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The
direct talks between TRNC President Rauf Denktaž and
the Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides are to
continue with another meeting today.
The
meeting will be held at the Lefkoža Conference Centre
in the buffer zone near the old International Airport
at 10:00hrs and the UN Secretary Generals Special
Adviser on Cyprus Alvaro de Soto will also be present.
In
a written statement, TRNC Prime Minister stated that
the Greek Cypriot administrations continuing
efforts for rearmament is of great danger for the
existence of TRNC and
they would not hesitate for taking necessary
measures.
Prime
Minister Erošlu stated that with great sensitivity
they follow the initiatives of the Greek Cypriot
administration for purchasing six armored personnel
transport helicopters.
Pointing
out that there is no need for armor protection for
humanitarian operations like
research and rescue, Derviž
Erošlu said efforts of our neighbours for
rearmament by hiding behind this reason, is being
evaluated as the initiatives for obtaining military
superiority even by exploiting humanitarian issues.
Erošlu
stressed that TRNC accepts these efforts as a danger
for its existence and would not hesitate to take the
necessary measures.
TRNC
Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister Tahsin Ertušrulošlu
yesterday received a delegation of candidate carrier
diplomats and legal advisers from Turkish Foreign
Affairs Ministry and briefed them on the Cyprus issue.
During
the meeting, Ertušrulošlu on evaluated the recent
news to the effect that the UK will approve refuge
applications of TRNC citizens having Greek Cypriot
passports as deceiving and malicious campaign.
Ertušrulošlu
stressed that the aim is to put Turkish Cypriots away
from their motherland and to deteriorate Turkish
Cypriots beliefs and trusts against their states.
Ertušrulošlu
also stated that we expect an explanation from British
authorities or
British
High Commisionary.
PRESIDENT
DENKTAŽ: ANY SETTLEMENT SHOULD SAFEGUARD TURKISH
CYPRIOTS HONOUR AND DIGNITY
Speaking
at an event at the inauguration ceremony for the
second computer laboratory in the Haydarpaža
Secondary School in Lefkoža, TRNC President Rauf
Denktaž said peace in Cyprus can only be achieved
with an honourable settlement in which Turkish
Cypriots will live in dignity.
President
Denktaž said
the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey have done
everything they can to help solve the Cyprus problem
and any settlement
to the issue should safeguard the Turkish Cypriot
peoples honour and dignity.
Stressing
that the flags are to make a people look up and
straight; President Denktaž warned that
when the flag goes down, a peoples head
is also down.
Explaining
the difficulties faced by Turkish Cypriot people since
1963, President Denktaž stressed that the Greek
Cypriots with these attacks desired to make Turkish
Cypriot peoples flag and head go down and to
Hellenise the whole island.
The
Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Industry sent a letter to EU
Parliamentarians on February 18, 2002, signed by the
President of the Chamber Salih Tunar, in order to give
information on the latest developments on the Cyprus
issue and the disruption of the economic growth of
Northern Cyprus by the decision of the European Court
of Justice in July 1994.
In
the letter it was stressed that it is legally and
factually wrong to view the EU membership application
of the Greek Cypriot side as an application by the
government of Cyprus and on behalf of Cyprus as
a whole. It was stated that despite EUs grave
mistake, which has hampered the efforts for a
settlement, TRNC President Rauf Denktaž recently
initiated a new phase of face-to-face talks which is a
new window of opportunity for an amicable and lasting
reconciliation.
It
was also stressed in the letter that the settlement in
Cyprus has to be a new partnership as also envisioned
by the UN Secretary General, between the two sovereign
and politically equaL states and has to be bi-zonal in
character and it was underlined that the EU membership
should follow a settlement.
In
the letter it was stated that the economic growth of
Northern Cyprus was particularly disrupted by the
decision of the European Court of Justice in July
1994. The letter urged the European Union to respect
the human rights of the Turkish Cypriot people and
stop discriminating against their legitimate
authorities.
(full
text of the letter is at the Letters section of
our web page)
UN
Peace Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) will annihilate 4,500
arms which they have protected since 1972.
According
to the written statement of UNFICYP, the arms which
were exported by Makarios in 1972 and later upon the
protests which were taken under UN control were
started to be annihilated yesterday.
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