Prior to yesterday's (14 September) meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU (COREPER), President Mehmet Ali Talat sent a letter to the EU Term President Britain's Foreign Minister Jack Straw and requested that instead of trying to force Turkey to recognize today's 'Republic of Cyprus', by taking the necessary initiative towards settling the Cyprus problem the Greek Cypriot side should be motivated towards reaching a settlement.

Indicating that pressure exerted on Turkey was only encouraging the Greek Cypriot side towards non-settlement, President Talat said Turkish Cypriots should also benefit from free trade and the opening of the ports and it was necessary to open TRNC ports as well and added that the EU's insistence on this issue was making the UN process impossible and putting it in a deadlock and paving the way for Turkey to resist something which was impossible for her to do. He said this also created an obstacle in the EU process.

Pointing out that the Turkish Cypriot side supported free movement and the opening of the ports, the President said TRNC ports should be deemed to be legitimate and shouldn't be treated as third countries. Highlighting that the Turkish Cypriot side wanted a free trade and economic environment to be created in the North, President Talat said in his letter he had requested that the Turkish Cypriots should also be included in the EU market and if the EU gives up on insisting that Turkey opens her ports to the Greek Cypriot side then freedom of movement should be for everyone.

Stating that this request was in line with the decision taken by Council for European General Affairs on 26 April 2004, the President said: "Thus, COREPER should focus on these issues and highlight that settling the Cyprus problem is one that should be settled under the UN umbrella, and instead of forcing Turkey to recognize a structure that is not normal, it should take the necessary initiatives to normalize this structure, in other words initiatives to solve the Cyprus problem, and motivate the Greek Cypriot side towards reaching a settlement".

Highlighting the human rights difficulties faced by Turkish Cypriots in South Cyprus the Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation said the Greek Cypriot administration, which was using the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus to deem itself "legitimate", had reached the point of questioning this.

In her written statement, the Head of the Foundation, Emine Erk reminded that cases had been filed by Greek Cypriots against Turkish Cypriots and foreigners in the North regarding the use of properties in the North, said property issues in Cyprus could only be solved as part of a comprehensive settlement.

Pointing out that many Turkish Cypriots had gone to look at the properties they left behind in the South and had observed that their properties were being used without permission, without the implementation of any valid legal process whatsoever, and without having received any compensation, Erk said Turkish Cypriot properties were being used for various public and private purposes.