MILLIYET- Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the press conference held by Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Rauf Denktas at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. A summary of his column is as follows:
During a press conference held yesterday, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas attempted to respond to his critics. We understood from Denktas’ statement that Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides was invited to last week’s European Union summit in Copenhagen as ‘Cyprus’ president.’ Denktas, however, was not extended the same courtesy. He was told only to travel to Copenhagen and to sign UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s proposal before Dec. 13, last Friday, at 5:00 p.m. Denktas told of these things during the summit held two days ago at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. Denktas said that if Annan’s proposal were signed in its current form, in just 5-10 years there would be no Turks left on Cyprus, leaving the island completely in the hands of the Greek Cypriots. He added that if the formula is signed, the island would be lost, just like the Turks lost Crete. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer also made a speech expressing his support for and agreement with Denktas. During the summit, the national importance of the Cyprus issue and the importance of a coordinated policy were emphasized. As a result, negotiations on Annan’s plan are to continue with a view to revising it to protect the Turkish side’s interests and security. Denktas has previously stated that he was ready for negotiations. He reiterated this following the Copenhagen summit, and now he’s waiting for United Nations to set a date for negotiations. If the Greek Cypriot side has good will, it will agree to sit on the table, but if it refuses to do so, then the plan that was decided on before Copenhagen will be implemented in stages. The upshot will be the same even if it sits at the table bereft of a consensus. The important thing is what will happen after Feb. 28: What sort of a policy will Ankara follow? The answer of the AKP government to this question is important, not least in terms of Denktas’ bargaining power. Under previous governments, it was announced to the world that if the TRNC is ignored and the Greek Cypriot side joins the EU alone, there would be no choice but to integrate the TRNC with Turkey. The stance of the AKP government is very important. If the Greek Cypriots think, ‘We’re an EU member now, from now on it will be Turkey’s problem,’ then Ankara is expected to take a determined stance. The decisions taken at Copenhagen showed that the EU’s treatment of Turkey wouldn’t change even if we followed a complete giveaway policy. In dealing with Cyprus, this should never be forgotten. The Turkish media are currently looking for defects in Ankara and Denktas, but they should also look at the Greek Cypriot media.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION