TRNC NEWS HEADLINES

ANTAGONIST ATTACKS AGAINST TURKISH CYPRIOTS IN PYLE

Some shops and working places, whose owners are Turkish Cypriots and Ataturk’s bust in the Pyle Turkish Primary School , were attacked by unidentified people the night before. Antagonists broke the windows of a souvenir shop in the south entrance of the Pyle village, which belongs to Deger Devecioglu, a jewellery shop of Dogan Celal, which is 200 meters ahead from the attacked souvenir shop, Soner Oncu’s company car, sports shop of Huseyin Tekunlu and poured lime on Ataturk’s bust at Turkish Primary School .

Turgay Avcı, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister emphasized that making several Greek Cypriot attacks and harassment attempts against the TRNC citizens living in Pyle and Turkish Primary School , is well known for a long time by the public. He stated that since the attackers against the Turkish Cypriots have not been arrested and punished up to now, Greek Cypriot fanatic organisations in South Cyprus were further encouraged.

PRIME MINISTER SOYER: “THE ATTACK IN PYLE IS AN ENDEAVOUR TO SHADOW POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE”

Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer said that the antagonist attacks to the Turkish Primary School , three shops, and one car, are endeavours to shadow positive atmosphere by increasing provocations of certain fanatic groups, just before the meeting of the two leaders on 3 September. While stating that these antagonist attacks are distressing and unacceptable, he called upon the people to maintain patience and not to be provoked.

LEPIM “PREFERRED SOLUTION IS TWO SEPARATE STATES”

The results of “the Research for Political Bias” fulfilled by Lefkosa Psychiatry Centre (LEPIM) was announced yesterday.

Director of LEPIM Ebru Cakici stated that 854 people were included in the survey which was fulfilled by making face-to-face meetings with the citizens who were visited in their houses between the dates of end of May and beginning of June, and 27 experienced survey takers worked for this survey.

Stating that 22.2% of the respondents supported National Union Party (UBP), and 20.6% supported Republican Turkish Party (CTP), 10.2% supported Socialist Democracy Party (TDP), 9.8% supported Democrat Party (DP) and 5.3% of the respondents supported Freedom and Reform Party (ORP), Cakici pointed out that 3% of the respondents were in boycotting inclination. Undecided respondents were 22.2%.

56.5% of the respondents replied the question “what is the preferred solution in Cyprus ” as “two separate states”, and respectively 13% as “unitary state”, 6.6% as “federation”, 5.7% as “confederation” and 18% as “I do not know”.

The problems that the citizens gave importance in the order of evaluation were asked in the survey. The first problem was “the Cyprus problem” for 41.6% of the respondents, second one was “unemployment” for 25%, next problem for the 7.4% of respondents was “health”, 6.9% of the respondents emphasized “partisanship”, “economy” for the 6.2%, “fraud” for 4.1%, “education” for 4%, “emigration” for 3.3% and “environment” for the 2.4% of the respondents.

THEOCRATIC MEMBER OF EU

The war between Greek Cypriot Administration and the Church inflamed again yesterday because of the adverse criticisms of Archbishop of Greek Cypriot Orthodox Church II. Hrisostomos, against the performances of leader of Greek Cypriot Administration Dimitris Hristofyas in the Cyprus problem.

Greek Cypriot press wrote that the ceasefire between Dimitris Hristofyas and Archbishop II. Hrisostomos ended in the meeting of Foreign Greek Cypriots held in South Cyprus .

Politis Newspaper published in South Cyprus wrote that, in the statement read by Baf Metropolitan Georgios in the meeting of Foreign Greek Cypriots, he mentioned about the methods of administration of Hristofyas and his intentions concerning rotating leadership with suspicion; he stated that with the performances of Hristofyas the Cyprus problem was demoted to the level of international disagreement; and he demanded Hristofyas to give him explanation and information that would satisfy him. Archbishop also criticized sharply the decision which allowed the Turkish Cypriots to go to Erenkoy (Kokina) via Yesilirmak on 8 August.

The newspaper wrote that Hristofyas got angry with the statement and he replied II. Hrisostomos as “ Cyprus is not a theocratic state; it is a partnership state with the Turkish Cypriots. Nationalists drew the country to semi-destruction. We have to give up following the utopias, and this should be understood by everybody.”

According to the newspaper, reminding that Archbishop II. Hrisostomos won the Archbishop elections only with a narrow margin; Hristofyas expressed his suspicions against the effects of Archbishop II. Hrisostomos on the people. Hristofyas added that he became the leader of Greek Cypriot Administration with the support of 53% of the Greek Cypriot people and said “I am only responsible to the people who elected me as the leader.”

OPERA ARTISTS OF THE TURKIC WORLD TO GATHER IN MERSIN AND GIRNE

Twenty-one opera singers from the Turkic world will convene in Mersin next month when the 11th edition of the Türksoy Opera Days gets under way with a concert in the Mediterranean province on Sept. 11.

The event is organized by the Joint Administration of Turkic Culture and Art (TÜRKSOY), an international body that oversees cultural cooperation among its 14 member states, in collaboration with the Mersin State Opera and Ballet and the Greater Mersin Municipality, the Anatolia news agency reported.

The event is being held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Azerbaijani national opera’s production of “Leyla and Mecnun,” which is billed by opera circles as the first-ever Eastern opera. Opera artists from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), Bashkor-tostan and Tatarstan are scheduled to attend the event, which will later travel to northern Cyprus for a concert on Sept. 14 in Girne.