BUERGENSTOCK - The planned bilateral meeting between the Turkish Cypriot and the Greek Cypriot delegations on Wednesday was cancelled due to arguments over authorization.
Diplomatic sources told the A.A correspondent on Wednesday that United Nations officials had conveyed the Greek Cypriot side's uneasiness over the purview of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) delegation to the Turkish delegation.
The Greek Cypriot side advocates that Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat of TRNC was authorized to hold talks, but he was unauthorized to take any decision.
In response, Turkish diplomatic sources said that Prime Minister Talat had full authority in accordance with the TRNC Constitution, stressing that in addition to this, TRNC President Rauf Denktas had given the letter of authority written by the United Nations to Prime Minister Talat.
PARTIES TO MEET AT DINNER TO TAKE PLACE AS A PART OF QUARTET CYPRUS CONFERENCE
Diplomatic sources said that Turkish Cypriot, Greek Cypriot, Turkish and Greek delegations would meet at a dinner which would also be attended by United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy to Cyprus Alvaro De Soto.
The sources noted that the dinner would start at 10.00 p.m.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, who is in Burgenstock, will leave for Brussels to attend European Union (EU) summit on Thursday.
TRNC and Greek Cypriot side started Cyprus negotiations to find a fair and lasting solution to Cyprus issue till May 1 on the basis of Annan plan.
Two sides continued negotiations till March 22 and tried to reach compromise on as many issues as they could.
According to Cyprus negotiations schedule, two sides were expected to attend a quartet conference together with guarantor powers Turkey and Greece after March 22 to discuss issues on which they could not reach any compromise.
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.
(AA) 24.03.2004