LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas said on Saturday that he believed that unless a solution was reached on property issue which was among sine qua non conditions of Turkish side, people would say 'no' in the referendum.
Denktas received French Ambassador in Greek Cypriot side Haselin de la Toudupin at Democrat Party (DP) headquarters.
Sources from DP quoted Serdar Denktas as saying in the meeting that United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan would revise his plan, which would be taken as a basis for a possible solution on the island, for the last time. In the meeting, Denktas expressed hope that Annan would revise the plan by taking into consideration ''sine qua non conditions.''
Denktas said that he believed that unless a solution was reached on property issue which was among sine qua non conditions of Turkish side, people would cast a negative vote in the referendum.
Serdar Denktas expressed thought that Turkish Cypriot people could change their negative views on the synchronous referenda to take place in both sides on the island only if sine qua non conditions were accepted.
Stating that property issue concerned not only Turkish Cypriot people but also all foreign people who settled in Cyprus, Denktas said that this issue was not made clear in the Annan plan, but they expected Annan to make it clear this time.
TRNC and Greek Cypriot side started Cyprus negotiations on February 19 to find a fair and lasting solution to Cyprus issue till May 1 on the basis of Annan plan.
If sides fail to reach a solution till March 22, a quartet conference will take place among TRNC, Greek Cypriot side, Turkey and Greece.
U.N. Secretary General Annan will fill in the blanks left in the plan if participants can't reach any compromise in quartet meetings, and the text to be formed at the end of all these initiatives will be voted in referenda to be held synchronously in the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides on April 20.
TRNC President Denktas announced on Wednesday that he would not go to Switzerland to join the four-party conference which would be held as a part of ongoing Cyprus negotiations.
(EÖ-BRC) 21.03.2004