The TRNC Deputy Prime Ministry and Ministry for Foreign Affairs has stated that although the TRNC authorities and the UN had previous contacts on the issue of demining the buffer zone and despite the TRNC authorities positive attitude on this matter, the demining process had started like an accomplished act.

In the statement issued it was reminded that the TRNC Presidency had initiated the Demining Project.

The statement is as follows:

"For the demining of the Green Line a ceremony was held yesterday in the buffer zone by UNFICYP and the European Commission's Lefkosa Representative.

As it is known, the demining project, where priority is given to Lefkosa, was started last June with the initiative of the TRNC Presidency. The draft agreement, which was the result of contacts and has been accepted by us for implementing the project, was submitted to UNFICYP on 5 October 2004. UNFICYP, in a letter sent to us on 5 November 2004 stated that they had reached an agreement with the Greek Cypriot side on this issue and the demining process would commence on 15 November 2004 and information would be released to the press on 18 November 2004.

On 10 November 2004 we responded by stating that the TRNC was ready to negotiate this issue. One day later, UNFICYP requested that a Turkish Cypriot observer be sent to the ceremony. However, on 17 November 2004 UNFICYP officials visited our authorities and informed us that they had changed their request for a Turkish Cypriot observer to be sent. In exchange for this, the UNFICYP authorities stressed that in the ceremony to be arranged the good will and determination displayed by the Turkish Cypriot side for the implementation of this project would be recorded. However, in the ceremony carried out yesterday this was not sufficiently emphasized.

Despite the accomplished fact, the Turkish Cypriot side will continue to protect its positive approach on demining the buffer zone and once more reaffirms its good will and determination on this issue".

Ex-EOKA member, Andreas Dimitriou, has confessed to the genocide carried out by Greek and Greek Cypriots against the Turkish Cypriots in Taskent (Dohni), which was one of the examples of massacres carried out by Greek Cypriots against Turkish Cypriots 30-years ago. Explaining that all the men in the village were gathered and taken away by soldiers from Hirokitia, Dimitriou said the same soldiers also raped some of the young women in the village. He said: "Whatever we did, we did it together with the state's legal forces".

The Greek Cypriot daily, "Alithia", in its article last Sunday (14 November) published an interview with ex-EOKA member Dimitriou and a Turkish Cypriot woman whose father had been arrested by EOKA. In the interview Dimitriou stated that he was a member of EOKA-B and upon orders received had assisted in gathering all Turkish Cypriot men who could fight in the village of Taskent (Dhoni).

According to the TRNC Civil Aviation Office's activity report a total of 97,000 passengers travelled from Ercan Airport in October 2004 and 363 planes landed and departed from Ercan Airport. It was also stated that approximately 48,000 passengers entered the TRNC and approximately 49,000 passengers travelled abroad from the TRNC.

The report said while 365,000 kilos of cargo entered the TRNC, 44,000 kilos of cargo were sent from the TRNC.