The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Serdar Denktas, pointing out that the Turkish Cypriot side favoured a settlement based on political equality, bizonality and Turkey's continued guarantee, stressed that if there was no political equality and bizonality a settlement would not be possible.

Explaining that unless Greek Cypriot leader, Tassos Papadopoulos, displayed the intention to sit down at the negotiating table a new negotiating process would not be started by the UN Secretary-General, Serdar Denktas said, with the strong support of the Greek Cypriot people, Papadopoulos does not see the Turkish Cypriots as his counterpart and the primary reason why the Cyprus issue had remained unresolved was because of the Greek Cypriot leadership and the Greek Cypriot people, who are unable to make up a revolution in their minds.

Referring to remarks made by the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, that unless the two sides displayed the will to reach a Cyprus settlement, the UN would not engage in a new initiative, Serdar Denktas said, this meant that the Turkish Cypriots would continue to be punished while the Greek Cypriot side's policy would be supported. He said: "As long as Papadopoulos says, 'I have no will. The Turkish Cypriots are not my counterparts, my counterpart is Turkey', he will not be able to sit down at the negotiating table with the Turkish Cypriots and if he doesn't display the intention to return to the negotiating table, the UN Secretary-General will not start a new process". Pointing out that this couldn't be accepted by the Turkish Cypriot people and that lobbying was needed to overcome the current impasse, Minister Denktas said the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) was an important lobby for the Turkish Cypriots.