LEFKOSA - Parties had neither given nor taken anything in the ongoing Cyprus negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland so far, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said on Wednesday.
Denktas told a press conference that parties were making their final bargaining in Switzerland.
Pointing out that he did not comment on the negotiations as they continued in Switzerland, Denktas said that Turkish delegation who was in Buergenstock to join negotiations had worked responsibly to better conditions of United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan.
Denktas noted that he was in continuous contact with the Turkish Cypriot negotiator delegation.
''But, such news are coming from Switzerland that Turkish world is overjoyed that 'everything is going well, and we have achieved what we want.' This is a deceiving approach. Challenging negotiations and bargaining will continue till this evening. We have neither taken nor given anything so far,'' Denktas said.
Denktas went on saying, ''the Greek Cypriots are refusing everything we want and everything that is shown by the media as 'taken' by the Turkish Cypriot side. Therefore, we have not taken anything. We will see how Annan will place all these issues in his plan after tomorrow. We will see after tomorrow what has been given or will be given to the Greek Cypriots in return for rights given to us.''
Comparing European Union (EU) Commissioner for enlargement Guenter Verheugen to ''a Nazi sergeant'', Denktas said that ''Verheugen was behaving rudely, his behaviors did not fit diplomacy, and he wanted his people to learn Verheugen's attitude.''
Denktas stated that Turkey and Greece had not agreed on guarantees and discussions on guarantees had stopped.
They were face to face with a method which had never been seen in the world before, Denktas said.
Denktas noted that Annan was deceived and both sides were totally different from each other.
TRNC delegation which was joining negotiations in Switzerland was not authorized to sign any document, Denktas added.
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 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 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.
Kofi Annan is expected to meet with TRNC Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan later in the day.
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