Speaking on the Actual programme on Bayrak Television on 7 October 2005, President Mehmet Ali Talat said Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos could only take Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as his counterpart after a Cyprus settlement.

Upon being reminded that Papadopoulos had said 'Prime Minister Erdogan is my counterpart', President Talat, pointing out that Papadopoulos considered himself to be very important and the centre of attraction in the world, said by using the advantage of being an EU member the Greek Cypriot side was trying to pressure the Turkish Cypriots.

Indicating that Papadopoulos was running away from the negotiations and that by saying 'I'll negotiate' his intention was to prevent the negotiations, the President said: "When he was calling the UN for negotiations, he was saying that his counterpart was Prime Minister Erdogan. In other words, he doesn't want to start the negotiations and is trying to conceal this".

He stressed that Prime Minister Erdogan could only be Papadopoulos' counterpart after a Cyprus settlement.

Stating that he was in the process of informing and evaluating with the Assembly and political party memebers the strategy that would be followed and the steps that would be taken from now on, President Talat said he too was open to proposals on the issue of identifying the strategy and that the proposals would be ones that would challenge the negotiation process. Indicating that there wasn't a concrete proposal regarding Varosha, the President reminded that the Turkish Cypriot side's previous proposal regarding Varosha was rejected by the Greek Cypriot side.

Underlining that it was impossible to return to the 'Republic of Cyprus', the President said: "At the moment, I see a return to the 'Republic of Cyprus' as being marginal and know that we'll never ever go back to it. In other words it's impossible".

Pointing out that they weren't spending efforts for recognition, but if during this process there was anyone that wanted to recognize the TRNC they wouldn't have any objections, President Talat said in his news conference last Thursday (6 October), the Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos had stated that he didn't believe the Annan Plan constituted a basis for a Cyprus settlement.

In a written statement issued last Friday (8 October), the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affair, Serdar Denktas, evaluated Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos' interview on Greek Cypriot televison last Thursday (7 October). Serdar Denktas warning that that the Greek Cypriot side could do something crazy that could endanger the will to include Turkey in the EU, whose membership in the EU would contribute greatly to regional and world peace, said the EU should 'stop' the Greek Cypriot side, who was planning to use Turkey's EU negotiation process in order to achieve its own aims.

Indicating that the leader of the Greek Cypriot administration Tassos Papadopoulos should stop picking on Turkey, Serdar Denktas said Papadopoulos should know that his counterpart on the Cyprus issue is not Mr. Erdogan, but President Mehmet Ali Talat who was elected by the Turkish Cypriot people.

Highlighting that although Papadopoulos knew his constant requests to meet with Mr. Erdogan would be rejected, he still continued to make this request and that there was a meaning behind him saying, "what will I discuss with Talat", Serdar Denktas stressed that nothing could be achieved with this approach, which was preventing a Cyprus settlement.

Pointing out that in the speech he made on television, Papadopoulos had confirmed what the Turkish Cypriot side was saying, the Minister for Foreign Affairs said: "Papadopoulos has openly stated that by putting pressure on Turkey during its EU process and threatening to use its 'veto', he continues to pursue his policy to take over the whole of Cyprus".

Emphasizing that it was Papadopoulos' aim to pressure Turkey into making concessions over Cyprus during her EU process, Serdar Denktas said:

"Papadopoulos plans to use Turkey's EU process as a tool for achieiving its own aims. The way to prevent this is by ensuring that all the restrictions on the island are lifted. Even if it's not in a political sense, together with the economic developments that will take place, this step will create conditions to motivate the Greek Cypriot side towards a settlement".

Indicating that Papadopoulos was trying to give the message that he was ready to negotiate under the UN umbrella and that he wasn't sincere on this issue, Serdar Denktas said:

"In his speech last night, Papadopoulos once more demonstrated his determination in not implementing the conditions that are required for the UN Secretary General to restart the negotiations. By opposing mediation and the timetable, he hasn't put forward anything regarding the changes he wants to be made to the Annan Plan. Looking determined to continue with his non-settlement stance, Papadopoulos' stance must also be noted by the UN. As a result of this stance it is the Turkish Cypriot people who are being unjustly treated. An end should be put to this injustice and the isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people".

The Greek Cypriot administration rejected the request of 5 TRNC citizens of Turkish-Bulgarian origin, who wanted to benefit from the Green Line Regulation and cross over to the Greek Cypriot side.

Last Friday (8 October), 5 Bulgarian citizens, on completing the same procedure that applies to EU member country citizens at the Ledra Palace Border Gate were prevented from crossing over to South Cyprus.

On being stopped by Greek Cypriot police at the Greek Cypriot control point, the 5 Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origins were all indivually questioned and 4 of them had their TRNC identity cards taken away. Later, all 5 were put into one room and on the pretext that "they entered the country through an illegal port" they were prohibited from crossing over to South Cyprus.

Meanwhile, petitions written by all 5 of the Bulgarian citizens stating that this was contrary to the Green Line Regulation and that they would be seeking their rights in the European Commission and national judiciary organs were not taken by Greek Cypriot police and photocopies were taken.

The petitions will be conveyed to the Greek Cypriot Interior Ministry via the Turkish Cypriot Human Right Vakıf.

The project to overcome the TRNC's water requirements by transferring water in pipelines from Turkey to the TRNC has been started.

Agreement was reached between the Director General of Turkey's State Water Department and the Alsim Alarko company and the agreement was officially signed on 7 October.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Turkish Minister for Energy and Natural Resources, Hilmi Guler said the water collected from the Anamur Dragon Creek would be transported to North Cyprus through 78 kilometres of pipeline with a diameter of 1.6 metres build 250 metres under the seabed. He said the pipeline would provide Cyprus with 75 million cubic metres of water per year and 15 million cubic metres of this water would be drinking water with the remaining being used for irrigation purposes.

Emphasizing that the water requirements of the TRNC were very large, Minister Guler said the TRNC needed 8.4 million cubic metres of water per year.

He said by the year 2035 this requirement would increase to 32 million cubic metres and irrigated agriculture was still being carried out in 8% of the country and that the water in regions where irrigated agriculture could be carried out was becoming more salty.

Indicating that in order to overcome this problem the water coming from the Anamur Creek would be the "prefect remedy", Minister Guler said the water was coming at a time when it was most needed and that a water master plan had already been prepared by the State Water Department for the TRNC last year.