The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Serdar Denktas has stated that the only way that the Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos would come to the negotiating table was if the isolation imposed upon the TRNC was lifted.

Indicating that EU officials would give the necessary response to the statement made by the French Prime Minister Dominique De Villepin on the Cyprus issue, Minister Denktas said until Turkey's EU accession talks started with the EU on 3 October, various EU members could also make "salvos" as the French Prime Minister did.

Evaluating Turkey's signing of the Supplementary Protocol to the Customs Union Agreement, Minister Denktas said the EU had realized that it had made a mistake by making the "Republic of Cyprus", which is under Greek Cypriot occupation, an EU member and that as each day passes this was being better understood. Underlining that Turkey was the guarantor of the 1960 Partnership Republic, he said as a guarantor it was impossible for Turkey to recognize an administration that was currently under Greek Cypriot occupation.

Pointing out that if the EU decided not to start accession negotiations with Turkey this would be a great loss for the EU, Serdar Denktas said the TRNC would assist Turkey in its EU process but not at the cost of giving up all their rights and losing Cyprus and that Turkey didn't have such a request from the Turkish Cypriot side.

Asked if there was a possibility for resuming the Cyprus negotiations and whether or not this issue had come onto the agenda during his and President Talat's recent contacts in Ankara, the Minister for Foreign Affairs said restarting the Cyprus negotiations depended on the Greek Cypriot administration's stance. He said:

"The Cyprus issue was the main issue during our contacts in Ankara. In fact this meeting was the confirmation of the fact that relations between the TRNC and Turkey following the signing of the supplementary protocol to the customs union agreement would continue. Resuming the negotiations is neither up to us nor Turkey".

Meanwhile, Serdar Denktas stated that in the latest report published by the UN it was stated that the gap between the two sides was rapidly increasing and therefore a new initiative could not be started. Serdar Denktas said this indicated that the UN had fallen prey to Papadopoulos' game and supported his policies.

He said: "Papadopoulos has clearly displayed his real intentions with his requested changes to the Annan Plan. If we further examine the issue we can see that the stance currently being followed by Papadopoulos is aimed at legalizing the 13 points that they tried to amend in the 1960 Constitution in 1964".

The MEP from the German Greens Party Cem Ozdemir has stated that it was the Greek Cypriot side who was preventing a Cyprus settlement.

In a written statement issued, Ozdemir pointing out that in debates regarding the Cyprus issue the parties should approach the issue fairly and correctly reflect the realities, reminded that the Annan Plan was accepted only in the TRNC.

He said: "The reason why South Cyprus voted 'no' to the Annan Plan is because of the intensive and planned policy of misinformation and because UN and EU officials were banned from having contacts with the local media. Although Cyprus is represented by the Greek Cypriot side it is clearly evident that the Turkish Cypriots are being excluded from all of these mechanisms".