LEFKOSA - Some of the political party leaders in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) who contacted with Council of Europe (COE) officials and Greek Cypriot political party representatives in Strasbourg, returned to TRNC on Wednesday.
National Unity Party (UBP) leader and Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu, Democrat Party (DP) leader and State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas, Communal Liberation Party (TKP) leader Huseyin Angolemli and Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Mehmet Ali Talat returned to TRNC.
Eroglu said in his arrival in TRNC that political parties protested Greek Cypriot parties' sending only representatives to Strasbourg while political parties of TRNC were represented at the level of ''party leaders.''
Eroglu said that Greek Cypriots tried to show by their attitude that they didn't want to sign a lasting agreement, adding that ''they try to show that they don't care making an agreement with us much as they are in the position of accessing to EU.''
Eroglu noted that in return to the words of COE Secretary General Walter Schwimmer who said that the pine tree planted in Strasbourg symbolized the ''development of the nation,'' he stressed that there were two peoples on the island, this fact had to be accepted and that a lasting agreement was only possible by accepting this fact.
Noting that representatives of Greek Cypriot political parties talked in the same way in Strasbourg, Eroglu said that TRNC political parties didn't do the same thing and they expressed different views. ''We were sorry to see that some of the parties accused their own state and democracy,'' Eroglu said.
Serdar Denktas said that he was pleased as TRNC political parties, despite their different views, reacted to the attitude of Greek Cypriots who didn't consider importance to Turkish Cypriots. Serdar Denktas said that it was important to show the same reaction to Greek Cypriots, adding that they had the opportunity to explain the shortcomings about Cyprus in Strasbourg.
''It seems that such kind of meetings will continue to be organized both on the island and abroad. What we must do is to determine a common attitude among political parties about important issues. I think that our basic concerns are same. It is important to develop them and put them forward in a systematic way,'' Serdar Denktas said.
TKP leader Huseyin Angolemli said in his part that the views of every political party were different, adding that yet all TRNC political parties condemned Greek Cypriot party leaders for not coming to Strasbourg.
Noting that COE was focusing on the Cyprus problem, Angolemli said that COE Secretary General would meet with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan towards the end of this month.
''Solution in Cyprus until May 1, 2004 is not only to the interest of Turkish Cypriots, Turkey, but to the region and EU. Therefore, consultations and relations will intensify in the coming days,'' he commented.
(Öª-AÖ) 09.07.2003