LEFKOSA/ISTANBUL - President Rauf Denktas of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said a game was played to integrate Turkish Cypriots to Greek Cypriots within framework of Annan's plan.
Denktas defended that aid which was announced to be given to the TRNC would be extended on the condition if Turkish Cypriots ''don't want state and insist on sovereignty''.
Speaking to reporters before going to Istanbul late on Sunday to attend Istanbul University graduation ceremony on Monday, Denktas said that he would deliver a speech on the Cyprus issue during the graduation ceremony.
''The Cyprus issue continues to be in a dangerous situation. The danger is the conditional aid to Turkish Cypriots,'' he said.
Defending that they put forward conditions in return for aid, Denktas said, ''these conditions are no sovereignty and no state, but integration and unification with Greek Cypriots. However, we don't accept these conditions. Aid is our right and they have to keep their words. They don't tell our status in a unification with Greek Cypriots. They get used to see us as a minority in a Greek Cypriot republic.''
''Turkish Cypriots acquired their sovereignty on difficult conditions and founded their own state. They don't donate their sovereignty on the current conditions in return for such nonsense gifts.''
When he arrived in Istanbul, Denktas told reporters that the TRNC was not wanted to be a sovereign state.
''They want to see us as a community annexed to Greek Cypriots. And Annan's plan was prepared with this objective.''
When recalled of EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen's statements last week, Denktas said, ''they made promises. There has been an effort to keep those words. However, most of them do not know that their conditions are unacceptable. They say, 'you will not want sovereignty and you are not state.' This means that they want to see us as a community annexed to Greek Cypriots. And Annan's plan was prepared with this purpose. They want to annex us to Greek Cypriots as a community whose status is not clear and who are granted some rights on the paper.''
(MS-AÖ) 12.07.2004