TCC Press Review 21 Apr 2019

Front Page Headlines

Yenidüzen

Who killed ‘Bimbo’?

While the identity of the young African murder victim has yet to be announced, police discovered new leads and clues. The police have credible evidence that the motive for the murder was money.

Kıbrıs Postası

Nicosia Municipality must look after its existing parks first

Former parliamentary administrative officer Serkan İlseven emphasized the park project, on which Mustafa Akıncı held a coordination meeting, was launched by former speaker of the parliament Sibel Siber.

  • Solution through dialogue – Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar highlighted Turkey is trying to solve the problems in Cyprus through dialogue.

Kıbrıs

Decrease in trust for politicians

The politicians elected to parliament following the January 2018 elections failed to meet the expectations of the people. The Centre for Migration, Identity and Rights Studies (CMIRS) finds, through its March 2019 poll, that the coalition government has proved unsuccessful.

  • Speed limits changed for heavy vehicles – Transportation Ministry reduced the speed limits for heavy vehicles on the road from 50km/h to 25km/h.

Havadis

Legal basis inadequate

The increase in road collisions caused by rental vehicles is a concern for both the people on the road and the rental companies. Mehmet Avcı, president of the road safety association, said the authorities do not impose any restrictions on rental companies, which do not even give out flyer to drivers on traffic rules in the north.

  • Plans to open Taşpınar (Angolemi) Primary school – 31 years later, the Education Ministry decided to re-open the Taşpınar (Angolemi) Primary School. Restoration and repair work expected to commence in the coming months.

Diyalog

We’re sorry

According to the public, not enough measures are being taken to address the country’s leading problems of violence and murders.

  • Second shock in South – The body of another woman was discovered at the site given by the Lieutenant in the Greek Cypriot National Guard who confessed to murdering a Filipino woman and her daughter.
  • It seems like it’s going to happen – The electricity grids of the two sides have been completely integrated. It’s been decided that there are no obstacles for mobile phone interoperability. 

Afrika

Electricity of North and South connected

An important step towards a united homeland. The power grids of the two sides of the island are fully connected as the second phase of work to establish interconnectivity was completed at the end of March. From now on the two sides will be able to exchange energy automatically when needed.

  • Mustafa Akıncı asked Anastasiades – “Could you please let us know which issues you consider vital enough to graciously grant Turkish Cypriots a positive vote? I’m waiting for a concrete answer from you.” 
  • Mobile phones next… There is no obstacle – Anastasiades addressed companies’ concerns saying that there are no obstacles concerning the interoperability of mobile operators. Anastasiades and his advisors, in a private meeting, agreed that there were no obstacles remaining.

Main News

Akıncı demands clarification from Anastasiades on ‘vital’ issues

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

President Mustafa Akıncı lashed out at the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades on Saturday regarding the issue of a positive vote for Turkish Cypriots in the event of a federal settlement.

Akıncı, in a written statement, accused the Greek Cypriot leader of demonizing the principle of a positive vote for Turkish Cypriots, questioning him over his intentions on the issue.

Akıncı asked Anastasiades in his statement: “Why did you accept this principle back then if you opposed it so vehemently? Do you realize that you have re-started a debate on past convergences? If the previous convergences do not serve as common ground, how are we going to identify a starting point for the negotiations?”

Akıncı said that it had come to their attention recently that the Greek Cypriot side was ready to accept the principle of a positive vote for TCs on issues that are vital to them.

“This is new. What do you consider to be ‘vital issues’?” Akıncı asked. He added the previous statements given by Anastasiades prove he does not consider energy policies (East Med) to be a vital issue for TCs.

Akıncı also underlined that the Greek Cypriot leader informed him that the ‘federal budget’ was also not a vital issue for the TCs during the 26 February leaders’ meeting.

Akıncı demanded that the Greek Cypriot leader explain and clarify which issues he believed should be considered vital for Turkish Cypriots in a federal system for which he would be so kind enough ‘to grant’ Turkish Cypriots the right to a positive vote.

KEY ACTOR
Akıncı
>>
GC leader demonizes the positive vote concept even though he previously accepted it.
>> Since he has injected doubt into past convergences, what will be the common ground/starting point for talks to resume?  
>> If GCs accept positive vote only on issues vital to TCs, GC leader must clarify what is vital for TCs and what is not. E.g. Energy policy? Federal budget?


Nicosia park stirs debate among the top brass

Kıbrıs Postası
Property, Territory

OVERVIEW

Mustafa Akıncı held a top-level coordination meeting on Friday for an area of 357 dönüms (dunam) in Kermiya (Ayios Dhometios) controlled by the military that will be converted into a city park. He announced the meeting in a statement issued the same day and added a ‘conceptual project for the park was also shared with the participants’.

He said that the Nicosia Turkish Municipality will build a fence around the allocated area as a first step.

Ahmet Muratoğlu, ‘Undersecretary at the Prime Ministry’, wrote a comment on Friday underneath the statement on the Presidential Facebook page, criticising Akıncı for failing to acknowledge that Sibel Siber, former speaker of the parliament, was the one who had originally come up with the idea.

Teberrüken Uluçay, the current speaker of the parliament, on Friday said the ‘city park’ project was first announced to the public on 9 November 2017 and it was to be handled by the parliamentary environment committee under the leadership of Sibel Siber.

Former parliamentary administrative officer and person in charge of the ‘city park’ project, Serkan İlseven, said he was put in charge of the project, which had been temporarily delayed due to lack of economic funds and the upcoming elections. İlseven underlined that the project is too big for the Nicosia Turkish Municipality to manage, as Akıncı said in his statement in Sunday’s Kıbrıs Postası.

Head of the Republican Turkish Party’s (CTP) local administrations’ committee Muhittin Tolga Özsağlam said through social media on Saturday that it is unfortunate and a political misfortune not to acknowledge Siber’s contributions to the park project.

There could have been at least a reference to the parliament, Özsağlam added.


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