Turkish Cypriots Back UN Plan To Reunite Island by ABC News Online 1:25pm 15th Jan, 2003   Turkish Cypriots back UN plan to reunite island    ABC News Online: AM - Wednesday, January 15,2003    LINDA MOTTRAM: After nearly three decades of isolation, Turkish Cypriots, in unprecedented numbers, have taken to the streets of northern Nicosia, backing a United Nations plan to reunite the divided island.    In doing so, they've served notice to their enduring and ailing leader, Rauf Denktash, to drop his resistance and deliver a Cyprus that is rid of the anachronism of its dividing line, and its no-mans land separating the Turkish and Greek communities.    Fifty thousand Turkish Cypriots turned out, almost a quarter of the population of the Turkish north, which has gone unrecognised by any state but Turkey since Ankara's troops partitioned the island in 1974.    Tough economic conditions are key to the protests particularly as the Greek Cypriot south is preparing to join the EU next year.    More from our Europe correspondent Geoff Hutchison.    GEOFF HUTCHISON: No one can remember a sight like it. Fifty thousand Turkish Cypriots. Maybe one in four of the region's entire population, out on the streets demanding that Rauf Denktash, long-time leader, father figure and protector agree to a UN proposal to finally reunite this troubled Mediterranean island.    Kirsty Hughes from the Centre for European Policy Studies witnessed the demonstration.    KIRSTY HUGHES: Young people, old people, children, people on roofs, on the walls, and this huge mass of European Union flags and balloons calling both for a solution in Cyprus and for EU membership. And calling repeatedly for Denktash to resign.    GEOFF HUTCHISON: Rauf Denktash, backed by the might of Turkey has long refused to embrace reunification talks.    When I interviewed him last year he was still arguing that should UN peacekeepers leave Cyprus, the hoards from the south would come and murder northerners in their beds. Once upon a time those words would have resonated deeply, but not now.    Turkish Cypriots know that EU membership for a united Cyprus will end more than a generation of isolation and poverty. Turkey too wants to join the EU and is softening its hard line. But still the 79 year old Mr Denktash stalls.    RAUF DENKTASH: We have to have time in order to work together, in order to trust each other, it needs time. You can't put these two people together again.    If you do, then you'll have a situation as in Palestine.    GEOFF HUTCHISON: Kirsty Hughes believes it is he who is now running out of time.    KIRSTY HUGHES: I think it's going to have quite an important impact. He cannot ignore it if you've got over a quarter of your population on the street.    It's like a public uprising, the pressure is really building now, so the next four to six weeks are going to be crucial.    LINDA MOTTRAM: Kirsty Hughes from the Centre For European Policy Studies, Geoff Hutchison reporting.    UN News Centre : Jan 15th 2003    Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said the UN would press ahead with talks on a plan to resolve the Cyprus problem before a 28 February deadline.    Speaking at his first official press conference of year today at UN Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General said that "this is something we've worked very hard on and many people in the region have hoped for."    Asked about a demonstration today in Nicosia by 70,000 Turkish Cypriots in favour of the UN plan, the Secretary-General said, "I am pleased that the people are out in the streets promoting peace and demanding peace and demanding unification."    As for UN efforts in Cyprus and whether the issue can be resolved with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, the Secretary-General said, "Obviously it is up to the people to decide who their leader is and up to the leader to decide whether they persist or resign. But whether a leader resigns or stays on I think the people are speaking and it is very difficult not to listen to the people when they come out in those numbers."    Mr. Annan said that he would urge the leaders to listen to the voices of the ordinary people "about their desire for peace." Visit the related web page
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