TRNC’s PM Talat: Put Greek Membership on Ice

TRNC Prime Minister Mehmet Talat, started by calling upon European Union (EU) Term President, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, to freeze the membership of Cyprus until a solution is reached. Talat also demanded that the E.U. suspend enforcement of the Acquis Communitaire in South Cyprus as well as the North. Finally, Talat insisted that the 259 million Euros of assistance be released and that TRNC be contacted directly, independently of the Greek Administration.

One of the main tactics that the Turkish side will employ is unilaterally putting into practice some provisions of the Annan Plan that deal with possession and property rights. Accordingly, TRNC will utilize the E.U. foreign aid package to begin construction of new settlements specified for Turks. When these settlements are completed, Turkish Cypriots, living in areas that were to be ceded to the Greek side in the Annan Plan, will move into these new settlements. The evacuated regions might then be handed over to the Greek side, but only provided the issue is resolved within the framework of the Annan Plan. This strategy could also ensure that cases similar to the Louzidou case are blocked in European Court of Human Rights.

Another prong of TRNC’s offensive assumes that the EU is not a supranational organization. Arguing form this standpoint, it will be stressed that the present policy of the Greek community cannot harmonize with the current cultural structure of the EU. Thus, attention will be called both to the need for the Turkish community to be represented in European institutions and to the enforcement of regulations in the Annan Plan regarding representation.

On the other hand, TRNC Republican Turk Party Secretary General Ferdi Soyer spoke to Zaman: "This is a kind of rejoicing over defeat", he said, drawing attention to the fact that people in some circles are glad that the Annan Plan will not be able to be enforced since the Greeks said "No" to the referendum. Soyer stated that TRNC would carry on with its diplomatic attack while "taking into account all the balances".