Turkish daily Aksam (26.11.11, online) reported on Turkish President Adullah Gul’s statements regarding his official visit to London. Gul, talking to journalists aboard his returning flight from his contacts in Britain, gave clear messages regarding Cyprus. “I explained this issue at length to [Labour Party leader Ed] Miliband. I also talked about the issue of the Greek Cypriots [EU] presidency,” said Gul.

Also commenting on the messages he gave to British politicians during his contacts, Gul said: “If you are sincere on this subject [the reunification of Cyprus], now it is the time. You may do whatever you can until June 2012. If you can persuade Greek Cypriots, if you will say ‘enough’, now it’s the time to say it. If you fail to do so now and they [Greek Cypriots] undertake the [EU term] presidency in this situation, I said clearly that why should I agree respecting myself? Then don’t say anything to us. After this you will go for two separate states and you will have to recognize what we recognize.”

The Turkish President also expressed his wish for the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders to agree on a solution by the end of this year and a new plan for a solution to be presented at a referendum.

“I said openly that, as Straw has said, everyone will accept [the two-state structure in Cyprus] and bear the consequences of this,” added Gul.

Meanwhile, referring to Gul’s statements, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (27.11.11) reports that Gul gave a clear message to guarantor power Britain and the EU by saying “either you secure that an agreement is achieved or recognize the TRNC”. The paper writes that Cyprus was one of the issues which Gul discussed the most during his visit to Britain. He said he gave the message that he does not discuss this matter with other countries and added that he discussed it in Britain because it is also a guarantor power in Cyprus.