De Soto: Possibility Of Reaching A Solution In Cyprus Talks Is Getting Lower As Time Passes

ANKARA - United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan`s Special Envoy to Cyprus Alvaro De Soto said late on Friday that possibility of reaching a solution in Cyprus talks was getting lower as time passed.
De Soto met with Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal and other Foreign Ministry bureaucrats.
Following his meetings, De Soto told reporters that he and Foreign Ministry officials reviewed all issues taken up in Cyprus talks.
De Soto said that everybody wished that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos would solve the issue between themselves.
However, De Soto noted, possibility of reaching a solution in Cyprus talks was getting lower as time passed.
De Soto recalled that United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan was pleased with the will showed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on road to a settlement in Cyprus and expressed belief that this will of Turkish government would continue.
But, De Soto said, they hoped that Greece`s support would also continue.
De Soto hoped that ``give-and-take process`` would start in talks in the following week.
Asked if he had prepared a document to present to leaders in the island, De Soto said that there was not such a document at the moment but he did not ignore such a possibility.
De Soto said that there was Annan plan on the table and sides were discussing possible changes.
Asked if models of quartet meetings were taken up, De Soto said that Annan was evaluating that issue and the issue would be discussed by Turkey and Greece when time came.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources quoted De Soto as saying that sides should start ``give-and-take process`` in Cyprus talks.
The sources said that developments in Cyprus talks, issues taken up in negotiations and Annan plan was comprehensively reviewed in the meetings with De Soto.
Turkish side expressed its views about the process in the meetings, the sources stated.
The sources noted that efforts of Turkish side for reaching a solution were stressed in the meetings while stated that De Soto was aware of those efforts.
``Quartet meetings`` would probably be held as a part of Cyprus talks, the sources pointed out.
But, the sources said, the place of those meetings was not chosen yet.
The sources said that Turkish side expressed view in the meetings that participation of political identities in quartet meetings would be more beneficial, adding that De Soto would bring that proposal to his offices.
(BRC-AY) 06.03.2004