LEFKOSA - TRNC President Rauf Denktas said on Wednesday that it was not possible to accept peace formulas which were not based on realities, adding that the basis of compromise was acceptance of two equal sovereign peoples.
Calling on the Greek Cypriot side to set up good cooperation as being two neighbours, Denktas said that ''let's accept each other as two neighbours. The two neighbours can make cooperation, they can act in a way to set up the mutual trust that is necessary for a political agreement and then they can reach on a political compromise. I stressed the basis of that compromise: it is two peoples, two equal sovereign peoples. When one of the two equal sovereign peoples is wanted to be destroyed by the other one, we set up a separate state because of being left without a state. An agreement which ignores these facts, is not possible.''
Gulsevin Sah, a Turkish Cypriot woman; who was detained by the Greek Cypriot police for 24 hours with her two children as she was not permitted to enter the island although she had visa, who was deported and who came to TRNC via Turkey; paid a courtesy visit to TRNC President Denktas with her husband and father the same day. Sah lives in Lebanon.
Speaking during the meeting, TRNC President Denktas said that the incident that happened to Sah was very sad, adding that such a bad treatment should not be left unresponded.
Denktas said that the Greek Cypriot side understood the mistake it did, adding that ''this is our message. We are in the TRNC as the partners of the former republic. Our reason of founding the Republic (TRNC) was our being left without a state and the Enosis they started to remove us from the island. If they accept these realities, they should treat us humanely, and try to create the atmosphere of confidence between the two peoples. We opened the doors to this end.''
Denktas said that ''the suggestions which the Greek Cypriot church made to Greek Cypriots to stop them from coming to Turkish Cypriot side, shows that the hatred and anger and intransigence still continue. Inviting us to negotiation table under such conditions shows that they want us to be deceived once again by the game they played during the last 30 years. It does not show that they are looking for solution of the conflict with good will.''
Denktas stressed that Turkish Cypriot side wanted a solution which was based on realities, adding that ''if methods of compromise deny that we are a separate nation, which is the case, if they deny that we are an equal and sovereign people, if they ignore our state, if they want to end the bi-zonality, if they want to make our people migrants once again, this is not a peace formula.''
Denktas pointed out that sincere cooperation and hospitality could take place between the two peoples, adding that Turkish Cypriots who went to the Greek Cypriot side after the opening of the border gates saw that their houses were devastated.
''A policy which aims to deprive Turks of their territory and which aims to bring Greek Cypriots to the territories in the north is not a peaceful policy,'' said Denktas, adding that the incident that happened to Gulsevin Sah was a result of Greek Cypriot discourse which scorned the Turkish Cypriots.
''Yet they came around and understood that the thing they made was a big mistake when they saw that they would make accounting for the thing they did, in the European Court of Human Rights,'' Denktas said.
Denktas said Sah incident should be a lesson to Greek Cypriots, adding ''because Turkish Cypriots are not subjects, and minority of them. They are a separate nation, they will be a partner if a new partnership can be set up. But they must first regard us as a separate, equal and sovereign nation.''
Gulsevin Sah said in her part that she was subject to such a treatment which was against humanity, adding that she was determined to file a suit against the Greek Cypriot administration before the European Court of Human Rights. ''They played with my pride, they didn't think of the future of my children. I will never forget the pain, and horror which my children suffered there.''
Sah said that she inquired before going to Larnaka that no problem would come out, adding ''in fact, they sealed the entry stamp on my passport. Incidents took place after sealing the entry stamp.''
Denktas said ''she went there with a Lebanese passport, but things changed when it was found out that she was a Turk.'' Sah also showed her passport to TRNC President Denktas.
(Öª-AÖ) 16.07.2003