Turkish Cypriot opposition says 'no' to shelf agreement with Turkey

Thursday, October 6, 2011 NICOSIA - ntvmsnbc.com Turkey has dispatched the 'Piri Reis' to search for gas in the Mediterranean in retaliation to Greek Cypriot search efforts. AA photo Turkish Cyprus’s main opposition Republican Turks’ Party (CTP) said they rejected the continental shelf agreement between Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot government, ntvmsnbc.com reported. The statement from the CTP said the Cyprus issue was at a critical stage and a road map would be drawn out during a summit in New York on Oct. 30-31, where U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will bring the two sides together. "The drilling efforts [in the eastern Mediterranean Sea] depletes the energy that could have been directed at preparing for the summit and eliminates any good will [between the sides]," the CTP said. The CTP summarized their reasons for rejecting the agreement in seven articles. 1. The existence, identity and will of the Turkish Cypriot people have been ignored. 2. The president of Turkish Cyprus has exceeded his mandate by bypassing Parliament. 3. The Greek Cypriot government has acted in an irresponsible way to risk the peace efforts and insisted on searching for oil and gas. The Turkish side has done wrong by acting in kind. 4. The agreement's contents do not favor the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots. Who has carried out negotiations for such an agreement signed on our behalf? Where did the negotiations take place and what was their nature? 5. The will of the Turkish Cypriot Parliament was treated with disrespect. 6. The agreement in question does not contribute to solution efforts. 7. The priority and unwavering aim of the CTP is the solution of the Cyprus issue. Thursday, October 6, 2011 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkish-cypriot-opposition-says-no-to-shelf-agreement-with-turkey-2011-10-06