TRNC rejects inclusion of EU in Cyprus solution

NEW YORK (AA) – TRNC has rejected the Greek Cypriot proposal which asked for EU’s inclusion in the Cyprus solution process.

The sides mainly focused on this issue during the third-day talks which were held in New York on Thursday/Friday.

A TRNC official told reporters after completion of the negotiations at 9.45 a.m. (Turkish local time) Friday that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan would issue a written statement. The statement of Annan will be faxed to the sides around 3.30 p.m. (Turkish local time).

U.N. gave two hours to TRNC and Greek Cypriot side to say "yes" or "no" to the statement. However, TRNC officials have already informed U.N. that if there is going to be a phrase in Annan’s statement about inclusion of EU in the process, TRNC will not accept it and say "no".

TRNC President Rauf Denktas told Turkish journalists after the meetings that "we’ve bent as much as we could. If we bend further, we can be broken."

Denktas added that the proposal to include EU in the process would not be accepted.