Ertugruloglu: It Is Not Possible To Accept U.N. Plan With Its Existing Form

ANKARA - TRNC Foreign and Defense Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu said on Friday that it is not possible to accept the U.N.'s Cyprus plan with its existing form, adding that indexing the Cyprus process to EU time table is not also pleasant.
Responding to questions of journalists following the meeting held in Foreign Ministry about Cyprus, Ertugruloglu said that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan asked both sides in Cyprus to convey their concerns about the plan and noted that he is in Turkey to undertake that study and the study continues.
When asked if a response would be given until Saturday, Ertugruloglu said that the study may not be completed until Saturday. ''U.N. also told us that this is not that important, too. There is no such thing that U.N. would not accept our response if we tell it after Nov. 30. We try to complete the study as soon as possible.''
When reminded about the views telling that the situation could get more complicated if Greek Cypriot side also conveys its uneasiness, TRNC Foreign Minister said that the sides' conveying their concerns in a sincere way is very natural. ''It is not possible to accept the document with this form,'' he said, noting that he finds positive this request of Annan.
When asked about the objections of Turkish side, Ertugruloglu said that Turkish Cypriot side can't first of all accept the map included in the plan, listing the objections in the issues of ''sovereignty, property, continuation of active Turkey's guarantee and other issues related to that.''
Asked if there was a difference in points of view of AK Party government and TRNC, Ertugruloglu said, ''such a thing has never occurred and will never occur. A common case is being defended and TRNC and Turkish governments have always acted in a full compromise and will continue to do so from now on.''
When asked if a result would be reached till Copenhagen summit, Ertugruloglu said that the Greek Cypriot administration had some objections about this issue and went on saying, ''I personally regard indexing this process carried out under the auspices of the U.N. on EU schedule as strange. It is not a pleasant thing to press on us to solve the question 'till this or that date' by indexing a struggle which has lasted for many years on a certain EU schedule.''
When he was reminded about the proposal of AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to consider Cyprus question, Turkey's EU membership and ESDP as a package, Ertugruloglu said, ''of course, issues are evaluated in the direction of one's own interests in the real world of politics and there is a politics to link one issue with other issues. This is being taken up in a general frame. We continue to defend our case in the direction of our rightful interests and we maintain our defense policy. Every country pursues the same policy and to this end, I don't see any danger.''
Responding to a question if he agreed with views that U.N. plan did not enable making many changes, Ertugruloglu said that he did not agree with that view and that they had the right to bring onto the agenda their objections in the direction of the main principles of their policy.
Ertugruloglu said, ''we do not believe that one has the right to determine the number of the concerns. We will continue to defend and keep our main policy on the agenda.''
Asked if TRNC President Rauf Denktas joined the meeting through phone conversation, Ertugruloglu said that they regularly continued their contacts with Denktas.