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TRNC
President Rauf Denktas went to Artvin, Turkey for attending a meeting on the
legal aspects of the Cyprus issue as the guest of the Artvin Bar Association.
Speaking
upon his arrival at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, President Denktas responded to
a question asked about the Greek Foreign Minister, George Papandreou’s
remark that: “There is a contradiction between the statements of the
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and President Denktas”. The President said:
“We have no contradiction on the core of our national cause. I can easily
say this. The principles put forward by Prime Minister Erdogan are the facts
of the Cyprus issue”.
Speaking
at a press conference upon his arrival in Artvin, President Denktas said
policies that have been carried out for 40 years in Cyprus have created
legally unacceptable situations. He added: “The
law has been violated and international agreements have been trampled on.
The two sides in Cyprus are not being treated equally”.
Pointing
out that the Annan Plan couldn’t be accepted, the President said: “With
this plan 100,000 of our people will be uprooted and become refugees. If we
thought the Annan Plan would bring a permanent settlement to the Cyprus
Issue, we would be the first ones to accept it. Greek Cypriots have set out
to violate our rights. They are using the EU as the means to achieve this.”
Explaining
that foreign countries were tying to openly interfere in the TRNC’s
internal affairs, President Denktas said: “They are giving financial and
moral support to the opposition, and clearly saying that the Cyprus issue
should not be negotiated until the elections, that the opposition should win
the elections and bring us to the point they want.”
Also
adding that it was the Greek Cypriots aim to make Cyprus a Greek island, the
President stated: “They couldn’t achieve this by putting us into graves,
by starving us and by imposing embargoes on us for 40 years. Now they are
trying to achieve this through the EU. The international community should
finally acknowledge the realities. The Turkish Cypriots will not be
dominated by the Greek Cypriots and will not allow the island to be under
the Greek dagger.”
Stating
that one of the side’s still considered itself to be the legitimate
government of Cyprus, President Denktas said: “If foreign states treated
both sides equally, this would play a key role in the Cyprus issue. This is
what we constantly insist”.
Emphasizing
that Turkish Cypriots want foreign states to acknowledge that their struggle
is right and just, President Denktas said: “We want the injustices carried
out against the Turkish Cypriots to be identified. We want them to
understand that it is useless to expect a reconciliation in Cyprus when 16
day old babies and elderly people were murdered and buried in mass graves,
while some of their murderers are in government, some are ministers and some
holding top positions.”
During
the conference, talking about the Turkish Cypriot struggle President Denktas
said: “During our whole struggle, Motherland Turkey was always with us.
She gave us all the support we needed and will continue to support us.”
Stressing
that the Turkish Cypriots would never do anything to harm Turkey, the
President said the Turkish Cypriots were not such people and they owed their
lives to Turkey.
He
said Turkey has always been behind the Turkish Cypriots and the Turkish
Cypriot people have struggled with all their strength for 50 years to
prevent Cyprus from becoming a Greek dagger that would harm Turkey and added
that the Turkish Cypriots would still continue in this struggle.
Expressing
support for President Denktas, the province leaders of 10 political parties
in Artvin said: “We support Rauf Denktas’ honoured and justified
struggle and as the Anatolian people from Artvin, we state to all Turkish
public opinion that we will always support and be behind President Denktas.”
DENKTAS:
“EXCLUDING ARAFAT MEANS THE SAME AS RUNNING AFTER AN ARTIFICIAL PEACE”
President
Denktas said excluding Palestinian leader, Yassar Arafat, would mean the
same as running after an artificial peace.
Speaking
to journalists in Trabzon, where he spend the night, President Denktas said,
the Palestinian people were trying to gain their independence for 40 years
and added: “A great struggle has been given. Arafat has become the sign of
this struggle.” Pointing out
that Arafat was a leader supported by his people the President said it was
wrong to settle the Palestinian issue by ousting Arafat from power and
bringing to power another leader supported by the opposition.
Regarding
Turkey’s decision to send troops to Iraq, President Denktas said: “This
is an internal matter and is Turkey’s own decision. Most probably the
decision will be made by taking into consideration Turkey’s vital self-interest
and it will be a national decision.
President
Denktas reminding that it was announced that if Turkish troops were to be
sent to Iraq it would be for peace and assistance he said: “Our
expectation is to heal the
wound in Iraq. The catastrophe experienced by the Iraqi people should be
turned into peace, democracy should be brought, and bitter examples of the
past should be forgotten. Turkey is Iraq’s friend and has always been a
friend. I hope that this friendship will be further deepened and not
destroyed”.
Explaining
that a disaster had been experienced in Iraq, the President said: “The USA
went to Iraq to bring democracy. But the Iraqi people didn’t accept this.
Our wish is for the United Nations to set up a peace force under a real
democracy. The Iraqi people see the USA as an invader. For that reason, the
UN should immediately send a peace force there.
Stating
that the Turkmens in Iraq were in a very bad position, the President said:
“The sending of such a peace force, establishing the balances and giving
the Turkmen’s rights are our wishes. The Turkmens ýn Iraq are being
treated as a minority. For many years, we too were treated as a minority in
Cyprus. We know what this means.”
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