Cyprus PIO: Turkish Press and Other Media, 05-02-03

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

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat says that the Zodia crossing point will be opened within 60 days.

[02] Talat says that they will not give the suspects for the Guzelyurtlu crime to the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus.

[03] British Ambassador to Turkey: "Impossible to find a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem until 3rd October".

[04] Erk: The socialist group of the European Parliament has announced its support to the direct trade regulation.

[05] The occupation regime has forbidden the New Cyprus Party from propagandising against the participation in the so-called 20 February elections.

[06] Gul asked China to invite Talat to Beijing and demanded the country's support as regards the Annan Plan.

[A] NEWS ITEMS

[01] Talat says that the Zodia crossing point will be opened within 60 days

In statements today before departing for Turkey in order to participate in a conference at Istanbul's Bilgi University and meet with representatives of the Press, Mr Talat noted that the officials of the occupation regime informed the United Nations that the crossing point could open after the minefields in the area are cleaned.

Mr Talat said that they discussed the issue yesterday with the United Nations' Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and tomorrow the work of the cleaning the minefields will begin.

Mr Talat noted that the crossing point will be opened the latest after sixty days.

[02] Talat says that they will not give the suspects for the Guzelyurtlu crime to the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus

In statements yesterday during one of his meetings, Mr Talat accused the Government of the Republic of Cyprus of committing an international crime by not handing over the evidence of the crime to the occupation regime.

Mr Talat alleged the following: "The Greek Cypriot administration says that it has evidence and it is hiding it. It protects the criminals by hiding the evidence. This is a problem in the ethical sense and it enters the category of hiding evidence in the international sense. And hiding the evidence means protecting the criminals".

Mr Talat argued that according to the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, which "the Greek Cypriot side says that it is still valid", the authority to try the suspects does not belong to a Greek Cypriot court. Mr Talat claimed that according to the Constitution, a case in which both the victims and the perpetrators are Turks should be tried by Turk judge.

[03] British Ambassador to Turkey: "Impossible to find a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem until 3rd October"

Answering MILLIYET newspaper´s questions Ambassador Westmacott said that his country will take over the EU term presidency in July 2005 and during this period, "what we will try to do is to manage in such a way that issues regarding Cyprus and other potential problems not to preclude the 3rd October road".

Subtitle: Five files until 3rd October

The British Ambassador went on and said that there are five files that need solution and listed these five files as follows:

1. Screening process: Official screening will start on 3rd October.

2. Accession Partnership Document will be published.

3. Negotiation framework that needs approval of the 25.

4. Expansion of the 1963 Ankara agreement in such a way that it will include the 10 new EU members.

5. On top of these there is the complex problem of Cyprus.

Subtitle: Erdogan is right

Ambassador Westmacott further said that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan was right in saying that `Turkey´s recognition of the Republic of Cyprus will be settled through a permanent solution in the island´. "The ideal is for the UN and the Secretary-General Kofi Annan to be involved in the process", he said.

Subtitle: Answer to Buyukanit

"In Turkey, there are people who say: `We should not make more concessions and we should not take more steps´. But there is a political reality: Greece and Cyprus are EU members, Turkey and Turkish Cypriots are out of it. And at the same time Turkey wants to become member of the EU, it is a candidate country. Turkey´s `one step ahead´ strategy applied last year was welcomed", Westmacott said.

[04] Erk: The socialist group of the European Parliament has announced its support to the direct trade regulation

Referring to his meetings in Brussels Mr Erk said that the issue of the Financial Aid Regulation, the Direct Trade Regulation and the Green Line Regulation was on their agenda with the EU officials and added that this issue concerns closely the "municipalities" in the occupied part of Cyprus.

Mr Erk noted that they continue their contacts so that the Financial Aid Regulation takes an applicable and acceptable form and that their efforts have good results.

[05] The occupation regime has forbidden the New Cyprus Party from propagandising against the participation in the so-called 20 February elections

The NCP announced that it will not participate in the elections and called on the Turkish Cypriots to boycott the "elections".

However, the so-called election committee stated that a party must be participating in the "elections", in order to have the right to propagandise in favour of a subject related to the "elections", and prevented the NCP from making propaganda.

[06] Gul asked China to invite Talat to Beijing and demanded the country's support as regards the Annan Plan

Mr Gul demanded from China, which is an active member of the UN Security Council, to help towards the approval of the Genera-Secretary Annan's report about the Annan Plan. He also asked from his Chinese opposite number Mr Li Caosing, to invite the pseudo prime minister Mehmet Ali Talat to China, in order to inform him directly about the Cyprus problem. As the paper writes, Mr Gul is getting ready to ask from other members of the UN Security Council, like the USA and Britain, to invite Mr Talat in order to listen to his views.

Mr Gul, who met in China also with the Chinese Prime Minister Mr Ven Ciabao, stated that Turkey wants the solution of the Cyprus Problem and stated that if the Annan Plan was accepted, a long distance would have been covered.

/SK

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