PRESIDENT TALAT: “GREEK CYPRIOT ADMINISTRATIONS’ GOAL FOR A NEW BASIS IS AIMED AT MAKING THE DIVISION PERMAMENT”

President Mehmet Ali Talat evaluating Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos’ speech delivered at the UN General Assembly, stated that Papadoupolos had put forward a goal for creating a new basis towards a settlement, by waving aside all the studies made until today. Talat added that this meant preventing the solution of the Cyprus problem and making the division in the island permanent.

Pointing out that the Greek Cypriot leadership was in fact trying to do this, President Talat said either it was refraining to announce this because its people could react, or it was thinking that the whole world was stupid.

Speaking during a visit he paid to the Kamu-Sen (a public sector union), President Talat said at least all the Turkish Cypriots understood the real stance of the Greek Cypriot leadership.

Explaining that the Turkish Cypriot side was still continuing to pursue pro-solution policies and spend every effort for reaching a settlement, President Talat said however they were determined for not giving up of their rights.

Stressing that Papadopoulos’ speech at the UN General Assembly should be seriously interpreted, President Talat said: “This speech was extremely provocative, was a kind of warning towards us and was completely opposite to a solution. On one hand, Papadopoulos said a bi-communal and a bi-zonal federal settlement and on the other hand he put forward arguments which are totally different from this and he said the solution of the Cyprus problem depended on the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island.”

President Talat noted that Papadopoulos’ speech was a verbal attack against Turkey and Turkish troops and his aim was to put the Cyprus problem into a new form, camouflage the fact that the Cyprus issue was a problem between the two peoples in the island and try to show it as a problem between Cyprus and Turkey, “which they claim one day suddenly came and invaded the island”.

Reminding Papadopoulos’ words that: “If Turkish troops withdraw, the Cyprus problem can be solved”, President Talat said:

“Let’s assume that Turkish troops withdrew and the Cyprus problem is solved. This means the Greek Cypriot side’s declaration of sovereignty over the whole island. Declaring sovereignty over the whole island means they also govern Turkish Cypriots. Who can ever think that Turkish Cypriots would accept such thing? If Papadopoulos thinks so, this would directly serve to tension and conflict. He is expressing these at the UN General Assembly...Besides his efforts towards eliminating the rights of Turkish Cypriots, he is trying to destroy all the studies carried out by the United Nations until today and show them as being in favor of Turkey and talking about a need for preparing for a completely new basis on the solution of the Cyprus problem. Therefore, he was chucking out all the works carried out until today and putting forward his aim of creating a new basis, which means the Cyprus problem can never be solved.”

 

FOREIGN MINISTER AVCI MET WITH FOREIGN MINISTERS OF YEMEN AND AZERBAIJAN

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Turgay Avcý who is continuing his contacts in New York, met with Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakir Al Qurbi and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Maharram.

Meeting between Foreign Minister Avcý and his Yemeni counterpart Al Qurbi took place at the Yemen’s Permanent Representation Office to UN in New York.

During the meeting between Al Qurbi and Avcý, ways to improve bilateral relations between the TRNC and Yemen were discussed. Foreign Minister Avcý thanked his counterpart for supporting the just cause of Turkish Cypriots and briefed him on the latest developments concerning the Cyprus issue.

For his part, Al-Qurbi voiced his country’s support to the Turkish Cypriot people’s struggle and expressed Yemen’s willingness to improve relations between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Avcý and Yemeni Foreign Minister also discussed the education opportunities for Yemeni students in TRNC universities and Avcý gave information about the universities.

As part of his contacts in New York, Foreign Minister Avcý also met his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Maharram.

During the meeting, which took place at UN headquarters in New York, Foreign Minister Avcý stated that relations between Azerbaijan and TRNC have been improved further with recent investments by Azerbaijani businessmen in the country.

Pointing out that it was possible to improve the relations between the two countries also in the field of tourism in particular, Avcý said the government would do what was necessary for this and gave the message that they would work harder to further strengthen the relations between the TRNC and Azerbaijan.

 

ERCAKICA: “The remedy of partItIon Is an urgent and comprehensIve settlement”

“It has been observed that, following the Greek Cypriot Leader’s contacts in the USA, the Greek Cypriot press has widely been referring to new initiatives aiming a comprehensive and timely settlement. It has also been observed that the Greek Cypriot press has been employing negative expressions regarding the said initiatives, which according to their claims will be given a start after the Greek Cypriot elections in February 2008.

As the Turkish Cypriot side, we would like to call upon the Greek Cypriot side once again that a comprehensive settlement is not an issue to be anxious about. On the contrary, once the comprehensive settlement efforts fade and all the hope is lost, “partition”, the issue they are most concerned about, will become a serious threat that will have to be dealt with. The remedy of partition is an urgent and comprehensive settlement.

At this point, we would like to remind what the Greek Cypriot Spokesman had said concerning the issue: ''We should not give the Cypriot people the impression that we will be reaching a solution soon or create expectations that there would be talks on the substance of the problem soon, leading to a comprehensive settlement of our national problem.''

Making use of such expressions, the Greek Cypriot Spokesman gives away their real stance. The Greek Cypriot side is not seeking a settlement for the Cyprus problem via the negotiations. Therefore, it has once again been revealed that the real expectation of the Greek Cypriot side is not the resumption of the comprehensive settlement negotiations but saving time.

Despite all, we would like to underline once again that the purpose of the Turkish Cypriot side is the effective implementation of the 8 July decisions so as to resume the comprehensive settlement negotiations as soon as possible and to settle the Cyprus problem by the end of 2008.”