ANTALYA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said on Sunday that opponents in TRNC were disappointed with the results of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to TRNC.
Making a speech in a conference in southern Antalya province, Denktas said that Erdogan had put forth the parameters of national case by emphasizing that equal states and bizonality should not be destroyed in his visit to TRNC. He added that TRNC people thanked for this to Erdogan.
Denktas said that those, who were expecting that Erdogan would follow a 'give and relieve policy and impose Annan Plan to be brought on table', were disappointed. He added that those, who dreamed and considered that an agreement, which would make 100 thousand Turkish Cypriots migrants, lift Turkey's rights as a guarantor state, bring 60-80 thousand Greek Cypriots among Turkish Cypriots and give Greek Cypriots the right to return to their properties, was good, were disappointed when they saw that it was wrong and Turkey did not accept it as well. He said that he hoped that those people would also see the realities and would not digress from national line of national case and added that they invited those people to unity and cooperation.
Noting that big states were trying to do the same they had done to Ottoman Empire in Crete, to Turkish Republic with Cyprus now, Denktas said Greece and Greek Cypriots played the biggest game to reduce Turkish Cypriots to submission whom they could not manage to bring down by gun-force, mass graves and hunger. Denktas said, ''Greek Cypriots applied to the European Union (EU) with a pseudo title 'Cyprus Republic Government' in the name of Cyprus in spite of 1960 agreements. Unfortunately the EU accepted this application. In fact, the Greek Cypriots had not been representing Turkish Cypriots since 1963. Two people were divided. A struggle had been going on. They were confronting each other and had a cease fire agreement. The U.N. was between us. The past of Greek Cypriot administration was full of blood and mass graves. The government of these people who killed even 16 days old babies because 'he was a Turk', was accepted by the EU as Cyprus Government. What was going on? The game of big states is being repeated as it happened in Crete. They will arrogate the Island to the world of Christianity.''
Stressing that Turkish Cypriot people's existence and objections were disregarded, Denktas said, ''no one takes into consideration the rights of Turkish Cypriot people. They also want us to accept 'Greek Cypriot government'. And they leave us under threat by claiming that we are uncompromising side and don't want peace since we don't accept 'Greek Cypriot government'.''
Stating that Turkey should search for its rights within the EU by a dynamic policy, Denktas said, ''if Turkey cannot explain its rights to all EU countries in a dynamic way and if EU continues to put pressure on us as if there is a single Cyprus under the Greek Cypriot administration, there will be two results: Either we will surrender and say that there is no way out or we will resist it like our martyrs.''
Denktas said that Turkish people wanted peace in Cyprus and wanted the peace which had come with Peace Operation to be turned into compromise and stated, ''if you acknowledge our rights, we also say let's form a new partnership. Greek Cypriot people are trying to gain support of the world by making propaganda. They should give up telling lies.''
Stating that Greek Cypriots had opportunity to see what was done and what changed in TRNC after 1974 with opening of the gates, Denktas said, ''why we opened the gates? Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot sides should know powers of each other to reach an agreement. Both sides should regard each other as equal.''
''Greek Cypriot side has been giving its people the message that 'Turkish Cypriot people are suffering from economic problems, they destroyed places which we left and they will give up'. Greek Cypriot people also found some people who support them in TRNC. They did everything to make our people desperate and to make us surrender and to patch us to Greek Cypriot side by means of EU. We opened the gates. They visited TRNC with their passports and visas. They were surprised by what they saw. Some Greek Cypriot people said that their leaders told them lies. They also said that now they understand why Turkish Cypriots did not accept proposals which have been made so far. Greek Cypriot people stated that Turkish Cypriot people have everything and built universities, roads and ports. They said that they understand now why we did not give up'.''
After delivering his speech, Denktas said upon a question that he did not think to invite Greek Prime Minister Simitis to TRNC.
Upon another question, Denktas said that Serbia/Montenegro model could be thought as a beginning and added that the EU should reach this point.
Denktas later followed a basketball match between TRNC and Germany mixed wheel-chair basketball teams in ''Festival of Handicapped'' organized by Antalya Municipality.
(GC-EÖ-AÖ) 12.05.2003