Denktas: Papadopoulos Has More Negative Stance Than Clerides

LEFKOSA - TRNC President Rauf Denktas said on Monday that Tassos Papadopoulos who was elected as the Greek Cypriot leader has a more negative and harsh stance than Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides.
Denktas said that he was afraid of being kept on the negotiation table in vain until April 16, while speaking to state run tv channel TRT-2.
Denktas said that the new Greek Cypriot leader Papadopoulos was an old EOKA member, adding that Glafcos Clerides was also an old member of EOKA.
''These people serve a national cause, and this cause is to spread the Greek Cypriots' sovereignty all over Cyprus,'' said Denktas. Denktas said that Greek Cypriots want to make Cyprus a Greek island, stressing that neither Alvaro De Soto, nor U.N. and coordinators who prepare documents on Cyprus issue know that. The issue in Cyprus was the issue of whether Cyprus would be a Greek island or not, Denktas stressed.
Denktas noted that neither the views of Clerides, nor Papadopoulos's views would change, Denktas said that the style of Clerides was different from that of Papadopoulos. Denktas said that Clerides introduced himself different to the world, but Papadopoulos was known as he was, Denktas commented.
Denktas said that a new period started and that U.N. Secretary General had to benefit from that situation. ''The 'sine qua nons' of both sides are on the table and that Greek Cypriots don't accept these,'' Denktas said and noted that there were persons who want to get rid of Turkish Cypriots on the island. Turkish Cypriots needed security and guarantee, said Denktas and noted that it was difficult to make agreement with Greek Cypriots who didn't accept that. Denktas said that the partnership with the Greek Cypriots failed because the latter tried to poison its partner in the past, adding that Turkish Cypriots had to be more careful in a new partnership. Greek Cypriots had to accept the right of Turkish Cypriots to determine their own future.
Denktas said that he wanted to meet face to face with Clerides in order to see if Clerides and Greek Cypriots really wanted an agreement, adding that De Soto who first of all told that he would only watch the meetings, later tried to impose a plan on the sides. Denktas said that Cyprus problem could not be sorted out in that way.
Noting that Papadopoulos had a tougher manner than Clerides, Denktas said that he feared that Papadopoulos would try to keep them on the table until April 16 by rejecting everything.
Denktas emphasized that if sides wanted the same thing, negotiations should continue, but if sides wanted different things, Annan should prepare a new plan when he came in Cyprus.
Denktas said that Papadopoulos and his supporter communist AKEL party did not accept Annan Plan and sovereignty of Turkish Cypriots, did not consider Turkish Cypriots as their equal and would want to dilute the guarantorship of Turkey and damage bizonality.
Noting that Annan's Special Envoy to Cyprus Alvaro de Soto considered Cyprus issue as a matter of prestige and became a part of the problem, Denktas said that De Soto acted as if Cyprus question was his own question and added that he acted in favor of Greek Cypriots to solve the question.
Denktas criticized De Soto that he was only talking about Greek migrants and never talked about Turkish migrants. He added that 80 percent of Turkish Cypriots did not want Greek Cypriots among them.
Noting that De Soto was misleading Annan with his reports, Denktas said that De Soto presented reports to Annan such as ''they are very close, they are about to agree, a little pressure is necessary''. He added that he did not understand on which point they agreed.
Denktas said they founded a state because they were left without a state, adding that the flag of the state cannot be hauled down when the founders of the state had some problems.
Underlining that Greek Cypriots still invited Turkish Cypriots to the Cyprus republic as a ''minority under protection'', and this was also the case in the Annan plan.
Denktas said that Papadopoulos considered himself as the president of whole Cyprus, and he emphasized that everybody should know Greek Cypriots very well and act accordingly.
When asked about news stories claiming ''if Annan's Cyprus visit becomes unsuccessful, U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell will take an active part'', Denktas said that the United States had already been supporting the plan from the beginning and exerting efforts to please the Greek lobby.

EROGLU: ''PAPADOPOULOS IS LEADER OF ONLY GREEK CYPRIOT ADMINISTRATION''
LEFKOSA - TRNC Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu said on Monday that Tassos Papadopoulos who was elected as the Greek Cypriot leader, was the leader of only Greek Cypriot administration, not the whole Cyprus.
Eroglu congratulated Papadopoulos for being elected as the Greek Cypriot leader and asked him to act in a more flexible attitude on the negotiation table.
Responding to questions of journalists about the election in Greek Cypriot side and Cyprus negotiation process, Eroglu said that the visit of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to the island at the end of the month was an important and pleasing development.
Eroglu said that he was not hopeful that the new revised form of Annan plan would cover regulations which would be to the advantage of the Turkish side, adding that ''if an agreement is reached until April 16, it is fine, but if not, everybody will go on its own way. TRNC is a reality, this state will continue its existence and it will continue its measures of creating a more peaceful state by leaving behind the economic problems.''
Eroglu said that a new period started in the Greek Cypriot side as Papadopoulos was elected as the leader of the Greek Cypriot side and as Glafcos Clerides lost the elections, adding that the words of Papadopoulos who said that ''I want to be the president of whole Cyprus'' following his winning of the elections was a mistake.
''The elections were held in South of the island and he was elected by the votes of the Greek Cypriots... There are separate state and officials in the North. TRNC is a democratic country and its own people determine their own officials,'' he said.
Upon a question about the visit of Annan to the island, Eroglu said that ''the visit of Annan, his coming together with two leaders and listening to their views is a fine development. Yet this does not indicate that an agreement will be made definitely.''
Eroglu said that the new economic package was approved in the cabinet and sent to Ankara and the package would be made public when Prime Minister Abdullah Gul comes to the island. Eroglu said that the date of Gul's visit to TRNC has not become clear.