Quartet Cyprus talks to start tomorrow in Switzerland

LEFKOSA (AA) – Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat and Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas left on Tuesday for Switzerland to participate in the quartet conference on Cyprus negotiations.

TRNC delegation headed by Talat came to Istanbul this morning and left the city for Switzerland.

The delegation is comprised of TRNC Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas, Presidency Undersecretary Ergun Olgun and TRNC’s Representative in Washington Osman Ertug.

The delegation also includes Presidency Legal Affairs Special Consultant Sulen Karabacak, Prime Ministry Chief Adviser Yonca Senyigit, Foreign Ministry Second Secretary Seniha Birand and Gulfem Veziroglu and lecturer Kudret Ozersay.

The delegation is expected to return via Istanbul to TRNC on April 1.

TRNC President Rauf Denktas who decided not to participate in quartet conference in Switzerland submitted on Monday to the United Nations a letter saying that the delegation who would go to Switzerland had full authority.

TRNC and Greek Cypriot side started Cyprus negotiations on February 19 to find a fair and lasting solution to Cyprus issue till May 1 on the basis of United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan plan.

As the first stage of talks ended on March 22, a quartet conference will take place among TRNC, Greek Cypriot side, Turkey and Greece in Switzerland.

U.N. Secretary General Annan will fill in the blanks left in the plan if participants can’t reach any compromise in quartet meetings, and the text to be formed at the end of all these initiatives will be voted in referenda to be held synchronously in the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides on April 20.