TRNC Prime Minister, Mehmet Ali Talat, attending a meeting of the Ankara Chamber of Industry outlined his views on the Cyprus issue.

Referring to the Cyprus issue, Prime Minister Talat said a settlement through a referendum before 1 May 2004, would be the best development for securing our rights.

Explaining that there are two separate points of view on the Cyprus issue, Prime Minister Talat said, one of these views was to keep the Cyprus issue on hold until December 2004, whereas, knowing that different situations would arise against the TRNC if a settlement was not achieved before May 2004, the other view was to take the necessary steps for settling the issue before this date. He said he supported the second view.

Pointing out that it would be difficult to settle the Cyprus issue before resolving the property issue, Prime Minister Talat stressed it would be even more difficult to settle this issue after May 2004.

Stating that one of the most widely debated issues on settling the Cyprus issue was the issue of a referendum, Talat said a referendum meant concluding an agreement and issues on which a reconciliation could not be reached would first be put to a public vote before being approved by the two governments in Cyprus. He added that once these issues were approved they would then enter into force.

Talat added: "For us the best development would be a settlement through a referendum before 1 May 2004, which would secure our rights. Because the text to be put to a referendum and accepted, will lead to an agreement and this will be a text that will secure our rights. Immediately after this, the common institutions will start to function".

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Serdar Denktas, who was recently in Ankara with Prime Minister Talat for intensive contacts on the Cyprus issue, yesterday (January 27) briefed the opposition leaders represented in the TRNC Parliament about the latest developments on the Cyprus issue.

Serdar Denktas, first met with Dervis Eroglu, the leader of the main opposition party, the National Unity Party (UBP), followed by the leader of the Peace and Democracy Movement, Mustafa Akinci, and briefed them on the latest developments.

Serdar Denktas said: "We will ensure that all the political parties are informed on each stage reached on the Cyprus issue".