PRESIDENT DENKTAÞ REPLIED TO REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL

TRNC President Rauf Denktaþ issued a written statement yesterday, replying to remarks by the President of the United Nations Security Council during a press conference last week.

President Denktaþ expressed the hope that the Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro De Soto will continue to abide by the agreed principle in the new round, to act as an observer and report to the UN about the talks between the two sides.

Stressing that the Turkish Cypriot side has always respected and taken seriously the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions, President Denktaþ reminded that it was him who took the initiative to re-start the Cyprus talks by writing to the Greek Cypriot leader Clerides a few times.

President Denktaþ also underlined that it was him who first referred to June as a target date in principle, knowing, that every outstanding issue at the talks had been taken up in the past and with the expectation that this might lead to substantial progress if and when agreement was reached on the basic issues.

President Denktaþ added that "At least, it would have been possible for us to see if there is any ground at all, to solve the Cyprus problem."

Stressing that "We are not playing soccer here. What is at stake is the future of 200 thousand Turkish Cypriots, and 700 thousand Greek Cypriots; not to mention the fact that the issue also concerns peace and stability of the whole Eastern Mediterranean", President Denktaþ underlined the complexity and diversity of issues involved in the direct negotiations process.

The President reminded that there was no agreement between himself and Clerides during the drafting of the 4th of December Declaration that any comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem will have to take into consideration the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions on Cyprus.

President Denktaþ said the two sides had indeed agreed that there would be no limitation on what issues could be discussed and that the talks would be open to any subject.

President Denktaþ also said that the pressure on completing the process by June, is a condition that contradicts the very essence of the agreed principle that there would be no preconditions at the talks.

PRESIDENT DENKTAÞ RECEIVED DE SOTO

TRNC President Rauf Denktaþ yesterday at 11:30hrs received UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, who has returned to the island on April 7, from New York where he briefed the UN Secretary General and representatives of the Security Council’s five permanent member states on the distance covered at the Cyprus talks until now.

In response to a question whether he waits for a development or not, President Denktaþ said “we always wait for a development".

Alvaro de Soto was also received by the Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides yesterday.

Alvaro de Soto will be present at the third round of the direct negotiations between the two sides in Cyprus that gets under way today, as an observer.

DE SOTO: "I AM STILL OPTIMISTIC"

In his speech at a press conference yesterday in Ledra Palace in the buffer zone in Lefkoþa, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro De Soto, said that both leaders would have a lot to answer for if they did not seize the current window of opportunity to solve the Cyprus issue.

De Soto admitted that it was hoped that a settlement could be reached by June but progress has been slow. De Soto said despite the cracks which have been appearing in the talks process over the past weeks, he was still optimistic.

De Soto cited the fact that the two leaders were actually meeting, that they were meeting in a positive atmosphere, that the talks were largely lacking in rhetoric, and that they had eschewed labels.

De Soto said "On the negative side, there is concern that progress has been slow when one is mindful of the target set," adding that progress needed to be intensified and the issues addressed with a sense of urgency, flexibility and a spirit of give and take.

De Soto said "I continue to believe that there are grounds for optimism and that they can complete the task of achieving a comprehensive settlement," and added that "The grounds as I see it from the careful reading of the interests of all concerned lead me to believe they want a solution. I am convinced solutions are available to all the problems which are at issue. My third reason (for optimism) is my reliance and faith in the wisdom of the leaders who are conducting the negotiations. I think they both realise that if the window of opportunity is not seized they will have a lot to answer for."

De Soto said there was still plenty to be done and that there was room for movement by all sides.

Stressing that he was not the "philosopher’s stone", de Soto said but he had been able to give the talks some direction although he could not force either leader in any way.

"June is not a deadline in the sense that a guillotine will fall or it will all come to an end if no

agreement is reached by then," De Soto said. De Soto added that TRNC President Rauf Denktaþ had been the first to speak of a June deadline and that the Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides shared that objective with him, something the UN Security Council then took as a target date. Continuing, de Soto said "And I think it’s a fair target in the light of the EU calender," referring to the closing of the island’s accession negotiations with the bloc.