T.R.N.C. Foreign Minister Says President Denktas Will Be Harmed If He Directs Votes Of His People On U.N. Plan

LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas would be harmed if he directed votes of his people on United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan for a comprehensive settlement on Cyprus, TRNC Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas said late on Friday.
Denktas told reporters that his party Democrat Party (DP) decided not to influence its members to vote either ''yes'' or ''no'' to the U.N. plan in the simultaneous referenda to be held in TRNC and Greek Cypriot side on April 24.
''President Denktas will be harmed in any case if I direct you to vote ''yes'' or ''no'' to the plan. If I call on my people to say ''no'' to the plan, they will say 'President Denktas behaved egoistically and pressed on his son.' If I call on my people to say ''yes'' to the plan, they will accuse my father of 'not being able to make his words be listened.' Therefore, it is not possible for me to assume any attitude towards Annan plan in the current conjuncture,'' Denktas said.
Denktas added, ''a new period will start in Cyprus whatever the result of the referendum will be. Nothing will be the same after the simultaneous referenda to be held in the island.''
Delegations of TRNC, Turkey, Greek Cypriot side and Greece held Cyprus negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland between March 24 and 31. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis joined these negotiations from March 29 and 31.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan presented his final plan to parties at the end of these negotiations on March 31.
This plan will be put to simultaneous referenda in TRNC and Greek Cypriot side on April 24.
(BRC) 17.04.2004