Hurriyet DN Online with wires
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 09, 2008 11:56
The Turkish Cypriot leader criticized the Greek Cypriots for rejecting to set a timetable and their remarks on the Turkey's military intervention more than three decades ago.
Mehmet Ali Talat has sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Turkey's state-run Anatolian Agency reported on Tuesday.
In the letter, Talat gave response to statements of Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Foreign Minister Theodora Bakoyannis of Greece during the United Nations General Assembly meetings in September who used the expressions of invasion and ongoing occupation to describe Turkey's peace operation in Cyprus.
"Turkey's intervention was based on 1960 agreements," Talat said in his letter.
The coup staged by the military junta in Athens in July 15, 1974 resulted in further bloodshed in the form of massacres of Turkish Cypriots and through clashes between anti- and pro-coup Greek Cypriot factions.
In 1974, The Turkish army launched a military intervention on the island to protect the Turkish Cypriot, using its rights under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee. Consequently, Turkish Cypriots set up their own Republic, while continuing the search for reconciliation.
Cyprus has been divided since 1964 when Turkish Cypriots were forced to withdraw into enclaves. The peace talks to reunify the island had restarted in June. The latest attempt to reunify the island had failed in 2004 when the Greek Cypriots rejected the U.N.-sponsored blueprint.
"Christofias talks about transition of Cyprus into a bizonal and bicommunal federation.However, this issue was not brought onto agenda. 'New partnership' and 'founding states' were included in the joint statement after our meeting on May 23. Christofias also rejects the United Nations' mediation and efforts to set a timetable," Talat added, the AA reported.
Talat on Tuesday also travels to Brussels to hold talks with high-level EU officials. The EU has so far failed to keep its promise to ease the isolation of Turkish Cypriots after their approval of the peace plan.
Talat will meet with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign & Security Policy Javier Solana, and EU Commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn are the officials Talat will meet. Talat will return to the Nicosia on Thursday.
