It has been stated that the U.N has sent President Mehmet Ali Talat a written statement regarding the U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan's recent meeting in Paris with Greek Cypriot Leader Tassos Papadopoulos as well as the issues that would constitute the basis for the creation of the technical committees.

Responding to the Cyprus Turkish News Agency (TAK) correspondent's question, the President's Private Secretary Asım Akansoy said President Talat had received a letter within this framework from the U.N Secretary General and was evaluating it.

In a ceremony yesterday (23 March) the foundations of the New Famagusta State Hospital and the North Coastal Road were laid. Attending the ceremony with Aydan Karahan, the Turkish Ambassador to Nicosia and Abdullatif Sener, the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister in charge of Cyprus Affairs, Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer stressed that as a modern state the TRNC was displaying its existence its every field. He also said Turkey would continue to contribute to towards the TRNC's social and economic life and for projects aimed at increasing the Turkish Cypriot peoples standard of living.

For his part, Sener said as a modern state and with its institutions and democracy the TRNC was displaying its existence in all fields. Indicating that one of the vital issues within the framework of the economic and financial cooperation between Turkey and the TRNC was health, Sener said in line with the efforts to further strengthen the structures of the Nicosia Burhan Nalbantoglu State Hospital and other local hospitals and health centres, the foundations for a new hospital was laid today.

Indicating that the Republic of Turkey had allocated 16 million New Turkish Liras for this new hospital over a period of two years, Sener said during this period Turkey was planning to allocate another 4 million New Turkish Liras for this project.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Soyer said there were some very important developments regarding the Turkish Cypriot peoples' progress, development and city planning. Continuing he said:

"Following the Annan-Papadopoulos meeting in Paris, the problem of Famagusta came onto the agenda and we interpret this as making Famagusta more beautiful and a better city to live. Through our own efforts and just like all the other regions in the TRNC we will make Famagusta a much better place to live in. On the basis of our rights and existence we will be one of the equal sides in a settlement and by overcoming all the isolations we will continue to follow our EU path together with Turkey".

Also speaking at the ceremony where the foundations for the second phase of the project for the North Coastal Road were laid, Prime Minister Soyer said in line with the efforts to settle the Cyprus problem on the basis of political equality the Turkish Cypriot side was spending great efforts to ensure that the property issue would be settled in line with international law.

Emphasising that Greek Cypriots by using the advantages they had gained were trying to make the Turkish Cypriot people a minority and at the same time eliminate bizonality, the Prime Minister said the Turkish Cypriot side should fight against this. He said: "The Turkish Cypriot side has introduced laws to make its internal law be accepted as a domestic remedy by the ECHR".