NETHERLANDS: UN SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN HAS TALKS WITH GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER TO DISCUSS CYPRUS PEACE PLAN
Record ID:
858808
NETHERLANDS: UN SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN HAS TALKS WITH GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER TO DISCUSS CYPRUS PEACE PLAN
- Title: NETHERLANDS: UN SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN HAS TALKS WITH GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER TO DISCUSS CYPRUS PEACE PLAN
- Date: 10th March 2003
- Summary: (U3) THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (MARCH 10, 2003) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF THE HAGUE PEACE PALACE (3 SHOTS) VARIOUS OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN ARRIVING AT AT THE PEACE PALACE IN MOTORCADE (3 SHOTS) SLV OFFICIALS GREETING KOFI ANNAN AT ENTRANCE TO PALACE SLV MEDIA TAKING PICTURES OF GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER TASSOS PAPADOLOPOULOS INSIDE THE PEACE PALACE (4 SHOTS) VARIOUS OF DELEGATES WALKING INTO MEETING
- Embargoed: 25th March 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
- City:
- Country: Netherlands
- Topics: General,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAE6DLMK3BXPQBBN3TB7QGCIGK8
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos have arrived at the Hague for a last effort to discuss the latest U.N. Cyprus peace plan ahead of the island's accession to the European Union in 2004.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos arrived at the Hague for a summit in a last-ditch effort to secure an agreement on the U.N. peace plan to unite Cyprus on Monday (March 10).
Annan has championed agreement on a referendum amid an impasse in months-long negotiations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots ahead of the Mediterranean island's accession to the European Union in 2004.
The Turkish Cypriot parliament, controlled by supporters of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, failed to vote on the U.N. request for a referendum for a second time on Sunday after the minimum number of deputies required to consider the motion failed to show up.
Denktash said on Thursday he would tell Annan he could not accept a referendum. Annan says he will end peace efforts if it is rejected.
The two main opposition parties in the Turkish Cypriot parliament announced they would boycott parliament until it votes on the referendum and would hold its own rival public vote.It is not clear if any referendum held by the opposition would or could be legally binding.
The EU has said it will accept Cyprus, currently represented by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot south, as a member without a solution. The breakaway republic of northern Cyprus is recognised only by Ankara.
The Turkish Cypriot leader says the U.N. draft is a recipe for violence and unacceptable without major revisions, citing demands for Turkish Cypriot accession on territory and plans for the arrival of thousands of Greek Cypriots to the Turkish Cypriot north of the island.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Turkish zone of the divided capital Nicosia on Friday to support veteran leader Denktash over his rejection of the U.N.
plan to end the 29-year-old division of the island.
In January, the biggest anti-Denktash rally drew an estimated 70,000 people, over a third of the Turkish Cypriot population of 200,000.
Although parliament is set to meet again on Tuesday, Denktash could veto its decision if it votes in favour of holding the key referendum.
Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded the north of the island after a Greek Cypriot coup backed by the military government then ruling Athens.
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