LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said that people should not offend each other during the process of referendum which would be held on April 24.
Denktas left Lefkosa for Istanbul where he will give a conference.
Prior to his departure, Denktas told reporters that it was unacceptable to ask three-four questions one inside the other in referendum in regard to law and justice and stated that British lawyers told him that if a case was to open on such an issue in Europe, asking whether or not such a referendum was valid, it would be decided that such a referendum was not valid and referendum was annulled.
Stating that they could not do it and they had to accept unavoidable referendum in New York, he said, ''people should not forget that issues in favor of our people in the plan were mentioned in this plan thanks to our efforts and work. Our friends made better some issues as a result of their work in Switzerland.''
Denktas said that despite all improvements in the plan, approval of the plan would make people suffer especially from property issue and noted that Turkish Cypriot people would have status of migrant.
Stating that the administrative system was very complicated, and they were given less rights than rights in 1960 and map was not corrected, Denktas said that people should not put pressure on Turkish Cypriot people by saying that 'they should approve this plan as May 1 was very important'.
He stated that permanent derogations that they wanted were not mentioned in the plan either.
Denktas stressed that even Greek Cypriot experts said that there would be seven years of regression in economy in Cyprus when it became a member of the European Union (EU).
''Nobody should live with such fake hopes. We want to progress further and we can do it. But we should not do this by sacrificing the existing thing. We should go further by protecting and strengthening the existing thing,'' he noted.
Stating that people saw that better things happened in Switzerland with also participation of Turkey, Denktas said that if he had signed the Annan plan immediately, a worse plan would have been accepted.
''We are talking about our destiny. Everyone will determine his destiny 20 days later. When people cast their vote, they should think that it is not only my destiny, but destiny of Turkish Cypriot people,'' he said.
Denktas will return to TRNC on Tuesday.
(EÖ-AÖ) 05.04.2004