On anniversary of peace operation, Turkey, TRNC insist on quick deal

On the eve of today's 36th anniversary of the Turkish military's Peace Operation on Cyprus, Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders reiterated that a solution must be found for the island's division by year's-end. "Our desire is a solution by the end of the year," Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek, in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to attend the July 20 celebrations, said during a meeting with TRNC President Dervis Eroglu. "It's not right to let a dispute linger forever." In a message sent to Eroglu marking the anniversary, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "We believe that a lasting solution should be found by the end of 2010." He also repeated Turkey's call for an end to the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, saying that they should not be the ones paying the price for the lack of a settlement on the island. In related news, an agreement was signed yesterday on a project to carry water from Turkey to the TRNC through pipelines under the Mediterranean in a ceremony attended by Cicek and Eroglu. Speaking at the ceremony, Cicek said when the $450 million project is completed in some four years, 75 million cubic meters of water will be pumped to the TRNC annually.