''YOUR ALLEGATION SAYING THAT TRNC HAS CREATED NEW CITIZENS TO MANIPULATE UPCOMING ELECTIONS, ARE TOTALLY BASELESS''

LEFKOSA - President Rauf Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has said, ''European Union (EU) Commissioner Guenter Verheugen for Enlargement claimed that the TRNC has created new citizens to manipulate upcoming elections. This allegation is totally baseless.''
Releasing a written statement on Saturday, President Denktas said, ''Mr. Verheugen holds talks with leaders of opposition parties in TRNC and tells them that neither the EU nor the United Nations recognized the Turkish Cypriot state in Cyprus and its parliament. He complains that elections were overshadowed and accuses us with creating new Turkish Cypriot citizens to manipulate the elections. His claims are totally baseless.''
''Creation of new citizens depends on law no: 25/93. Verheugen implies that these news citizens would affect the elections. Actually, this claim is more baseless than the others since the list of electors in the local elections of June 30, 2002 was taken as a basis for the current number of electors. Opposition parties supported by the EU, won the local elections, and did not make any complaints about electoral rolls. Only those who reached the age of voting, and those who fulfilled the necessary requirements to vote, were added to the current electoral rolls,'' he said.
Referring to the plan of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, President Denktas said, ''this plan will disrupt rights and guarantees of the Turkish Cypriots. On the other hand, the Greek Cypriot side's unilaterally becoming a member of the EU targets to destroy equal sovereignty of the two sides in the island, and the vital balance between Turkey and Greece.''
''Verheugen enjoys saying that Turkish Cypriots were starving, they were begging on their knees and the TRNC desperately needed an agreement. In fact, I consider him a victim of Greek Cypriot propaganda. I call on him not to lose his esteem by making such ridiculous claims,'' he added.
(UK) 23.11.2003