 

Another property developer, several of whom are involved in financing the case, said they were hoping she could use her political influence in the case. “What can be better than getting the wife of the British Prime Minister on our team?” said one. “When Mrs Blair wins, it will set a precedent and the market will rocket.” 

Government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said it was obvious from the report that those who hired Blair hired her specifically in order to exploit her politically as the wife of the British Prime Minister. 

“What is particularly important is that someone appears to admit that the Turkish Government will pay all of part of the fees of Mrs Blair,” he said. 

“Perhaps they believe by hiring her they might be able to influence the course of British justice. Is the impression not created that by accepting such a politically loaded case, Mrs Blair has given insufficient weight to her position as the wife of the British Prime Minister?” 

Chrysostomides said it should also be borne in mind that the British Foreign Ministry has on many occasions published warnings to Britons about the legal minefield of purchasing property in the north. “It seems Mrs Blair has not taken these warnings into consideration,” he said. 

The Orams told the Mail on Sunday that they had agreed with their legal team not to speak until after the conclusion of the case. 

“All I can say to you now is that we are extremely confident of winning,” Linda Orams said. 

My personal opinion: How can Mrs B-liar, sorry I mean Mrs Booth, not now withdraw from this case?

Aid Package

The EU recommended 259 million euro aid package to Turkish Cypriots when they voted "yes" to the Annan plan. The RoC government supports the aid package but was seeking decoupling of financial assistance and direct trade claiming that direct trade constitutes de facto recognition. Mr. Talat wants the aid package linked with direct trade between the north of the island and the EU. As a result of the differences...the European Union has abandoned an attempt to provide the aid package. An agreement was not expected. For months now, Mr. Talat and crew were quoted in the Turkish press stating that Northern Cyprus would not accept trade via Southern Cyprus and that the Turkish Cypriots may say "no" to the aid package if it means giving up on direct trade.

The Will of the People

Joost Lagendijk, a European Parliamentarian from Netherlands and co-president of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission gave a speech in Istanbul today where he brought up the issue of Cyprus. According to Mr. Lagendijk, the EU made a big mistake in accepting a divided Cyprus as a member and noted that Turkish Cypriots and the Turkish government supported the Annan plan. In light of this, certain EU leaders were exerting efforts on behalf of the Turkish Cypriots. Clearly Mr. Lagendijk does not speak on behalf of all the people of Netherlands and he has a right to his opinion. Frankly, it’s an opinion that holds no water. With his logic, Netherlands should have been isolated from the rest of the EU because it did not vote “Yes” to the EU referendum. When the Netherlands said “No” to the EU constitution...the Cypriot government said that it stood by the people of Netherlands and that it respects the will of the people of Netherlands. Rejecting the EU constitution does not affect only Netherlands...it affected the entire EU. The Cypriot government approved the EU constitution yet it stood by the decision of the people of Netherlands. The people of Netherlands, rightly so… expect a revised EU constitution that addresses the concerns of its people. The Cypriots are asking for the same thing with the Annan plan. Why should we be treated any differently?

The PR campaign

You will find one sided news articles printed daily when it comes to the issue of Cyprus. A PR campaign is in full swing…its purpose is to see that Turkey is successful with its EU accession course.

Turkey must become an EU member only if it properly complies with EU norms. Is it Europe that is joining Turkey or Turkey joining Europe?

I have read many one sided stories on Cyprus and none were as offensive as the article I read today. Surprisingly enough, this article in question is not from a Turkish daily. No, it’s from the other guarantor power…the UK. Britain is supposed to be a guarantor power of one state in Cyprus not two. The Telegraph states “We called for Turkish intervention in Cyprus when the pogroms began in 1963, and warmly applauded the troops when they landed in 1974. More recently, we championed Turkey's accession to the EU.”

Forget about using war as a last resort. Apparently when it concerns Cyprus...the invasion of 1974 did not come soon enough. One of the many reasons why Cyprus rejected the Annan plan was because it would have strengthened guarantor powers. This article by the Telegraph is simply another confirmation for those who overwhelmingly rejected the plan.

A human rights issue?

Just read an article that was picked up by several news wires. This article was about Turkish Cypriot Football players stripping off clothing in protest of the embargo. A publicity stunt organized by Huseyin Caglayan. He happens to be a UK fashion designer said the article. Mr. Huseyin said “This campaign is about human rights, not politics.” So “Balls to Embargoes!” is a human rights issue and not some perverted fetish he may have…very well then. Tell us when your campaign relating to Turkey’s embargo on Armenia will begin. Yes...Turkey, the only democratic country in the entire world that has a trade embargo on Armenia. Showing once again it will do as it pleases even if it means disregarding international norm. Speaking of the Caucuses…lets focus in on Armenia’s neighbor Azerbaijan. It seems that the election held in Azerbaijan a couple of weeks back had some voting irregularities to say it mildly. This however was never picked up by news wires…no, instead we have “Balls to Embargoes!” This only proves to show that there is a double standard when it comes to this region.