The new president of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Mehmet Ali Talat, has applied formally to United Nations for the re-starting of Cyprus negotiations, he said on Sunday.
Talat also asked UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to appoint a special representative for Cyprus and send him to the island.
TRNC President declared Sunday to the TAK news agency that he had sent his request to Annan via the UN representative at Cyprus. “I believe that the Cyprus problem will be solved during my five years' as TRNC president," Talat said. “That's the reason why I got this post, my mission is this.”
He also said that he plans to make a first official visit to Turkey as the president of TRNC just after a vote of confidence for the new TRNC government at the Parliament scheduled for next week .
“Aside from the Cyprus negotiations, I'm also ready to contact the Greek Cypriots to find a solution to the technical, daily problems between the two sides,” Talat said.
Underlining that the most dangerous problem awaiting the Turkish Cypriot was the suits filed in Greek Cypriot courts about “the invasion of Greek properties by the Turks,” Talat said that they were preparing a new law to block such claims. “The Greek Cypriot side is trying to make the political problem into a judicial one,” the TRNC president added.