Denktas: What Is Essential Is To Reach An Agreement Accepted By Two Sides

LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said on Tuesday that what was essential was to reach an agreement on Cyprus which could be accepted by the two sides in the island.
Denktas told reporters that a possible agreement to be reached on the island should not bring back days between 1963 and 1974.
March 31 was the final day of ongoing Cyprus negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland, Denktas pointed out.
Denktas said, ''we expect our friends to make their own evaluations. As we learn their views, we will make our own evaluations and inform you about developments. What is essential is to reach an agreement on Cyprus which can be accepted by the two sides and which will not bring back days between 1963 and 1974. Our friends are trying to reach such an agreement. We hope they will succeed. If they succeed, we will be pleased. Otherwise, we will continue to protect our state.''
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 till May 1 on the basis of Annan plan.
According to the Cyprus negotiation 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 in their negotiations held in the island.
Delegations from TRNC and Greek Cypriot side will try to reach compromise on several issues in the quartet Cyprus conference to be held in Buergenstock, Switzerland till March 31 with the participation of delegations from guarantor powers Turkey and Greece headed by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Caramanlis.
Erdogan flew to Switzerland to join the negotiations on Monday. It was impossible for Turkey to make concessions of sine qua non conditions in Cyprus although Turkey had a Cyprus policy aiming at ''solution in the island'', Erdogan told a news conference before he left Turkey for Switzerland.
Annan presented his revised plan to the parties in Buergenstock on Monday and asked them to give their views on the new Cyprus plan by Tuesday morning and to say their final word on the text on Wednesday. The text consisted of 9,000 pages including annexes and the Foundation Agreement. Draft plan also covered the draft act of adaptation arranging United Cyprus Republic's accession to the European Union (EU)
During the ceremony held to present the revised plan to the parties, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said that he took into consideration Turkish Cypriot side's sensitivity on bi-zonality during preparation of the last version of Cyprus plan and stated that it would be seen that the draft plan was developed in regard to preserving the identity of Turkish Cypriots.
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-AY) 30.03.2004