Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders urged voters on Wednesday to reject a UN plan to reunify Cyprus before the island joins the EU next month.
Both Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash condemned the UN plan to end a 30-year division of the east Mediterranean island, which will be put to twin referendums on April 24.
"I call on you to reject the [UN Secretary-General Kofi] Annan plan. I call on you to say a strong `no' to defend your rights and your history and your moral values," a tearful Papadopoulos said in a speech.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots will vote on reunification a week before Cyprus joins the EU on May 1. If either side votes `no,' only the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south will join, deepening the isolation of the minority Turkish Cypriots and harming Turkey's own EU hopes.
Annan presented his plan to the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities last week.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers on Wednesday to discuss ways of building support for the Annan plan, which Washington says is "fair," a state department spokesman said.
Denktash, 80, made clear he believed the plan would spell an end to his Turkish Cypriot statelet, recognized only by Turkey.
Cyprus has been split on ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded after a brief Greek Cypriot coup backed by a military junta ruling in Athens. The 1960s saw fierce communal bloodshed that left deep scars.
Denktash fears Turkish Cypriots will be swamped by the majority Greek Cypriots in a reunited Cyprus, despite guarantees in the UN plan allowing broad autonomy for both communities.
In a 50-minute televised speech, Papadopoulos said the UN plan was unworkable and would threaten the security of citizens by disbanding the Greek Cypriot army.
"This plan does not meet even our minimum requirements," the 70-year-old Greek Cypriot said, his voice choked with emotion.
"The risks and dangers of saying `yes' are much, much greater than the risks of saying `no,' and the impact of a `yes' vote would be irreversible," he said, adding efforts to reunite the island would continue even if the referendum failed.
The plan proposes re-linking Cyprus under a loose federation of two largely self-governing states, one Greek Cypriot and the other Turkish Cypriot.
The UN plan would allow Greece and Turkey, the guarantor powers under a 1960 treaty, intervention rights and to keep troops on the island. It would also limit, for a transitional period, unlimited Greek Cypriot settlement in northern Cyprus.
Politicians and voters have shown little support for the 9,000-page UN document which emerged from inconclusive talks last week in Switzerland.
Opinion polls have pointed to an outright rejection by Greek Cypriots and approval by Turkish Cypriots by a thin majority.
Analysts said it was unclear how much clout Papadopoulos would have in swinging the final vote, with his main coalition partner likely to support the UN plan.
Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss, the stepsister of teenage diarist Anne Frank and a tireless educator about the horrors of the Holocaust, has died. She was 96. The Anne Frank Trust UK, of which Schloss was honorary president, said she died on Saturday in London, where she lived. Britain’s King Charles III said he was “privileged and proud” to have known Schloss, who cofounded the charitable trust to help young people challenge prejudice. “The horrors that she endured as a young woman are impossible to comprehend and yet she devoted the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding
Tens of thousands of Filipino Catholics yesterday twirled white cloths and chanted “Viva, viva,” as a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ was paraded through the streets of Manila in the nation’s biggest annual religious event. The day-long procession began before dawn, with barefoot volunteers pulling the heavy carriage through narrow streets where the devout waited in hopes of touching the icon, believed to hold miraculous powers. Thousands of police were deployed to manage crowds that officials believe could number in the millions by the time the statue reaches its home in central Manila’s Quiapo church around midnight. More than 800 people had sought
‘DISRESPECTFUL’: Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s most influential adviser, drew ire by posting an image of Greenland in the colors of the US flag, captioning it ‘SOON’ US President Donald Trump on Sunday doubled down on his claim that Greenland should become part of the US, despite calls by the Danish prime minister to stop “threatening” the territory. Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the arctic. While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said in response to a reporter’s question. “We’ll worry about Greenland in
PERILOUS JOURNEY: Over just a matter of days last month, about 1,600 Afghans who were at risk of perishing due to the cold weather were rescued in the mountains Habibullah set off from his home in western Afghanistan determined to find work in Iran, only for the 15-year-old to freeze to death while walking across the mountainous frontier. “He was forced to go, to bring food for the family,” his mother, Mah Jan, said at her mud home in Ghunjan village. “We have no food to eat, we have no clothes to wear. The house in which I live has no electricity, no water. I have no proper window, nothing to burn for heating,” she added, clutching a photograph of her son. Habibullah was one of at least 18 migrants who died
RSS