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Disinformation is often more widespread in Cyprus reporting than the actual news. This might be a product of the consolidated positions of the two sides on the island and their attempt to use tools of public diplomacy, headed by the media, to win either public support for the policies they pursue at the Cyprus talks process or to land the other side in some serious difficulties.
Sometimes the two sides on the island as well test the pulse of the other side through some false reports in the media. This week, there was an excellent example to this in the Greek Cypriot media.
There were two separate reports in the Greek Cypriot "Politis" newspaper over the last week (the last one on Thursday) regarding the number of Turkish troops on Cyprus. In those two stories, the paper claimed that according to a United Nations Force in Cyprus, or UNFICYP, report in the last one year the number of Turkish troops in northern third of the eastern Mediterranean island was taken down to around 25,000 from the previous 35,000 to 40,000.
How accurate are the reports of Politis, a liberal, rather independent but not all the time reliable newspaper? Politis was commenting that since the figures about the Greek Cypriot National Force and the Greek military presence in southern Cyprus (both the contingent deployed under the 1960 accords, as well as those through bilateral accords between the Greek Cypriot administration and Athens), the figures about the Turkish military presence might be accurate as well.
If true, it would be a major step
Obviously if Turkey had taken a political decision and withdrew half or some of its troops from the island that would have been an unprecedented "goodwill" move or "concession" depending from what perspective one approaches the issue. Did Turkey took such a decision?
Our contacts Friday with both northern Turkish Cypriot and southern Greek Cypriot political sources showed that there was indeed a "discussion" over an alleged report of UNFICYP on the forces on both sides of the island. This report, according to claims, was released as a "backgrounder" at a meeting of the UNFICYP commander with representatives of the Turkish and Greek Cypriot political parties. However, to my surprise, reliable journalist friends on both sides of the island appeared rather skeptical on the issue and indeed most of them just disregarded it and did not report on it.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry was as well unaware of such a UNFICYP report. Spokesman Burak Özügergin, who was reached at the Munich airport, said he did not hear anything about such a report, most likely it was "yet another fabrication" of the Greek Cypriot media, but "the number of troops on Cyprus fluctuates according to the operational needs decided by the Turkish military. If there was a decrease, it could be a result of force refreshment program or operational needs." Özügergin, however, was very clear in underlining that even if for operational reasons or because of a force refreshment program the Turkish military decided to decrease the Turkish military presence on the island, there was definitely no such political decision and therefore the decrease was a temporary one.
Denial from UNFICYP
At the headquarters of the UNFICYP on the island, on the other hand, a spokesman was busy issuing denials. "There is no such report. Our briefing to representatives of political parties from both sides was an oral one. None of the senior military officers who participated the background briefing mentioned about strength of forces on either side. It was all fabrication." Yet, he conceded that one of the officers might made some unofficial and indeed private comments in private to some politicians during the coffee break.
Moments later Özügergin called back and "confirmed" that there was indeed no such report by UNFICYPand no programmed decrease in the number of Turkish troops on the island.
After a full day of investigation and several dozens of phone calls in Turkey, to Germany, as well as to northern and southern Cyprus, the end product was nothing further than discovery of a "creative" and "imaginative" but baseless reporting by Politis on an issue of extreme importance in Cyprus peacemaking.
It was neither the first of its kind, unfortunately, nor will be the last.
There were two separate reports in the Greek Cypriot "Politis" newspaper over the last week (the last one on Thursday) regarding the number of Turkish troops on Cyprus. In those two stories, the paper claimed that according to a United Nations Force in Cyprus, or UNFICYP, report in the last one year the number of Turkish troops in northern third of the eastern Mediterranean island was taken down to around 25,000 from the previous 35,000 to 40,000.
How accurate are the reports of Politis, a liberal, rather independent but not all the time reliable newspaper? Politis was commenting that since the figures about the Greek Cypriot National Force and the Greek military presence in southern Cyprus (both the contingent deployed under the 1960 accords, as well as those through bilateral accords between the Greek Cypriot administration and Athens), the figures about the Turkish military presence might be accurate as well.
If true, it would be a major step
Obviously if Turkey had taken a political decision and withdrew half or some of its troops from the island that would have been an unprecedented "goodwill" move or "concession" depending from what perspective one approaches the issue. Did Turkey took such a decision?
Our contacts Friday with both northern Turkish Cypriot and southern Greek Cypriot political sources showed that there was indeed a "discussion" over an alleged report of UNFICYP on the forces on both sides of the island. This report, according to claims, was released as a "backgrounder" at a meeting of the UNFICYP commander with representatives of the Turkish and Greek Cypriot political parties. However, to my surprise, reliable journalist friends on both sides of the island appeared rather skeptical on the issue and indeed most of them just disregarded it and did not report on it.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry was as well unaware of such a UNFICYP report. Spokesman Burak Özügergin, who was reached at the Munich airport, said he did not hear anything about such a report, most likely it was "yet another fabrication" of the Greek Cypriot media, but "the number of troops on Cyprus fluctuates according to the operational needs decided by the Turkish military. If there was a decrease, it could be a result of force refreshment program or operational needs." Özügergin, however, was very clear in underlining that even if for operational reasons or because of a force refreshment program the Turkish military decided to decrease the Turkish military presence on the island, there was definitely no such political decision and therefore the decrease was a temporary one.
Denial from UNFICYP
At the headquarters of the UNFICYP on the island, on the other hand, a spokesman was busy issuing denials. "There is no such report. Our briefing to representatives of political parties from both sides was an oral one. None of the senior military officers who participated the background briefing mentioned about strength of forces on either side. It was all fabrication." Yet, he conceded that one of the officers might made some unofficial and indeed private comments in private to some politicians during the coffee break.
Moments later Özügergin called back and "confirmed" that there was indeed no such report by UNFICYPand no programmed decrease in the number of Turkish troops on the island.
After a full day of investigation and several dozens of phone calls in Turkey, to Germany, as well as to northern and southern Cyprus, the end product was nothing further than discovery of a "creative" and "imaginative" but baseless reporting by Politis on an issue of extreme importance in Cyprus peacemaking.
It was neither the first of its kind, unfortunately, nor will be the last.
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