Cyprus: "We have reached a different stage.."

Holding a press conference at the Democrat Party (DP) headquarters, Denktas said on Tuesday, "the Turkish Cypriot side does not make any discrimination among European Union (EU) citizens in passages. Therefore, we call on the Greek Cypriot side not to make any discrimination against TRNC citizens. I will send a letter to Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos later today."

Referring to decisions taken at yesterday’s meeting of TRNC Council of Ministers, Denktas said, "they constitute a new step for meeting of Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot people under more normal conditions. As a result of these decisions, we provided groups which will pass from the south to the north and which will work through Turkish Cypriot agencies with several facilities. Also, passport implementation have been lifted for individual passages."

"This decision constitutes a new part of our unilateral compromise approach started on April 23, 2003. From now on, Greek Cypriot people, who will come to TRNC for the first time, will receive Turkish people’s traditional hospitality as long as they act in line with our laws and traditions," he said.

Underlining that two peoples on the island should respect each other to reach a lasting solution, Denktas said that Greek Cypriot side did not meet positive steps that Turkish Cypriot side has taken so far. Denktas stated that they believed that new conditions would provide Greek Cypriot politicians and Turkish Cypriot politicians with holding sounder talks.

Stressing that they did not make any distinction among citizens of the European Union, Denktas said that Greek Cypriot administration should give up discriminating TRNC citizens according to their place of birth. He added that a letter on this issue would be submitted to Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos today.

Denktas said that some circles in TRNC criticized Council of Ministers’ decision to lift passport procedure in passages from Greek Cypriot side to TRNC and added that this attitude was unjust. He added that some of TRNC politicians and press still searched for those who prevented peace in TRNC.

Denktas said, "some circles claim that DP played a negative role in solution process. This is a very wrong, deceptive and unjust claim." He added that since the beginning of the process, which started with Annan Plan, their principle was to make politics by informing people correctly.

Noting that DP has played a positive role within the solution process and it opened the path to referendum and left the decision to people in the referendum, Denktas said that however some circles assaulted DP unjustly because he unveiled his vote on the day of referendum.

Denktas said, "failure becomes inevitable if you try to solve present political and social problems with the mind of 40 years ago by not understanding political and social changes."

Denktas said, "similarly, the main reason of insolubility of Cyprus question is the initiatives which disregarded the changes that the Turkish and Greek Cypriot peoples passed through and which did not attribute importance to those changes. Recent Annan plan, which was presented as solution proposal, failed to succeed although it put forward a philosophical approach describing the problem in the best way."

Serdar Denktas said they should encourage U.N. Secretary General, who contributed a lot to the process in Cyprus, and all the international community to lift the isolation imposed on Turkish Cypriots.

Stating that formation of a new order in Cyprus failed because of "no" vote of Greek Cypriots, Denktas said, "however, this was the first time that the Turkish and Greek Cypriot peoples had the chance to form a political partnership with referendums. Greek Cypriots rejected this opportunity."

Serdar Denktas said Greek Cypriots showed that they did not want to form a joint state with Turkish Cypriots and noted that, "whether or not Greek Cypriots want to live together with the Turkish Cypriots, the Turkish and Greek Cypriots will continue to live together on Cyprus island. It is very natural that Turkish Cypriots exert efforts to integrate their state with the world if the Greek Cypriots do not want to form a joint state with the Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots do not have more endurance to wait for the Greek Cypriots forever."

Denktas said the people living in the regions which were envisaged to be given to Greek Cypriots in the Annan plan map were living in uneasiness today, stressing that "the EU, UN, and the United States, which earlier said they would stage ‘Donors’ Conference’ and extend economic and financial contribution, now that should support financial aid programs which we will prepare to develop those regions.