Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 02-07-03

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by the Turkish Cypriot leader before and after meeting President Clerides.

[02] The Turkish Cypriot leader interprets Mr Verheugen/s statements the way he wants.

[03] Turkish official speaking in anonymity blames the EU for the non-solution in Cyprus. He makes no reference to the Turkish occupation troops which caused all the hardships in the island.

[04] The scrapie disease is found in meat produced in the occupied areas.

[05] Talat: "We have changed. Only the stones and Denktas have not changed".

[06] Alvaro de Soto: "Solution still possible".

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by the Turkish Cypriot leader before and after meeting President Clerides

Asked by reporters before going to the talks to comment on EU Commissioner Verheugen's remarks that the Greek Cypriot sector will be admitted into the EU even if there is no agreement on the island, Denktas said: "I thanked him. He has begun telling the truth. He realizes that he cannot make us join the EU by force. If Cyprus is to join the EU as one Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriots' sovereignty, equality, and the existence of their state must be acknowledged. When this is accepted, a joint administration can be established that will accede to the EU together".

The direct Cyprus talks will be interrupted until 16 July because Alvaro de Soto, UN Secretary - General's special envoy for Cyprus, will leave the island tomorrow.

After his meeting with President Clerides the Turkish Cypriot leader said that they continued discussing the Belgian model and they took up the views of the Greek Cypriot side on this issue. Mr Denktas said also that until 16 July they would have time to do some preparations due to the interruption of the talks because of Mr de Soto's absence.

Responding to a question, Mr Denktas said that there is no such issue as disagreement on the Belgian model because they do not discuss this model to accept it. The Turkish Cypriot leader alleged also the following: "...As soon as we put forward the part of the Belgian model from which we want to benefit on the issue of the accession of a common Cyprus into the EU, the Greek Cypriots, making a tactical move, said 'let us discuss the whole of it'. They thought that we would not accept this. By discussing and estimating the whole of it in the two meetings, we saw to what extend this could be implemented in Cyprus and what we are going to gain and what are we going to loose. This was an exercise of ideas...".

[02] The Turkish Cypriot leader interprets Mr Verheugen/s statements the way he wants

``God bless Verheugen. I thank him because he tells the truth,`` Denktas said.

``Now the literature has changed. In the past, he was saying that they would accept Cyprus' membership. This was a very wrong expression. Now, he says that they would accept the Greek Cypriot side`s membership,`` Denktas noted.

Recalling that Verheugen had said that they would take the Greek Cypriot side, Denktas alleged that this statement proved that the EU recognized the northern Cyprus as a separate state.

Rauf Denktas reiterated that they would not join the EU together with the Greek Cypriots as a minority.

Stressing that ninety percent of the Cyprus talks would be concluded on the day the Greek Cypriots recognized the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriots, Denktas said that the remaining ten percent was the issue of return of Greek Cypriots to the sovereign state, adding that they would not allow such a return as it would mean continuation of dangers.

``So recognition of our sovereignty is a condition and obligation. We are in a partnership, but any return of people is out of the question because this is a matter of our security. Both sides left property in the other side. Exchange of these with compensation should be resolved this very moment,`` Denktas added.

[03] Turkish official speaking in anonymity blames the EU for the non-solution in Cyprus. He makes no reference to the Turkish occupation troops which caused all the hardships in the island

Turkish officials said that Mr Rauf Denktas and President Glafcos Clerides had been maintaining the direct talks process by taking up each issues in detail, and added that the attitude of the EU did not help efforts to find a solution.

An official told the A.A correspondent on Tuesday: ``The EU`s statement that it would accept membership of the Greek Cypriot side in any case, neither forces the Turkish Cypriot side to reach an agreement nor motivates the Greek Cypriot side. The Greek Cypriot side thinks to solve the Cyprus question in its own way after becoming a full member of the EU.``

Meanwhile, Turkey is in favour of a healthy and satisfactory solution that will constitute a model for the other regions of the world.

Turkey informed the United States that it was wrong to support full membership of Cyprus to the EU.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters at a press conference that the target of reaching an agreement on the island till the end of June could not be achieved.

Noting that the United States would continue to work together with the United Nations to find a solution to the Cyprus question, Boucher added that both the United States and the United Nations would maintain their active efforts to this end, reports Anatolia News Agency.

[04] The scrapie disease is found in meat produced in the occupied areas

In a statement issued by the above-mentioned Ministry it is said that as a result of a control conducted by the Central Veterinary Meat Control and Research Institute the scrapie disease was found in meat produced in the occupied areas of Cyprus.

The paper notes that a relevant circular was distributed to Turkey's customs bureaus on 2 June 2002. The disease was diagnosed on goats and sheeps and it is described as similar to the "mad cow disease".

[05] Talat: "We have changed. Only the stones and Denktas have not changed"

Talking yesterday on a programme of SIM FM radio and commenting on the results of the 30 June "municipal elections" in the occupied areas, Mr Talat said, among other things the following:

".We have changed of course and we are going to change in the positive direction. We are going to change in the direction of becoming a whole with our people. There is no one who does not change. Even the stones do change. I do not know if Denktas also changes. It seems as if the only one who does not change is he.In fact, our people have given a message, the message that they very much want the solution of the Cyprus problem and the accession to the EU. This, in fact, was the result of all the public opinion polls. The whole of the foreign press is concentrating on one point: that 90 - 95 % of the Turkish Cypriots support the EU. This wish, this will is an extremely serious one.".

[06] Alvaro de Soto : ``Solution still possible//

Following are excerpts of the interview:

When asked to comment on his plans and his contacts until the resumption of the fifth round of direct talks on 16 July, de Soto said: "Yes you are right, there is a recess in the talks for a few weeks, tomorrow (tr note: today)I am going to Vienna to meet the UN Secretary-General, and on the 9th of July I will be in New York to brief the UN Security Council. In the mean time I have a number of appointments. I hope the sides taking advantage of this short recess will make an evaluation of their positions. Prior to my departure I will have separate meetings with them and see where we are. And I will try to encourage them about what they should do in the coming few months regarding the finding of a process in order to score progress''

When asked to state the point the negotiations reached, Alvaro de Soto said: "As you know we hoped that it will be possible to solve the core issues by June. We were expecting that these would be settled in principle, because such a general agreement would have greatly facilitated the legal and technical work that was necessary to be carried out as part of a settlement. And the time is getting shorter to achieve this. We have to intensify our efforts to realize this in the shortest possible time. The two leaders should take up the major concern of the other and concentrate on it. We have to close the gap created by not reaching a general agreement on the core issues as encouraged by the UN Secretary-General."

When asked whether discussing the Belgian Constitution at this stage was a waste of time in the negotiations, de Soto answered: "I do not want to encourage public discussion of what is being taken up in the talks. This is already being done on a major scale, and I do not think that it is of great help. And I am not worried about it to say this openly, because both Mr Clerides and Mr Denktas know very well that I think that nothing should be said on what is being discussed behind the closed doors. But, the reality is that these are being said in public. Now I want to comment on a general principle. Taking up an issue considered unrelated to Cyprus, does not mean that it will not in a way be useful. Of course Cyprus needs solutions appropriate to Cyprus, there is no doubt about it. Very little is left to discover. Why not consider, whether a mechanism in a constitution in another part of the world proves to be helpful?''.

When asked whether there was enough ground and reason for being hopeful for a settlement in the next six months, the UN official said: "I still think that there is ground for hope and optimism. This thinking of mine is stemming from the belief that reaching an agreement in the coming months would be in the interest of all concerned. And of course this means that there will be times the leaders will make difficult choices. There is no such thing as ideal solution for the interested sides. Concessions should be made. We are of the view that it is possible to safeguard the interest, the concerns and worries of everybody in general. The heavy responsibility is on the shoulders of the leaders and we hope that their people and those following the events will support them.''

KV/SK

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