Front Page Headlines
“I caused the accident as I was trying to get my mobile phone”
50-year-old Fatma Yakupoğulları, responsible for the death of 27-year-old İlter Taşpınar in a head-on collision near the Yeniceköy (Petra Tou Digeni) junction, testified in court.
Torturer father got away with one-year imprisonment
Father who repeatedly beat and tortured his son with a hot iron only received a one-year prison sentence.
- Özersay and Çavuşoğlu tabled natural gas issue in Antalya – Özersay announced the meeting on his social media account.
- Retired from active politics – Derviş Eroğlu spoke about the possibility of him running as a presidential candidate.
Strongest candidate Akıncı – Preferred party UBP
Centre for Migration, Identity and Rights Studies (CMIRS) poll results revealed. Akıncı is supported by 31.92 per cent of respondents.
- Why did Eroğlu sign the 2014 Joint Declaration? – Barış Burcu criticized Eroğlu, who claimed that federation is a trap.
- Crashed while reaching for her mobile phone – Surviving driver in the fatal traffic collision testified before the court.
Ten times more than the global average
Workplace health and safety expert Halil Erdim stressed lack of deterrent fines is the main reason behind fatal workplace accidents.
- Mobile phone is the reason for collision – Driver, who crashed into oncoming car, testified before the court and said she was reaching for her mobile phone.
Is it this simple?
50-year-old Fatma Yakupoğulları, responsible for the death of 27-year-old İlter Taşpınar, says: “I crossed over to the opposite lane as I was trying to pick up my phone from the passenger seat, causing the accident.”
We’ve paved a road to hell
27-year-old İlter Taşpınar, who died because of the mobile phone of the driver coming from the opposite direction, was laid to rest in a sorrowful ceremony. Five people were injured in a separate accident on the Nicosia-Morphou road yesterday. Mustafa Akıncı drew attention to the issue, pointing out that traffic and workplace accidents had become society’s two most important problems.
Main News
Burcu: ‘No new ideas’ from Greek Cypriots
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Kıbrıs Postası, Havadis, Diyalog
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Presidential Spokesperson Barış Burcu said that the Greek Cypriot leader is faced with unmatched criticism from the Greek Cypriot community for going back on political equality which is one of the UN parameters, for unilateral hydrocarbon activities and for other manoeuvres to avoid a federal solution.
Speaking on Kıbrıs TV on Monday, Burcu said Anastasiades was causing confusion with his inconsistent rhetoric, which was leading to a loss of his credibility within the international community.
On hydrocarbons, he reiterated that the Greek Cypriots continue to act alone, despite warnings from Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akınıc as far back as 2015 that unilateral acts would heighten tensions.
Burcu emphasized that political equality is one of the main parameters of a settlement and is not open to discussion.
He accused Anastasiades of falsely presenting political equality and one positive vote concept as a veto.
“He is now trying to change it up by presenting the one positive vote and political equality as a [Turkish Cypriot] veto. But the one positive vote is about the application of political equality that shapes effective participation in decision making; whereas the veto is something that occurs after a decision has already been made. The veto has nothing to do with effective participation,” said Burcu, alluding to Anastasiades’ recent proposal for a ‘decentralised’ federation.
Burcu said that the problem does not lie with the UN parameters or a federation model but with the Greek Cypriot side failing to deliver its part for a solution.
On qualms regarding a federal solution model, Burcu said: “There are no new ideas. There are the old ones which are being bounced off the wall. They [Greek Cypriots] cannot come out and state that. They say that only new ideas should be tabled, but they haven’t put forth a single idea that would enjoy support from our community or the international community.”
Burcu distinguished between new ideas and agreements, stressing that there are no other agreements with the UN apart from the federation solution model.
KEY ACTORS
Burcu
>> GC leader has gone back on political equality& creates confusion with inconsistent rhetoric on a federation model.
>> Anastasiades falsely links positive vote & effective participation concept to veto.
>> Political equality is a UN parameter and is not open for discussion.
>> GC side has put forth no new ideas, just rehashed ideas.
>> On energy, GC side continues to act alone despite Akıncı’s calls for collaboration & warning that unilateral acts will heighten tension.
Akıncı wants CBMs implemented
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis
CBMs
OVERVIEW
President Mustafa Akıncı held a second meeting on Monday with the TC members of the Technical Committee on Culture and other interlocutors ahead of the scheduled 13 March meeting of the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Culture.
The meeting’s participants discussed the ongoing technical work, ensuring a swift process for the return of pre-’63 recordings of Turkish Cypriot artists kept at CyBC archives.
The Bicommunal Technical Committee on Culture will prepare a road map and a report to submit to the two leaders for the return of the artwork of GC artists to the GC side and recordings of TCs to the TC side. The final date for the exchange will be set at the 13 March meeting.
TC Education Minister Cemal Özyiğit, Aysu Basri Akter, Director of Bayrak Radio Television Broadcasting Corporation (BRTK), TC members of the Bi-communal Technical Committee on Culture, the General Coordinator of Technical Committees Meltem Onurkan Samani and others were present during the meeting held on Monday.
The two leaders had agreed for the return of artwork of GC artists and recordings of TCs on 26 February meeting as a goodwill gesture alongside other CBMs.
Political crossfire over Kızılyürek’s candidacy continues
Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog
EU Matters
OVERVIEW
Politicians in the North continued their war of words regarding Niyazi Kızılyürek’s candidacy for the European Parliament.
National Unity Party (UBP) leader Ersin Tatar on Monday said that Kızılyürek’s candidacy does not change the fact the Greek Cypriot side continues to usurp the two seats allocated for Turkish Cypriots at the European Parliament.
In a written statement, the UBP leader asked: “What difference does it make if Kızılyürek were to win the elections?” He added that AKEL, as a political party, supported ‘enosis’.
Tatar criticised calls to vote for Kızılyürek and argued that voting for him would mean taking a step back on the right of holding separate elections. Tatar also criticised some of the Turkish Cypriot authorities for supporting Kızılyürek.
Democratic Party (DP) leader Serdar Denktaş said it was unacceptable for a Greek Cypriot party’s candidate to tour the north to collect votes. Denktaş added: there is a stark reality on the island that there are two separate democracies and each step taken by the Greek Cypriot side aims at creating a rift within the Turkish Cypriot community.
Social Democratic Party (TDP) leader Cemal Özyiğit stressed that TDP’s position on Kızılyürek’s candidacy was clear and that it preferred to have Turkish Cypriot representatives at the EP elected by Turkish Cypriots in elections held in the North.
Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader and Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman reiterated that anyone to represent the Turkish Cypriot community must be elected by the Turkish Cypriot community with elections in the North.
“If elected, Kızılyürek will not represent the Turkish Cypriot community,” he added.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar (UBP)
>> GC side continues to usurp two seats allocated to TCs at EP.
>> Kızılyürek’s candidacy or victory will not make any change in GC side’s position.
>> Voting for Kızılyürek means taking a step back on the right of holding separate elections.
Denktaş (DP)
>> Unacceptable for GC party candidate to campaign in the North.
>> There are two democracies on the island.
>> Each step taken by GC side aims to create rift within TC community.
Özyiğit (TDP)
>> TDP prefers two representatives for EP to be elected by TC community.
Erhürman (CTP)
>> If elected Kızılyürek will not represent the TC community.
>> TC representatives at EP must be elected by TC community.
Çavuşoğlu says all options on the table
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog,
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met on Monday with the UN Secretary-General’s temporary envoy on Cyprus Jane Holl Lute.
In a tweet following the meeting, Çavuşoğlu said he had conveyed to the UN envoy that all options for a lasting solution in Cyprus were on the table but the political equality of Turkish Cypriots was an indispensable condition.
Prior to the meeting, Çavuşoğlu met with Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay in Antalya, Turkey.
The meeting, announced by Çavuşoğlu via Twitter, focused on the Cyprus Issue and hydrocarbons.
KEY ACTORS
Çavuşoğlu
>> All options for a lasting solution on the table.
>> Political equality is indispensable for Turkish Cypriots.
Esra Aygın: Is natural gas a grand project or a dream?
Yeniduzen
Energy
OVERVIEW
Journalist and activist Esra Aygın in an op-ed in Yenidüzen summarized the latest developments regarding hydrocarbon discoveries off the coast of Cyprus. Referring to the discovery of one of the largest natural gas reserves off the coast of Cyprus in block 10 by ExxonMobil, Aygın argued that there was a difference between the predicted quantity and the recoverable reserve.
She said that the important thing was whether or not it would be cost effective or profitable to exploit the reserve with the current technology.
Aygın pointed out that a similar situation had been experienced with the drilling well Aphrodite when the actual quantities turned out to be much lower than initially predicted.
She said that the future of any natural gas discovery depended on numerous factors ranging from quantity, composition, exploitation costs, marketing, finding clients and market conditions.
Taking into account the fact that there are other cheaper natural gas alternatives elsewhere and increasing trends towards alternative energy, Aygın said that it was highly unlikely the natural gas discovered off the coast of Cyprus would be commercially viable any time soon.
She said that all the facts revealed that current quantities were insufficient to build a pipeline or an LNG facility.
In conclusion, Aygın said that it was likely that there were large quantities of natural gas off the coast of Cyprus but that current quantities were not large enough for firms such as ExxonMobil to invest in the area or to take geopolitical risks.