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[halil]

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Talat speech at PACE .

clik on Video of the speech .

video is in Turkish and translation of speech as follows.

Statement by Mehmet Ali Talat, Leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community

Strasbourg, 1st October 2008

Mr. President,
Distinguished Parliamentarians,
Ladies and Gentlemen;

First of all, I would like to thank the President of the Parliamentary Assembly President Mr. De Puig for inviting me to this august body.

I salute you on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot people. As the elected leader of the Turkish Cypriot people, I am pleased to be addressing you in this room; and I regard this opportunity as the demonstration of your appreciation of the Turkish Cypriot people.

Today is Eid Ramadan, a holy occasion for the Islamic world. On this occasion, I would like to greet the Turkish Cypriot people and all the Islamic world, and wish humanity peace and happiness.

The Turkish Cypriots are a modern people worthy of your consideration and support. At the same time, Turkish Cypriots are a people that has embraced the highest human values, and that believes and fights for human rights, the rule of law, social justice and democratic development.

Although Turkish Cypriot people has been the victim of the Cyprus problem for many years now, it has put forward a determined attitude and took action to solve the problem, without being enslaved by any feelings of revenge.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is the first international parliament to accept the elected representatives of the Turkish Cypriot people under its roof. Taking into consideration our YES vote for the United Nations Comprehensive Settlement Plan, which was aimed at solving the Cyprus problem, you have, since the year 2005, provided us with a window to breathe through in our long-lived political isolation. Turkish Cypriot parliamentarians have been able to step into the international arena, thanks to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen;

The Cyprus problem is a problem of cohabitation of two peoples on a small island. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to say that we have been successful in doing so. However, I should say that the responsibility of the Turkish Cypriot people- that make up 20 percent of the island’s population despite its separate political identity- in the creation and continuation of this problem, is very little compared to the responsibility of other actors.

The Turkish Cypriot people has had a single desire since the 1950s: and that is to participate in the governance of the island of Cyprus in a way that would allow it to determine its own future...

I am aware that Turkey is portrayed as the perpetrator of the Cyprus problem in many speeches in this very room. However, when Turkey was forced to intervene in the island in 1974, the Cyprus problem was already there. The representatives of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot peoples had begun talks in 1968 about how they could solve the problem, resulting from the Greek Cypriots’ hijacking 1960 partnership republic 1963. However, when the illegal Greek Cypriot armed forces, which had the support of the Military Junta in Greece, staged a coup against their own administrators and prepared to declare Enosis, Turkey was forced to send troops to the island fulfilling its responsibilities stemming from international agreements.

Turkey had proposed to intervene together with Britain, which is another guarantor country, but was rejected and had to fulfill this duty by on her own.

Mr. President,
Distinguished Parliamentarians;

Because of this problem, Turkish Cypriot people is unable to take its honorable place among the free peoples of the world, and to establish adequate and effective relations with the world. We have spent our childhood and adolescence on a volcano ready to erupt any minute. Now, we are concerned with rendering secure the future of our children. And for this, we regard the establishment of a lasting peace in Cyprus as an urgent humanitarian issue.

The fact that we have not been able to achieve solution and peace despite changing world conditions, has greatly complicated the political aspects of the problem; and has imposed on the problem, the burden of decisions and attitudes of a bipolar world.

In fact, the United Nations Resolutions on the issue since the year 1964, or the attitudes that emerged right after 1974, still have a huge influence today.

The Turkish Cypriot people is able to deal with the difficulties imposed on it by lack of solution, leaning especially on the contributions of the Republic of Turkey. Turkey has been the main supporter of the Turkish Cypriot people and therefore, my people is rightfully grateful to the Republic of Turkey, and to the Turkish people, to whom it is related through historic and cultural bonds.

Thanks to Turkey’s support, Turkish Cypriot people is able to benefit from state services, to establish telephone connections with the world, to benefit from postal services and travel.

If Turkey had banned direct flights as other states have, I would have been imprisoned in Northern Cyprus, instead of being here.

In fact, if it wasn’t for the support of Turkey, there would not be a Turkish Cypriot leader speaking before you, since there would not be any Turkish Cypriots left in Cyprus.

Leaving aside the details of the problem, this is how you should view the support Turkey gives us.

Mr. President,
Distinguished Parliamentarians;

You know that the UN Comprehensive Settlement Plan, which was put to separate referenda to two peoples in 2004, was the best opportunity we ever had to solve the Cyprus problem. The Turkish Cypriot people, by saying “yes” to this plan, has shown that it wants solution.

Unfortunately, this opportunity was wasted when the Greek Cypriot people voted “no,” due to the inconceivable efforts and encouragement of the then-Greek Cypriot leadership and its political supporters.

I don’t have the authority to question the free will of the Greek Cypriot people. However, I cannot forget the state-led “no” campaign against the UN Comprehensive Settlement Plan and the negative role played by the Greek Cypriot leadership, namely, the leader of the time, Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos, and today’s Greek Cypriot leader and my dear friend Mr. Demetris Christofias.

The Turkish Cypriot people is, as always, ready and working for an early, comprehensive, just solution to the Cyprus problem. The party that needs to contribute to the process and prove that it wants solution is the Greek Cypriot side.

Mr. President,
Distinguished Parliamentarians;

The pro-solution stance of the Turkish Cypriot people is continuing, despite our disappointment in April 2004.

After April 2004, we tried very hard to re-initiate solution negotiations based on the UN Comprehensive Settlement Plan. We called on the whole world to support us in this regard. We gave voice to this attitude on every platform. Former Greek Cypriot Leader Mr. Papadopoulos persistently avoided this; he himself, announced to the whole world from the United Nations platform, which is the symbol of the freedom of people, that he pursues the policy of “osmosis,” which means to absorb and dissolve the Turkish Cypriot people under its own administration, instead of a policy of finding a comprehensive solution through negotiations.
Mr. Papadopoulos’ “osmosis” policy did not find support in the world. Even the Greek Cypriot people became uneasy with such a policy, and in February 2008, they replaced Mr. Papadopoulos with Mr. Demetris Christofias.

Now, we have a new process. My dear friend Mr. Demetris Christofias took over the Greek Cypriot leadership saying that he will pursue a policy of solution and negotiations. We were, of course, pleased. And we immediately settled down to work.

We do have various difficulties... However, these difficulties do not emanate from Turkey, as argued by Mr. Demetris Christofias. These difficulties emanate from the fact that the Greek Cypriot side is reluctant to share the sovereignty of Cyprus with the Turkish Cypriot people.

I showed a lot of flexibility so that the Greek Cypriot side sits on the table for comprehensive solution negotiations... In order to strengthen Mr. Christofias, I gave my approval for joint statements that fulfilled their demands to create a “common language,” although this was not part of our procedural agreement signed on 21 March.

Today, I regard the initiation of comprehensive settlement negotiations as a great improvement, but I have to say that the main obstacle in front of further progress is the reluctance of the Greek Cypriot side to give effect the Turkish Cypriots political equality.

Mr. President,
Distinguished Parliamentarians;

As the Turkish Cypriot side, we want to establish a new partnership state in Cyprus, based on the political equality of the two peoples, and which is composed of two constituent states of equal status. We believe that Cyprus could be unified under such a framework and that we can stand before the world with a single international identity.

Although Cyprus has been accepted into the European Union in an unfair manner and without the approval of the Turkish Cypriot people, all our political forces agree that the new partnership state will be a member of the EU. I believe that the new partnership state can be shaped by remaining true to the founding principles of the European Union; nevertheless, the Turkish Cypriot people can be protected from threats stemming from historic problems or mistrust through certain derogations.

We ask for your help to formulate such a structure and to bury the Cyprus problem into the past.

Mr. President,
Distinguished members;

Please allow me to convey to you my observations on the report titled “Situation in Cyprus” prepared by the Joachim Hörster, the Political Affairs Rapporteur of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the draft resolution.

First of all, I would like to thank your Parliament for allowing two of our elected representatives to participate in the works of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in line with Assembly Resolution 1376, and contributing to the easing of the political isolation of Turkish Cypriots. On the other hand, we are expecting the urgent implementation of Resolution 170 of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in 2004, which states that representatives of Turkish Cypriot local authorities should be represented in the Congress, as in the Parliamentary Assembly.

Again, the Assembly, in Resolution 1376 called for putting an end to the Turkish Cypriots’ international isolation. We regretfully observe that the isolations on Turkish Cypriot people are continuing despite the existence of such a Resolution by an institution, which is the cradle of democracy.

Only a week ago, the Greek Cypriot side arrested a Syrian captain for coming to Turkish Cypriot ports and once again showed how rigid it is in its policy of isolation.

The draft resolution only talks about the ban on Greek Cypriot-flagged ships against entering ports in Turkey. We see that the repeated call of the Turkish Cypriot side to simultaneously lift all restrictions on the island and the Action Plan proposed by the Republic of Turkey in this regard, have not been included in the draft resolution. We expect the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to support proposals that would contribute to the solution of the Cyprus problem, as part of an attitude that would encourage mutual cooperation, stability, and efforts based on mutual advantage, instead of supporting unilateral initiatives.

We are disappointed by the fact that the draft resolution also includes Greek Cypriot claims that they help Turkish Cypriots. The Greek Cypriot side uses this argument as a means of propaganda and political exploitation to prove its claims that Turkish Cypriots are not isolated. Since the Turkish Cypriot side launched an international initiative for the lifting of isolations and the world reacted positively, the Greek Cypriot administration has been claiming that it provides Turkish Cypriots with free electricity, although it is paid, and has been presenting the salaries of people, who work in South Cyprus, as ‘aid to Turkish Cypriots.”

The Cyprus problem has given rise to a property issue. I would like to remind you that, as the Turkish Cypriot side, we have established the Immovable Property Commission in accordance with the recommendations and suggestions of the European Court of Human Rights. Accordingly, as an interim measure for those property owners, who are unable to wait until a comprehensive solution, we have accepted as domestic remedy, the options of partial restitution, exchange and compensation and have implemented them. The establishment of this Commission has unburdened the European Court of Human Rights of its extensive work load.

Property issue, which has been the subject of especially post-war mandatory regulations, has become a problem for many countries including European states. There are many current examples of this problem in the world. Our main target should be to share each others’ experiences regarding this issue, and reach solution and peace through an agreement, which includes arrangements that do not force our people to immigrate yet again.

Mr. President,
Distinguished Parliamentarians;

Reaching a comprehensive solution in Cyprus, and rendering this solution sustainable, is also related to how the young generations on both sides of the island view each other.

I can tell you with pleasure that our Ministry of Education has reviewed the text books being used in schools, in accordance with the principles and recommendations of the Council of Europe. We are expecting the Greek Cypriot side to take action at once and eliminate language in their own text books that incite enmity and hatred against Turkish Cypriots. Our expectation from the Council of Europe is to encourage and embolden the Greek Cypriot side in this regard.

As the Turkish Cypriot side, we view all the cultural monuments in Northern Cyprus, as the common heritage of humanity, regardless of their origin, and try to preserve them with scarce resources without any international aid. I am calling on you today to support us in our efforts to preserve cultural heritage. In this regard, I would also like to bring to your attention that there exists Turkish-Islamic cultural monuments in the Greek Cypriot side, which are in need of the Council’s special interest and preservation.

Education in one’s own mother tongue is one of the basic human rights. As the Turkish Cypriot side, we have provided the Greek Cypriot children living in Northern Cyprus with the opportunity to receive uninterrupted elementary and secondary-school education in their mother tongues, by Greek Cypriot teachers and in line with the Greek Cypriot curriculum. In addition to this, this issue was taken up and closed by the Committee of Ministers. On the other hand, it is very saddening that a similar opportunity has not been offered to Turkish Cypriot students living in the town of Limassol in Southern Cyprus, who outnumber Greek Cypriot students living in the North. You should encourage the Greek Cypriot side to remain true to its written and oral promises to the United Nations that it will establish a separate school for Turkish Cypriot students and to provide these children with education in their mother tongues, which is one of the basic human rights.

The issue of Missing Persons is not an issue that emerged in 1974, and which only concerns Greek Cypriots. Hundreds of Turkish Cypriot civilians were kidnapped on the way to home or work between the years 1963-1974 and have gone missing. It is a disappointment to see that this humanitarian issue has been portrayed as a problem that only concerns Greek Cypriots and that justice is demanded only on their part.

Amendments adopted at the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee further consolidated the one sidedness of the draft resolution. Accepting a resolution that includes such negative and unilateral elements at a time when comprehensive negotiations are ongoing on the island, would definitely not make a positive contribution neither on the solution efforts of the UN Secretary-General, nor the efforts to create a positive atmosphere.

Mr. President,
Distinguished Parliamentarians;

The Turkish Cypriot people is under political, economic and social isolation. The most important effect of this isolation is that Turkish Cypriots are unable to voice their political views in the international arena. The developments in Cyprus are, most of the time, brought to the attention of the world unilaterally and in a way that does not reflect reality. At the end of the day, this distortion contributes to non-solution in Cyprus.

First of all, we call on the world for the preservation of our right to express ourselves.

Your noble parliament has safeguarded this right. Although I see that many problems and developments have not been apprehended in a realistic way in the report about the Cyprus problem and about what goes on, on the island, I am thankful to you for safeguarding the Turkish Cypriot people’s right to express itself and for showing the generosity of listening to us.

The Annan Plan which was strongly endorsed by the United Nations, European Union and, as well as the entire international community including the Council of Europe was approved by the Turkish Cypriots and rejected by the Greek Cypriots. Following this, despite the resolution 1376 adopted by you for the lifting of isolations, the current draft resolution before us contradicts with the expressed will of the Assembly. Adoption of the draft resolution will create disappointment among my people.

I wholeheartedly thank you for granting us this opportunity, and I sincerely hope that your efforts contribute to world peace.

[Get Real!]

Video speech of Talat

Just show us his tits!

[RichardB]

The Parlimentary Assembly for the Council of Europe (PACE) view after the talks is

Provisional edition

Situation in Cyprus

Resolution 1628 (2008)1


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1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers to its resolutions and recommendations adopted since the outbreak of the conflict in Cyprus in 1960s, and regrets that Cyprus remains one of the last divided countries in Europe, and the only one in the European Union, with its northern part occupied by Turkey since 1974.

2. It reaffirms its strong commitment to reaching a fair, lasting and comprehensive solution for a peaceful and united Cyprus which would guarantee the legitimate rights of both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, in full compliance with the values and principles of the Council of Europe.

3. In this context, the Assembly welcomes the renewed political process between the two Cypriot parties which started in March 2008 and has already produced encouraging results for the benefit of all Cypriots, including the opening of the Ledra street crossing in Nicosia and agreements on practical co-operation between the two communities in a number of areas. It commends the political will and determination shown by the leaders of the two Cypriot communities, President Christofias and Mr Talat, and fully endorses their efforts. The Assembly encourages all parties and countries that are directly or indirectly linked to the Cypriot question to develop and to maintain a climate of reconciliation, confidence and mutual respect, as well as to avoid all action or declarations that could harm the ongoing constructive dialogue and accentuate tensions.

4. The Assembly further welcomes the resumption of fully-fledged negotiations between the leaders of the two Cypriot communities under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. It hopes that the appointment of Mr Downer, former Foreign Minister of Australia, as Special Adviser on Cyprus, will contribute to maintain positive dynamics in the talks and make progress towards a comprehensive settlement.

5. The Assembly encourages the United Nations to fully use in the negotiation process the Council of Europe’s expertise in the areas of its core competence. Furthermore, it believes that any future settlement agreement must comply with Council of Europe standards in the fields of human rights (including the case law of the European Court of Human Rights), democracy and the rule of law.

6. The Assembly is aware that, even with a new and more positive climate between the two communities, mistrust between them is still deep. New efforts are needed to reactivate intercommunal contacts, encourage dialogue, promote reconciliation and restore confidence. On-going Council of Europe activities aimed at confidence-building in Cyprus, namely the European Forum Cyprus and the co-operation in history teaching, must be given full political support.

7. Furthermore, the Assembly believes that the Council of Europe expertise could be of practical value for the two Cypriot communities in the areas where they have already agreed to set up co-operation, such as the environment, cultural heritage, health and criminal matters, as well as in other areas (e.g. protection of human rights, combating intolerance, protection of minorities, the fight against trafficking in human beings, education, gender equality, contacts between young people).

8. The Assembly stresses once again the importance of settling the humanitarian aspects of the Cyprus problem. Against this background, it commends the recent progress in the work of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP), and calls all the parties concerned to grant full support to its activities. In this context, the Assembly welcomes financial contributions to the CMP made by several Council of Europe member states, as well as by the European Union and the United States, and calls for new donations for an increased efficiency of its work.

9. The Assembly takes note of, and welcomes, the efforts made by the European Union and by the Republic of Cyprus aimed at improving the situation of Turkish Cypriots. However, more needs to be done in order to facilitate Turkish Cypriots’ integration into Cyprus and Europe. The Assembly therefore calls for new goodwill steps to be taken to allow increased international trade, educational, cultural and sporting contacts of the Turkish Cypriot community, it being understood that these activities are consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984) on Cyprus and cannot be misused to attain political purposes incompatible with the aim of reunifying the island.

10. The Assembly is hopeful that, despite deep-rooted differences between the parties on a number of key issues to be negotiated, the need to find difficult compromises and to secure their public support, the current situation offers the best opportunity in many years to reach a settlement. President Christofias and Mr Talat are conscious that they can not afford to fail. All the internal and external actors involved must do their utmost to maximize the chances of success.

11. The Assembly therefore

11.1. calls upon political forces, civil society and non-governmental organisations in both Cypriot communities to:

11.1.1. provide full support to the ongoing settlement process, and refrain from any action which could undermine it;

11.1.2. multiply and facilitate bicommunal activities as a means of re-establishing mutual trust and developing a sense of partnership and shared responsibility for the future of a reunified Cyprus;

11.1.3. fully use for that purpose the opportunities offered by Council of Europe activities in various fields;

11.2. calls upon the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus to:11.2.1. lift objections to the adoption of the Council Of The European Union's Direct Trade Regulation put forward by the European Commission allowing free direct trade between Turkish Cypriots and the EU through their own ports;

11.2.2. not to oppose increased international contacts of Turkish Cypriots in the areas of culture, education, sport and youth exchanges, insofar as these contacts are not misused for political purposes or incompatible with the reunification of the island;

11.2.3. make full use of Council of Europe experience and assistance as regards history teaching for reconciliation, and to review history textbooks in such a way as to avoid hate speech and inflammatory language with regard to painful events of the past;

11.2.4. actively seek the establishment of good-neighbourly relations with Turkey;

11.3. calls upon the authorities of the Turkish Cypriot community to:
11.3.1. confirm their commitment to reunifying Cyprus, and to refrain from insisting on the existence of a “separate state” in the north of the island;
11.3.2. put an end to the sales of, and construction on, Greek Cypriot properties in the northern part of Cyprus;

11.3.3. consider specific aid to help the Turkish settlers to leave;
11.3.4. respect point 5 of United Nations Resolution 550 by placing the city of Famagusta under UN administration;

11.4. calls upon the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus and of the Turkish Cypriot Community to protect all religious monuments and allow restoration work to take place whenever necessary.

12. The Assembly urges Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, as the three guarantor states of 1960 Constitution of Cyprus, to fully and actively use their influence to support the ongoing political process in Cyprus.

13. In particular, the Assembly calls upon Greece to use, on the one hand, its traditional ties with the Greek Cypriots, and on the other hand, its experience of building normalised relations with Turkey, in order to facilitate dialogue between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey.

14. Furthermore, the Assembly calls upon Turkey to:14.1. respect United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Cyprus and contribute to creating a more constructive climate in the negotiations by reducing, as a confidence-building measure, its military presence in the occupied part of Cyprus;
14.2. actively seek the establishment of good-neighbourly relations with the Republic of Cyprus, including lifting the ban against entering ports in Turkey imposed on vessels registered in the Republic of Cyprus and on vessels sailing under other flags which enter the ports of the Republic of Cyprus, and to sign a trade agreement with the Republic of Cyprus in accordance with the commitment made by Turkey to the World Trade Organization and its obligations under its Customs Union Agreement with the European Union;

14.3. co-operate effectively in the efforts to ascertain the fate of the missing persons in Cyprus and to fully implement the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Cyprus v. Turkey (2001) pertaining to the tragic problem of the missing persons and their families and abide by and fulfil, without any further delay, its obligations and duties stemming from the aforementioned judgment, as well as from the Court’s other judgments concerning citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, namely the Loizidou and Xenedis-Arestis judgments.

15. The Assembly calls upon the United Kingdom to confirm its previous offer to transfer part of the territory of its military bases in Cyprus to Greek Cypriots in order to facilitate territorial adjustments to be negotiated between the two parties in the framework of a comprehensive settlement.

16. The Assembly asks its committees, when holding meetings in Cyprus, to associate as much as possible representatives of the Turkish Cypriot political forces, as well as representatives of civil society and NGOs from both communities.


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1 Assembly debate on 1st October 2008 (32nd Sitting) (see Doc.11699, report of the Political Affairs Committee, rapporteur : Mr Hörster, and Doc. 11727, opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, rapporteur: Mr Cilevičs). Text adopted by the Assembly on 1st October 2008 (32nd Sitting).






eBay-rak

[RichardB]

DP

[paliometoxo]

what a load of shit.... we needing the turks approval to join eu? and all this shit he thinks trnc will every be recognised and in eu? ha!! never!

you can see them all flling asleep to his stupid demands that will never happen hes so full of shite

[paliometoxo]

what about the resolutiuon telling turkey to remove its troops? drem on woll there ever be two states

[RichardB]

what about the resolutiuon telling turkey to remove its troops? drem on woll there ever be two states

Hi paliometaxo

it seems that once again there are no TCs willing to comment on the below points put forward by PACE after The talks

11.3. calls upon the authorities of the Turkish Cypriot community to:
11.3.1. confirm their commitment to reunifying Cyprus, and to refrain from insisting on the existence of a “separate state” in the north of the island;
11.3.2. put an end to the sales of, and construction on, Greek Cypriot properties in the northern part of Cyprus;

11.3.3. consider specific aid to help the Turkish settlers to leave;
11.3.4. respect point 5 of United Nations Resolution 550 by placing the city of Famagusta under UN administration;


Ebay-rak

[humanist]

Richard thank you for the post.

I wonder is some clarification can be given in relation to the point below and what is referred too as "their own ports"

11.2. calls upon the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus to:11.2.1. lift objections to the adoption of the Council Of The European Union's Direct Trade Regulation put forward by the European Commission allowing free direct trade between Turkish Cypriots and the EU through their own ports;

I believe that if they are referring to the Republics own ports that is a move long outstanding. However, not prior to ensuring that the Turk of Cypus stand by the point of no two states on the Island. and that structures are put in place that if that point is violated the RoC ceases r to support them in the area mentioned above re trade.

[Viewpoint]

NO humanist their ports means our ports in the northi the GCs objected to this wording but the objection was rejected and the wording remains, so what are GCs going to do about it?

[Kifeas]

NO humanist their ports means our ports in the northi the GCs objected to this wording but the objection was rejected and the wording remains, so what are GCs going to do about it?

VP, this objection was rejected because of a mere technicality, due to the fact that the legal committee did not have the time to examine it, (like it did and approved all the other objections raised by the GC side,) and also because of one stupid GC parliamentarian, Andros Kyprianou, who failed to get things on truck. However, do not get overexcited, because the remark "through their own ports," that managed to stay in the adopted resolution, has been taken care in a previous paragraph (9) in which it makes it clear that any direct trade measures must comply with resolutions 541 and 550 of the UNSC. Furthermore, the very fact that PACE recognises the RoC as the only legal, sovereign and legitimate entity in Cyprus, hence the fact that it (RoC) is a full member of the CoE, renters the above remark as literally meaningless, and a purely "cosmetic" trick in order to "sweeten the pill."