[01] Talat comments on differences with Serdar Denktash.

[02] Yilmaz admits Greco-Turkish relations affect the Cyprus problem.

NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat comments on differences with Serdar Denktash

Talat was commenting on remarks by the new DP leader, Serdar Denktash, to the effect that the RTP is positing conditions. Talat said: "We have serious differences in our approaches. Unless we overcome these problems, it might be unnecessary to continue with the coalition. We are not sentenced to be with each other."

Talat pointed out that it would be impossible to try the same "coalition" for a fourth time. He maintained that Serdar Denktash's view of politics is not much different from that of the National Unity Party.

Illegal TAK (Turkish Cypriot News Agency) reports that Talat said: " If the DP's view of government issues remains the same, the change of leadership can be assessed as an internal issue of that party."

He added that the RTP insists on eliminating privileges, while the DP ignores this issue. He said that the RTP also insists on the solution of the illegal workers problem, on attaching the "police force" to the "Interior ministry", on "constitutional amendments", on the transfer of the Turkish Airlines shares in the so-called Turkish Cypriot Airlines to the pseudostate and on the democratization of the so-called public service committee.

The RTP leader pointed out that the obstacles in crossing over to the free areas and in bicommunal relations are putting the pseudostate in a difficult spot. He said: "This remains a serious problem. We are cutting the branch we are sitting on. We are being blamed as the side that obstructs bicommunal activities, and we cannot explain our position. This stand is contrary to the interests of the Turkish Cypriot community."

Talat said that the RTP and the DP will discuss ways of solving the problems. He recalled that the RTP and DP agreed that the latter would support the RTP candidate for the post of "assembly speaker" during the new legislative season that starts in October. He added that this was confirmed in written form as well. He said: "If the DP does not stand by this agreement, we will completely lose our trust in it."

[02] Yilmaz admits Greco-Turkish relations affect the Cyprus problem

Regarding the foreign policy issues, Yilmaz elaborated on the relations with the EU, Russia, the Caucasus, Syria, Iraq, the Balkans, the Aegean and Greece. Yilmaz avoided directly referring to Cyprus. Regarding the course of the Greco-Turkish relations and their effect on the Cyprus problem Yilmaz said: "It would not be wrong to think that it would have positive reflections on the Cyprus problem if a common sense climate reigns on all the aspects of the Greco-Turkish relations, something we sincerely desire to happen." (MY) EF/SK