TRNC RESPONDS TO UN REPORT 

TRNC President Rauf Denktas evaluated the Cyprus report, which was conveyed by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to the members of the Security Council and the two parties in Cyprus, as a “deliberate” report.  

President Denktas pointed out that the report was prepared by the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, and not by the UN Secretary General.

Stressing that they have started to study the report in detail and would soon give a comprehensive response to the UN Secretary General, President Denktas said this response would also be conveyed to other states.

Greek Cypriot administration’s measures against Turkish Cypriots.

Meanwhile, President Denktas evaluated the Greek Cypriot administration’s measures that are scheduled to be taken against the Turkish Cypriots as being “minority rights”.

President Denktas said: “Greek Cypriots are giving us the same minority rights as they give the Maronites, and even beyond this, they draw the picture of Cyprus as they see it within the framework of the Annan plan. Through interpreting the Annan plan and implementing EU norms, they are in search of openings to secure this. One must acknowledge very clearly, the real intention behind these proposals and where, through interpretation, this will lead us to.”

Explaining that in the event of his offer to hand over closed parts of the city of Varosha for the resettlement of Greek Cypriots in return for facilitating cross overs and lifting the embargoes being rejected, some measures would be taken regarding Varosha President Denktas said: “My dream is to save Varosha” and added that properties in Varosha could also be rented out.

EROGLU: “IT’S NOT SURPRISING THAT THE TURKISH CYPRIOT SIDE WAS BLAMED FOR THE FAILURE OF THE TALKS”

Pointing out that in the report prepared by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, on the Cyprus talks, which was also submitted to the Security Council, it was not surprising that the sole blame for the collapse of the Cyprus talks rested with the Turkish Cypriot side, TRNC Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu said “As a result of the wrong evaluations made by diplomats, such as Alvaro de Soto and his team who played an active role in the preparation of the plan, together with their mentor Lord David Hannay, the present situation has arisen. Everyone knows this team’s aim and the powers behind them.”

The Prime Minister said: “Our openings were such openings which firstly based a just and lasting agreement on the trust of the two parties without harming the existing positions of the two parties. Besides this, by reacting with a series of reflexes, the Greek Cypriot side rejected these openings. The Greek Cypriot administration has confronted us with measures which ignore the fact that the Turkish Cypriot people have their own state on the island, and which degrades our people by treating them as if they are citizens having minority status within the so-called Cyprus Republic, which has been usurped since 1964. These measures, which are covered in the Greek Cypriot press, shows just how far our counterparts are from acting in good will.”

PERMANENT DIVISION  IS THE MOST REALISTIC SETTLEMENT

Greek writer, Alexis Heraclides, who previously worked in the Greek Foreign Ministry as an expert, and who is now a lecturer at the Athens Pantion University, in his book entitled “Greece and Turkey, The Threat From The East,” stressed that a permanent division in Cyprus would be the most realistic settlement that could be found to the Cyprus issue.

In the section named, “The Cyprus Impasse: Events and Searches for Settlement”, Heraclides said the most suitable settlement to the Cyprus issue would be a divorce with an agreement.