TURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash yesterday again broke a news blackout on the UN-sponsored Cyprus talks to declare that the shooting of a Turkish Cypriot `policeman’ by Greek Cypriot hunters shows why his breakaway regime needs “state” recognition. “This is most unfortunate. It shows why we insist on our rights being placed on the basis of sovereignty, so that this thing doesn’t happen again,” Denktash said on arriving at UN headquarters in New York for the fourth session of the “proximity talks.”
An apparently irked UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on returning to New York from Montreal, repeated his plea to both sides not to speak to the media during the talks.
Annan did not comment on Denktash’s remarks about the shooting, but again asked “the parties and all the countries concerned (to) refrain from making any statements that may inflame tensions, complicate the talks.”
Annan said he would refrain from “finger pointing” when asked about Denktash’s comments to the press on Monday, adding tersely: “I think I have said all I have to say” about the matter.
President Glafcos Clerides and Denktash – who refuses to meet Clerides face- to-face – have been talking separately with top UN officials to try to pave the way towards ending the 25-year Turkish occupation of the northern 37 per cent of Cyprus.
Now that he is back from Montreal, Annan said he would be “seeing the (two principal) parties again” and “make a serious effort to move the process forward, and I think we should focus on that.”
Turkish Cypriot officials reported yesterday that two Greek Cypriot hunters strayed into Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus and shot and wounded a Turkish Cypriot ‘policeman’.
Major Paul Kolken, spokesman for UN Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP), confirmed the shooting occurred. Cyprus police, while investigating the incident with UNFICYP personnel, said their investigation so far does not link any Greek Cypriot hunter to the allegation about the shooting.
“I hope Mr Clerides will say something to show that this is not the way to settle the Cyprus problem,” Denktash said, adding he hoped the Greek Cypriot side could prove the shooting was an accident.
Clerides made no comments to reporters on leaving UN headquarters about either the shooting or his two-hour meeting with Alvaro de Soto, Annan’s adviser on Cyprus.
Denktash met de Soto right after Clerides left.
UN Spokesman Fred Eckhard separately urged both sides “to strictly adhere” to their pledges to Annan not to speak to the press on issues relevant to the talks.
Eckhard has said the United Nations would keep the talks going beyond the expected 10-day duration, if both sides wanted to.
Continuing the talks through their expected December 14-15 term, however, could be affected by the outcome of the European Union’s two-day summit in Helsinki, which opens tomorrow.
Greece has warned it might veto the acceptance of Turkey as a formal candidate for EU membership if Ankara fails to make a gesture either about Cyprus or other festering Greco-Turkish problems, such as territorial disputes in the Aegean.
A Greek EU veto would anger Turkey, and some fear it might spark a Denktash pullout from the proximity talks. Denktash was ambiguous on the point.
He said that, since coming to New York last week, he had not spoken to Ankara about Turkey’s EU candidacy prospects at the Helsinki summit.
“Ankara can deal with the Helsinki prospect by itself,” he said. “No one asked me to make any gestures. I don’t think Ankara needs gestures from me. Ankara can look after itself.”
He added a recent meeting he had with Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State when Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, “was a friendly call, and it was a friendly talk.” He did not elaborate.
