The 3^rd Youth General Assembly Meeting started yesterday (13 December) at the Ataturk Cultural Centre and speaking at the opening ceremony President Talat criticized the Greek Cypriot side's stance regarding the opening of the Lokmacý border gate and said: "We shouldn't have to explain what we do within the borders of the TRNC, as long as it's not contrary to human rights".

Indicating that the Greek Cypriot side was running away from negotiating with the Turkish Cypriot side and that when the issue of demilitarization was not even on the agenda the Greek Cypriot side put this as a precondition for opening the Lokmacý border gate, President Talat said the Turkish Cypriot side was willing to discuss demilitarization, but this had nothing to do with the opening of the Lokmacý border gate.

The President said he was more legitimate than the Greek Cypriot Leader Tassos Papadopoulos because he was elected by the Turkish Cypriot people and only represented the Turkish Cypriot side, whereas Papadopoulos was elected by only the Greek Cypriot people but claimed to represent the whole island.

Highlighting that the Greek Cypriot side was sending its proposals via the UN because it was imposing embargoes on the Turkish Cypriot side in every field, was running away from negotiating with the Turkish Cypriots and didn't accept the Turkish Cypriots as their counterpart, President Talat said these incidents were current occurrences in opening the "famous" Lokmacý border gate.

He also warned the Turkish Cypriot youth to be aware of the Greek Cypriot administration's desires and protect their rights.

One of the former Greek Foreign Ministers Teodoros Pangalos speaking at a presentation ceremony of the book entitled "The Annan Plan: Secret Bargaining", which was written by two Greek Cypriot and one Greek journalists, said ‘the Greek Cypriots by voting "no" to the Annan plan demonstrated that they did not want to live together with the Turkish Cypriots.’

Pangalos stated that the real aim of the Greek Cypriots was different from what they say and that many of the Greek Cypriot citizens which he had spoken to said that their real aim was not an independent state but Enosis (Cyprus’ annexation to Greece).