by halil » Fri Sep 25, 2009 11:18 pm
TRNC PRESIDENT TALAT SAID THE GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TOWARDS A SETTLEMENT
President Mehmet Ali Talat has met with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in New York.
The President also held discussions with Alexander Razinski, a member of the American-Turkish Council.
During the meetings, the President underlined the need for the United Nations to play a more active role in the Cyprus negotiation process.
`If the international community is not involved, solution of the problem will become more difficult. The main reason behind this is that the Greek Cypriot Side is not in need of a settlement as we are, and its unwilling attitude` the President said.
Speaking to reporters after his discussions, the President criticized the Greek Cypriot Leader Dimitris Christofias for his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
The President said that views expressed by the Greek Cypriot Leader were baseless and meaningless.
Mr Talat stressed that the objective of the negotiations being conducted by the two sides on the island was to bring a bi-zonal bi-communal federal solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of political equality.
During the meeting between the President and the Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, the role to be played by Stockholm in the Cyprus talks was discussed.
President Talat told the Swedish Minister that he accepted the role of the European Union in the Cyprus negotiation process, however he said that the Union should not affect the role of the United Nations and should only support the talks at technical level.
Informing Mr Bildt on course of the negotiation process in Cyprus, the President underlined the need for the EU to take steps that would motivate the Greek Cypriot Side to a solution.
Mr Talat said he discussed the issue with the Swedish Foreign Minister, who he said, promised to take initiatives towards encouraging the Greek Cypriot Side towards a settlement.
Today, President Talat will meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who is in New York for the UN General Assembly meetings.