BUERGENSTOCK - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul spoke with U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell by phone and asked him to extend support to the Turkish side in order to help them meet its expectations in the ongoing Cyprus negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.
Diplomatic sources said that Gul and Powell talked about the recent stage of Cyprus negotiations.
The same sources quoted Gul as saying that Turkish side started the negotiation process with good will and as noting that it would maintain the same good will.
Gul asked Powell to help Turkish side meet its expectations in ongoing Cyprus negotiations, the same sources stated.
Meanwhile, Gul met with his Greek counterpart Petros Molyviatis.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (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 United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan's 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.
Today is the final day of Cyprus negotiations held among delegations from TRNC, Greek Cypriot side, guarantor powers Turkey and Greece headed by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis. Buergenstock talks started on March 24.
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.
Our only target at Cyprus negotiations is to reach a positive result with a ''win-win'' understanding, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis and Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis had a meeting later on Tuesday in Swiss resort of Buergenstock where Cyprus talks continue.
Annan is expected to submit final shape of his Cyprus plan to sides later on Wednesday while he is not expected to make very important changes in his plan.
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) 31.03.2004