LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said on Thursday that peace could not be made by force.
Denktas, who received Karpaz Action Committee, said that motherland and territory of people who protect their lands and places could not be disseized by a plan prepared by others.
TRNC President Denktas said that United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan should understand that peace could not be restored in the island by a forced agreement.
Denktas noted, ''this is not a remedy. This is an imposition. And, we hope peace will be ensured at the end of all these initiatives. But, we are at the same time feared that chaos and conflicts will erupt again.''
Some circles had an intrigue to make Cyprus a Greek island through the European Union (EU) like Crete model, Denktas stated and asked everybody to stand firm on his/her feet.
Denktas said that it was the people who would make the final decision on the future of Cyprus.
If changes demanded by TRNC were not made in the Annan plan and if Turkish Cypriot people cast an affirmative vote in the referendum, they would accept to live in a Greek Cypriot republic, Denktas noted.
Denktas pointed out that they had received official information that permanent derogation would not come out of the EU.
Noting that EU wanted temporary derogation, Denktas said that they wanted permanent derogation.
If the principle of bizonality is to be effective in Cyprus within the EU, a permanent derogation on freedom of movement and settlement in Cyprus would have to be part of EU law, and it will need to exclude mainland Greeks as well as Greek Cypriots, the Turkish side insists, noting that it will have to be for the two peoples themselves, not the EU by some arbitrary time limit or pre-arranged mechanism, to decide when that derogation is no longer needed.
Denktas pointed out TRNC also wanted Turkey's efficient and de facto guarantee to continue and deployment of Turkish soldiers in the island after Turkey became EU member.
The Greek Cypriots ''tried to find a pretext to interrupt negotiations'' in Switzerland, Denktas stated.
Addressing Annan, Denktas said, ''if the Secretary General doesn't see these intrigues and if he can't understand that two sides are not prepared to meet under equal conditions yet, and if he can't see that peace can't be ensured in the island by a forced agreement, and if they aren't aware that they are about to cause chaos in the island due to property issue, he and others will continue to insist that an agreement can be reached through the earlier set Cyprus road map.''
Denktas added, ''we have talked to the Greek Cypriots. They also think so. This is not a remedy. This is an imposition. And, we hope peace will be ensured at the end of all these initiatives. But, we are at the same time feared that chaos and conflicts will erupt again.''
TRNC and Greek Cypriot side started Cyprus negotiations in the island on February 19 in order to find a fair and lasting solution to Cyprus issue before May 1 on the basis of Annan plan.
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.
The quartet conference was expected to start in Buergenstock, Switzerland on Wednesday. However, the four-party meeting did not take place among delegations from TRNC, Greek Cypriot side, Turkey and Greece in Buergenstock on the first day of the quartet conference.
Delegations did not hold any bilateral meeting either.
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has said that the four-party Cyprus talks would start on Friday evening after the European Union (EU) spring-term summit in Brussels. Denktas added that they had done nothing, but wasted time in Buergenstock so far.
Meetings to be held as a part of the quartet Cyprus conference was limited only with the meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and his Greek counterpart Petros Moliviatis, and separate meetings between United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy to Cyprus Alvaro de Soto with Gul and Moliviatis.
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.
(BRC-AÖ) 25.03.2004