Talat: Change Has Started

LEFKOSA - The status quo could not continue and change had started, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said on Wednesday.
Talat told a press conference that everybody should contribute to the process of change for a painless change.
Noting that the situation would change in Cyprus whether the result of the simultaneous referenda to take place in the island on April 24 was ''yes'' or ''no'', Talat said that change would be easier if more people voted ''yes'' to the United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan in the referenda.
Talat stated that Cyprus was experiencing important days and campaigns had been launched for and against the simultaneous referenda.
His party Republican Turkish Party (CTP) decided to vote ''yes'' in the referendum in its meeting held last night, Talat recalled.
Talat said that efforts for a solution in the island continued and called on everybody to be calm in the propaganda process.
Annan plan was not a plan which they had longed for, Talat stated. But, he said, they had contributed to preparation of the plan.
Talat pointed out that Annan plan was turned into a plan which attached importance to problems of the two sides in the island.
Noting that the plan foresaw political equality and it was turned into a plan which could be voted ''yes'', Talat expressed hope that majority of his people would cast an affirmative vote to the plan.
Talat said that TRNC had prepared the list of 45 thousand TRNC citizens of Turkish Republic origin which the U.N. wanted.
The list included everybody who became TRNC citizen after 1974, Talat said and noted that nobody should worry.
Talat said that the number of Turkish citizens who married Cypriot people was 11 thousand and this number was excluded from the list including 45 thousand TRNC citizens with Turkish Republic origin.
This list will be submitted to the U.N. on April 10, Talat stated.
Talat said that those lists would be kept by the U.N. Secretary General and would be issued in the first official gazette of the ''United Cyprus Republic'' in case an agreement was reached on the island.
Then, they could object to those lists within three months, Talat pointed out.
Talat said that he did not even want to think about the situation if the Greek Cypriots voted ''no'' to the plan and noted that they should try to convince the Greek Cypriots to say ''yes'' to the plan.
Announcing that as the prime minister, he would be the first to visit political parties in the Greek Cypriot side, Talat said that CTP would try to persuade the Greek Cypriots to vote ''yes'' to the plan in the simultaneous referenda.
Delegations from TRNC, Greek Cypriot side, Turkey and Greece held Cyprus negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland from March 24 to 31 in order to find a fair and lasting solution to Cyprus issue till May 1 on the basis of Annan plan.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis also joined the negotiations as of March 29.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan presented his final plan to the parties on March 31.
The final plan will be put to separate simultaneous referenda in Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot sides in the island on April 24.
STATEMENTS OF TURKISH GOVERNMENT AND NSC ENCOURAGING
Recent statements of Turkish government and National Security Council (NSC) were encouraging, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said on Wednesday.
Talat held a press conference in which he recalled that NSC gave the responsibility about Cyprus issue to Turkish government and said that NSC's decision was right and contemporary.
Stating that he had not read whole of United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan, including annexes, yet, Talat said that ''the constitutions of United Cyprus Republic, Turkish Cypriot constituent state and Greek Cypriot constituent state, and the main text of the plan were important.''
Talat noted that Annan plan was translated into Turkish and the constitution of the Turkish Cypriot constituent state prepared by the U.N. was still being translated into Turkish.
Upon a question saying that U.N. prepared the constitution of the Turkish Cypriot constituent state, Talat said that TRNC President Rauf Denktas, who did not present the draft constitution to the U.N., was responsible for it.
Talat stated that some positive changes were made to the draft constitution during negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland.
Everybody supported their efforts for a solution in the island, Talat said.
Talat pointed out that government partner Democrat Party (DP) and TRNC Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas had significant contributions to betterment of the plan.
He would be sorry if DP decided to vote ''no'' to the plan in the simultaneous referenda to be held in both sides in the island on April 24, Talat said.
Talat pointed out that he did not think that DP would have a negative approach to Annan plan.
In case DP decided to vote ''yes'' to the plan, they could take a government decision on casting an affirmative vote to the plan, Talat said.
Talat noted that officials of map, housing and title deed departments were working on situation of those who would change their places under the plan.
Officials informed him and Serdar Denktas about their work, Talat said.
Talat said that the project on those who would change their places should be completed till August.
The project which also foresaw rehabilitation program necessitated 3.8 billion U.S. dollars, Talat noted.
Talat said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank thought it was a high cost and stated that they would also ask views of people who would change their places.
He would meet with Annan's Special Envoy to Cyprus Alvaro de Soto at CTP headquarters in the afternoon, Talat stated.
Talat noted that De Soto wanted to meet him, adding that there were many issues to discuss.
Delegations from TRNC, Greek Cypriot side, Turkey and Greece held Cyprus negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland from March 24 to 31 in order to find a fair and lasting solution to Cyprus issue till May 1 on the basis of Annan plan.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis also joined the negotiations as of March 29.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan presented his final plan to the parties on March 31.
The final plan will be put to separate simultaneous referenda in Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot sides in the island on April 24.
(BRC-AY) 07.04.2004