Serdar expected to reply on coalition proposal today

THE TURKISH Cypriot Democratic Party (DP) is expected today to give its reply on whether it agrees to co-operate with the Republican Turkish Party (RTP) in forming a ‘government’ in the occupied north.

The official proposal was made by RTP leader Mehmet Ali Talat on Monday.

DP chief Serdar Denktash said yesterday that an answer should be expected by the latest by this morning.

The two men met on Monday in what has been described as a useful and positive meeting.

Speaking at a joint news conference after the meeting, Talat said he would continue to hold contacts aimed at forming a ‘government’.

He said he preferred to form a ‘government’ with a wide base that would include the DP and Mustafa Akinci’s Peace and Democracy Movement.

Serdar Denktash said he had a candid exchange with Talat, stressing the need for open dialogue, despite the disagreements between the two parties.

He said his party would not delay its decision, adding, however, that that should not be taken as acceptance of Talat’s proposal.

“If we decide to participate in this government, we will discuss the conditions.
“If we decide not to, we will say it clearly without delay,” Denktash said.

The opposition RTP was the largest single party in December’s vote, which split pro and anti Dentkash parties exactly down the middle.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.