LEFKOSA - President Mehmet Ali Talat of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) left for Strasbourg on Tuesday to address general assembly meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Talat is expected to meet President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Yavuz Mildon and later meet Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis.
Talat will also meet Lluis Maria de Puig, the Chairman of PACE.
TRNC President will meet Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg on Wednesday morning and will deliver a speech on Cyprus problem at 10.00 local time in PACE HQ.
Talat will meet European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) President Jean Paul Costa and later leave for TRNC.
Greek Cypriot Leader Demetris Christofias will make a speech on September 30th.
Talat will be the first President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to ever adress PACE General Assembly.
PACE allowed TRNC to attend its General Assembly meetings with observer status, after Greek Cypriots' rejection of the Annan plan in twin referendums.
The two leaders launched extensive talks on September 11th marking the beginning of a new process aiming at finding a permanent solution to the Cyprus problem.
They had two meetings since where they discussed how a proposed federation would be governed, taking up the issue of administration and power-sharing.
Talat and Christofias will meet again on October 10th and continue talks.
--HISTORY OF THE CYPRUS ISSUE--
Cyprus joined the EU as a divided island when Greek Cypriots in the South rejected the UN reunification plan in twin referendums in 2004 even though the Turkish Cypriots in the North overwhelmingly supported it. The promise made by EU foreign ministers before the referendums to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and establish direct trade with North Cyprus remains unfulfilled.
Gaining independence from the UK in 1960, Cyprus became a bi-communal Republic where Greek and Turkish Cypriot constituent communities would share power guaranteed by the UK, Turkey and Greece. However, reluctant to share power and pursuing a policy of Enosis (Union) with Greece, Greek Cypriots soon expelled Turkish Cypriots from power and terrorised and ghettoised them.
Decades long armed attacks on the defenceless Turkish Cypriots culminated in 1974 when an Athens-backed Greek Cypriot military coup on the island led to Turkey's military intervention. Although the Republic of Cyprus as described in the 1959 agreements is no longer there, Greek Cypriots continue to enjoy this title and international recognition while the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a fully democratic government representing Turkish Cypriots, still suffers under an unfair political and economic blockade.
(AY-AÖ)
GEN