In a ceremony organized at the Presidential Palace in Turkey, the TRNC's First President Rauf Denktas was awarded the "State Medal of Honour".

Speaking during the ceremony, the Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer referring to Rauf Denktas as the leader in the Turkish Cypriot people's years long struggle for freedom, justice and peace, said he it was his great honour to award Rauf Denktas with the "State Medal of Honour". Indicating that Rauf Denktas was a distinguished man who had dedicated his life to the Cyprus cause, President Sezer said under Rauf Denktas' skillful leadership the Turkish Cypriot people were able to overcome all kinds of difficulties and live in freedom and honour under the principles of equality and peace.

Pointing out that Denktas had successfully continued his duty as President from the proclamation of the TRNC on 15 November 1983 until 24 April 2005, President Sezer said with his outstanding efforts and statesmanship he had taken a place in Turkish history. Adding that Denktas had displayed his distinguished personality, the Turkish President said:

"In Cyprus, there are two equal and separate peoples in two democratic separate states and these realities should be taken into account in efforts towards reaching a settlement. Turkey will continue to support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to achieve a just and lasting settlement. On the other hand, the time has come for the unjust embargoes that have been imposed upon the Turkish Cypriot people for more than 40 years to be lifted."

For his part, Rauf Denktas said in terms of Turkey's security Cyprus was an important island that couldn't be left to the Greek Cypriots, Greeks and the EU.

Pointing out that Turkey had sacrificed the lives of its men to secure peace in Cyprus, Denktas said Turkey's most recent sacrifice was the Peace Operation that was carried out during the Ecevit-Erbakan period and continued:

"We no longer need to struggle for peace, we are struggling for reconciliation, because the Peace Operation had stopped the killings, imprisonment and the kidnappings. Peace prevails. The whole issue is for the Greek Cypriots to come to the reconciliation".

Stressing that as long as the Greek Cypriots continued to use the title of the "Republic of Cyprus" they had no need to reconcile, Denktas said this should be acknowledged and accepted. He said the kind of reconciliation that the Greek Cypriots wanted was for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island, the return of all Greek Cypriot refugees to their former homes, and the return of all citizens of Turkish origin back to Turkey, whom they refer to as 'settlers'. He added: "As long we are perceived as willing for reconciliation, outside parties who want to help us are trying to patch us up to the Greek Cypriots by making certain constitutional changes".

Denktas said the Turkish Cypriots were not and would not be a minority and that it was the TRNC's right to be recognized.

A group representing the families of those Turkish Cypriots who were murdered and are still missing in the massacre that was carried out by the Greek Cypriot militia in the villages of Dohni (Taskent) and Zigi (Terazi) in 1974 and in the village of Peristerona in 1963, yesterday presented two separate petitions to the Greek Cypriot Presidency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Asking why there was still no conclusion from the blood samples they had been requested to provide to the Greek Cypriot side for DNA testing two years ago in July 2003, the petitions requested that the results of these DNA tests be announced as soon as possible.

One of the petitions concerns the fate of more than 80 Turkish Cypriots who were murdered in Dohni (Taskent) and Zigi (Terazi) in 1974 and the other one requested that the bones of the Turkish Cypriots who were massacred in the village of Peristerona be returned to their families.