LEFKOSA (AA) - President Mehmet Ali Talat of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has said that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan should be encouraged by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to start a new initiative for Cyprus.
Speaking on Turkish private TV channel Kanal D last night (Thursday), Talat said that Prime Minister Erdogan would meet UN Secretary General Kofi Annan during his official visit to the United States.
''UN Secretary General Kofi Annan should be encouraged by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan to start a new initiative for Cyprus. We, as the Turkish Cypriot side, are ready for that, but this doesn't mean that we will give up our rights and our determination for a settlement which will be based on the political equality of Turkish Cypriots,'' said Talat.
Referring to their meetings in Ankara yesterday (Thursday), Talat said that they believed it was necessary to have a meeting prior to Prime Minister Erdogan's visit to the United States, and they wanted to harmonize the policies and make a fine tuning if necessary. Talat said that they also focused on the things which Erdogan would tell about Cyprus during his visit to the United States.
Talat said that he expected Erdogan's visit to bring out multi-dimensional benefits, listing them as ''U.S. President Bush's increasing his support to Turkish Cypriots, start of direct flights to TRNC, UN's increasing its pressure on the Greek Cypriot side and Erdogan's voicing the fact that Turkish Cypriots are ready for a settlement on the island.''
Talat stressed that the United States could play a leading role in lifting of the blockade on Turkish Cypriots (which would speed up settlement of Cyprus issue), adding that recently the stance of the United States about Cyprus issue was more determined.
Withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from the island couldn't be a precondition for the start of Cyprus talks, said Talat.
''Withdrawal of Turkish soldiers depends on solution. If there is settlement, Turkish soldiers will anyhow withdraw. I don't know what will happen if Turkish army withdraws today,'' he said.
Talat commented that ''making the withdrawal of soldiers and transfer of properties a precondition (for talks) means that no settlement is wanted (on the island).''
When reminded of the statement of TRNC PM Ferdi Sabit Soyer who said that Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos had signed The Akritas Plan and that he should be convicted for that, Talat said that The Akritas Plan was not a plan of annihilation of Turkish Cypriots, but that of Greek Cypriots' attempt to dominate the whole island.
A genocide was committed in Cyprus whether it was a part of The Akritas Plan or not, said Talat, noting that all the men of Taskent village were killed in 1974.
(֓-MS)
2005-06-03