SERDAR DENKTAS: "INITIATIVE TO DIRECT PROBLEM TO EU GROUND"

Speaking at the Parliament's General Assembly meeting, which gathered under the leadership of the Speaker of the Parliament Fatma Ekenoglu, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Serdar Denktas said statements made by the Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni clearly indicated that the Greek Cypriot was trying to shift the settlement of the Cyprus problem from the UN ground to the EU.

Indicating that the current UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan's term of office was about to end, Serdar Denktas said it was clear that a new initiative would not be taken until the end of Annan's term of office and that the new Secretary-General would present a new plan with some changes made that would be similar to the Annan Plan.

Pointing out that because of the incorrect policies of the world, in the eyes of the Greek Cypriot people Papadopoulos had been made to look as if he was right, Serdar Denktas said as long as this policy continued Papadopoulos didn't want to share anything with the Turkish Cypriots and in order to change this some steps had been taken by the government.

Emphasizing that on 24 April 2004 the Turkish Cypriots demonstrated their determination to integrate with the world, Minister Denktas said being as equal as the people of the rest of the world, was the fundamental ground of the Turkish Cypriot people.

Continuing he said based on international agreements, Turkey's guarantorship would continue until Turkey became a full EU member therefore, if the Greek Cypriot side was uncomfortable about Turkey's guarantorship it should be working more than anyone else for Turkey's EU membership.

Serdar Denktas said settlement models, the path to be followed, and the method to be used for the Cyprus issue should not be a victim of partisanship and followed:

"We've entered a new period on the Cyprus issue, but there will be a quiet period until the new Secretary-General is appointed. During this period there will only be various discussions. The main aim of the Greek Cypriots is to get the Turkish Cypriots to chose individual freedom. They want us to dissolve by becoming European through the Osmosis method.  Probably no Turkish Cypriot would accept this. We'll continue to better explain ourselves to the world. The equality that we seek is the same equality as people have throughout the world and we will achieve this".

TRNC NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE RESAT CAGLAR'S LETTER TO UN SECRETARY-GENERAL

Responding to the letter written by Andreas Mavroyiannis, the Greek Cypriot administration's Permanent Representative to the UN, to the UN Secretary-Genral Kofi Annan,  the TRNC'S New York Representative Resat Caglar stated that the Greek Cypriot administration should be reminded that its counterpart is not Turkey, but the Turkish Cypriot side and that the international community and UN were expecting the Greek Cypriot side to display the political will and sincerity in taking constructive steps towards a Cyprus settlement.

The full text of Resat Caglar's letter is as follows:

"Upon instructions from my Government, I have the honour to refer to the letter dated 22 March 2006 addressed to you by the Greek Cypriot representative and circulated as a document of the General Assembly and of the Security Council (A/60/729-S/2006/177), which yet again contains allegations of violations of the "airspace of the Republic of Cyprus" and the flight information region (FIR) of Nicosia.

In response to such false and pretentious allegations, I wish, once again, to reiterate that flights within the sovereign airspace of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus take place with the full knowledge and consent of the appropriate authorities of the State, over which the Greek Cypriot administration in South Cyprus has no jurisdiction or right of say whatsoever. Furthermore, it shouldbe emphasized that allegagions of so-called violations of the flight information region or violations of air traffic regulations are invalid, as the civil aviation authority of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is the only competent authority to provide air traffic and aeronautical information services.

As stated in our previous letters, such allegations are based on the false and illegitimate claim that the sovereignty of the Greek Cypriot administration extends over the whole island, including the territory of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprıs. This claim by the Greek Cypriot side is divorced from the existing realities in Cyprus, namely the existence of two independent States, each exercising sovereignty and jurisdiction within and above its respective territory on the island.

Attempts by the Greek Cypriot representatives, through often-repeated false claims, to confer legitimacy upon an illegal administration will be futile as long as the Turkish Cypriot people refuse to bow to its writs. What would indeed by conducive to a better climate on the island would be for the Greek Cypriot side to stop arrogating onto iteself the rights and responsibilities it does not legally have and to cease all hostilities towards the Turkish Cypriot people.

The Greek Cypriot administration should be reminded, once again, that its counterpart is, and has always been, the Turkish Cypriot side, not Turkey. Following the rejection by the Greek Cypriot side of the United Nations settlement plan, the international community in general and the United Nations in particular is expecting positive moves from the Greek Cypriot administration demonstrating its political will and sincerity for a fair and just settlement in Cyprus. As a first step, the Greek Cypriot administration, without further delay, should heed your call and address with clarity and finality the question you have put to it".