WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- On April 24, the inhabitants of both sides of the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus voted in a referendum on U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's reunification plan. Greek Cypriots voted overwhelmingly against it: Turkish Cypriots, however, voted for the plan. The outcome, ironically, was that Greek Cyprus was admitted into the European Union, but the Turks were left out. This is because Turkish Cypriot entry was contingent on reunification. This week Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talal was in Washington seeking U.S. support in ending the economic and political isolation that has been the Turkish lot since 1974. Prime Minister Talal was interviewed by UPI's Roland Flamini and Krishnadev Calamur.
Q: Is the Annan plan dead?
A: That is not up to us. The decision on the fate of the Annan plan depends on Annan and on the international community. Maybe they will say that it is not valid any more. Maybe they will decide that it's still on the table, or on the shelf, or in the refrigerator. I think the secretary general will make his decision and let us know what it is. In any case, the Annan plan will always be a reference point for future developments in the peace process.
Q: Where does Turkish Cyprus go from here?
A: Turkish Cypriots are waiting for a positive response from the international community, because they abided by their commitment. Turkish Cypriots voted in a very clear manner in favor of the plan that was prepared by the U.N., supported by the EU, supported by the United States. They gave a very clear message.
Q: What are you looking for from the international community?
A: We want to end our isolation. We have a lot of restrictions, and freedom of movement is not easy for Turkish Cypriots. If I want to go to Germany, for example, I have to get a Cyprus passport from Greek Cyprus or a Turkish passport. We have trade restrictions. Because the European Union insists on paperwork from a legal government, we can't sell our goods to the EU.
Q: In your conversations with Secretary Powell, what assurances was he prepared to give?
A: He didn't give any. We put our case forward, and Secretary Powell said he understood our situation, and the United States will do its best to remove the restrictions. We want all flight restrictions to be removed. That is our first priority. The most important sector in our economy is tourism, and direct flights will give a boost to tourism. Also, foreign direct investment: that is very crucial for us, and we need it. Without foreign investment our economy cannot develop.
Q: Are you pleased with the assurances the European Union has given you?
A: They have not given assurances yet. They are trying to help us. But we want action, and they are still using words only. We expect the removal of restrictions.
Q: What about diplomatic recognition?
A: We are not focusing on that at present. We're insisting on the end of our isolation.
Q: Were you surprised by the Greek Cypriots' rejection of the referendum?
A: No. Just before the referendum, we knew Greek Cypriots were going to say no.
Q: If you knew in advance that they were going to say no, and they knew they were going to say no, and Annan knew it, wouldn't it have made more sense to postpone the referendum, rather than see it defeated?
A: Annan had very clearly pronounced this plan as the only solution to the Cyprus problem, with no alternative. On Feb 13 (at the conclusion of talks) the Turkish Cypriot side, the Greek Cypriot side, as well as Turkey and Greece all agreed that the plan would be submitted to simultaneous referenda, and things proceeded that way. How could the secretary general stop the two sides from having simultaneous referenda if neither side asked for a postponement? He couldn't change his position.
Q: He could have asked if this was a good time to vote, or whether you or the Greek Cypriot government needed more time to digest it. Didn't the Greek Cypriot government say that one reason for recommending a no-vote was that there had been insufficient time to study the plan fully and to understand it?
A: The Greek Cypriot government never asked for a postponement of the vote because they were convinced that the Turkish Cypriots or the Turkish military would block the referendum. So the Greek Cypriots would say the Turks were responsible for the collapse of the peace process. This was their expectation until the very last moment. They didn't know how it would happen, but they just knew that it would. So they didn't think to request any kind of postponement. When it became clear that the Turkish side was not going to block the process, they had to come up with pretexts for voting against the plan. It is all deception. Not pretext, deception. But if the referendum were postponed, the result would not be different.
Q: Do you expect to see reunification in your lifetime?
A: I expect to see it in my term in office. This is not over.
