NICOSIA, April 24: Greek Cypriots defied international pressure on Saturday, voting overwhelmingly to kill a UN-backed plan that would have ended 30 years of partition and ushered a united Cyprus into the European Union.
Turkish northern Cyprus, in a parallel vote, approved the plan for a loose association of two largely autonomous zones. But the Greek Cypriot "no" effectively slammed the EU gates on the poorer north and meant only Greek Cyprus will accede on May 1.
It was a result the EU, the United States and the United Nations had urgently sought to avoid. The long-festering Cyprus problem, which has brought Nato partners Turkey and Greece to the verge of war on at least two occasions, will now be "imported" into the union with all its attendant complexities and emotion.
Official results showed Greek Cyprus voted 75.8 per cent against the reunification plan.
The EU executive said in a statement the European Commission regretted the Greek Cypriot rejection.
"A unique opportunity to bring about a solution to the long-lasting Cyprus issue has been missed," the statement said.
There was a subdued mood on the streets of the Greek Cypriot side of the divided capital, Nicosia. Smart roadside cafes usually teeming with people were empty, and police cordoned off roads leading to President Tassos Papadopoulos's office.
Official results showed Turkish Cypriots, comprising less than 200,000 of the island's 800,000 population and populating a third of its territory, voted 65 per cent for the unity plan.
The vote turned on its head the diplomatic pattern of recent years when Turkish Cypriots and "mother country" Turkey had won the reputation of the eternal "nay-sayers" in peace bids. Ankara says the world should now ease sanctions on the isolated north.
Domestic financial analysts said the prospect of political isolation for Greek Cypriots after the rejection, coupled with a possible easing of trade blockades on Turkish Cypriots, damaged Cyprus's economic outlook in the short and medium term.-Reuters
