NICOSIA, Feb 27: UN chief Kofi Annan wants Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders to put his peace plan for Cyprus directly to referendums on the divided island if they cannot agree on it in the coming days, former Cypriot president George Vassiliou said on Thursday.

“What I would like to stress is that the UN Secretary-General is asking for a commitment from both sides to put the (UN) plan to a referendum,” Mr Vassiliou told reporters.

He said Mr Annan had conveyed this message during a lunch he hosted on Thursday at the UN compound for Greek and Turkish Cypriot politicians, who also received a new draft of the plan.

“This is different from what was said previously about Annan seeking a commitment on the plan (from the rival leaders) before moving forward,” Vassiliou added.

Sources said the UN chief had now given up hopes that the Friday deadline for an agreement between leaders of the divided island cannot be met and had proposed a new date of March 10.

The sources said that with a day left until Annan’s self-imposed Feb 28 deadline runs out, the secretary-general was now instead asking the two leaders to meet him at the Hague on March 10 to give their final response.—AFP\Reuters