LEFKOSA - President Rauf Denktas of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not make a suggestion to him not to make more statements as talks continued.
When a journalist reminded Denktas that Erdogan made a suggestion to him not to make more statements as talks continued, and asked how he evaluated the statement, Denktas said Erdogan did not make a statement to him in this respect.
Denktas said on the first day of talks he had promised his people to announce everything day by day and that Ankara knew this, noting that there was limited time and that people began to see what Annan plan was, what it brought and what it took.
Denktas said maps would be discussed in the next stages of talks and that Annan plan would be better understood, and stated that, ''it is our assignment and responsibility to announce people what are being done day by day, our difficulties, what we have obtained and we could not obtain.''
Denktas said, ''it is the right of people to ask what we have done in case we start to speak very inaccurately about the talks. We tell the truths. Time is limited and people does not know what happens.''
Denktas said according to an agreement that would be reached on the basis of Annan plan, 24 of the 26 banks in TRNC would be closed when they access to the EU and that thousands of people would be unemployed. He said they wanted those implementations to be extended in time and that they wanted time to be given for a specific period of time.
Denktas said they also wanted special rights and protective measures in economic sense, and noted that, ''a transition period is necessary. Those mean derogation and agreement. We hope that Greek Cypriots will see this. They already considered the imbalance between the two sides. This happened because of the embargoes to a great extent. The embargoes should be lifted rapidly in case there is good will and in case they want agreement. Armament should stop in case there is good will. They should also understand that it was not right to make an invitation without an agreement saying 'Turkish Cypriots are our citizens, they may enter elections which we will enter'. Turkish Cypriots should also hear and know them and assess future according to this.''
(AY-AÖ) 25.02.2004