Speaking to the Cyprus Turkish News Agency (TAK) correspondent President Mehmet Ali Talat talked about issues currently on the agenda and said the start of Turkey's EU accession talks would be a dynamic process that would have a different effect on all the parties of the Cyprus problem and that in this dynamic process the isolation and restrictions imposed on the Turkish Cypriot side should be lifted.

Indicating that it was unavoidable that Turkey's accession talks would be indexed to the Cyprus problem so that would create problems and opportunities, President Talat said the EU, who defends a Cyprus settlement, could no longer stand beside the Greek Cypriot side, who constantly oppose a settlement.

Asking that, "The EU's main idea is free trade, free economy. Why should Turkish Cypriots be excluded from this", the President said, "The financial aid regulation cannot be implemented on its own. The EU prepared both regulations and naturally it's out of the question for us to approve or reject their approval either separately or jointly. If the EU approves it we won't block it, but we believe the financial aid regulation cannot be implemented on its own".

Stressing that the Greek Cypriot administration was opposing the direct trade regulation as a "political gain", President Talat said the property issue could only be resolved through a settlement and until there was a settlement the Turkish Cypriot side was working on taking measures against the cases filed by Greek Cypriots against Turkish Cypriots in the European Court of Human Rights.

The Deputy Prime Ministry and Ministry for Foreign Affairs has issued a statement regarding the Greek Cypriot secondary school in Dipkarpaz and said the fact that classes for years 4 and 5 had not opened was not the responsibility of the TRNC government.

The statement said:

"We have observed with astonishment the statement made by the headmistress of the Greek Cypriot secondary school in Dipkarpaz that students could not register for years 4 and 5 because permission was not given.

No application whatsoever has been made to our Ministry on this issue and our offices acting in accordance with the principle that secondary education should continue uninterrupted and in line with this a decision was taken to this effect by the Council of Ministers last year and Turkish Cypriot authorities continue to assist Greek Cypriot school administrators.