PRESIDENT TALAT'S PRESS CONFERENCE…
"OUR VISION IS A SETTLEMENT"
In a press
conference organised yesterday (27 June) at the TRNC Presidency, President
Talat, pointing out that the main vision of the Turkish Cypriot side was a
settlement and that they didn't accept the isolation, said: "We don't have
a policy for separation which is being pursued by the Greek Cypriot side".
Referring to
the recent negotiations in Brussels, President Talat said during the
negotiations the Turkish Cypriot side had proposed that it would hand over
Varosha to the Greek Cypriot side in exchange for the opening of the
TRNC's air and sea ports, but that this was strongly rejected by the Greek
Cypriot side.
Pointing out
that the Turkish Cypriot side had attended the negotiations in Brussels to
demonstrate that it was always ready and flexible to negotiate and that
they wanted reconciliation, President Talat said these negotiations failed
because of the Greek Cypriot side's opposition to direct trade.
Indicating
that the Turkish Cypriot side was doing whatever was necessary to open the
Bostanci border gate and that these studies would be completed by the end
of July, the President said it was the Greek Cypriot Administration that
was preventing the opening of further border gates. He said after the
opening of the Bostanci border gate the Turkish Cypriot side was also
ready to open the Lokmaci gate.
Pointing out
that as stated in the Treaty of Guarantee if Cyprus becomes bicommunal
then Turkey could recognize Cyprus, the President said for Turkey's EU
accession talks to start it was Turkey's responsibility to sign the Ankara
Protocol.
Indicating
that the property issue would be resolved with a Cyprus settlement,
President Talat stressed that the European warrant arrests and the warrant
arrests issued by Interpol made achieving a Cyprus settlement more
difficult.
On the issue
of the fate of the missing persons, announcing that DNA studies would be
started, President Talat said the Turkish Cypriot side was ready to carry
out its responsibilities on this issue.
Recalling
that besides the Turkish Cypriot people the Greek Cypriot Administration
was also harassing other people, President Talat the Greek Cypriot side
demonstrated this yesterday (27 June) when it refused to allow Bulgarian
citizens of Turkish origin living in the TRNC to cross over to South
Cyprus and cast their votes for the Bulgarian Parliamentary elections at
the Bulgarian Embassy in South Cyprus. Stating that in the EU, Bulgarian
citizens had the right to the freedom of travel, President Talat drew the
EU's attention to the antidemocratic and outdated approach of the Greek
Cypriot Administration.
Pointing out
that in the briefing giving by Sir Kieran Prendergast, the UN
Secretary-General's Adviser for Political Affairs, after his visit to
Cyprus he had evaluated the Greek Cypriot side's proposals as being
"frightening", President Talat said this demonstrated that there would be
no developments in Cyprus in the near future and that it was the Greek
Cypriot side who was responsible for a non-settlement.
Stating that
some countries were recently saying that the Cyprus problem could be
settled if the two sides agreed and if there was no external interference,
the President said if this was a condition for negotiations between two
equal sides then this would be true, but in the event of the negotiation
process failing it would be impossible to achieve an outcome from this
process while one of the side's gains absolutely nothing and the other
side continues to protect its position. He added that, from this point of
view the Turkish Cypriot side considered the UN's intervention as a third
neutral party in this negotiation process as inevitable. He said: "In this
context, I want to repeat that the UN process is the only process that
will secure a Cyprus settlement".
Indicating
that the Greek Cypriot side was requesting EU officials to approve the
Financial Aid and Direct Trade Regulations as being two separate
regulations, President Talat said: "I didn't approve this nor the
implementation of the financial aid regulation solely. But I have not
rejected it either. No one asked me when these regulations were being
prepared and it's now the EU's responsibility".
PRIME MINISTER SOYER: "PROPERTY CASES WILL GO TO THE ECHR"
Prime
Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer said the Turkish Cypriot side would take the
sentencing rulings of the Greek Cypriot courts to the European Court of
Human Rights (ECHR). Speaking to the NTV television channel and referring
to the cases that are being filed in the Greek Cypriot courts, Prime
Minister Soyer said: "This court is not the court of the bicommunal Cyprus
Republic because, according to the 1960 Constitution there must be a
Turkish Cypriot judge in this court and the case must be in Turkish. The
outcome of any ruling in this case opens the door for this individual to
take the case to the ECHR".
Referring to
the supplementary Customs Union protocol, Prime Minister Soyer said, even
Papadopoulos had confessed that Turkey's signing of the protocol would not
constitute recognition of the Greek Cypriot Administration. The Prime
Minister said the only problem was that difficulties could be encountered
regarding the requests for Turkey to open its ports to Greek Cypriot
flagged ships. He said: "Turkey does not have to open her ports. If she
does, she'll only do it in one way and that is if the Greek Cypriot side
lifts the ban imposed on the port of Famagusta and Ercan Airport".
32nd OIC MEETING OF FOREIGN MINISTERS IN YEMEN
The 32nd
Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)
is taking place today (28 June) in Sana, the capital of Yemen and will end
on 30 June.
The draft
resolution entitled "The Situation in Cyprus" is amongst the issues that
will be taken up and the draft resolution calls upon the Islamic countries
to further develop relations with the TRNC in all fields.
In order to
attend the 32nd Foreign Ministers Meeting of the OIC, the TRNC
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Serdar Denktas,
and his accompanying delegation departed from the TRNC on 26 June.
During the
meeting, Minister Denktas will address the OIC General Assembly and talk
about the latest developments in Cyprus.
Besides this,
Minister Denktas will have bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers
of the Islamic countries, the OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu,
and the heads of the Islamic Development Bank, the Association for
Economic Cooperation and the Islamic Countries Chamber of Commerce.
Pointing out
that during the OIC meeting he would request stronger support from the
Islamic countries for the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot people, and
underlining that it was vital that the inhumane isolation imposed upon the
Turkish Cypriots be immediately lifted, Minister Denktas said during his
bilateral contacts he would request that the Islamic countries, who are
effective within the UN, take the issue of ending the Turkish Cypriot
side's isolation to the UN.
In "The
Situation in Cyprus" draft resolution that will be discussed and voted on
during the OIC meeting in Sana and referring to the resolution that was
taken in last year's OIC meeting in Istanbul, it is repeated that the
status of the Turkish Cypriot people in the OIC was upgraded to the
"Cyprus Turkish State".
In previous
OIC meetings, the TRNC had attended as the "Turkish Cypriot Muslim
Community" but during the 31st OIC Foreign Ministers Meeting in
Istanbul last year, the status of the TRNC was upgraded to the "Cyprus
Turkish State .
In the draft
resolution on Cyprus it is stressed that the international community
should take the necessary steps to immediately end the isolation policy
imposed upon the TRNC.
Stating that
the OIC fully supports the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot Muslim
people, the draft resolution welcomes the settlement efforts of the UN
Secretary-General and drawing attention to the Greek Cypriot side's
rearmament underlines that this presents a threat for the island and the
region.
