The second phase of the Cypus negotiation process, aimed at reaching a Cyprus settlement by 1 May, started in Lucerne, Switzerland yesterday (24 March) with neither the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides happy with the procedure. The Turkish Cypriot side is disturbed that the UN did not present a timetable for the quadripartite talk and the efforts of the Greek and Greek Cypriot delegations to shift the four-party talks to two-party talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot delegations. Meanwhile, Greece and the Greek Cypriot side has conveyed to the UN that they don’t want to engage in four-party talks with the Turkish Cypriot delegation. Meanwhile, the Turkish Cypriot side has requested information from the UN on this issue.

Although, yesterday’s four-party talks between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot delegations and Greece and Turkey was cancelled, the Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and his Greek counterpart, Petros Moliyviatis, did have a short meeting. The four sides also got together last night in an informal official dinner.

Meanwhile, speaking to the Anatolian News Agency, President Denktas, evaluating the Greek Cypriot stance as a tactical ploy, said as soon as the Greek Foreign Minister went to Switzerland he took a backward step by announcing that Greece had only gone to Switzerland for talks with Turkey, not for quadripartite talks. Pointing out that the Greek and Greek Cypriot side were playing the game of directly going to a referendum by overstepping this phase (quadripartite talks), the President said the issue couldn’t be taken to a referendum unless it passed through this process first. He said this was also stated by the UN Secretary-General in his statements.

Speaking during a commemoration ceremony yesterday (24 March) on the fifth anniversary of the death of former Prime Minister Osman Orek, President Denktas said many issues were being kept secret from the Turkish Cypriot people during the Cyprus negotiation process and that the TRNC delegation went to Switzerland knowing this.

Pointing out that he didn’t know what the TRNC delegation would bring back with them from Switzerland and that he hoped they would return with good results, President Denktas said if they didn’t come back with positive results he wanted the Turkish Cypriot people to resist just as they had done during the time of Dr. Kucuk and Osman Orek.

President Denktas said despite all the pressure that was being exerted and after evaluating the outcome of the quadripartite talks, the necessary response would be given in the referendum.

The President stated that during the second phase of the Cyprus negotiation process in Switzerland, the TRNC and Turkish delegations were struggling to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people and Turkey’s rights over Cyprus.