LEFKOSA - Osman Fazil Polat Pasha Mosque which was built in Gazimagusa by the contribution of Turkish Embassy in Lefkosa and which is the first and biggest mosque of TRNC was opened on Sunday.
Addressing the ceremony, TRNC President Rauf Denktas said that all sorts of way were tried to make Cyprus another Crete, adding that Annan plan helped Greek Cypriots in that respect. Those who supported Annan plan without seeing many of the realities in the plan contributed to that, said Denktas.
TRNC President Denktas stated that Turkish Cypriots founded their state by their blood and in the name of freedom in order not to live under the cruelty of Greek Cypriots. Annan plan envisaged to overthrow that state and it told the Turkish side that ''come to us and let's make an agreement and accept that there is no such state.''
Denktas stated that certain circles told foreigners while Cyprus negotiations continued that ''don't worry, don't listen to Denktas, the people is not behind Denktas, but behind us, bring the plan to us and we will sign it'' and they held a demonstration with the name of ''Peace and EU'' to deceive and persuade Turkish Cypriot people.
''They didn't tell the people that 'the price of that is to give up the state, the price is to end Turkey's existence in Cyprus, the price of that is to end the Guarantee Agreement. They have never told that. They talked about peace, EU and money. You can buy everything with money, but you can't buy your freedom, and you can't found a state,'' Denktas said.
''They give a price for a signature, but they don't tell what that price is to people,'' said Denktas. Denktas said that those who told him when he was sick in bed and trying to continue the negotiations that 'either sign it or resign' and they continuously stated that ''if not, it will be a disaster.''
''They say there will be a disaster on May 1, why? Because Greek Cypriot side will join the EU on May 1 and we will be outside. Forty years passed since they threw you from the Republic of Cyprus. They don't regard you as a part of the republic. The republic is theirs and you are their minority. They will tear you apart from Turkey by giving some rights and by deceiving you. Turkey's guarantee will end, Turkish soldiers will totally get out of Cyprus and nobody will come to the north without getting visa from Greek Cypriots, while everybody from Greece and the whole Europe will come here,'' Denktas said.
Stressing that those who told that ''when we join EU, we will benefit from the freedom and welfare of Europe'' told lies, Denktas stated that the rights seemed to have been given to Turkish origins had the condition of entering the island by legal ways and those legal ways were foreseen as the Greek Cypriot ports due to the plan.
''You can't discriminate our citizens due to their origins because the origin of all of us is the motherland. According to the laws of our state, those who got citizenship are TRNC citizens and they have all the rights. Just like we don't interfere with the things done by Greek Cypriots in the south, Greek Cypriots don't have the right to interfere with our rights,'' said Denktas.
TRNC President Denktas stated that nobody interfered when Greek Cypriot side made 60,000 persons citizens saying that they were Pontus Greeks, but the world's eyes were on TRNC, adding that ''those who support Annan plan tell lies to the world. They tell lies as if passports were given to 50,000 persons who came from Turkey by ferry. They even drew the cartoon of that in a newspaper. They told that elections would not be held properly. Why? Because they understood that they would lose the elections. They saw that the people would not be deceived by Annan plan and EU carrot.''
Denktas said that those who told till today that Annan plan had to be adopted as it was, changed their discourse saying that it had to be amended and negotiations were needed for its amendment.
Noting that Alvaro De Soto, the former special envoy of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan confessed that he was mistaken about the property issue, Denktas said that ''when he told that, the whole basis of the plan disappeared. Nothing can be sorted out in Cyprus issue without sorting out the property issue. This can only be done through barter and compensation.''
Denktas said that he was the representative of those who supported the state and the motherland, adding that the percent of those who told that was 80-90 percent.
Denktas stated that if Annan plan was accepted, many conflicts about only the property issue would come out and years would be needed to solve them, 100,000 persons would be forced to leave their homes, 80,000 Greek Cypriots would come to the north, economic life would totally cease, and many students who studied in TRNC universities would not come from Turkey anymore.
''We try to save the independence and integrity of TRNC, we will do that by the help of God and the power of the Turkish nation,'' said Denktas.
(ÖŞ-AÖ) 27.10.2003