Denktas Says Foreign Minister Gul's Statement Gives Message ''anatolia Is Together With Denktas And Defends National Cause Of Cyprus''

LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said on Tuesday that Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul's statement gave the message that ''Anatolia was together with Denktas and defended national cause of Cyprus.''
Speaking to the Turkish Agency-Cyprus (TAK), Denktas said that he knew that most of people were defending the national cause and stated, ''I would like to thank Mr. Gul for his statement highlighting this fact. Turkish Cypriot people don't need to doubt their decision in the future. We give the guaranty of it.''
Stating that those who wanted to drag Turkish Cypriot people to the European Union (EU) of which Turkey was not a member by following Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL), Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos and Greece, also abused Mr. Gul's latest statement, Denktas said that Gul's statement gave the message that ''Anatolia was together with Denktas and national Cyprus cause.''
''I suppose the message of Mr. Gul that Denktas should take support of Cypriot people reflects the doubt stemming from the messages of those persons who support the views of Simitis, Christofias and Papadopoulos. As it is known, people who support Simitis-AKEL-Papadopoulos also deceived De Soto, Americans and British people by claiming that the Turkish Cypriot people separated themselves from Denktas and supported them. The same doubt was also created in some circles in Turkey. We know that the majority of the people support the national cause. The elections will confirm that. In fact, those who support the views of AKEL-Papadopoulos-Simitis are worried about it,'' Denktas said.
Stressing that he was encouraged by the message of Foreign Minister Gul, Denktas said that ''the Anatolian people are with us in our common national cause. Our national cause is a cause which is beyond parties in Turkey and it is a source of national excitement and resolution. The invitations I get from all parts of Anatolia and from all political parties prove that. I would like to thank Gul for his statement which underlined this fact. There is no reason for Turkish Cypriots to feel doubt about their decision in the future and we give the guarantee of that. The path of Simitis, Christofias and Papadopoulos is not the path of our people who support the national cause.''
When reporters reminded Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul about the statements of TRNC President Rauf Denktas who said he would continue fighting by getting the support of the Anatolian people, Gul said that ''Anatolian people is behind him and the Cyprus cause.'' Noting that Denktas should get the support of Turkish Cypriot people, Gul said that Cyprus was not a cause which was ignored.
Denktas recalled that he stressed in his earlier statement that the path which current Turkish government followed on the national cause was the path of facts and stated that those facts were existence of two peoples, two democracies and two states and effective and de facto continuation of Turkish guaranty in Cyprus. Recalling that only a part of his statement was given as headline in a daily newspaper, Denktas said that his statement in fact had a message to ''continue to struggle together with his people'' and stated that it also underlined confidence in Anatolian people and press in that struggle.
(EÖ-Öª-AÖ) 02.09.2003

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