TRNC News Today 3rd December 2013
PRESIDENT EROĜLU: “THEY ARE TRYING TO FETTER US”
President Eroğlu has indicated that the Greek Cypriot side was aiming to put forward the framework which they demanded with a joint statement and said: “They are trying to fetter us at the negotiation table. They are planning to get what they want in advance and make us run after them.”
President Derviş Eroğlu has made statements regarding the latest developments on the Cyprus issue and the approval by football clubs of the provisional agreement 
reached between the Cyprus Turkish football Association and the Greek Cypriot Football Association to Hürriyet newspaper which is published in Turkey.
On the issue of the developments in football the President said that statements made by the President of the Greek Cypriot Football Federation should be taken into consideration.
Explaining that he too desired to see the youth playing sports internationally the President said ‘I see that the Greek Cypriots are not sincere. They want to bring the Turkish Cypriot players under their domination. The Greek Cypriot side also wants to use this issue in politics as well’.
Touching upon the Cyprus issue President Derviş Eroğlu said that the Greek Cypriot side supports single sovereignty, single international identity, single citizenship and the continuation of the Republic of Cyprus.
The President also drew attention to his meetings with the Greek Cypriot leader by saying that although they had made many proposals to overcome the deadlock on the joint statement all proposals had been rejected by the Greek Cypriot side.
Noting that it seemed difficult to reach his aim of facilitating a solution to the Cyprus Problem by March next year due to the Greek Cypriot leader’s stance, the President said ‘If the Greek Cypriot leader returns to the negotiating table with the necessary will then the Cyprus issue can be solved by March as every issue has already been discussed at the negotiation table’.
He said that if the Greek Cypriot side does not take a step back on the issue of the joint statement then it will be difficult for the Cyprus negotiations to re-launch.
SERDAR DENKTAŞ: “I INSIST ON PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY”
The Delegation of Cyprus Turkish Football Federation visited Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy, Tourism, Culture and Sports – Serdar Denktaş and received information about Denktas’s views and proposals on the issue.
Stating that an initiative has been made within the rules of FIFA and UEFA to open a way for football, Denktaş said ‘While this initiative 
has been continuing, I have expressed to my counterparts directly what might be dangerous for us’.
Moreover, Denktaş said that he insisted on taking the principle of equality into consideration because he gave great importance to this issue in inter-states contacts.
Denktaş added: ‘Greek Cypriots should respect us and we as the Turkish Cypriots should also respect their equality’.
In his reply to a question, Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktaş stated that Turkish football teams should be forced to use Ercan Airport for their matches to be played in South Cyprus.
‘Turkish football teams can come to the TRNC with their referees and have practice and friendly matches but they have concerns. They should leave their concerns’ Denktaş added.
EU OBSERVERS: “DISI TACTICALLY SAID ‘YES’ TO ANNAN PLAN”
DISI attracts attention because no progress concerning the Cyprus problem has 
been achieved after the leader of DISI – Nicos Anastasiades was elected as the leader of Greek Cypriot administration last February.
Discussions with DISI are brought into question again because Anastasiades does not come to the negotiation table for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem.
The evaluations made in Brussels related to DISI, which has been reluctant (by putting forward many conditions and obstacles) to come to the negotiation table, have drawn attention.
EU observers, who have a command of the file of Cyprus and support the unification of the island, underlined that DISI tactically said ‘YES’ 
to the Annan Plan held in 2004. They underlined that DISI knew beforehand that Greek Cypriots would say ‘NO’ in the referenda held 2004, so they tactically said ‘YES’ to the Annan Plan although they were opposed to the Annan Plan.
Emphasizing that if a political party saying ‘YES’ to the Annan Plan has not come to the negotiation table for nearly a year expresses many things, EU observers put forward the opinion that if all political parties in the Greek Cypriot side said ‘NO’ to the Annan Plan held in 2004, they would not have good relations with the EU. DISI tactically said ‘YES’ to the Annan Plan for keeping the channels open in the relations with the EU.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office
