ERDOGAN CALLED ANNAN
Calling the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, on the
telephone Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the joint
news statement that was published after the Secretary-General's meeting
with the Greek Cypriot Leader Tassos Papadopoulos in Paris on 28 February
2006.
Criticizing the fact that issues such as the island's
demilitarisation and the handing over of Varosha were perceived to be a
part of the confidence building measures, Prime Minister Erdogan warned
that these issues were not within the parameters of the UN negotiations
that were carried out up until today and that these issues could only be
discussed as part of a comprehensive settlement.
According to Turkish sources, Ankara doesn't believe
that Michael Moller, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to
Cyprus, was successful, and the Turkish Prime Minister had requested the
Secretary-General to appoint a more effective "mediator" who could start
and carry out the negotiations.
