GCC Press Review 1 Apr 2019

Front Page Headlines

Politis

The polls showed wear and tear for Erdogan

Thriller and tension until the morning hours for the results in Istanbul. No result on Istanbul was announced between midnight and 2am! The Turkish President lost Ankara and almost all coastal areas of the Aegean and the Mediterranean.

  • Students in rapprochement – The Bicommunal Technical Committee on Education managed to bring together in the last two years thousands of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot students. Through a programme entitled, ‘Imagine’, 3,500 children aged six to 18, from schools on both sides have come together since 2017 at the Ledra Palace; they met, played, cooperated, understood each other, without language being a barrier, and some became friends.
  • Did the British know of Grivas’ whereabouts?

Phileleftheros

They will be waiting for signs

Nicosia and Athens want to see a move on the Cyprob from Turkey. Erdogan managed to come out as winner again.

  • Lute returns to Cyprus soon
  • April 1, 1955 lights the way for freedom – Cyprus honours today the heroic struggle of EOKA of 1955-59 and pays homage to those who gave their lives for freedom. Parties, in their announcements, talk of the EOKA struggle but also on today’s realities on the island, which, 64 years later, continues to struggle for freedom.
  • They hung (EOKA fighter Iacovos) Patatsos after a false eyewitness testimony.

Haravgi

He survived with painful losses

Erdogan lost Ankara after 25 years. Chest-to-chest battle over Istanbul. The ruling party’s political power remains stable.

  • Open line with Jane Holl Lute
  • Nothing stops Turkey on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant
  • Electronic… passage through Pedieos to and from the north
  • 1974 war prisoners must… submit an application to be included in the registry
  • They are recording flood damage in the occupied areas: Akinci on site

Alithia

The beginning of the end?

Yesterday’s municipal elections in Turkey a powerful questioning of Erdogan’s might. Thriller in Istanbul, he lost Izmir, and, for the first time, capital Ankara! He admitted his failure in ‘some cities’ but made clear there is no question of early elections.

  • The lost July 4 minutes have been found – Government Spokesman: “The President is in contact with Lute and we will have developments within the coming days.”
  • Honour and glory: April 1, the beginning of EOKA
  • Occupied areas: Human factor the cause of new (flood) destruction
  • Analysis: Turkey and the Cyprus problem

Main News

April Fools’ Day meets the Cyprob

Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

Tradition has it that most Greek Cypriot newspapers run joke news stories on April Fools’ Day. Today was no different and Alithia, citing diplomatic sources, reported that Lute was able to find the minutes of the July 4, 2017 meeting with Espen Barth Eide where clarifications were given on the Guterres Framework.

The discovery will facilitate efforts for drafting the terms of reference for the resumption of talks which so far, seemed impossible, the daily said, in the article, later confirmed to be an April Fools’ Day joke.

The paper elaborated further, reporting that it was not yet known if the GC side had been officially informed about the rediscovered minutes though ‘sources’ said Lute’s communication with Anastasiades was not unrelated to this discovery.

It was also not random that the presidency made an announcement on Sunday with statements by government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou that there would soon be developments, said Alithia.

Prodromou said on Sunday after a memorial service that there would be developments within the coming days concerning Lute’s efforts as regards the terms of reference and the resumption of talks.

The paper continued with the joke on its inside pages, writing that locating the July 4 document should speed up Cyprob procedures, with developments expected even before the Euro-elections.

It must be considered a given that the GC side will then seek to accelerate the procedures for reaching a solution to the Cyprus issue, since the GCs see it as a matter of urgency, realizing that the passage of time makes their position even more difficult, reported Alithia, as part of its April Fools’ Day prank.

Meanwhile, in other Cyprob coverage (unrelated to April Fools) Phileleftheros cited sources saying that Lute is expected on the island for an additional round of consultations ahead of the report she needs to prepare.

Prodromou said on Sunday that elections in Turkey affect developments on the Cyprus problem but that Nicosia expects a positive response by Turkey to the initiative of the UN Secretary-General for the resumption of talks. It is well known that it depends more on Turkey than the TCs for the green light to be given, especially regarding the discussion on security, Phileleftheros reported.

KEY ACTORS
Prodromou

>> Nicosia expects developments soon regarding Lute’s efforts to draft the ToR.
>> Nicosia expects a positive response by Turkey to the UNSG’s initiative on the resumption of talks.
>> It is Turkey that has to give the green light for the talks, especially for discussion on security.


Nicosia hopes Turkish election outcome will give Cyprob a push

Phileleftheros
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

Phileleftheros reports that Erdogan managed to come out a winner again and that Nicosia and Athens will wait and see if there will be a change in Turkey’s policy as regards the Cyprus problem, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.

Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides had recently said that everyone was waiting for the results of the elections to be able to assess how this would affect the Cyprus problem, the daily said.

It added that Nicosia hopes that there will be a shift within Turkey so that conditions can be created for the resumption of talks.


TC leader inspects flood damage

Alithia, Haravgi
Economy

OVERVIEW

TC leader Mustafa Akinci visited areas that have been affected the most by the torrential rains of the weekend.

According to Alithia, Akinci was briefed by the ‘mayors’ of Nicosia, Kythrea, Dikomo and the community leaders of Mia Milia and Vouno on the damage and works for the cleaning and restoration of affected areas.

Akinci said that the damage by the floods was caused due to the human factor and one must ask how this situation occurred. He said that the water goes from the mountains to the sea but if humans prevented this course, water will find its way through houses and streets.


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