FOREIGN MINISTER AVCI: “TURKEY’S EFFECTIVE GUARANTEE IS INDISPENSABLE FOR TURKISH CYPRIOTS”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Turgay Avcý has reacted to Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias’ statements to the effect that a solution to be found in Cyprus would not require any guarantor or a guarantee. Foreign Minister Avcý stressed that Turkey’s effective guarantee was a sine qua non for the Turkish Cypriots.

Avcý stating that Christofias who said that there would not be any problem following a settlement in Cyprus should be asked why he was insisting not to have any guarantors, said this was standing out as a serious contradiction.

Underlining that Christofias’ words that “guarantor countries’ right to unilateral intervention should be abrogated” were unacceptable, Foreign Minister said: “If the three guarantors had been expected to agree for a joint intervention between 1963-74, then there would not be a single Turkish Cypriot in Cyprus today”.

Reiterating that Turkey’s effective guarantee was vital for Turkish Cypriots in the event of a possible settlement, Foreign Minister Avcý said Christofias’ expressions on such a sensitive issue for the Turkish Cypriots who have bitter experiences of recent past were having negative effects on the newly started settlement process and called upon the Greek Cypriot leader to immediately abandon this stance.

 

 

LYNN PASCOE CONTINUES HIS CONTACTS IN THE TRNC

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s Undersecretary for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe, who is continuing his contacts in Cyprus, yesterday (1 April) met with Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Turgay Avcý and political party leaders.

On Monday (31 March) Pascoe was received by President Mehmet Ali Talat and the Leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration Demetris Christofias as well as with the two leaders’ representatives Ozdil Nami and George Iacovou at the same night.

The UN Undersecretary will meet Talat and Christofias separately once again today before leaving the island.

 

 

PRESS STATEMENT BY PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON HASAN ERCAKICA ON 1 APRIL 2008

While the quest for a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus is being maintained, efforts to improve the relations between the two peoples and to lift the isolations so as to maintain the Turkish Cypriot people’s commitment to the settlement process should also be continued.

However, instead of spending efforts to lift the isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriots, the Greek Cypriot side keeps working to intensify the isolations.

The Greek Cypriot side has launched 8 court cases against the European Commission regarding the implementation of the Financial Aid Regulation. There were 6 court cases launched against the Commission by Mr. Papadopoulos’ administration and 2 new ones have been added by the new Greek Cypriot leader Mr. Christofias.

In the cases filed by the Greek Cypriot Administration, it has been asked interim measures to be taken for each case such as the withdrawal of the contested procurement notices which effectively means the cancellation of the ongoing tendering procedure and the re-launch of a new one. The main titles of the cases launched are environment, rural development, human resources development, energy and telecommunication.

As to the cases, we have information that, should the Court decide to grant the interim measures, in some cases the impact will be irrecoverable, all tender procedures will have to be re-launched with a delay of 6-9 months from the initial calendar and even all the procedures might collapse.

During the days Mr. Christofias took office, he has commented that he “found these cases on his desk” therefore; our hopes were that he would employ a different approach. We are astonished and sad about the fact that the Greek Cypriot side insists on this kind of behavior.

While searching for a solution for the Cyprus problem, measures are being discussed to ensure confidence between the two sides. Provided that the Financial Aid Regulation was implemented without any complications, it would have helped the Turkish Cypriot people to build up their confidence at the expense of nothing to the Greek Cypriot side. The fact that the Greek Cypriot side has wasted this chance for the efforts to intensify the isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people is something that totally contradicts with the rationale or the constructive spirit of the newly commencing process.

It should be pointed out to the fact that, even the MPs in the European Parliament, who with Mr. Christofias’ election as the new president have raised their hopes for a settlement, were surprised by the irrational behavior of the Greek Cypriot side in launching these cases.

Moreover, during the contacts the MPs of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament have made in Cyprus, the court cases filed by the Greek Cypriot side against the European Commission have also been discussed. The statements of the MPs of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, who are known to have supported Mr. Christofias during the election process and who have strongly stressed their support by their most recent contacts, regarding the said court cases included expressions that not only they themselves, but the whole parliament was “astonished” as well.

Our hope is to see that the European Parliament MPs overcome their astonishment as soon as possible and launch initiatives to the end of ensuring the rejection of the said cases by the Court.

 

MISSING PERSONS COMMITTEE FINDS 7 GREEK CYPRIOT CEMETERIES IN MESARIA REGION

The Autonomous Missing Persons Committee, which is continuing its excavations on both sides of the island in order to determine the fate of Turkish and Greek Cypriot missing persons, announced that 7 Greek Cypriot cemeteries have been discovered in Mesaria region.

Committee’s Turkish Cypriot Member Gulden Plumer Kucuk stated that remains of 7 Greek Cypriot missing persons have been found during the exhumations in Mesaria region. Kucuk added that the remains have been sent to the Anthropology Laboratory for identity identification.