President Denktas yesterday (January 6) met with Mehmet Ali Talat, the leader of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG), who was ordered to form the new government, and Democrat Party (DP) leader, Serdar Denktas.

Speaking after the meeting, Serdar Denktas pointing out that evaluations were still continuing regarding the contents of the meeting, said they had decided that no statements would be made at this stage.

For his part, Talat said he had informed the President on his efforts to form the new government and that he didn’t request anything from President Denktas on this issue.

Pointing out that during the meeting they had received President Denktas’ views on establishing the new government,Talat said he had also asked the President if he had any proposals on this issue.

Explaining that the issue of appointing the negotiator had been settled by the election results, Talat said throughout the election period although the CTP-BG had stated that the government would lead the negotiations and that President Denktas would not be the negotiator, this authority had not been given to them by the people. He said, however, the constitution states that the executive powers shall be carried out and exercised jointly by the President and government. "Thus, the negotiations will be carried out by the President and government", added Talat.

The TRNC New York Representative, Resat Caglar, in a letter written to the UN Secretary-General responded to allegations made by Andreas Mavroyannis, the Greek Cypriot Representative to the UN, to the effect that Turkish planes were violating Greek Cypriot airspace.

Caglar said Mavroyannis’ allegations that Lefkosa airspace was being violated was Greek Cypriot propaganda aimed at covering up the realities on the island.

In his letter, pointing out that flights in the sovereign airspace of the TRNC were carried out with the full knowledge of the State’s (TRNC) official authorities, Caglar stressed that the Greek Cypriot Administration had no right and authority to say anything on this matter.

Explaining that the Greek Cypriot Administration was claiming to have rights over the whole island, Caglar said there were two independent states on the island and each state was sovereign in their own territory. He added that the aim of these baseless allegations was to divert attention from the real issues prevailing in the island, in particular, the continuation of the all-embracing embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people and the totally negative position adopted by the Greek Cypriot Administration vis-à-vis the confidence building measures of the Turkish Cypriot side.

Strict inspections carried out by police from the British Sovereign Bases Areas (SBA) in Pile of people and vehicles, even including some commercial vehicles, entering and leaving the village has created uneasiness among the residents.

Turkish Cypriots living in Pile, who have had to struggle for years against the unjust actions imposed upon them by the Greek Cypriot Administration with the aim of usurping their rights, are now facing difficulties as a result of stringent inspections carried out by police and Customs Officials from the British Sovereign Bases Areas (SBA).

Turkish Cypriots visiting their relatives and friends in Pile have reacted strongly to the stringent inspections and attitudes of the SBA police. Moreover, shop owners in the village also reacted strongly to the fact that certain commercial vehicles, who were bringing wholesale goods to the shops, were being turned back from the checkpoint.

The Greek Cypriot Administration is forcing Turkish Cypriots living in South Cyprus to send their children to Greek Cypriot schools and Turkish Cypriot schoolchildren who refuse to be educated in Greek are deprived of their education.

The number of Turkish Cypriot children living South Cyprus who do not go to school is unknown. Only, in the Limassol region, there are around 100 Turkish Cypriot children who are of school age but do not go to school and approximately 70 Turkish Cypriot children instead of being educated in their own language are forced to go to Greek Cypriot schools.

Meanwhile, the Greek Cypriot Administration by offering aid is encouraging Turkish Cypriot families, who are heavily populated in the Limassol region, to send their children to Greek Cypriot schools.

While the Greek Cypriot daily ‘Simerini’ alleged that Turkish Cypriot children didn’t go to school due to financial constraints, the Greek Cypriot Administration’s Education, Interior, Justice and Public Order Ministers in a recent meeting discussed this issue.

Following the meeting, AKEL MP, Yannos Lamaris, visited Limassol in order to persuade Turkish Cypriot families to send their children to Greek Cypriot schools.