LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said on Thursday that European Union (EU) had officially notified TRNC officials that TRNC could not be given permanent derogations it wanted.
Denktas, who received Karpaz Action Committee, said that United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan should see that two sides could not meet under equal conditions yet and he should also see the intrigues.
Solution foreseen in Annan plan for property issue would push the country into a chaos, Denktas stated.
Denktas said that they wanted number of the Greek Cypriots who would come to the North of the island after an agreement was reached should be limited.
However, the EU had officially notified TRNC officials that TRNC could not be given permanent derogations (privileges) it wanted, Denktas noted.
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 that the Greek Cypriots were trying to find a pretext to end negotiations when commenting on the Greek Cypriot claim that Turkish delegation ''was not fully authorized'' to negotiate in the quartet conference taking place among TRNC, Greek Cypriot side, Turkey and Greece in Switzerland.
Bilateral talks were held for six weeks in the island and then parties went to Switzerland for the four-party conference, Denktas said.
Denktas noted that Greece did not join the quartet conference and asked to hold ''proximity talks'' in Switzerland.
Reacting to this proposals of the Greek Cypriots, Denktas said, ''if they wanted to hold proximity talks, why did we go to Switzerland? Proximity talks could also be held in the island. So, they are trying to find a pretext to interrupt negotiations.''
Noting that they wanted participants of the meeting of the European Council in Brussels to take a decisions about derogations (privileges), Denktas said that the Greek Cypriot-Greek couple wanted to make EU take a decision that ''an agreement to be reached on Cyprus should be a functional one.'' Thus, the Greek Cypriots tried to invalidate rights given to Turks, Denktas pointed out.
Denktas said, ''(Greek Cypriot leader Tassos) Papadopoulos expressed his view since the first day that the agreement to be reached on Cyprus should be functional for the Greek Cypriots. This means that rights granted to Turks are not functional in regard to administrative mechanisms laid down. That is, it should be changed in order to make it more advantageous for the Greek Cypriots. This is their intrigue. Let's see. We have been patient for years. Let's be patient for a few more days. After we see the result, we will evaluate it calmly. We will express our views both to our people and the world.''
Asked if he could change his decision not to go to Switzerland for the quartet conference if participants of the meeting of European Council took a serious and acceptable decision on derogations, Denktas said, ''we have received official information that such a decision will not come out of the spring meeting of the European Council. We insist on limitation of number of the Greek Cypriots who will come and settle in the north of the island after an agreement and permanent deployment of Turkish soldiers in the island even if Turkey joins the EU. The EU has officially notified us that there can be no permanent privileges in these issues. Therefore, the issue is not totally concluded.''
When asked about his words that ''some facts were hid from people'', Denktas said that the constitution prepared by the concerned committee was not passed from the TRNC parliament.
Denktas noted that the draft constitution foresaw end of the state. And, therefore, Denktas said, TRNC submitted the constitution in practice to the U.N. instead of the draft constitution.
If an agreement was reached on the island, TRNC would make necessary changes in some parts of the constitution in practice, Denktas said.
Noting that there was not any constitution and people would cast an affirmative vote for a non-existent constitution or a constitution prepared by Annan, Denktas said, ''in which part of the world can you see such a referendum? In which part of the world such an incident occurs? Are we a tribe in Africa? Don't we know what our people want? Did we found this state just because others would abolish it? They are saying that we are not sovereign. Isn't it a shame to tell a nation that 'it is not sovereign' and 'it is not recognized'? Countries may or may not recognize each other, but it is a shame to tell a nation that 'it isn't sovereign.' We are not sovereign; that is, all our performances since today are invalid! They are saying so. And, they want us to say 'yes' to all these. They insist on such intrigues.''
Denktas said, ''and we are telling you that the state will end, we will no more be sovereign and Turkey's guarantee will end and Cyprus will be a Greek island through EU membership in time like Crete model. This is their intrigue.''
Noting that an authorized Turkish delegation was in Switzerland to join the quartet conference, Denktas said that he was not directing the negotiation table from Cyprus.
Denktas added that he had received the draft law on referendum adopted by TRNC parliament yet.
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 were 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