Front Page Headlines
Surrender to rain
Cyprus woke up to a new day yesterday under the threat of rain and floods. A large number of roads and villages were submerged in flood water. A ‘Yellow Alert’ was issued in the South. Meteorology Service in North frequently issued warnings. Taşkent (Vouno), Haspolat (Mia Milia) and Değirmenlik (Kythrea) were the areas most affected by the rain. The civil defence organisation, police, fire service and municipalities worked 24 hours.
Divine gift of rain turned into a catastrophe
Heavy torrential rains caused severe damage throughout the north flooding many homes and roads.
- We cannot simply sit back and do nothing – President Akıncı spoke on TV and emphasized the need to improve the living conditions in the north.
The catastrophe hits hard
Heavy rains throughout the country flooded many roads and homes causing severe damage.
[Floods] came so obviously
Despite warnings issued by the Meteorological Service, the authorities did not implement any flood measures. As a result, many roads and homes were flooded.
- A fortune spent on telecommunications – Information Technology and Communication Board announced with a 9.3% increase (in revenues), the telecommunications sector achieved nearly four hundred million Lira in turnover.
It hit hard
North Cyprus surrendered to heavy rains again; roads closed in some areas, homes and cars were damaged, passengers heading to Ercan airport (Tymbou) were transported by vehicles belonging to municipalities and the Civil Defence Organisation.
This is your doing
Dams overflowed, roads turned into rivers and homes were left under water. You compensated those affected instead of punishing those responsible for building in rivers and streams. You built roads by taking into account drought conditions. You built mosques with four minarets instead of investing in proper infrastructure.
Main News
A new road map, a new model needed in Cyprus
Yenidüzen, Diyalog
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Near East University in Nicosia will be hosting this week the second conference on Cyprus titled, “Cyprus issue: History of Cyprus and vision for today and tomorrow”. The first conference was organized back in 2001, entitled “What are the alternative solution models in Cyprus?”
The goal of the conference is to focus on the Cyprus negotiations, the current political and social issues in the north, education, tourism, economic opportunities, trade, the soft power of the TRNC, and the TCs’ representation in the international arena.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency ahead of the conference, Prof. Dr Mehmet Özay said that achieving a federal solution in Cyprus was no longer possible and the time to discuss a confederation had come. He argued that the concept of power sharing had become outdated which was why a new road map and a new model was needed in Cyprus.
Both states that would make up the confederation needed to be members of the EU he argued.
Prof. Dr Hüseyin Bağcı from the Middle East Technical University’s Department of International Relations said that both sides were still engaged in a process in the belief that dialogue was better than no dialogue.
He said that both Greece and the Greek Cypriot side had made a great strategic mistake by rejecting the 2004 Annan Plan.
Bağcı argued that the settlement of the Cyprus Problem depends on what the TRNC’s share of natural gas discovered in the region will be.
Prof. Dr Hüseyin Gökçekuş from the Near East University and a member of the organizing committee of the conference also explained that there was no chance for the Cyprus Problem to be solved through a federal solution, adding that they wanted to organize this conference to be able to discuss ‘new ideas’ for a solution on the island as well as changing conditions around Cyprus.
Gökçekuş blamed GCs for the failure of the federal solution model and said that their focus would be on new ideas such as a “two-state solution”.
Time to think out of the box on Cyprus solution
Kıbrıs, Kıbrıs Postası, Diyalog, Havadis
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
The Beşparmak (Pentadaktylos) think tank argued that it is time to think out of the box on the Cyprus solution process in a letter submitted to UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday, adding that alternatives such as the two-state solution and velvet divorce must be tabled.
The think tank underlines that the Turkish Cypriot community, which has been subjected to living under isolations for decades, has proven that a federal solution based on political equality and partnership is not possible due to the repeated intransigence of the Greek Cypriot side.
The think tank emphasized the Greek Cypriot side’s intransigence in reference to unilateral hydrocarbon activities, the Crans-Montana process, and the outcome of the Annan Plan referendum in 2004.
The letter also referred to a recent poll in which 68% of Turkish Cypriots expressed their belief that a federal solution is not possible, as well as to a recent study published by the American Congress entitled, “Solution in Cyprus is a dream.”
The letter additionally quotes Jack Straw, former UK foreign secretary, and writes that none of the Greek Cypriot leaders will be able to persuade the GC community to an agreement because the south side is comfortable with the status quo.
The letter was delivered to 10 Downing Street by Kerem Hasan, foreign affairs secretary of the Beşparmak (Pentadaktylos) think tank and is signed by the General Coordinator of the think tank, Hasibe Şahoğlu.