PRESIDENT TALAT: "A SETTLEMENT WILL BE
UNDER UN UMBRELLA"
President Talat said the UN Secretary-General, Kofi
Annan, who will meet with Greek Cypriot Leader Tassos Papadopoulos on 28
February, had made no plans to meet him. He said: "There isn't a situation
where the Secretary-General has to persuade us. It's natural for the
Secretary-General to meet with the Greek Cypriot administration, which is
the intransigent side".
President Talat said after Annan's contacts it would be
clear if a new initiative would be made or not and if the Greek Cypriot
side was insincere in finding a solution to the Cyprus issue an initiative
could be started.
Commenting on the new Greek Foreign Minister Dora
Bakoyanni, the President said he didn't know Bakoyanni, who was the former
Mayor of Athens, and added: "I hope she will motivate the Greek Cypriot
side towards a settlement, because the current situation is dangerous.
There is a move towards permanent division. The Greek Cypriot
administration needs to be directed towards a settlement".
Reminding the conditions previously put forward by the
Greek Cypriot administration, the President said the latest conditions
were additional conditions, which would increase in the future.
Indicating that a Cyprus settlement would be under the
UN umbrella and that this was also stated by the EU, President Talat said
it was time Papadopoulos acknowledged that there was no other ground other
than the UN.
Stating that the Greek Cypriot side's lastest
conditions were aimed at involving the EU in the process, President Talat
said the Turkish Cypriot side did not oppose the EU's involvement at a
certain level and it could take on a role as an expert, because the EU
wasn't impartial. It included Greece and the Greek Cypriot side. He
reminded that because of the UN the Security Council was already a part of
the process.
