"Turkey should say both EU and Cyprus are its rights"

ANKARA (AA) – Deniz Baykal, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has said that Turkey should say that both the European Union (EU) and Cyprus were its rights.

Speaking at a CHP Parliamentary Group meeting on Tuesday, Baykal said they were against connection between Turkey’s EU membership process and the Cyprus issue.

Stressing that EU membership was Turkey’s right and the legal process had been initiated, Baykal said, "nobody can prevent it unless we bring ourselves as a country protecting its rights and laws."

Defending that those who governed the country acted with a submissive understanding in foreign policy, Baykal said, "there are statements made by Turkish and TRNC officials. Everybody knows that Annan’s plan is an imbalanced plan which aims to destroy the social structure of the TRNC."

Stressing that deployment of a peacekeeping force in the TRNC had already started to be discussed, Baykal said, "such a requirement has never appeared for the last thirty years. However, deployment of a peacekeeping force in the TRNC was included in the plan by foreseeing that there may be very serious clashes in coming period."

Noting that Annan’s plan also envisaged settlement of eighty thousand Greek Cypriots in the Turkish Cypriot side, Baykal said, "the arrangement which is going to be made is an arrangement which would cause problems. Everybody sees it. They say, ‘we will try to change it’. How do you change it? Our officials say, ‘we will persuade Papadopoulos. If we can’t, we will persuade the Greek government. If not, we persuade Annan’. However, the plan belongs to Annan. Actually, our officials are not trying to persuade either Papadopoulos of the Greek government or Annan, but they are trying to persuade Turkey. They are trying to form the ground of the pretext saying, ‘there is nothing that can be done. This is the result. Please, understand us.’ They should not do this."

Stating that it was understood from the latest point reached in the Cyprus issue that there would not be any serious change in Annan’s plan, Baykal said that relation of an agreement in Cyprus with the EU acquis would be another serious problem.

Noting that statements of EU officials were not sufficient, Baykal added that there was a need for an arrangement by all EU member states which would neutralize efforts to change an agreement in Cyprus.