Serter: They Are Not After A Fair Solution, They Are After Dissolving Us

LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Parliament Speaker Vehbi Zeki Serter said on Tuesday that Turkish Cypriots wanted solution more than anybody else, but nobody could make Turkish Cypriots accept assimilation by calling it solution.
Twenty people who were killed in Alaminyo village by the Greek Cypriots in 1967 and 1974 were commemorated in TRNC.
Speaking in the ceremony, Serter said, ''they are not after a fair solution, they are after dissolving us.''
Serter said that it was their duty to explain young generations what had happened in the past and emphasized that acquisitions gained in the end of the struggle should be appreciated.
Drawing attention to importance of being in unity and solidarity, Serter said that ''TRNC was an important acquisition.''
The reason for not being able to find a solution to Cyprus issue so far was because the solutions of imposition did not include values of the Turkish Cypriots, Serter stated.
Serter underlined that ''bi-zonal structure, existence of two states, political equality and continuation of Turkey's guarantee were indispensable.''
TRNC Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu stressed that solution of Cyprus issue could be possible by acceptance of existence of two states.
Eroglu said that TRNC was founded by paying big costs and noted, ''TRNC was founded in the geography created by 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation. It was not easy to reach these days.''
''They saw that the Greek Cypriots killed Turks in mixed villages,'' Eroglu noted.
Eroglu said that ''they were trying to explain the world that it was not possible to live together, and stress the importance of reaching an agreement based on existence of two people, two zones and two states.''
''Although the world saw it, it put forth Annan plan and some circles made it a policy and defended it,'' Eroglu pointed out.
Eroglu stated that similar incidents could be experienced again unless lesson was taken from history.
''We want a free life. A lasting agreement can be possible by acceptance of existence of two states,'' Eroglu said.
Eroglu noted that ''it was not possible to make Turkish Cypriots give up their principles like existence of two peoples and two states on the island and the guarantee system.''
A state was not established easily, Eroglu said and pointed out that it was everybody's duty to maintain the state.
Eroglu stated that Turkish Cypriots were wanted to be forced to living at the foot of the Besparmak Mountains and emphasized that ''Annan plan was a text which wanted to tear Turkism off Cyprus and tear Cyprus off Turkey'' and that ''it was wrong to defend that plan for the sake of pleasing some circles.''
''If Turkish Cypriots had given a message with the same voice, TRNC would have been recognized years ago,'' Eroglu said.
Eroglu drew attention that blood shed in Palestine every day, but the Palestinians did not give up their country.
''We should also continue existence of the state. If there are people who think that 'TRNC would end if there were different voices', they are living in a dream. Neither Turkish Cypriots nor Turkey will give up these lands,'' Eroglu said.
Eroglu stated that ''everybody would have been in mass graves if the July 20 Cyprus Peace Operation had not been staged.''
''He saw his best friends dying in his arms,'' Eroglu said.
Eroglu stressed that ''they had to work hard not to return back to those days again.''
''If it was for the benefit of Turkish Cypriots, we would have signed Annan plan. But now, we put our signature under a document foreseeing end of Turkish Cypriots if we accept this plan,'' Eroglu added.
(BRC-AÖ) 22.07.2003