Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat stated that the delay in opening the Bostanci border gate stemmed from Greek Cypriot leader, Tassos Papadopoulos', detaining tactics.

Underlining that Papdopoulos intention was not a settlement but to consolidate the partition, Prime Minister Talat said, not being content with the opening of the Bostanci border gate, Papadopoulos wants to open more border gates and has been detaining the opening of this border gate for months with his tactics.

The Greek Cypriot Administration has reacted strongly to remarks made by the Irish Ambassador to Nicosia, John Swift, at a conference he gave on the Cyprus issue at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) last Monday (28 March).

Under its headline, "Worrying Criticisms from the Irish Ambassador", the Greek Cypriot daily 'Politis' reported that in his speech at EMU the Irish Ambassador had put the responsibility for a non-settlement on Papadopoulos and the majority of the Greek Cypriot people who had supported him.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has agreed to examine the "pilot case" submitted by Greek Cypriot Mira Ksenides Aristis, who is claiming that Turkey is violating human rights by preventing him from using his property near Varosha.

Meanwhile, the ECHR has also given the message that if the Compensation Commission, which was set up in the TRNC to investigate Greek Cypriot property claims, completes its deficiencies, it could acknowledge the Commission, which the Greek Cypriots allege is illegal.

In the forthcoming days, if the ECHR acknowledges the Compensation Committee set up in the TRNC and passes on Greek Cypriot compensation claims to the Commission, there'll be important changes in the proceedings of the Greek Cypriot claims against Turkey. In the event of transferring the Greek Cypriot claims to the Compensation Commission, the internal conviction that arose as a result of the "Loizidou case" would be changed.

In its resolution adopted today (7 April), the ECHR stated that: "For the Compensation Commission to be an effective legal proceeding in the TRNC, it should adhere to certain criteria and be independent and impartial".

In its defence against this claim, the Greek Cypriot side alleged that because the TRNC was not officially recognized, the Commission was illegal and could not form an effective legal proceeding.

The UK Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, has stated that the UK supports the start of direct flights between the UK and the TRNC and is undertaking studies on this issue.

Straw said starting direct flights from the UK to the TRNC would be an important step in putting an end to the Turkish Cypriot peoples' isolation.

Deniz Baykal, the leader of the main opposition party, the Republican Peoples Party, in Turkey, arrived on a one-day visit to the TRNC today (7 April).