November 16, 2003	Sunday	Ramazan 20, 1424

NICOSIA, Nov 15: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed here on Saturday that Ankara would not sign a deal solving the 29-year division of Cyprus “at any price”, despite its wish to end the dispute over the Mediterranean island.

“What is important is reaching a lasting solution that does not breed new incidents, new tensions on the island,” Mr Erdogan said, speaking at celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

But “a solution at any price is unthinkable”, he added, stressing that any solution to the long-standing conflict must go hand in hand with international recognition of the political status of the Turkish Cypriot community.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey intervened in the northern third of the island in response to an Athens-engineered coup seeking unification with Greece.

The breakaway TRNC operates in the north, with the rest of the island controlled by the Republic of Cyprus, which joins the European Union in May next year.

The dispute has a major bearing on Turkey’s own future in Europe as EU leaders have underlined that Ankara’s efforts to join the bloc could be seriously undermined if there is no solution on the island.

Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash presided over a military parade through the main street of the Turkish-held sector of Nicosia involving both Turkish Cypriot forces and units from the 30,000 Turkish troops stationed in the north. —AFP