Denktash Says Would Resign if Turkey Presses Him

The United Nations presented a new peace plan earlier this year, hoping to reunite the island as a partnership of two component states before it joins the European Union in 2004. Turkey faces the prospect of a major crisis in its own relations with the European Union if there is no solution to the Cyprus problem. Its own chances of joining the bloc would be seriously hampered if a divided Cyprus, effectively the Greek Cypriot part, joins the EU. Efforts to reach an agreement before an EU summit in December at which Cyprus was officially invited to join the bloc failed. The U.N. is now pushing for a solution by the end of February and talks are due to restart on January 7. Denktash returned to the island on Sunday after a long absence due to health problems. He underwent two heart operations in October in New York and has spent only five days in Cyprus since then. For the past few weeks he has been recovering in Ankara where he held regular talks with Turkish government and military leaders whose influence will be important in reaching a deal. Around 30,000 Turkish Cypriots held a rally last week calling for Denktash to quit in one of the biggest challenges to his authority ever seen on the island. Denktash has said he will continue talks with the Greek Cypriot side but has expressed serious reservations about parts of the plan dealing with handing over territory.