NEW YORK - U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Friday that he would assess the situation in Cyprus issue following the two sides' not reaching an agreement about Cyprus in Copenhagen.
Responding to questions of journalists, Annan said that he was not in a position to say who was responsible for not reaching a success.
''I hope the work that has been done will not be wasted and that the people of Cyprus - both Turkish and Greeks - will see an advantage in pursuing this effort and bringing it to a fruitful conclusion. At this stage I haven't determined to go to the U.N. Security Council to seek endorsement for the revised solution plan,'' he said.
''I wouldn't call it a collapse. But I think we will assess where we are and then see how we move forward, so I wouldn't say it has collapsed. We haven't got an agreement. We were very close to a solution and I was very hopeful that we could get an agreement. I think we need to take stock, reassess, analyze what happened and decide how we move forward,'' Annan said.
U.N. Spokesman Fred Eckhard said in another news conference the same day that ''U.N. Secretary General's special envoy Alvaro De Soto carried out a busy shuttle diplomacy in Copenhagen between 12-13 December, but unfortunately it has been understood that reaching a compromise was not possible. The proposals of Annan dated Dec. 10 are still on the table.'' Eckhard said that ''both sides informed us that they had the resolution to continue negotiations.'' He said that the opportunity will continue to exist until Feb. 28, adding if this is the case, the united Cyprus will join the EU.
Eckhard said De Soto would come to New York on Saturday and inform Annan about the developments.
DENKTAS: NEGOTIATIONS WILL CONTINUE
TRNC President Rauf Denktas said on Friday that there is no agreement about Cyprus in Copenhagen, adding that the sides conveyed their will to continue negotiations.
Speaking to Bayrak tv channel in TRNC, Denktas said that De Soto would return to New York from Copenhagen and that De Soto confirmed that Annan's plan was unacceptable by Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides.
''There is no such thing that the document will be signed,'' Denktas said, adding that they told that they were ready for negotiations with Greek Cypriots.
Denktas said that ''if our rights, equality, sovereignty, territory, state is accepted, a new parthership is set up and if the rights of Turkey on Cyprus continue, we are ready to help in the entering of Cyprus to the EU...We are ready to negotiate as two states. We said and we continue to say that we are ready to negotiate as two sovereign states and to step up a new partnership.''
Denktas said that north of the island should also be admitted to the EU for joining of the whole Cyprus to EU, adding that seperate contacts should be held with Turkish Cypriots, the embargoes have to be lifted and that the economy of the Turkish Cypriot side with the Greek Cypriot side has to be balanced.
Denktas said that they are ready to continue negotiations on the basis of two states in order to reach a sound agreement.
Referring to the statement of Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, Denktas said that the Cyprus problem didn't constitute an impediment for Turkey's EU membership.
Denktas stressed that they are on the right way and they favoured reaching a point by bargains and negotiations, adding that ''there is no such thing as the division of the people. How can our people be divided? Does not it want its state, won't it claim ownership on its sovereignty? Or will it join the EU as being the minority of Greek Cypriots and end the 400-year Turkish life? We must think about these.''