LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas sent a letter to European Parliament President Pat Cox asking him to prevent Greek Cypriots from having two seats that were deserved by Turkish Cypriots in the European Parliament, sources said on Tuesday.
Denktas said in his letter that the only way of encouraging Greek Cypriots for solution was to tell them that Greek Cypriots did not have right to represent Turkish Cypriots.
Noting that although Greek Cypriots voted against U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan on Cyprus and Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of the plan in twin referenda on April 24, Greek Cypriots became member of the European Union (EU) and Turkish Cypriots could not gain any right for being represented in the EU, Denktas said that this situation was an example of anomaly and it could not be accepted.
Stating that election on members of the European Parliament would be held on June 13, Denktas recalled that if Annan plan had been put into practice, Turkish Cypriots would have had two of six seats of Cyprus in the European Parliament.
Denktas stressed that Greek Cypriots did not represent 200 thousand Turkish Cypriots and stated that those two seats were of Turkish Cypriots. However EU acquisition was not implemented in north of the island and Greek Cypriots would have those two seats belonging to Turkish Cypriots during a process of election, Denktas said and added that it could not be accepted.
Denktas stressed that Greek Cypriot population on the island required being represented in European Parliament only by four seats.
He added that he believed that EU should review its policies on Cyprus immediately.
(EÖ-AY) 08.06.2004