President Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat’s visit to Ankara is being discussed from different perspectives. If there is one thing that is clear, it is the fact that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Turkey completely agree on all the aspects of the Cyprus problem and particularly the developments hereafter.

Another significant consequence of this visit is the fact that Turkish Cypriot people felt pleased and reassured by it.

These are the most important developments rendering this visit important.

However, in connection with this visit, the authorities and spokesperson of the Greek Cypriot side, have attempted to claim that the Turkish side is trying to impose “a settlement based on two states” for the Cyprus problem.

The vision of the Turkish side has clearly been established by President Mehmet Ali Talat. The Turkish side has been working and will continue to work to settle the Cyprus problem by reaching a new partnership state based on political equality of the two peoples and the equal status of the two component states.

This is the matter the Greek Cypriot side should pay special attention to and benefit from for the sake of whole Cyprus. The fact that the Greek Cypriot side prefers to protest whereas we as the Turkish Cypriot side announced to the world that we are ready to spend efforts to the end of “a new partnership state” clearly indicates that, instead of pursuing a settlement, the Greek Cypriot side prefers to maintain the current status under various pretexts.

It is unfortunate that these demagogical actions of the Greek Cypriot side are effective over some political parties in Northern Cyprus as well. These political parties which used to support the UN Comprehensive Settlement Plan prepared on the basis of the equality of the two component states and the two peoples, are trying to question the idea of a new partnership state based on the equality of the two peoples and the two component states. It is not necessary at all. This formula is the settlement vision the Turkish Cypriot people have approved and have demonstrated via various occasions that they still do support.

The Committee, which has carried out exhumations in many mass graves in both sides of the island in addition to individual exhumations, will continue to deliver the remains of Turkish and Greek Cypriot missing persons to their relatives in 2008.

The Turkish Cypriot Member of the Autonomous Missing Persons Committee Gulden Plumer Kucuk pointed out that in the last period of 2007 a total of 368 remains belonging to both Turkish and Greek Cypriot missing persons were found and 57 out of this were delivered, after being identified, to the relatives of missing persons.

Stating that up to now, nearly 7 million US Dollars has been spent for the implementation of a project which started in 2004, Kucuk said 1.5 million US Dollars was provided by the Turkish Cypriot side and 2.5 million US Dollars by the Greek Cypriot side and the rest was covered through donations.

Noting that 2.5 million US Dollars has been spent last year in which the remains of 57 missing persons were delivered to their relatives, Kucuk said the amount envisaged for 2008 was 3.5 million US Dollars and the reason for the increase in the finance demand was that the studies would be intensified and the number of missing persons’ remains to be delivered to their relatives would be higher.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who paid an official visit to the USA speaking following his meeting with the President of the USA George Bush at the White House, said the Cyprus issue was one of the issues which they discussed.

Explaining that he said to President Bush that the Turkish Cypriot side had done its utmost in the April 2004 referendum and the solution process should be stimulated in the New Year, Gul said Bush was in favor of the UN process for a solution in Cyprus.

Pointing out that he also touched upon the unjust isolation imposed upon the Turkish Cypriot people following the referendum, Gul said Bush had supported his view to the effect that; ‘the embargo imposed on Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, could not be imposed on the Turkish Cypriots’.