PRESIDENT MEHMET ALI TALAT RETURNED TO TRNC

President Mehmet Ali Talat following the completion of his contacts in Germany returned to the TRNC on 10 June 2006.

Speaking at Istanbul Atatürk Airport to reporters, President said the Cyprus issue had entered a very new process, and because of the intransigent attitude of the Greek Cypriot side this process had turned into a form of seeking a way for solution.

“Germany will be EU’s Term President in 2007, and will take over the UN Security Council’s Presidency. Germany is also candidate for the permanent membership of the UN Security Council in the new formation of UN. Therefore, it intends to more interested, better understand and if it can to push for ways of solution. In this context the meeting was very fruitful.

We openly and clearly put forward our stance. We clearly explained that we want the settlement of the Cyprus issue, determined to reunify Cyprus, and the fact that for the Turkish Cypriot people the settlement of the Cyprus issue will be based on the parameters of the UN and the Security Council and on the bases of the Annan Plan” the President said.

Talat pointing that the Greek Cypriot side’s policies were making non-solution and division permanent said, the Greek Cypriot side which was using the EU advantages should understand that it could not continue with this policies for ever.

Talat said during the meetings they evaluated many issues including the possibility of the opening of Turkish sea and airports to Greek Cypriot ships and airplanes and he explained the Turkish Cypriot side’s point of view.

Talat stated that he underlined in Berlin that the Turkish side had made all the necessary initiatives for easing the conduct of relations in daily life between the two peoples and would continue to do.

Referring to the Greek Cypriot side unwillingness to form the technical committees, which the Turkish Cypriot side was always in favour of and to the problems both people experienced as a result of this, President Talat said:

“We want the UN to reveal the attitude of the Greek Cypriot side, which seems to be in favour of the formation of the technical committees but in fact preventing their formation by stirring a political storm with small problems .After returning to Cyprus, I will openly request this from the UN. We are in favour of technical committees and ready at any time to form them. There is no need for a mutually agreed text for their formation, because they are not going to discuss the texts. Technical committees will discuss daily practical issues and improve the relations between the two peoples. After the improvement on daily issues, the two peoples will get closer to each other and this will facilitate the start of the settlement negotiations.”

President stated that while the isolations on the TRNC continue, if Turkey opened its ports to Greek Cypriots this would have a death blow on the TRNC economy. “We want Turkey to open its ports, but the isolations on the Turkish Cypriots should be lifted simultaneously” he said.

Talat said there was a an uncertainty in the EU for the lifting of the isolations and time was needed to overcome this.

President Talat referring to the statement of Dora Bakoyanni, Greece’s Foreign Minister, in Istanbul on 10 June, where she showed both the Turkish Cypriot and the Greek Cypriot side as in favour of solution, said this was Greece’s weakness because the Greek Cypriot side with its stance on technical committees once more displayed that it did not want solution.

Stating that the Greek Cypriot delaying tactics exceeded the reasonable levels, President said, while Papadopoulos the Leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration, declared that he was ready to meet him, on the other hand, he refused to sign the relevant document for the formation of technical committees.

President stating that Papadopoulos’ approach to only discuss the missing persons issue was part of his delaying tactics, said “However, we said we are ready even for a cup of coffee.”

Referring to the possible time of meeting with Papadopoulos, President said the exact time was not definite but the meting would take place in July, after the UN’s New Member for Missing Persons Committee Girod officially start to his post.

Responding to a question whether there was other scheduled meetings for EU capitals President said he did not have yet, but it was possible for these types of contacts to take place at any time in from of meetings or conferences.