Denktas: Parties Has Left Final Word To Annan

LEFKOSA - Parties had left the final word to United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan under pressure, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said on Wednesday.
Denktas told a press conference that parties to Cyprus issue were making their final bargaining in ongoing Cyprus negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland.
''Unfortunately, we have left the final word to Annan as usual and under pressure,'' Denktas said.
Denktas noted that more than 60 thousand people would have to leave their places and many Greek Cypriots would start to live among Turkish Cypriots after an agreement was reached on the island.
All those issues were issues to be discussed, Denktas stated.
Denktas said that they would make an evaluation according to the result of the ongoing Cyprus negotiations.
The U.N. was never using a method that was used in anywhere in the world for Cyprus, Denktas noted.
Denktas said that the Greek Cypriots started Cyprus issue in 1963 and efforts of the Greek Cypriots to possess whole Cyprus under a false title still continued.
The problems occurring in negotiations in Switzerland stemmed from insistence of the Greek Cypriots to possess whole Cyprus, Denktas pointed out.
Denktas said that he was holding a press conference today due to the ''attitude'' of European Union (EU) Commissioner for enlargement Guenter Verheugen, who was also in Switzerland, ''in favor of Greek Cypriots.''
Verheugen had assumed a rude and undiplomatic attitude, Denktas said.
Denktas went on saying, ''he shouted at our people as if threatening Turkish side by saying that 'you are not right, you are unjust to rights of the Greek Cypriots', a move which did not fit diplomacy. And, again, he showed his Turkish enmity which we have witnessed for many times before.''
Noting that Verheugen made some promises of issue of primary law, Denktas said that promises made so far had not been kept.
Denktas noted, ''our jurists has well set how the primary law can be. And, we sent a document on this issue to Switzerland.''
TRNC President Denktas said that unless promises of issue of primary law were not kept, rights granted to Turkish Cypriots would be invalid.
Noting that there was an atmosphere as if everything related with that vital and important issue had been settled, Denktas said that it was not true.
Denktas stated that the Greek Cypriots rejected to Turkish demands that Turkish soldiers should continue to stay in the island after Turkey became an EU member.
Parties would see how Annan would shape up his plan tomorrow, Denktas said.
Denktas noted that the international arena was against Turkish Cypriots' views and everybody was trying to make Turkish Cypriots a minority in a ''Greek Cypriot republic.''
Stating that a television channel broadcast the constitution of the Turkish Cypriot side on the negotiation table, Denktas said, ''we haven't presented such a constitution. We gave them the constitution of TRNC and we wrote a letter in which we listed steps we can take and how adjustment can be made. Therefore, we haven't seen and accepted the constitution in front of them. We haven't yet seen hundreds of laws. They are trying to make our friends pass them quickly.''
Denktas said, ''we have never seen an effort anywhere in the world to quickly bring together two disputed parties without settling substantial issues and by leaving aside the property issue which can incite the row. I hope that Annan is also astonished at this course.''
Annan had given reports in the past that ''parties had almost eliminated differences between themselves and had almost agreed,'' Denktas stated.
Denktas said that TRNC had continuously warned people of such misevaluation.
Stating that two parties were totally different from each other, Denktas said that Annan had been called to Cyprus hastily.
Denktas added that parties had been called to Switzerland hastily this time although there were still many issues to be discussed.
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