ANKARA - President Rauf Denktas of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Wednesday that they wanted a solution in Cyprus, but not at any cost.
Speaking at Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Denktas said a hundred thousand Turkish Cypriots would be forced to leave their homes in case they accept the new plan brought by the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, and noted that this may lead to a new Crete incident.
Mentioning the statements of the European Union (EU) Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen toward Turkey, Denktas recalled that Turkish Cypriots had been put to mass graves, and that innocent people were killed, and left desperate. He said, ''Greek Cypriots did all those. There would not be even a single Turkish Cypriot left if there was not the help of motherland. The only thing Turkey did was to prevent genocide.''
Denktas said particularly the international community tried to make the Greek Cypriots enter the EU acting as if all those had not happened, and take the Greek Cypriots as interlocutor on behalf of the whole island as if they are the legal government.
Responding to a question, Denktas said he announced that he would not be able to say ''yes'' to the current shape of Annan's plan.
When a reporter asked if he could further explain the statement on integration with Turkey, Denktas said they used integration by meaning more sincere and practical cooperation.
Responding to a question if there was sourness between him and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Denktas said there was not any sourness between them. Denktas said he would he would meet with Erdogan tomorrow.
(AY-AÖ) 05.03.2003