President Denktas yesterday (March 17) announced that since no progress had been achieved on the basic principles during the Cyprus negotiation process he would not attend the quadripartite talks between Turkey, Greece and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides in Switzerland next week.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, President Denktas stressing that a decision could not be taken hastily and carelessly about the future of a nations, said the Turkish Cypriot side was being pressured to settle the Cyprus issue.

Pointing out that during the negotiations the Greek Cypriot side made no openings, President Denktas said in light of these developments he decided not to go to Switzerland.

Stating that the (TRNC) government would go to Switzerland, President Denktas said if went to Switzerland his people would get a negative impression since there would not be a positive outcome.

Continuing the President said:

"In full agreement and cooperation with Turkey we put forward our requests. These were reasonable requests, which were even scaled down. We were ready to negotiate everything for an agreement".

Explaining that despite all this, the Greek Cypriot side made no openings and had no intention of making any openings, President Denktas said when the studies being carried out by the committees were evaluated it was observed that the Turkish Cypriot side was being put into a big impasse. Pointing out that the Greek and Turkish Cypriot members of the committees disagreed on the basic issues, which would make up the laws of the state, President Denktas said since these disagreements were not brought to a political level, it could be conceived that they would also be left to Annan to resolve.

Underlining that the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, wanted to exert pressure on the Turkish Cypriot side, the President said: "We want the format of the Secretary-General’s good offices mission to be fair".

Referring to the issue of the derogations which would be included as EU norms, President Denktas said first, the Turkish Cypriot side was told that ‘it might be possible’, but when the issue was brought to the decision-makers it became clear that this wouldn’t be possible.

The President said: "The EU tells us that ‘Cyprus’ EU accession process has been completed’. The whole of Cyprus. Therefore, there’s not much that can be done. In the light of these realities, it wouldn’t be right for me to go to Geneva or Switzerland. To continue telling the realities to my people I need to be more free."

Stating that it was very wrong for the Turkish Cypriot people to be divided into two, the President said the people would determine their fate by acting together but, they should also be aware of the realities. Explaining that both Turkey and the TRNC were in full agreement over the basic requirements and that the Turkish Cypriot people should be informed about this, the President said the Turkish Cypriot side would continue to negotiate but, nothing would be achieved unless the basic requirements were noted and taken into consideration. He said: "Under a false title and through EU membership, while the Greek Cypriot side is about to complete the game that is being played to take over the whole of Cyprus, we are wasting our time in thinking that we can reach a settlement with the Greek Cypriots on this framework agreement by saying ‘let’s change this, let’s look at this’. And, the Greek Cypriots are using this to their advantage".

Explaining that for the unity of the Turkish Cypriot people and in order to act in unity and solidarity on the national cause it was necessary for Turkey and the TRNC to openly put forward the Turkish Cypriot side’s sine qua nons, President Denktas said if these weren’t accepted it wouldn’t be the end of the world. He said the TRNC would enter the EU together with Turkey , because the EU wants the whole of Cyprus. He said, if, however, the EU says ‘the whole of Cyprus has entered the EU’, then that’s their business and it’s a situation that would be evaluated by Turkey.

The President said his announcement yesterday during his meeting with the UN Undersecretary-general for Political Affairs, Sir Kieran Prendergast, that he wouldn’t attend the talks in Switzerland didn’t mean he was quitting as negotiator.