PRESIDENT TALAT: "IF EU CONTINUES WITH ITS CURRENT POLICIES, DIVISION WILL BECOME PERMANENT"

President Mehmet Ali Talat attended the 14th Mediterranean Meeting of the Industrialists and Businessmen Association in Antalya on Saturday (16 December). President Talat delivered a speech entitled "The New Process in Cyprus in Light of the Developments in Turkey and the World".

President Talat stated that Turkey by taking the risk of endangering its EU process, refused to open its ports to the Greek Cypriot side although it would not lose anything, because it was aware of its responsibilities against the Turkish Cypriot people. Talat added that the opening of Turkish ports would cause a blow to the Turkish Cypriot economy and the TRNC did not have enough power to handle this.

President Talat stressed that due to the EU’s impartiality, as the Greek Cypriot side and Greece were members of the Union, it should not be the platform to solve the Cyprus problem. The President said that the EU did not have the capacity to solve the Cyprus problem and the most authorized platform to solve the problem was the UN, which had sufficient capacity and knowledge to do so.

Explaining that as a result of the continuation of the Turkish Cypriot side’s desire for a solution, Turkey’s EU membership process was also continuing, President Talat said Turkey while continuing to support the Turkish Cypriots should also maintain its relations with the EU. He added that Turkey should prevent the Greek Cypriot side from shifting the Cyprus issue from the United Nations platform to the EU and spend effort to keep the Cyprus issue at the UN platform.

President Talat warned that if the EU continued with its current policies the division in the island would become permanent and the responsible party for this would not be the Turksih Cypriot side.

Stressing that a powerful economy would increase the bargaining power in the settlement of the political problem, Talat said besides improving the economy, the institutions should also be modernized, more democratic and more developed. He added that the countries without a strong economy could not be successful in foreign politics either.

Pointing out that at the point reached in Cyprus, the economic factors should be well acknowledged before taking the relevant steps, Talat said the factors surrounding the economy had both positive and negative effects.

President Talat stated that the TRNC’s isolation was still continuing for example, the captains coming to North Cyprus’ ports were tried when they go to South Cyprus or Greece with the excuse that "they entered Cyprus through an illegal port" and this had a very negative effect on the Turkish Cypriot economy. He added that those captains had accepted to come to the TRNC with high costs by taking the risk of being treated as a "pirate".

Stressing that the lack of direct flights to the countries other than Turkey was a big disadvantage, which caused deterrent effects such as loss of money and time.

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: "THE UK COULD START DIRECT FLIGHTS TO THE TRNC IF THERE IS NO LEGAL OBSTACLES"

Speaking during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that if there was not any legal obstacles, the UK could start direct flights to the TRNC, however he couldn’t give any promise at this stage since the issue was under investigation.

Pointing out that the UK had been supporting Turkey’s EU membership process since the beginning, Blair said despite the recent difficulties and the suspension of 8 chapters of the negotiations, it was important that the process was continuing.

"Turkey’s fulfillment of its responsibilities stemming from the Additional Protocol is important but at the same time, the EU should implement its commitments", Blair said. He added that EU’s commitments were to end the isolations imposed upon the TRNC, to start the direct trade and to lift the restrictions.

Blair drew attention to the importance of the resumption of the UN process for finding a settlement to the Cyprus issue.

Meanwhile, President Mehmet Ali Talat stated that Blair’s statements to the effect that the UK could start direct flights to North Cyprus were pleasing.

Speaking during the 14th Mediterranean Meeting of the Antalya Industrialists and Businessmen Association, President Talat said British Prime Minister Tony Blair after meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the UK could start direct flights to the TRNC. He added: "These developments show that our policies have started to be acknowledged by the world".

THE UNFCYP’s MANDATE EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER SIX MONTHS
GOKERI "REFERENCE TO CYPRUS GOVERNMENT CANNOT BE ACCEPTED"

The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously on 16 December 2006, to extend the mandate of the UN Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for another six-month term, until 15 June 2006.

In the UN Security Council Resolution, it was stressed that the UN was playing a leading role in the solution efforts of the Cyprus problem. During the meeting the Security Council evaluated the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s report including his observations regarding Cyprus within the last six months and the proposal to extend the mandate of the UNFCYP for another six months period.

The Security Council unanimously adopted draft resolution 1728, expressing pleasure for the positive atmosphere felt since 8th July 2006 and thanked the Secretary General for the efforts he has spent for finding a comprehensive settlement for the Cyprus issue for ten years.

TRNC’s New York Representative, Kemal Gokeri in a statement issued after the resolution, has said that the reference made to the ‘Cyprus Republic’ in the resolution was totally unacceptable for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.