THIRD PHASE OF DIRECT TALKS TO START TOMORROW

The third phase of the direct talks, aimed at achieving a settlement to the Cyprus problem, will start tomorrow, on April, 9, 2002.

The United Nations Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, will again present at the meeting as an observer.

The UN diplomat, who had contacts in Turkey, Greece and briefed the UN Security Council on the latest situation at the talks, returned to the island yesterday afternoon.

TRNC President Rauf Denktaž will receive him today. Alvaro de Soto will also be meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader, Glafkos Klerides.

De Soto will then brief the media at a news conference in Ledra Palace at 16:00hrs.

PRESIDENT DENKTAŽ EVALUATES THE DECISION OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL

TRNC President Rauf Denktaž during a meeting with a delegation on April, 5, in response to a question related to the UN Security Council decision, said that the time factor is very important, however, they are not competing with time.

President Denktaž reiterated that what the Turkish Cypriot side wants is to achieve a lasting and strong solution based on the realities that will prevent the repetition of the Greek Cypriot attacks which took place between 1963 and 1974.

President Denktaž said that reaching a solution of the Cyprus issue by June this year, is an unacceptable pressure on the negotiators, and added that he does not accept this pressure. President Denktaž also said that the negotiations were started with his initiatives and good will, however, because of the foreign intervention which encourages the Greek Cypriot intransigence, the issue still continues without reaching an agreement.

ERTUŠRULOŠLU RETURNED TO TRNC

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Tahsin Ertušrulošlu, who was in Malaysia for taking part in the ‘Islamic Conference Orgnisation Foreign Ministers meeting on Terrorism’ and then went to Spain for contacts, upon his arrival to the TRNC, said that a result will be unachievable from the new process in Cyprus if the Greek Cypriot side continues with its present mentality.

Pointing out that the Greek Cypriots had used the backing of the false title of the Cyprus Republic and the one sided Security Council Resolutions for years, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence said that nothing could be achieved by trying to impose a so called reconciliation upon the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey. 

COŽAR: “CONCESSIONS ON ISSUES OF STATEHOOD AND SOVEREIGNTY WERE OUT OF THE QUESTION”

Speaking at a dinner held by the Democrat Party the previous night, Salih Cožar, the leader of the Democrat Party, Minister of State in charge of the economy and Deputy Prime Minister, has said that following the latest developments in the Middle East, the whole world should understand the Turkish Cypriot side’s insistence on a solution formula based on two states.

In his speech, Cožar underlined that there could be no state without land or borders and said that the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia proved the importance of borders.