Talat Sends Letter To U.N.

NEW YORK - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat sent a letter to the United Nations (U.N.) on the Cyprus issue, sources said on Monday.
U.N. sources said that Talat sent a letter to the U.N. in return to the letter sent by the Greek Cypriots before U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan presented his new Cyprus plan to the parties in the ongoing Cyprus negotiations in Switzerland.
Delegations from TRNC, Greek Cypriot side, Turkey and Greece are in Buergenstock, Switzerland to join the quartet conference held to find a fair and lasting solution to Cyprus issue before May 1.
U.N. sources said that two letters sent by Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos to the U.N. in order to involve the Security Council in the negotiations and to get support to their own thesis on the issue of migrants angered Annan.
U.N. diplomatic sources noted that Papadopoulos later sent a letter to France, the President of the Security Council, to be submitted to the members of the Council, asking the members to support the Greek Cypriot thesis on ''territory to be transferred to the U.N. before an agreement was reached on the island.''
Annan was angry at letters sent by the Greek Cypriot side in order to involve the Security Council in the process as negotiations continued in Switzerland, U.N. sources said.
U.N. sources stated that Talat sent letters to the Security Council and the presidency of the General Assembly in return to letters sent by the Greek Cypriot side.
In his letter, Talat recalled that it was the negotiation table, not the Security Council where all issues concerning Cyprus would be discussed at the moment.
European Union (EU) diplomatic sources also said that letters sent to the U.N. by the Greek Cypriot side were very meaningless and needless and noted that the Greek Cypriots ''could not achieve their target'' and thus, ''their letters caused reactions.''
EU sources stated that high rate of votes in favor of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, namely Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in local elections ''could be considered that Turkish people supported policy of the Turkish government towards Cyprus issue'' and commented that Erdogan ''was coming to Buergenstock to join the four-party Cyprus conference more influentially.''
TRNC and Greek Cypriot side started negotiations on February 19 to find a fair and lasting solution to Cyprus issue till May 1 on the basis of Annan plan.
According to Cyprus negotiations road map, 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.
Delegations from TRNC, Greek Cypriot side, Turkey and Greece are trying to reach compromise on several issues in ongoing negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to fly to Switzerland later in the day to join the negotiations.
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) 29.03.2004