Denktash dies

1. Denktash dies
Former Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, who died at the age of 88 on Friday, will be given a state funeral on Tuesday, Bayrak reports.
A week of official mourning has been declared until Friday 20 January. A period of mourning will be observed in Turkey as well.

In a message of condolences, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that the death of such a heroic leader, was not only a loss for the Turkish Cypriots but a loss for the entire Turkish nation.

"He dedicated his whole life to the rightful national cause of his people. The TRNC is the biggest heritage he left behind. His struggle towards a lasting and fair settlement in Cyprus, reaching to a successful end, will be the most significant gain of his people. Turkish Cypriots will always find motherland Turkey by their side while maintaining their honourable struggle", Gul said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Denktash has a unique place in the heart of the Turkish nation with his lifelong struggle for the national cause. "He will live forever in the lands of the TRNC" he said.

Former Turkish President and close friend of Denktash, Suleyman Demirel also sent a message in which he underlined the extremely significant role Denktash had played in the establishment of the "sovereign TRNC state".

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon in a message of condolences said: "Mr Denktas was a long-serving and historic Cyprus Turkish leader with whom the United Nations had a long relationship in the framework of UN-facilitated talks for the reunification of Cyprus and related to its peacekeeping responsibilities on the island."

"The Secretary General expresses his condolences to the family of the late Rauf Denktas as well as to all Cyprus Turks," said the message.

The Special Adviser of the Secretary-General, Alexander Downer, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Lisa Buttenheim issued a joint statement expressing their condolences to the Turkish Cypriots and the Denktash family.

"Mr Denktash was a preeminent figure whose dedication to the Turkish Cypriot community was steadfast through decades of leadership" their statement said.
President Demetris Christofias contacted Serdar Denktash via the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervish Eroglu and offered his deepest condolences to the Denktash family.

2. Press reactions
Under the title "Everybody will be here", Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar reports that Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the General Secretary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, will be attending the funeral.
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika reports that Denktash’s daughter, Ender Vangol, told the press that Denktash’s last words were: "Tell them… tell Christofias! This is an independent state".

Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News says that on his deathbed Denktash was talking or whispering to his daughter. "What are we going to do with all those people to be displaced … How are we going to make territorial adjustments?"
Denktash’s death was greeted was met with barely a sound from the Greek Cypriot press and politicians.

"I don’t think it is the time to make assessments of the actions of Rauf Denktash, who was in any case, a big personality. His actions, like those of Greek Cypriots or Greek actors were not the best for the Cypriot people," President Christofias said.

"Denktash was consistent in his vision for partition. We certainly cannot agree with the vision of Rauf Denktash but it would be wrong at this moment to make a general assessment and accuse Denktash," he added.

In this hour of grief for many Turkish Cypriots and Turks, Christofias called for people to show "prudence and respect for the feelings of many of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots".

An obituary in the Financial Times says Denktash was a leader who clung to the idea of partition. It says when the Greek Cypriots rejected the Annan plan in the referendum in 2004, he ironically saw his life’s work vindicated by the Greeks, at the very moment when his own people disavowed him.

3. Davutoglu discusses Cyprus with UN S-G
"We are on the threshold of an important opportunity in the Cyprus issue, and it is significant not to miss this opportunity", Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has said.
Speaking to reporters in Beirut on Sunday, Davutoglu said that he had held a long meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of a UN conference there and that they had discussed the developments in the region as well as the Cyprus issue, Ankara Anatolia news agency reports.

"Ban attaches importance on making progress rapidly during the Cyprus summit which will be held in New York soon", Davutoglu said, adding that Ban told him that Turkey's initiatives about Cyprus issue were important.

3. Turkish Cypriot side well-prepared for Greentree
Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu told the Turkish Cypriot assembly that each side was preparing a 20 page draft document to take with them to Greentree, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis reports.

Moreover, Bayrak reports that Osman Ertug has said that the Turkish Cypriot side will soon respond to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s letter that was sent to the two leaders in Cyprus, ahead of the Greentree summit.

"The Turkish Cypriot side has a clear stance. We’ll go to the summit well-prepared, with the aim of successfully finalizing the process."

"We will do our best to push for the launch of that process, bearing in mind Ban’s expectations. The give-and-take is possible if supported by the international community. The European Union’s stance at this point is important in terms of influencing the Greek Cypriot side," Ertug added.

4. Downer says problem could be solved but could also collapse Alexander Downer, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cyprus, has said he wants to celebrate a solution which will be reached by the leaders at Greentree with a lunch on the Bosporus.

In an interview with Turkish daily Milliyet, Downer stressed that efforts should be exerted to reach a solution in Cyprus by 1 July 2012 when Cyprus takes over the EU presidency.

"There is no alternative other than a federal solution", Downer said noting that since 2008, the solution process in Cyprus has cost the UN around 10-15 million US dollars.

Downer said that "we could solve the problem by June" and added that "after the problem is solved I want to go to the Bosporus in Istanbul and have a wonderful meal". He said that the Prime Ministers of Turkey and Greece, together with President Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu should join him at this meal.

"The Greentree summit is a critical stage", he said. "After this summit we should move towards a multilateral conference. If the sides do not achieve progress on the main issues, we, as UN can do nothing more. The UN has no Plan B. There could be no other solution in Cyprus other than a federal solution, because the UN Security Council is exerting efforts towards this solution".
He also said that everyone should be ready for the possibility of a solution not being found. "I hope there will be no collapse. Everybody should know that the collapse is also among the alternatives".

"Both sides should realize that we are entering a very critical phase. We know very well the positions of both sides.

He said a solution is possible with Eroglu and Christofias and that they are both exerting great efforts towards a solution.

"What is important is to find creative approaches for being able to find an agreement, rather than the hope for an agreement. Now is the time for the people to work body and soul for a solution."

Downer said that uncertainty still exists on the most difficult issues, which are citizenship, territory and governance and power sharing. He noted that the Turkish Cypriot side wants all settlers to remain on the island, while the Greek Cypriot side insists they be limited to 50 thousand. He said the Greek Cypriot side wants land back, including Morphou and the Karpass, which will secure the return of 100 thousand Greek Cypriot refugees to their homes, while the Turkish side rejects this. He said that the Greek Cypriot side accepts the rotating presidency but wants election of the president and the vice president with the method of cross-voting, which the Turkish side describes as unfair.