Denktas to give mandate today for forming govt.

TRNC President Denktas will start receiving respectively Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) leader Mustafa Akinci; Democrat Party (DP) leader, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas; National Unity Party (UBP) leader and Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu, and Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Mehmet Ali Talat as of 2.30 p.m.

Denktas will decide for designating somebody to form the government at the end of the meetings.

Talat and Eroglu earlier announced that they were ready to form the government. Talat had said that his party was open to all government formulas with the target of solution of Cyprus issue until May 1, 2003 and joining the EU with a united Cyprus. Eroglu had noted that his party would not take part in a government to be set up under the leadership of CTP, stressing that a government could only be set up under the leadership of his party or his party would be in opposition.

TRNC President Denktas had suggested the parties to form a broad-based government.