Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 04-05-05

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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 Mehmet Ali Talat after meeting Collin Powell.

[02] Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas thinks using Government controlled ports for exports will create serious drawbacks.

[03] Erdogan says that Turkey will find a new conduit in case the EU fails to give it a negotiation date and stresses that the real diplomatic struggle for Cyprus starts now.

[04] The Communal Liberation Party applied to the European Union supporting that the Turkish Cypriots are not represented in the EU by the Cyprus Republic.

[05] Salih Cosar resigned from the Democratic Party.

[06] Azerbaijani deputy says that Azerbaijan´s nonparticipation in the voting of the Council of Europe´s Parliamentary Assembly was intentional.

[07] Mersin's Chamber of Commerce and Industry wants to export products to the Republic of Cyprus.,

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Statements by Mehmet Ali Talat after meeting Collin Powell

In statements after the meeting, which lasted half an hour, Mr Talat said that the United States were preparing a package aiming at putting an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. Mr Talat noted that Mr Powell informed him on this issue.

Mr Talat said that during his meetings he tried to ensure that the Turkish Cypriots, who had said "yes" at the 24 April referendum, are not punished because of the rejection of the Annan Plan on behalf of the Greek Cypriots.

"I believe that with the recent developments, the international community understood that the unjust isolation must end", argued Mr Talat and added: "After all our meeting with Powell proves this".

Mr Talat claimed that Mr Powell "understood very well" that one community could not be punished because of the negative attitude of the other community and added: "It seems that the realization of these issues will take time. However, this time will not last for many months. It will be a reasonable time, but we should not have extremely high expectations. These issues are not easy. They need a long term struggle and step by step approach".

Meanwhile, in his statement after the meeting, the US State Department's Special Representative for Cyprus, Tomas Weston who was present at the meeting said that the meeting was wonderful and that his country would begin to work for the improvement of the situation of the Turkish Cypriots.

Mr Weston noted also that Mr Powell heard "what he wanted to hear" from Mr Talat and that the steps, which Washington will take after some legal and technical issues are solved, will encourage the Turkish Cypriots. Mr Weston gave no details regarding the above-mentioned steps.

KIBRIS notes that Mr Talat had also a long meeting with the UN Secretary - General's Special Advisor for Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto.

[02] Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas thinks using Government controlled ports for exports will create serious drawbacks

[03] Erdogan says that Turkey will find a new conduit in case the EU fails to give it a negotiation date and stresses that the real diplomatic struggle for Cyprus starts now

Erdogan said that a negative decision of the EU on whether to open full membership negotiations with Turkey would disappoint Turkish people and would deteriorate the basic philosophy of the EU which could not be mended again. "If EU doesn't take the decision we want, Turkey won't have any difficulties in finding a new course to follow thanks to its big potential. The EU, which excludes Turkey in this case, will have difficulties in talking about European ideals as of that day," Erdogan added.

The current situation was more advantageous and optimistic for Turkey and the pseudostate when compared with the situation before the separate simultaneous referenda in Cyprus, Mr Erdogan argued, and noted that Turkey would put diplomatic pressure on other countries in every platform with a good team work from now on as it had done so far.

Erdogan said that the Cyprus problem had been high on the agenda for a few weeks due to the simultaneous referenda in which United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan's plan for comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem was voted. "New conditions have emerged in the island after the referenda and a new balance of values have been established changing all the calculations made so far. I believe that this new tableau is a tableau which has made our country the advantageous side for the first time during the history of 30-year Cyprus question," Erdogan noted.

Erdogan stated that the real diplomatic struggle in Cyprus starts from now on and that the Turkish side would no more be the side which was defending itself. He noted that it was no more the Turkish side which would defend itself in Cyprus, but it was the Greek Cypriot side which would do so.

[04] The Communal Liberation Party applied to the European Union supporting that the Turkish Cypriots are not represented in the EU by the Cyprus Republic

CLP supports that the Turkish Cypriots must not be punished for decisions that were taken against their own will and asks from the EU to take measures in favour of the Turkish Cypriots. The party says also that it does not accept the "claim" that the state which became member of the EU on the 1st of May is the Cyprus Republic which was established with the 1960 agreements, because the Turkish Cypriot side which is one of the two sides which formed the Cyprus Republic, decided on the 24 April referendum the establishment of a new state under the name "United Cyprus Republic".

[05] Salih Cosar resigned from the Democratic Party

In a written statement issued yesterday, Mr Cosar said that he can no longer "march with the DP". Noting that the pseudostate went through a difficult and important period, Mr Cosar said that this is the time for all to evaluate their actions and aims. Adding that the resent developments showed that the Turkish Cypriots do not want "non-solution and turmoil but solution and reaching un understanding", Mr Cosar said that everybody should listen to the Turkish Cypriots' call.

[06] Azerbaijani deputy says that Azerbaijan´s nonparticipation in the voting of the Council of Europe´s Parliamentary Assembly was intentional

Addressing the parliament, Saidov recalled that the COEPA Human Rights and Judicial Committee recommended that a positive decision not be taken with regards to the representation of the Turkish Cypriots at the COE. Saidov charged that had the voting yielded a positive result, then this would have set a precedence for the recognition of unrecognized separatist administrations and he showed Nagorno Karabakh as an example. He added: "If the `TRNC´ has a representative in COEPA, then this might set a dangerous precedence toward the recognition of the separatist administration in Nagorno Karabakh". Saidov explained that this was the reason why the Azerbaijani deputies did not participate in the voting.

[07] Mersin's Chamber of Commerce and Industry wants to export products to the Republic of Cyprus

Therefore, notes the paper, the chamber will train its members on the issue of the demands which might come from Cyprus' market and the expectations regarding the quality of the products exported into this market.

According to a statement by the chairman of the chamber, Mr Kadri Saman, their cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus will depend on the political relations of Turkey with it.

/SK

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