Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat, yesterday (21 March) received a delegation from the Hak-Is Confederation and responding to a reporter's question asked about the initiatives undertaken by the Greek Cypriot Administration to change the law to increase the detainment of foreign nationals buying property in the TRNC for up to 2 years, said that this decision only concerned the Greek Cypriots.

Explaining that, "if the Greek Cypriots hadn't voted with a resounding 'no' in the 24 April 2004 referendum and the Cyprus issue had been settled in this context, property issues would also have been settled, Prime Minister Talat said "the property issue is a part of the Cyprus issue and trying to settle it through legal channels will not produce a satisfactory outcome".

Continuing, the Prime Minister said: "The Greek Cypriot side's efforts are pointless. Following their 'no' vote in the referendum they rejected the settlement plan and cannot put the property regime, which is one of the most important elements of the Cyprus settlement plan, on to a new ground by passing laws in their own Assembly. This effort is pointless. They are doing this to put further pressure on the world and perhaps confuse them. The Greek Cypriot Assembly is free to approve any decision it wants but its authority only extends to South Cyprus".

Explaining that from the point of view of the international community the Greek Cypriot side was not very important since it had opposed a Cyprus settlement, Prime Minister Talat said the international community perceived the property regime, which was a part of the Cyprus issue, as a political issue and the political ground would have completely changed with a settlement. He said what hadn't changed and was still continuing today was the amendments the Greek Cypriot side had made by using the authorities it had usurped by force, which only served to make achieving a Cyprus settlement that much more difficult. Reiterating his call to the Greek Cypriot side to return to the negotiation table in order to try and achieve a Cyprus settlement, Prime Minister Talat said: "Instead of engaging in pointless efforts in their assembly, let them get together with so that we can settle the Cyprus issue, create a new property regime and give everyone their rights and compensate those who have to be compensated".

The TRNC'S Washington Representative, Osman Ertug, in a letter written to 'The Washington Times' daily on 18 March responded to an article written by Arnaud de Borchgrave entitled "Cold Turkey" in the same daily on 8 March.

Explaining that Turkey had stressed on numerous occasions that by signing the supplementary protocol of the Ankara Agreement this did not constitute recognition of the Greek Cypriot Administration in South Cyprus and that the Greek Cypriot Administration was trying to use the 'recognition issue' to gain concessions from the Turkish side, Ertug stressed that if the Greek Cypriot side continued to be recognized as the 'Cyprus Republic', this would encourage the intransigent stance of the Greek Cypriot side and deprive the Turkish Cypriots of Turkey's guarantee.

Pointing out that Turkey had constantly stated it would be ready to recognize the new united Cyprus Republic that would be created through agreement, Ertug said responsibility for resuming the negotiation process rested with the Greek Cypriot side and the Cyprus issue could be settled if the Greek Cypriot side displayed the necessary good will and returned to the negotiating table.

The Director of the UK based "Store International" company, Michael Bouttcher, which has tourism investments in many countries worldwide, and a delegation of nine investors yesterday (21 March) flew directly from Moscow to the TRNC in his private plan to explore opportunities for investing in the TRNC.

Michael Bouttcher will today (22 March) meet with a businessman in the tourism sector in Girne to discuss the possibility of engaging in a joint initiative. He is expected to depart from the TRNC later today.

The High Electoral Council yesterday (21 March) announced the final list of the candidates who will stand in the forthcoming 17 April Presidential elections.

The candidates are as follows: