TRNC NEWS HEADLINES

BABACAN: ‘WE SUPPORT THE TURKISH CYPRIOT SIDE’

Stating that it was very important to find a fair and permanent solution to Cyprus problem Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said that Turkey considered 2008 as a window of opportunity and supported positive approach of the Turkish Cypriot Side towards starting comprehensive talks.

He said that Turkey welcomed the launch of talks between President Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias on September 3rd.

Turkey hopes that the new process will lead to the establishment of a partnership state with politically equal constituent states on the basis of a bi-zonal bicommunal order, where the 1960 Guarantee System will be protected` he added.

The Foreign Minister also made a call for the implementation of the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s report on Cyprus which calls for the lifting of the international isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people.

ERCAKICA: “PRESIDENT TALAT IS CONSISTENT”

The Presidential Spokesman Hasan Ercakica stressed that President Mehmet Ali Talat is completely consistent in both inside and outside the meetings.

Responding to Christofias’s claims that President Ali Talat was speaking differently during negotiations and making contradictory statements outside talks, the Presidential Spokesman described the Greek Cypriot leader’s approach on the issue as shameful and immoral.

Pointing out that the Greek Cypriot Administration’s statements were part of an operation to manipulate the negotiations process, Ercakica said that the Turkish Cypriot Side will calmly be able to overcome such attempts.

Ercakica told reporters during his weekly press briefing that the two leaders will be discussing how the executive organ of the new partnership will be when they meet again for a third time on the 10th of October.

“We would like the Turkish Cypriot people to know that there is a complete consistency in what President Talat has been talking inside and outside the talks process” he added.

Answering to a question on the Yesilirmak Gate, the Presidential spokesman said that there were no new developments on the issue and that they were still waiting for the Greek Cypriot Side to present its views on several issues.

Ercakica also stated that the President had briefed representatives of political parties on the latest stage reached in the negotiations process and said such assessment meetings will continue in the future.

536 THOUSAND ARRIVALS IN 8 MONTHS

The total number of arrivals to the TRNC is 536 542 in the first 8 months of the current year, with an 3.3 percentage increase compared to the same period in last year. While the number of arrivals from Turkey increased with the percentage of 4.8, arrivals from third countries decreased with the percentage of 2.2.

In the statistics report prepared by the Planning, Statistics and Research Department under the Tourism Planning Office of the Economy and Tourism Ministry, more than a double increase in the number of Syrian and Greek arrivals amongst all foreigners arrived through airway and seaway is underlined. That is, the arrivals from Syria increased % 182 and from Greece % 112.6 in the current year.