Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat on 26 November received the Association of Chambers for Turkish Financial Accountant Advisers (TURMOB), headed by its President Rifat Nalbantoglu, who are currently in the TRNC to hold their 8^th symposium.

Speaking during the meeting, Prime Minister Talat said after the Greek Cypriot Administration had deceived the Greek Cypriot people into rejecting the Annan Plan, it didn't have the right to request Turkey to recognize the "Cyprus Republic" (the Greek Cypriot Administration), in which the Turkish Cypriots are not included in.

Pointing out that the Greek Cypriot Administration did not want to have a joint administration with the Turkish Cypriots and that under the name of the "Cyprus Republic" its aim was to spread the sovereignty of the Greek Cypriot Administration to the north, Prime Minister Talat said the reason why the Greek Cypriot Administration wanted Turkey to recognize the existing "Cyprus Republic" was so as to register the situation that prevailed in 1963.

Explaining that "requesting Turkey to recognize the Cyprus Republic, which doesn't include the Turkish Cypriots, means encouraging Turkey to commit a crime", the Prime Minister said in making such a request the Greek Cypriot Administration had great audacity.

Pointing out that with the correct policy followed today the Greek Cypriot Administration's requests were "shameless" and would be avoided, Prime Minister Talat said the Turkish Cypriot side should continue to pursue its correct policies because they would soon start to produce results. He said once the Greek Cypriot Administration understood that the Cyprus settlement plan prepared by the UN would be accepted by the Turkish Cypriots, they rejected it so that there wouldn't be a settlement.

After attending the Permanent Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of Islamic Countries (ISEDAK) meeting in Istanbul on 25 November, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Serdar Denktas, and the Minister for Economy and Tourism, Dervis Kemal, also had contacts with officials from the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). Meanwhile, on 26 November, Minister Serdar Denktas also addressed the conference entitled, "What's Happening in Cyprus" at the Istanbul Culture University.

In his address, Serdar Denktas, talking about the reforms undertaken by Turkey in her efforts to become an EU member said within the context of these reforms, positive steps had also taken on the Cyprus issue and what the Turkish Cypriots were trying to do was to end the isolation imposed upon them. He said the main aim of the Turkish Cypriot people was to reconcile with the Greek Cypriots, but this wasn't possible because in the 24 April 2004 referendum, the Greek Cypriot side voted 'no', whereas the Turkish Cypriot side voted 'yes'.

Pointing out that after the referendum the EU did not do what it promised it would do, Serdar Denktas said: "Here the EU is in disgrace. Think about the huge EU map. A small region is coloured in black. None of the rights of EU citizens exist in this region. The Turkish Cypriots are in this black region and has Turkey done everything it can to enable these people to have these rights? Yes, it has, It has done more than enough. Have the Turkish Cypriots done everything they could? Yes they have. Then, why doesn't the 200,000 people living in this small region have the same rights as other EU citizens. Whose shame is this. It's obvious that it's not Turkey's and the Turkish Cypriots, but the EU's. The financial assistance and free trade regulations have still not been implemented and none of the international promises made to the Turkish Cypriots have been kept".

Referring to Turkey's EU membership process, Serdar Denktas said without any doubt Turkey would get a date for the start of EU accession talks on 17 December, but after this date Turkey would be under enormous pressure to remove the Turkish military presence from Cyprus, to recognize the "Cyprus Republic" and to remove the people of Turkish origin from the island.

Pointing out that in order to be able to endure this, what needed to be done was to secure the island's economic development by acting together with Turkey, Serdar Denktas said Turkey shouldn't recognize the Cyprus Republic. He said if Turkey bows to pressure and takes steps towards recognizing the "Cyprus Republic", this would result in Cyprus becoming another Crete. He said two years ago Turkey could have said it recognizes the two states in Cyprus, but couldn't say it now.

Asked if the Annan Plan would be put to another referendum, Serdar Denktas said without amending it, it could be put to another referendum in its current form, however, if the Greek Cypriot side votes 'no' again, the future of the Turkish Cypriot side future should be clearly defined.

Asked another question whether or not the Greek Cypriot side would veto Turkey's EU membership, he said this wouldn't be possible because a Turkey without an EU perspective presented a big threat for the Greek Cypriots. Stressing that there was no possibility of the Greek Cypriot side vetoing Turkey's EU membership, Serdar Denktas said the Greek Cypriot side didn't have the strength to veto Turkey.

Speaking to the Greek Cypriot 'Fileleftheros' daily, the Greek Cypriot Defence Minister, Kiriakos Mavronikolas, pointing out that "it was time for the Greek Cypriot National Guard to purchase new contemporary weapons systems", said according to the needs of the Greek Cypriot National Guard certain rearmament purchases would definitely be made by the new year.

Pointing out that, in particular, the Greek Cypriot National Guard needed armoured vehicles, cannons and other anti-aircraft weapons, Mavronikolas said these would be purchased during 2005 and that the rearmament programme suffered a stagnation because of economic factors, the negotiations, the referendum and political developments related to Turkey's EU process.