TRNC'S Talat meets with president Gul

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President (TRNC) Mehmet Ali Talat, currently in Ankara to tell Turkish top officials about the ongoing talks on Cyprus, yesterday met with President Abdullah Gul. Stating that the final goal is to reach a lasting peace in line with a comprehensive solution, Gul said, "For this reason, we want the talks to be concluded speedily." He added, "If possible, we want to see the result of the Cyprus negotiations submitted to the public through a referendum by the end of this year." Gul said that Turkey welcomed the restarted talks, adding, "Turkey always favors a solution. For this reason, it has always supported the talks from the beginning and will continue to do so." For his part, Talat said that they want to find a solution by the end of the year, and added, "One thing should be understood well: The Greek Cypriots have to collaborate with us in order to reach an agreement. If they don't and chase a fantasy of putting pressure on the TRNC and Turkey through the European Union, and delay the process, we won't be responsible for this." Afterwards, Talat met with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.