The fourth meeting in the Cyprus negotiations was completed yesterday (February 26) and speaking to the press after the meeting, President Denktas said the negotiations would continue today (February 27) at 10:00am.

Stressing that making the distinction that there are two peoples in Cyprus should be a basis in the new partnership, President Denktas said whatever the excuses the Turkish Cypriot side did not intend to change this.

Explaining that in the settlement to be reached a study would be carried out by the EU regarding the derogations requested by the Turkish Cypriot side in order to protect the Turkish Cypriot people’s national identity and economy, President Denktas said, in yesterday’s (February 26) meeting the Greek Cypriot leader, Tassos Papadopoulos, insisted on a strong central government and in response to this the Turkish Cypriot side focused on the importance of bizonality and the sovereignty of the two peoples.

The President added that during the meeting the Turkish Cypriot side continued to insist on its request that the founding states should be equally represented by the two peoples in the Senate.

In a press conference organized yesterday (February 26), Prime Minister , Mehmet Ali Talat, evaluated the developments in the Cyprus negotiation process.

Pointing out that the Cyprus issue and the negotiation process was going through a difficult process and some difficulties were being encountered, Prime Minister Talat said acting with the understanding that there was no going back from this process would yield positive results and it would be possible to achieve the maximum gain.

The Prime Minister said during this process while the government was displaying an attitude that would, without fail, protect the interests of the Turkish Cypriot people it could not ignore the need for the Turkish Cypriot people to be informed.

Pointing out that the UN were trying to bring together different opinions, Prime Minister Talat said: "While on the one hand there are studies to form a structure that will protect the interests and security of the Turkish Cypriot people, on the other hand there is an understanding of a unitary state recognized by the world which is trying to adapt its system to ours."

Continuing, Prime Minister Talat said negotiations have only just resumed and in the future discussions would be more intensive and that with the contributions of other parites rapproachement between the positions of the two side’s would be achieved.

On the issue of financing a Cyprus settlement, Prime Minister Talat said there would be a ‘Donor’s Conference’ most probably in Brussels on 15 April, 2004 and in this conference, as foreseen in the Annan Plan, the aim was to secure the necessary financial resources that would be needed for rehabilitating those peoples who would have to relocate after a possible settlement.