The UN will put its revised plan to reunify Cyprus to separate referendums on the Mediterranean island next month, UN chief Kofi Annan announced in Switzerland on Wednesday after the rival communities failed to hammer out a deal.
"The choice is between this settlement and no settlement," he said after marathon talks with leaders of Cyprus' Greek and Turkish communities as well as the Greek and Turkish prime ministers to settle the 30-year crisis.
The talks were aimed at reaching a deal on a revised blueprint drawn up by Annan aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island before it is due to join the EU on May 1.
"If the referendum is approved, Cyprus will be reunified in time to accede to the EU," the UN secretary-general said.
Annan had given the delegations until midnight Wednesday to support his proposals, or to see them put to a vote across the divided island without their backing.
But the island's rival communities failed to reach an agreement between themselves in the week-long negotiations at a secluded hotel complex in the snow-covered Swiss Alpine resort of Buergenstock.
"Unfortunately it proved impossible to reach an agreed solution," Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said late Wednesday. "It is now up to the people of Cyprus and its political leadership to make a final decision."
Annan appealed to the two communities to vote "yes" in the referendum to be held April 24.
"There have been too many missed opportunities in the past. For the sake of all of you and your people, I urge you not to make the same mistake again," Annan warned.
But Annan said his plan, which establishes a loose federation with Greek and Turkish Cypriot areas and a central government, "offers the best chance for peace, prosperity and stability that is ever likely to be on offer."
"We have tried to accommodate the express concerns of both sides to create a win-win situation," he said. "I believe we have succeeded."
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