LEFKOSA - President Rauf Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has said that the United Nations should make a new assessment and postpone the referendum, which was scheduled to be held in the island on April 24, 2004.
When recalled by journalists that Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos had called on his people to say ''no'' to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan, President Denktas said, ''the United Nations should make an assessment. I think that this the end of the process.''
''For what will they resort to referendum? Both Papadopoulos and I have decided not to sign the plan. Is it peace to postpone a fight after May 1 under the name of peace? They will put intransigence to vote in the referendum. The Greek Cypriot side says, 'we will become a member of the European Union a week later. Why should we make such a sacrifice? We should protect our state.' And, don't we have the right to protect our state either?'' he said.
''We should think well. Is it peace or postponing the fight to the future saying yes to settlement of Greek Cypriots among us?
When asked, ''can referendum be postponed?'' President Denktas said, ''if the United Nations thinks reasonably, it will postpone the referendum and continue negotiation process. Because, they prevented us from holding sufficient negotiations. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy to Cyprus Alvaro de Soto sat at the negotiating table. We exchanged documents, and we see that he made fun of us. They said they would do whatever they wanted to do regardless of what we said. Papadopoulos is right. They did not let us discuss the issue. They put whatever they thought on the table. They deceived us by making some small changes and they invited us to referendum. Because they are thinking that the problem will be solved if people accept the plan in the referendum. No, the problem will start then. They are putting intransigence instead of compromise to vote in referendum. It is impossible not to see that. I hope they will make a reevaluation.''
(UK-AÖ) 08.04.2004