Denktas: Papadopoulos Contributed To Division Of Cyprus More Than Clerides

LEFKOSA - TRNC President Rauf Denktas said on Monday that Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides lost the elections due to the propaganda saying that ''he gave concessions to the Turkish side.''
''They accuse Clerides saying that he gave concessions to me... There are no such concessions. Yet this propaganda reached its goal,'' said Denktas in a news conference.
Assessing the results of the elections held in the Greek Cypriot side on Sunday which was won by Democratic Party (DIKO) leader Tassos Papadopoulos, Denktas said that ''the thing that is wanted by the people will certainly take place.'' Denktas said that Clerides seemed to have accepted Annan plan, but he didn't accept it in fact. ''I am sorry for seeing that the Greek Cypriot people's will which does not favour an agreement has won. In fact, I was not dreaming that Clerides would sort out the problem with me. He showed that he couldn't do that. Today, they accuse Clerides for giving me concessions, but there are no such concessions. Yet this propaganda reached its goal and he lost the elections. Certainly, there may be other reasons of Clerides's losing the elections,'' Denktas said.
Denktas said that the a far rightist candidate's victory in the elections who was also supported by the communist AKEL party which does not favour any concessions for reaching a solution on the island, had to show certain facts to the Turkish nation and the Turkish government.
''This is a great Greek success, it is a result showing that their fight to claim ownership on Cyprus continues. Everybody has to assess the results in this way,'' said Denktas.
Denktas said that he didn't have any telephone talk with Clerides, adding that the meeting which he would have with Clerides the same day was cancelled upon Clerides's demand.
When asked whether a delay in negotiation process was in question, Denktas said, ''I don't know. Those issues should be considered well.''
Denktas said that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's Special Representative to Cyprus Alvaro De Soto would go to Ankara on Monday and noted, ''Ankara should talk to De Soto by knowing Papadopoulos who demands to have whole Karpaz and who says that Cyprus issue can be solved with one nation and two communities and who also says that bi-zonal structure is only an administrative zonal structure. Ankara knows those things, but no one should put us in a deadlock again by saying that Papadopoulos is in favor of continuation of negotiations.''
''If the negotiations yield positive results, everyone should see the facts and should not be afraid of the facts and prepare a plan and programme according to the facts. Those facts are existence of two nations in Cyprus. There are parts of Turkish nation and Greek nation in Cyprus. Both sides have right of self-determination. Unification of the two sides depends on will of two nations. Will of two nations should be determined according to the facts. It is not possible to reach consensus on the issue by deceiving people and saying that 'everyone will go to his/her place, there will be no agreement without this and that Karpaz belongs to us and we will take Karpaz back','' Denktas added.
Denktas said that Tassos Papadopoulos, had contributed to division of Cyprus into two more than Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides.
Denktas said that the Greek Cypriot people used their democratic will and elected Papadopoulos instead of Clerides.
Denktas said that the propaganda saying that ''Clerides gave many concessions to the Turkish side and that Clerides supported the solution of the problem within the scope of Annan document'' came out to be successful, adding ''the Greek Cypriot side, which was deceived by the messages of AKEL Party and Papadopoulos saying that 'the Cyprus problem can't be solved before taking Karpaz and all migrants went back to their places', elected Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos said last evening that he had to change Annan document considerably and he told the people that 'Karpaz had to be taken, Greek Cypriots should go back and the issue of missing persons should be sorted out'.''
Denktas recalled that Clerides didn't give concessions to the Turkish side during the talks and he rejected all the proposals of the Turkish side.
Denktas stressed that Papadopoulos announced that ''he started his post as the president of the whole Cyprus,'' noting that he didn't congratulate Papadopoulos due to that reason. ''It is not possible for us to congratulate the person who announces that he is the president of the whole Cyprus, but certainly we congratulate him as the leader of the Greek Cypriot side. I hope he pursues a realistic policy, understands that Cyprus issue is an issue that will be sorted out upon the existence of two equal sovereign peoples and focuses on the fact that bi-zonality principle should not be diluted.''
Denktas said that the problems of bringing together the two peoples were also voiced in the Greek Cypriot side, adding that bringing two peoples together would take time and that this could only come true slowly in line with the laws of two separate states and the quotas they would put.
Denktas said that Papadopoulos should think well, adding that ''he has to give up telling the lie that the Turkish soldier divided Cyprus into two and the lie that the Turkish soldier is invader. Turkish soldier brought peace and the division of Cyprus into two started not in 1974, but in 1963 when we were thrown out from 103 villages by Greek Cypriots.''
Stressing that struggle which had been launched to make Cyprus a Greek island had divided the Island into two, Denktas said that it was meaningless to say ''Greek Cypriot people would return to their places.''
Denktas said that they wanted to solve property issue through barter and noted that Greek Cypriot people rejected valuable goods and they only wanted to come to their places. He added that everyone could see that there was a policy beneath that.
Stating that Cyprus issue should be solved in grounds of facts, he said that the two sides had state and offices.
Denktas wished Papadopoulos success and hoped that Papadopoulos would make an agreement based on facts with Turkish Cypriot side.
Upon a question on Annan's visit to the island, Denktas said that he thought that Annan would come to the island with two aims and noted that one of them was to support Clerides by making an impression that 'signature day is coming' on Greek Cypriot side. Denktas stated that but this attitude was wrong, since 70 percent of Greek Cypriot side was against an agreement.
Denktas added that Annan's other aim was to engage Papadopoulos in continuation of negotiations.
Denktas said that he did not know with whom he would continue to hold negotiations from now on.