05 January 2004	Monday	12 Ziqa'ad 1424

ANKARA, Jan 4: Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Sunday that Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash should remain the chief negotiator for the Turkish side in possible peace talks to resolve the 29-year division of Cyprus.

The 79-year-old Denktash faces the risk of being ousted as negotiator by the opposition parties in Turkish-held northern Cyprus, which made major political gains in last month's key parliamentary election.

"We very much desire Denktash to lead the talks as chief negotiator once the new government is set up because he is the community leader and, as the leader, he should be doing that," Gul told the CNN-Turk television news channel on Sunday.

The opposition parties blame Denktash for the collapse in March of peace talks with Greek Cypriot side on a peace plan drawn up by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

They had announced prior to the Dec 14 vote in the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus that they would remove Denktash and re-launch talks on the so-called Annan plan should they come to power.-AFP