CTP LEADER TALAT: ''WE EXPECT UBP TO GIVE ANSWER TILL MONDAY''

LEFKOSA - Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Mehmet Ali Talat said that they expected National Unity Party (UBP) to give an answer by Monday.
CTP Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting under the chairmanship of Talat ended on Saturday evening. The letter which was sent on Friday evening from UBP to CTP was discussed in the meeting.
Following the meeting, Talat said that they conveyed written questions that they earlier asked verbally to UBP, and added that they would wait for UBP's answer by 11.00 local time on January 5.
Talat said that they would wait for answers of UBP to questions; ''are you ready for a government which will be formed under the chairmanship of UBP leader? Are you ready for a negotiation process which foresees a solution on the basis of Annan plan till May 1, 2004? Are you ready for the government's carrying out negotiation process?'' and stated that after they received the answer of UBP, they would be free on formation of government.
He said that according to the answer of UBP, they could meet with Democrat Party (DP) or Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) on Monday.
Stating that the letter which was sent from UBP to CTP was not serious, Talat said that CTP was not the interlocutor of the questions that UBP asked on Annan plan. He added that the interlocutor of those questions was U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and Greek Cypriot side at the negotiation level.
Noting that a common policy with Turkey should be determined on Cyprus issue, Talat said that when a study on Annan plan was being carried out in Ankara, the questions on Annan plan that UBP asked were ''inappropriate''.
Talat said that there was not any deadlock in efforts to form a new government in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and stated that they should not waste time and they would intensify their efforts to form the government as soon as possible. He added that they determined May 2004 as an accurate and real target.
Stating that they did not undervalue the option of an early election in case there was a deadlock in efforts to form the government, Talat said that UBP was exerting efforts to waste time.
''We are determined. We will exert efforts for solution of Cyprus issue. We will save Turkish Cypriot people from isolation. We will make Turkish Cypriot people European,'' he stressed.
Replying to questions of reporters, Talat said that they were expecting a positive answer from UBP, adding that if UBP did not give a positive answer, they would look for other options.
Talat added that they gave priority to a broad-based government.
EROGLU: ''WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TALAT''
Releasing a statement late on Saturday, Eroglu said, ''the letter of Talat will be assessed by the authorized organs of the UBP. According to our point of view, our citizens have given the message with the results of December 14's parliamentary elections that they wanted to reach an agreement and become a member of the European Union (EU) by protecting their rights. Therefore, we have asked some questions to CTP leader Talat before giving a positive or negative response to his proposal for a government partnership. While we were waiting for answers, we have received a letter from Talat in which he was trying to waste our time. His describing our questions as unserious is totally inappropriate.''
''The real unseriousness is Talat's attitude to flee from answering these questions about the future of Turkish Cypriot people. We will strive for fulfilling our responsibilities in this new period with a good will. Mr. Talat should immediately give up his demagogic approach and act with responsibility as a person who has been designated to form the new government of TRNC,'' he added.
(EÖ-UK) 04.01.2004