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PRESIDENT DENKTAS: "DEFENDING TURKEY'S NATIONAL INTERESTS IS AS IMPORTANT AS
ENTERING THE EU"
President
Denktas speaking at conference organized by the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts
University in Istanbul entitled, "Latest Point Reached On The Cyprus
National Cause", pointing out that the Cyprus issue should be defended, said
defending Turkey's national interests was just as important as entering the
EU.
President
Denktas said the Turkish Cypriots wanted peace but not at the cost of giving
up their independence and State, which they established 21 years ago. He
said it was the duty of the Turkish Cypriots to continue and promote the
existence of their state.
Talking about
the point reached in the Cyprus issue and the negotiation process, the
President said the acceptance of the Greek Cypriot Administration as the
"legal government" of the island was the primary obstacle in front of a
settlement. He said that if Cyprus was a national cause the Annan Plan
should be forgotten. He said; "There isn't and won't be an Annan Plan for
us".
Explaining that
years the Cyprus issue was put as an obstacle in front of Turkey's EU
membership process, President Denktas said this wasn't true and was a grave
injustice against Turkey and added that as December 17, the date which
Turkey is expected to get a date for accession, approaches the Greek Cypriot
side was showing its true face and were trying to put obstacles in front of
Turkey.
TRNC PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW TURKISH LIRA
In its General
Assembly meeting yesterday (4 November) the TRNC Parliament approved the
Draft Bill for changing the Turkish Liras in circulation in the TRNC to the
New Turkish Lira (YTL) and from 1 January 2005 onwards the New Turkish Lira
will be used in the TRNC. The Economy, Finance, Budget and Planning
Committee also approved the Draft Bill on Monday (1 November).
According to
the Bill, the New Turkish Lira will be in circulation in the TRNC as well as
in Turkey on 1 January 2005. 1 New Turkish Lira will be equivalent to 1
million Turkish Lira both currency units will be in circulation and the
prices of goods and services will be shown in both currencies until the end
of 2005.
TRNC MUNICIPALITIES CAN BE REPRESENTED IN EUROPEAN COUNCIL
The EU Council
has decided that representatives from the TRNC Municipalities will be
represented in the European Council's Local and Regional Administration
Congress. In the decision taken yesterday (4 November), the it was decided
that from now on one representative and one substitute from the TRNC
municipalities has gained the right to participate in the local and regional
administration congress meeting.
Huseyin Beyar,
the Chairman of the TRNC Municipalities Union, attended yesterday's (4
November) meeting at the European Council.
GREEK CYPRIOT MEDIA PREVENTS MURATAGA, SANDALLAR, AND ATLILAR GENOCIDE
DOCUMENTARY FROM BEING SHOWN
A documentary
called "The Voice of Blood, prepared by Greek Cypriot film producer and
writer Antonis Angastiniotis, which drew attention to the mass massacres
carried out by the Greek Cypriots against the Turkish Cypriots in the
Murataga, Sandallar and Atliar villages, is strongly being prevented from
being shown on Greek Cypriot television channels by the Greek Cypriot media.
According to an
article in the Greek Cypriot "Cyprus Mail" daily, Angastiniotis said: "We
embrace European standards and principles but, television channels aren't
even requesting to look at the film".
Pointing out
that no matter how much of a European and democratic identity the Greek
Cypriots have, they are experiencing difficulties in accepting their past,
Angastiniotis said: "Let's see the realities. You must accept your mistakes
and past. All Turkish Cypriots know what happened in these villages. It's
the Greek Cypriots who don't know".
The Cyprus
Mail, pointing out that the documentary was only being shown in the TRNC,
stressed that Angastiniotis' target audience was not the Turkish Cypriots
but the Greek Cypriots.
Angastiniotis,
talking about the difficulties he was faced with in trying to get the
documentary aired on Greek Cypriot television, said the head of the Sigma
media group had close ties with the Greek Cypriot Presidential Palace, CYBC
was a state channel and the Mega and Antenna television channels were being
strongly influenced by the church.
Explaining that
the main purpose of producing this documentary was because his own
generation was unaware of the events that took place especially between 1963
and 1974, Angastiniotis said he believed these events were being overlooked
and portrayed by the Greek Cypriots in a different way.
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