LEFKOSA - Serdar Denktas, Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) sent a letter to United Nations (UN) Secretary General Kofi Annan on Friday.
In his letter, Denktas said, ''I have the honor to refer to your recent statements regarding the resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus issue, and, in particular, to your call upon the Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos, to clarify in writing their rejection of your Comprehensive Settlement Plan on Cyprus. In this connection, I wish to convey our appreciation of your approach.''
''At the outset, I would like to reiterate the readiness of the Turkish Cypriot side to resume negotiations under your auspices and our determination to work in goodwill towards the final settlement of the Cyprus question. On the other hand, we share your assessment that the professed willingness of the Greek Cypriot side towards this end needs to be demonstrated not just in words but in action. As you have repeatedly pointed out, the Turkish Cypriot people voted in favor of your comprehensive settlement plan and accepted a solution on the basis of its provisions. It is now for the Greek Cypriot side to convince the world, in general, and the Turkish Cypriot side, in particular, that their overwhelming rejection was not a demonstration of their total refusal of a settlement based on power sharing and equality,'' he said.
Stressing that the Greek Cypriot side should put its final comments in writing and clarify its objections to your plan in order to provide for a solid assessment of the way forward, Denktas said, ''this would be an important step in the right direction if the Greek Cypriot leadership is truly sincere in resuming negotiations with a view to reaching a mutually acceptable settlement.''
''As I have already stated, your unequivocal efforts aimed at resuming the negotiations on a genuine basis as well as ensuring that the Greek Cypriot side shall display the necessary political will towards a successful outcome, are most welcome. As the Turkish Cypriot side, we firmly believe that your call on the Greek Cypriot side deserves the support of all those who sincerely desire a speedy political settlement in Cyprus. It is in this spirit that I have personally started meeting the resident Ambassadors of the Security Council member states in Cyprus and conveying our foregoing views in support of your position. My initiatives towards urging the Security Council members to extend their active backing to you your efforts shall continue,'' he said.
Denktas added, ''I only hope that the Greek Cypriot leadership realizes before long that the only way to solve the Cyprus question is to compromise under UN auspices for a mutually beneficial settlement and starts cooperation towards that end. As the Turkish Cypriot people and leadership, our proven conviction is this regard continues and we stand ready to extend the necessary contribution to a mutually acceptable agreement baser on the principles of bi-zonality, political equality and power sharing. It would simply be unfair, however, to expect the Turkish Cypriot people to indefinitely await a resolution and be committed to an uncertain future under the all-out reactions that have been weighing so heavily on their political, economic and social life until the Greek Cypriot side deems the time ripe for dictating its terms for the settlement of the Cyprus issue.''