Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot Press and Other Media, 99-07-02

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESS AND OTHER MEDIA

No. 115/99 -- 2.7.99

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkish Foreign Ministry rejects UNSC Cyprus resolutions.

[02] Turkey, ``TRNC'' sign so-called social security protocol.

[03] Cem tells Annan past UN Cyprus resolutions are not viable.

[04] Denktash to Turkey; Says intercommunal talks period over.

[05] Turkish Cypriots say UN resolution ``unacceptable''.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Turkish Foreign Ministry rejects UNSC Cyprus resolutions

A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry says that at its meeting on 29 June, the UN Security Council [UNSC] adopted two resolutions on Cyprus, one extending the peace force mandate till 15 July and the other concerning the UN secretary general's goodwill mission. The statement says: "The resolution on the peace force says that its mandate is being extended with the approval of the so-called Cyprus government. There is no such government. This approach, which runs counter to the realities of the island, is the main reason why a solution could not be reached in Cyprus to this day."

The statement says that "the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [TRNC] has informed the UNSC chairman that the resolution is unacceptable in that it considers the Greek Cypriot side as the government of the whole of Cyprus and that cooperation with the peace force can be conducted only with a decision to be reached by the TRNC government." The Foreign Ministry statement says that Turkey endorses the pseudostate´s stand.

The statement adds that in its resolution on the peace force, the UNSC cites the principles on which a solution must be based. It says: "These principles which are presented as the basis for a solution do not reflect an agreement between the sides in Cyprus, and are therefore invalid."

In its statement, the Foreign Ministry also asserts that the resolution on the UN secretary general's goodwill mission is based on the G-8 summit declaration, adding: "The secretary general's goodwill mission encompasses the two sides on the island, and has been formulated on the principle that the negotiations are conducted freely and that any solution is based on the joint agreement of the sides. Serious obstacles stemming from the Greek Cypriot side's claims and acts stand before the negotiation process in Cyprus. The fact that under these circumstances the UNSC adopted a resolution based on the G-8 declaration is incompatible with the goodwill mission. Furthermore, the UNSC resolutions call for the two sides to come to the negotiating table without preconditions on the one hand, but by referring to a 'Cyprus government,' continue to assume that the Greek Cypriot side can represent the whole of Cyprus on the other. Also, the resolutions say that the negotiations must start without preconditions, but they also try to formulate a solution that is not based on the joint agreement of the sides."

The Foreign Ministry statement says that to achieve any progress in Cyprus, the two sides must clearly determine why no results were achieved in the numerous negotiations held until now, and they must also accept ``the realities on the island''. It says: "We maintain our strong belief that given the current situation, any progress toward a solution depends on the acceptance of the two equal and sovereign states on the island, and on the protection of the Turkish-Greek balance over Cyprus."

[02] Turkey, ``TRNC'' sign so-called social security protocol

Yasar Okuyan,Turkish Labour and Social Security Minister, and Mehmet Altinay, so called labour, settlement and social minister, signed the agreement.

Speaking in the ceremony, Okuyan said that their cooperation focused on setting up a unique social security order and improving the financial situation of the social security institutions in the pseudostate.

Stressing that the "protocol" would take effect on Wednesday, Okuyan stated that the former "protocols" will not be taken into consideration after this "protocol" takes effect.

Okuyan emphasized that this new "protocol" will improve the pseudostate so- called social security system, and will increase the cooperation in issues like business life, social insurance, finance and training.

Dervis Eroglu, so-called prime minister, said that "the world which ignores the point that the TRNC reached today, will start understanding the real facts as they see the support of strong Turkey."

[03] Cem tells Annan past UN Cyprus resolutions are not viable

Ismail Cem claimed that the UN resolutions that were passed on the Cyprus problem 10 to 20 years ago are not viable, have not led to any positive results, and are not valid. Speaking to the press at the Turkish House following his meeting with Annan, Cem said that he told the secretary general that the UN resolutions lead the solution of the Cyprus question to an impasse. The foreign minister said that he invited Kofi Annan to the summit of the Organization of Security and Cooperation that will be held in Istanbul on 18 and 19 November.

In a statement to TRT, Foreign Minister Cem said:

"In connection with Cyprus, I repeated the views I express all the time. I said that Mr. Denktash is the address in the Cyprus issue. I said that it is an issue between the two states in Cyprus. I said that I find the latest UN Security Council [UNSC] resolutions and the G-8 resolution to be extremely wrong. I said that there is no room to even act in order to reach a solution within the framework of this UNSC resolution. I said that these two resolutions are not in parallel with the steps being taken by the UN secretary general, that they even obstruct the secretary general's efforts, and the efforts of his special representative in Cyprus. I pointed out that the resolutions contradict the latest report the UN secretary general issued. I also said that I sincerely believe that the UNSC resolutions adopted on the Cyprus issue 10 to 20 years ago cannot be implemented today. They are dated. The past decades have proven that they are not valid and that they lead nowhere. It is impossible to achieve anything with these resolutions."

[04] Denktash to Turkey; Says intercommunal talks period over

Denktash will first go to Istanbul. On 2 July, he will go to Denizli to attend the opening session of the congress. After the opening, Denktash will return to Istanbul and will travel from there to the Black Sea region to deliver lectures. He will return to the occupied area on 8 July.

At the Dome Hotel the other night, Denktash hosted a dinner in honour of Yasar Okuyan, visiting Turkish minister of labour and social security. In a dinner speech, Denktash said that the period of intercommunal talks is over and that talks can now be held only between "two states". He claimed that the UN Security Council [UNSC] adopted a resolution that astounded all. He pointed out that even though the UNSC was told of the reasons why the "TRNC" and Turkey jointly took certain steps, the UNSC continued to march along as if nothing had happened. Denktash alleged that the UNSC was modifying old resolutions in order to revive the intercommunal talks.

Yasar Okuyan said that the "entire world must realize that the TRNC exists on the island."

[05] Turkish Cypriots say UN resolution "unacceptable"

The statement said that the good will mission depends on the consent of the two sides on Cyprus and that depending the good will mission on the G-8 statements is a basic mistake.

The statement noted that the resolution concerning the good will mission of Kofi Annan, U.N Secretary General, "results from an unreal hypothesis saying that the negotiation process can be launched without finding a joint ground between the two sides on Cyprus."

Pointing out that this stance will not be useful as the ``intercommunal meetings`` were blocked in Glion, the statement claimed that "what should be done is to build the solution framework and parameters on the facts. TRNC, in order to open the ways for a lasting solution, revealed a constructive political will basing on the existence of the two states on August 31, 1998."

The statement said the pseudostate will continue to depend on the confederation proposal dated August 31, 1998.

The statement said the resolution regarding the extension of the mandate of the U.N Peace-Keeping Forces depended on the understanding that the Cyprus government and the Cyprus Republic exists, adding that "the resolution is unacceptable for TRNC".

From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/

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