ANKARA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu came to Ankara on Thursday to attend symposiums and panel discussions.
Eroglu will make a speech at a symposium on Cyprus issue to be held by Turkish Parliamentary Union on Friday.
TRNC Prime Minister Eroglu will attend panel discussions on Cyprus in regard to national criteria held by Ankara Chamber of Commerce and Kofi Annan's Plan and Future of Cyprus in political and strategic aspects in the light of Copenhagen criteria on Saturday.
Eroglu will return to TRNC on Saturday evening.
EROGLU: OUR WISH IS TO REACH AN AGREEMENT IN NEGOTIATIONS WHICH WILL PROTECT TURKEY'S AND TURKISH CYPRIOT'S INTERESTS''
Eroglu said that they should be insistent in the issues in which they are right and should continue their insistent attitude to reach an agreement that suits the struggles of Turkish Cypriots during the negotiations.
Stating that some speakers who attended rallies in TRNC incited youths and made youths assume a wrong attitude toward former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal and some columnists, Eroglu said that they felt sad about those kind of attitudes. Eroglu said, ''I would like to apologize from Ecevit and Baykal on behalf of those people.''
When recalled Denktas's statement that 'our deal is weakened at negotiation table' and asked his evaluation on this statement, Eroglu said, ''negotiator's chance to negotiate the Annan's plan decreased. If some people say that 'negotiator should withdraw from his post or sign the plan', Greek Cypriot side will focus on proposals which will satisfy itself much more. In other words, the Greek Cypriot side will make new proposals which will further strengthen itself.''
Eroglu said that he thought that this attitude might cause Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides to make other proposals at the negotiation table and assume an uncompromising attitude with new demands, stating that if there were some voices which said that 'sign this document immediately' when preparing to sit at the negotiation table, Turkish Cypriot side's deal was weakened.
TURKISH WORLD SOLIDARITY GROUP EXTENDS SUPPORT TO DENKTAS
Turkish World Solidarity Group (TURKDAY) formed in 1992 to get public support to the injustice seen in Karabakh and Bosnia Herzegovina, said on Thursday that they extend support to TRNC President Rauf Denktas.
''TRNC is not alone,'' said the TURKDAY which was formed by 70 non-governmental organizations.
Speaking on behalf of TURKDAY, Turkish Idealists leader Nuri Gurgur said that ''we believe that we must try to understand Denktas rather than accusing him,'' said Gurgur.
Stressing that they supported Denktas at the negotiations, Gurgur said, ''Annan's plan should include a new state which has two sides and which protects equal sovereignty rights of Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot people, it should not be a state which is a continuation of Cyprus Republic which was founded in 1960. Precondition of that is recognition of TRNC, in other words it is the recognition of sovereignty right of Turkish Cypriot people. Guarantee agreements should be continued. The two sides should be represented equally in partnership which will be formed and chairman's office of partnership should rotate.''
CYPRUS ISSUE TO BE TAKEN UP IN SYMPOSIUM BY TURKISH PARLIAMENTARY UNION
''Cyprus Problem'' will be taken up in the symposium that is held by the Turkish Parliamentary Union in the parliament on Friday.
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arýnc, and TRNC Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu will address the opening remarks of the symposium.
Former State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel, retired general Kemal Yavuz, Prof. Dr. Haluk Kabaalioglu, TRNC former public works minister Ismet Kotak, University of London professors Clement Dodd and Maurice Melson, jurist and former deputy Michael Stephen, journalist-writer Harry Scott Gibson, former Foreign Minister Haluk Bayulgen, former foreign minister Mumtaz Soysal, Istanbul deputy Onur Oymen, Prof. Dr. Fusun Arsava and Dr. Kudret Ozersan will address the symposium.