Cyprus-Forum.com

[brother]

Talat says ready to discuss changes to Annan plan

* Asked whether he was ready to discuss a revision of the plan, Talat says: 'Of course. If Papadopoulos has proposals for change, we will discuss them and naturally we will bring our own proposals'

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ANKARA - Turkish Daily News

Turkish Cypriots are ready to discuss changes to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's plan for reunification of the island and put forward its own proposals for change after the plan failed in an April 24 referendum, Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said.

"The Greek Cypriot side should decide what it wants. "Everybody is expecting Papadopoulos and his administration to explain what they want," Talat told Greek Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros in an interview published yesterday.

Greek Cypriots voted against the reunification plan in the referendum and Greek Cypriot leader Papadopoulos said he wanted resumption of talks on the plan but demanded amendments.

Asked whether he was ready to discuss a revision of the plan, Talat said: "Of course. If Papadopoulos has proposals for change, we will discuss them and naturally we will bring our own proposals."

Talat said negotiations over a solution to the Cyprus problem should be held under the U.N. umbrella, not that of the European Union.

Greek Cypriots joined the EU on May 1, representative of the entire island. The Turkish Cypriot north was left out.

Talat said Turkish Cypriots wanted settlement of the Cyprus problem and equal political share in the future of Cyprus in a political sense and accused the Greek Cypriot administration of blocking contacts between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities of the island.

Papadopoulos staunchly campaigned for a "no" vote against the U.N. plan prior to the April 24 referendum. But he later said objection to the Annan plan did not mean Greek Cypriots did not want a settlement on the island.

The EU Commission proposed a set of measures to end international isolation of Turkish Cypriots through direct trade with the north and granting financial aid. But these measures have not yet gone into effect, due to problems at the approval stage.

The EU's slowness in implementing the pledged measures undermined Talat's coalition government with Serdar Denktas' Democratic Party (DP). The coalition resigned last month after its months-long efforts to form a majority government failed.

[Bananiot]

Too late Mr Talat. Papadopoulos has already pre emptied the move, by declaring that the TC leadership are pawns of Ankara and that he will only talk with Ertogan.

P.S. The only pawn he is willing to talk with (in secret of course) is Ser. Denktash. He would do, in the absence of the bigger pawn, his father.

[metecyp]

* Asked whether he was ready to discuss a revision of the plan, Talat says: 'Of course. If Papadopoulos has proposals for change, we will discuss them and naturally we will bring our own proposals'

To tell you the truth, I lost my faith in Talat. When he was the prime minister, he consistenly stressed that any changes to the plan will be very hard and complicated. It seemed as if he didn't want any changes to the plan. Now a few days after his resignation, he started talking about changes to the plan. I feel like he's trying to gain votes again by promising things that are beyond his control.

[brother]

We should all be crying as we are left to the hands and actions of these two clowns talat and tassos, its like the blind leading the blind.

The real question is can it get any worse.

[-mikkie2-]

So you have only just realised that Talat is also a clown!

Unfortunately, his strings are being pulled by Turkey.

[insan]

mikkie,


So, who pulls strings of GC politicians? Big boys of GC community? Or big boys of the capitalist world? Or you gonna tell us how meritorious are GC politicians?

[-mikkie2-]

Hey Insan,

At least in the south we don't get told what to do by another country.

Many countries have leaders that have business links. What about Italy for example?

I am not saying that is a good thing, it isn't, but at least we are masters of our own destiny. Unfortunately you guys are not.

[brother]

come on mikkie we both know that in a covert way greece is always, lets say advising you.

[-mikkie2-]

Brother,

I really don't think that is the case now. If that was the case we would have signed up to the A plan in April!

After what Greece did to us in 1974 we will never let them dictate to us what to do again. Advise yes. Tell us what to do, no.

[brother]

I honestly think that in a very covert way they still do dictate to you on international policy, maybe at home you are left to your own free will but in the international world of politics you will see ROC in complete alignment with Greece and this cannot be coincidense.