Annan and other backers of the plan, who include government representatives in the United States and the European Union powers, promote the 9,000-page scheme as a step to “reunification.” That claim helped to spark a positive response to the plan when Annan first unveiled it in 2002. Not only did working people flock to large celebrations, particularly in the Turkish-Cypriot area; tens of thousands crossed the border both ways for celebratory visits when the Turkish government opened the Turkish-Cypriot border in mid-2003.

As the details of the proposal have become better known, however, opinions among working people have become more mixed, while capitalist political figures have divided into for and against camps. Facing the real possibility of defeat, the imperialist backers of the plan have stepped up pressure for its adoption.  
 
One island, two governments
Cyprus was carved in two in 1974 following an attempt by the then-military government of Greece to annex the island for Greek imperialism. Seizing the moment, the rulers of Turkey invaded and occupied the northern part of Cyprus, and established a separate government. Some 200,000 Greek Cypriots were forced out of their homes by the Turkish invasion, while tens of thousands of Turkish-Cypriots were compelled to move north. In spite of his promises of reunifying the country, Annan’s plan allows for the continued presence of troops from Greece, Turkey, and Britain. The Turkish troops would be reduced within two years from their present level of 37,000 to 6,000—equal to the number of Greek forces. Reductions would continue at a snail’s pace, down to 3,000 each in 2011 and less than 1,000 by 2018. The Turkish-Cypriot and the Greek-Cypriot states would have no armed forces of their own.

London, on the other hand, would maintain its three military bases that cover 99 square miles of the island’s territory. British imperialism has retained this military foothold since ending its direct colonial rule over Cyprus in 1960. According to an April 1 Reuters article, “British bases [in Cyprus] were important staging areas in the U.S.-led war on Iraq and house listening posts serving London and Washington that monitor communications through the Middle East and beyond.” British prime minister Anthony Blair said April 16 that Annan’s plan offered “the best chance that we will have for a generation of progress in Cyprus.”

If the plan is adopted, the new federal government—named the United Cyprus Republic—would only have responsibility for external relations and monetary policy. The Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot areas would remain under separate administrations. They would maintain control over industry and commerce, tourism, agriculture, and fishing, along with labor laws and social welfare in their respective jurisdictions.

The highest court of the federated state would include equal numbers of Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot judges as well as three UN-appointed foreign judges This court, which Annan describes as “the only institution that can guarantee the harmonious functioning of the state,” will have veto power over any law that the federal or constituent governments pass.

Other details of the plan cover refugees and citizenship. The Turkish-Cypriot component of the new state would cover 29 percent of the island’s area, down from 39 percent today. The number of Greek-Cypriot refugees allowed to return to their home areas in the north would not exceed 18 percent of the population. Forty-five thousand out of 80,000 settlers transported from Turkey after 1974 will receive Cypriot citizenship, while 60,000 Turkish-Cypriot people would have to move from their homes in cities and towns that would be turned over to the Greek-Cypriot state

According to Annan’s plan Greek-Cypriots rendered homeless would receive a third of the value of their property, with the rest to be received in the form of 25-year stocks and bonds.  
 
Washington pushes for plan
On March 31 U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell intervened in favor of the proposal, describing it as a “historic opportunity.” This was the first time that U.S. officials had commented on the plan, and reflected imperialist concerns about the lack of agreement between the two Cyprus governments. “This is the time for leaders to show flexibility, for leaders to be willing to compromise for the greater good of the Cypriot people,” Powell said.

According to the Athens News, the British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, warned that rejection of the plan would mean “a recognized partition into two states.” EU representative Gunther Verheugen said, “The alternative is this plan or nothing, no solution at all.” Following these comments, Greek president Costis Stephanopoulos spoke in favor of the plan, and the foreign minister threatened, “If either the Greek or Turkish Cypriot communities reject the plan, there will be no new initiative for a solution for a long time.” George Papandreou, leader of the social-democratic Panhellenic Socialist Movement in Greece, urged support for the plan in a statement on April 7. Of the main political parties in Greece, only the Communist Party of Greece rejected the proposal.  
 
Ankara in favor
The Turkish government has also come out in support of the plan, hoping that getting the Cypriot question off the table will smooth Turkey’s entry into the EU. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated, however, that “if the Greek Cypriots reject it, I will tell the whole world with great confidence to recognize the TRNC [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus].”

Politicians in the Turkish-Cypriot section are at loggerheads on the issue. Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat has stated his support, while President Rauf Denktash opposes it, saying that it will “completely remove Turkey from Cyprus, bring Greeks into our community and thereby destroy bi-zonality.”

Greek-Cypriot politicians are also divided. In the “no” camp are President Tassos Stefanopoulos, who said the plan gives the “Turkish side” too many concessions, and the Orthodox Church hierarchy.

AKEL, the Communist Party of Cyprus, the largest party on the island, had initially come out for a “yes” vote. However, they have since shifted their position and are now calling for a two-month postponement of the referendum. Current polls indicate that a sizeable majority in the south will vote against the proposal. Some 6,000 demonstrated against the plan in the capital of Nicosia—which is itself divided into separate Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot sections—on April 4.  
 
 
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