11^TH OIC SUMMIT ENDS
PRESIDENT TALAT CALLS UPON THE GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER TO START NEGOTIATIONS WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY

The 11^th OIC Heads of States and Governments Summit held in Senegalese capital Dakar ended.

President Mehmet Ali Talat, who returned to the TRNC on Saturday night (15 March), met with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, many leaders and addressed the General Council in Dakar.

The final communiqué issued at the end of the 11^th Summit of the Organization reaffirmed the previous decisions of the OIC relating to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus calling for an ending to the isolation imposed on Turkish Cypriots.
It also asked for stronger support from the international community to that end. The decision on the Cyprus issue envisaged that the TRNC would continue to participate to OIC meetings under the title of “Cyprus Turkish State”.

Speaking at the summit, President Talat requested that the status of the TRNC would be upgraded to the full member status and called upon the Islamic countries to support the Turkish Cypriot people’s desire to open offices in OIC member countries with a view to enhancing relations with the OIC members particularly in the fields of trade, tourism, culture and higher education. Talat also called on the OIC member states to take all the necessary steps to enable the Turkish Cypriots to travel freely to the brotherly member countries with their travel documents.

Expressing belief that his contacts would lead to fruitful results, President Talat thanked the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and other member states’ officials for their valuable support for Turkish Cypriot people’s just cause.

Explaining the recent developments in Cyprus, Talat evaluated the period after 2004 referendum and pointed out that the Greek Cypriots were not ready to share power with the Turkish Cypriots.

Referring to the 8 July process, President Talat said intensive efforts could not produce any results because the Greek Cypriot side did not show a political will for solving the Cyprus problem.

In his address, Talat also said the Turkish Cypriot side was committed to resume the full fledged negotiations in order to reach a lasting settlement on the basis of bizonality, the political equality of the two peoples and the equal status of the two constituent states, establishing a new partnership state in Cyprus. President Talat called upon the Greek Cypriot side to resume the negotiations within the framework of the UN parameters and the UN’s comprehensive settlement plan without further delay.

Talat expressed hope that his call would be heard and the Cyprus issue would be solved until the end of 2008.

Stressing pleasure for the decisions taken by the OIC on the Cyprus issue up until now, Talat said the Turkish Cypriot people were treated unjustly however after April 2004 referendum the decision taken by the OIC calling the Islamic countries to cooperate with Turkish Cypriots and ending the isolation were important for the Turkish Cypriots.

President Talat also expressed grief for the fact that although the Turkish Cypriots could travel to the USA, UK, France and Western countries with the documents issued by Turkish Cypriot authorities, they could not travel to many friendly Islamic countries with these documents. He said he believed that the friendly Islamic countries would also make the necessary arrangements for Turkish Cypriots to travel to their countries with documents issued by Turkish Cypriot authorities.

President Talat pointed out that his other disappointment was that the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation did not respond positively to the calls by the OIC for the lifting of the Turkish Cypriots’ isolation. President added that the Federation as a prestigious organization would review its decision on the issue and enable Turkish Cypriot sportsmen to participate in activities organized by the Federation.

 

 

GERMAN GREEN PARTY LEADER ROTH VISITS THE TRNC

Claudia Roth, leader of the German Green Party, will visit the TRNC today (17 March) upon the invitation of Speaker of the TRNC Parliament Fatma Ekenoglu.

German deputies of Turkish origins, Ozcan Mutlu and Bilkay Oney, will accompany Roth during her visit.

Roth and her accompanying delegation would visit President Mehmet Ali Talat, the Speaker of Parliament Fatma Ekenoglu and Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer.

Roth will also speak at a conference titled “European Union-Turkey Relations and Cyprus” at the East Mediterranean University on March 18.

The next day (19 March) Roth will visit Lokmacý gate (Ledra Street) and the village of Pile.

Roth and her accompanying delegation are expected to leave the island on Thursday (20 March).