Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat called on the European Union to freeze the membership of Greek Cypriots until a settlement is attained in the island.

In a letter to EU Term President Ireland's Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, Talat officially requested the freezing of the accession of Greek Cypriots to EU until a settlement and also direct contacts with his state and the release of the 259-million-Euro financial assistance.
 
Talat said "Freezing the implementation of the EU acquis in the Northern part was already foreseen in case of failure of a settlement. Since it was the Southern section that rejected a settlement, it is possible to freeze the acquis there too."  (Hürriyetim)